Eibach/Koni vs. Bilstein PSS10 for a street setup

[SP-1]

I'm currently on stock ZCP suspension, but am looking to lower the car a bit (~1") without degrading the handling or ride quality too much. I recall the Eibach/Koni Yellows combo being popular on M3F, but haven't seen it discussed much over here. I like having the adjustability of coilovers and I've heard that the Bilsteins are reasonably comfortable on the street given the progressive spring rates. For reference, I have the Ohlins R&T on my E92 M3 and am looking for something more comfortable than that. Has anyone tried both setups and can comment on the pros and cons of each setup for a street car (aside from price)?

[Tbonem3]

I'd go bilstein over koni for OTS solutions anytime. I made my own coilovers out of Bilstein B6 & eibach springs (ground control hardware). Wayyyyy better than any of my Koni & eibach or H&R combos.

Only Koni's I'd get are TCK D/As. If it's a DD, not as important and I'd even recommend Koni over Billy for the rough roads and lower speeds of a DD in the city.

[Albino09]

I remember back on M3F someone went way down the rabbit hole on suspension, and his conclusion on most comfortable ride that didn't compromise handling was Koni Yellows paired with Dinan springs. After that, he went into custom valved Bilsteins from FatCat Motorsports to improve. KY/Dinan is where I plan to take my own car for the same reasoning you stated.

[bigseatchris]

I am currently running Koni and H&R. The ride isn't bad at all, but they didn't last for long. Granted frequent 400+ mile round trips from PA to MA didn't really help them out. I probably have around 30k on the setup right now, but they were very hard miles.

[cmstrilchuk]

I’ve had konis paired stock springs, bilstein HD paired with stock springs, and currently on PSS10 (with camber plates).
The konis were good, the fronts have a good range of adjustment and it matches well to conditions you would encounter. But I feel the rears were not so well matched to the car, too firm / harsh, and of course difficult to adjust. Overall a good upgrade from stock, but a little unrefined at times.
The PSS10 are a very good street to track setup, the adjustment range is very wide, with noticeable steps between each 10 clicks. A little firm at the soft end but more composed than the konis. Build quality is top notch, very substantial. As long as you don’t lower too much, there is enough stroke to keep off the bump stops. And they have the advantage of using the stock top hats, if you don’t need the adjustment of camber plates.
I don’t mean to be ‘phishing’ here, but I will be putting my konis and PSS10s up for sale shortly.

[EthanolTurbo]

I would recommend getting Ohlins, I have them on my 335i and just got Koni Yellow/Eibach on my E46 M3. It's a good setup but I keep imagining how the Ohlins would be on the E46.

[Obioban]

If you want to significantly lower the car (1”), the PSS10s are not a good option. They work well at/near stock ride height.

I’ve had konis paired stock springs, bilstein HD paired with stock springs, and currently on PSS10 (with camber plates).
The konis were good, the fronts have a good range of adjustment and it matches well to conditions you would encounter. But I feel the rears were not so well matched to the car, too firm / harsh, and of course difficult to adjust. Overall a good upgrade from stock, but a little unrefined at times.
The PSS10 are a very good street to track setup, the adjustment range is very wide, with noticeable steps between each 10 clicks. A little firm at the soft end but more composed than the konis. Build quality is top notch, very substantial. As long as you don’t lower too much, there is enough stroke to keep off the bump stops. And they have the advantage of using the stock top hats, if you don’t need the adjustment of camber plates.
I don’t mean to be ‘phishing’ here, but I will be putting my konis and PSS10s up for sale shortly.

Agreed— which is why I’m running TCK Koni SAs on the rear (on the M3 wagon), with generic Koni yellows up front. Softer and top adjustable (instead of compress to adjust).

[Obioban]

I am currently running Koni and H&R. The ride isn't bad at all, but they didn't last for long. Granted frequent 400+ mile round trips from PA to MA didn't really help them out. I probably have around 30k on the setup right now, but they were very hard miles.

The H&R springs don’t work well with any shocks.

[cbean]

Hmmmm, so I should be thinking about returning my New in box Konis for B6's?

Paired with Dinan springs . . . I got those sitting on the self too

[mw14]

I went with ground control (KONI yellows) on my last setup. Ok ride quality, and both rear shocks blew within a year

[Obioban]

Hmmmm, so I should be thinking about returning my New in box Konis for B6's?

Paired with Dinan springs . . . I got those sitting on the self too

If you go this route, you’ll need to significantly increase bump travel. The B6s have borderline too little bump travel with the stock springs, and once you start lowering it... you’re just parked on the bump stop.

[cmstrilchuk]

If you go this route, you’ll need to significantly increase bump travel. The B6s have borderline too little bump travel with the stock springs, and once you start lowering it... you’re just parked on the bump stop.

A work around, you can trim 30mm off the internal bump rubber, helps alot!

[old///MFanatic]

I’ve had Koni Sport Adjustable with stock springs and then later with H&R sport springs. Ride was pretty darn good. Only two gripes I have to say about the Koni SpA was the rears don’t adjust with a dial on the fly. Unless you send out to TC Kline to rebuild. The other was the dial has no numbering. It’s just a dial from Soft ➡️ Firm and it’s not linear. (I think it’s like 2.5 full turns to max). Not hard to figure out over time but worth mentioning in a review.

I’m currently on Bilstein PSS9s. Which are basically same as PSS10s but 9-way instead of 10-way adjustment. Obviously coil-overs adjustability of ride height a big plus. Front and rear dial that adjusts both compression AND rebound another plus over Koni SpA (Koni only rebound adjustable). Bilstein matches kit with H&R progressive rate springs.

I think the Koni’s were a tad more forgiving Street ride wise. I liked the H&R but recall Eibach a bit softer.
If you need to adjust/make your exact ride height, say no more, Bilstein PSS10s.

[old///MFanatic]

I will add everyone’s feel is going to be different. Especially on adjustable suspensions.
Heck my car is not dumped by any means (nor is it stock zcp height), but raising it about 3/4”-1” after having it dialed in over several years. I noticed I needed to dial it up a tad firmer. The new travel made it softer. In this case it rode better lower than when raised.
Point being adjustability brings a lot of different suspension feels that not every owner experiences. Or knows about, so results vary.

[r4dr]

Or maybe raising it meant your shocks actually had travel...