Bilstein B14 coilover install / adjustment help

[witsbusa]

Hey guys.. I posted this question to RjRacing's build thread, but figured I would put it up here figuring more eyes might see my question and have some input..

I picked up a set of B14 coilovers and will hopefully get them installed tonight.. I have never messed with coilovers before, and am hoping to get some help with the adjustment / lowering process. From reading the product descriptions, it looks like install of the coilovers will lower the car a minimum of 30mm and up to 50mm using the adjustment. Can anyone give me any help with the height adjustment? I am looking for a little bit more drop than the VWR springs. Any insight about adjustment prior to install would be greatly appreciated? I would love to hit close to the correct height the first time as if I am understanding the adjustment procedure, I need to pull the wheels again to make any supplemental adjustments, right?

Which direction do I turn the adjustment "collar" to bring the car down? And do you just measure the exposed threads or count the threads from the top down to the collar to get both sides adjusted the same?

Any insight on that part is greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Ben

 

[RjRacing]

I posted this in my thread but for others that may need this in the future here is what I wrote...
The B14/16 are the same coilovers only the B16 has adjustments for dampening. For a good starting point at a level adjustment where 18" wheel/tires leave almost zero gap (but not tucked low) you will want to leave about 3-4 threads from the lowest position in the front and about 5-6 threads in the rear. Let it settle over 48hrs then measure all 4 corners on a level surface from the ground to the tops of the fenders through the center caps wheels, make sure all 4 tires have the same PSI prior to doing this too. I only had to lower the RF coil about 1/2 a turn to make all four 100% equal by using this method. The height is adjusted via the two black lock nuts, clockwise is down and counterclockwise is up, the top one is the to adjust the height with and the bottom one is to lock the height in place with the spanner wrenches provided. None of the wheels need removed to adjust the height on the coilovers with this kit on the MK7, you can reach the fronts through the gap in the fender/tire and rears from under the cap using a jack for both. Now if you were going to track the car you would take it in for them to corner balance it, but this process works great for street use and a nice level look.

 

[witsbusa]

Killer - thanks, RjR!


Oh yeah, one other question that came to mind.. any issue driving the car during the 48 hours "settling"? I presume no, but just double-checking. Thanks again!

 

[RjRacing]

Killer - thanks, RjR!


Oh yeah, one other question that came to mind.. any issue driving the car during the 48 hours "settling"? I presume no, but just double-checking. Thanks again!

NP! You'll be fine for a little while especially since you already had VWR springs. If you want a good alignment ship in the Philly burbs' I highly suggest "Mickey's Suburban Alignment" in Broomall.

 

[witsbusa]

Excellent - appreciate the referral.

Another quick question for you - I only had 10 minutes to mess with the car last night, but when I took the top off the stock front strut, and went to move it and I presume the white foamy insert over to the bilstein strut, do I just put weight to squeeze it down to get the nut onto the threads? and should I be concerned about what I am torquing that nut down to?

 

[RjRacing]

By "white foamy insert" I assume you mean the bump stop on the OEM strut, if so you do not transfer that to the Bilstein Coilovers as they have an internal bump stop. The strut mount should sit right on it and out should be able to install the retaining nut without compressing the spring. You tighten it until it bottoms out on the strut, I forget the torque spec but its in the manual.

 

[witsbusa]

I will have to look in the box again - I didn't see anything in English, but didn't look very closely..

and you are correct, I was referencing the bump stop - thanks for the heads up that doesn't transfer over. That was definitely my hang-up. Without it, no compression was necessary to start tightening nut onto threads. Greatly appreciate the help.

 

[witsbusa]

RjR.. hopefully one last question.. when i use the impact gun to secure the mount on top of the strut, will should the spring still be able to turn some when car still off the ground and no vehicle weight on spring? I used impact gun but could still turn spring and i am now wondering if i went tight enough..

 

[Tony Sparta Evo]

Hey guys, I had my B14 kit installed yesterday on my 2019 model year 5 door Mk7.5 GTI performance pack, the rears are adjusted to their lowest setting, I’d still like to go a little lower if possible any suggestions appreciated. Currently the car is just slightly higher than with my VWR springs I have just removed! Thanks in advance guys

 

[MiamiBourne]

Hey guys, I had my B14 kit installed yesterday on my 2019 model year 5 door Mk7.5 GTI performance pack, the rears are adjusted to their lowest setting, I’d still like to go a little lower if possible any suggestions appreciated. Currently the car is just slightly higher than with my VWR springs I have just removed! Thanks in advance guys

Maybe the suspension needs to settle. That being said the Bilstien B14/B16 Coilovers don't really go low. One of the reasons I'm on the fence about the B16 is at times I would want to be lower than my ED Springs but will probably adjust them at the same height most of the time. I certainly would be disappointed if the B14 was still higher than the VWR since the ED's are a similar drop.

 

[Tony Sparta Evo]

What do you mean by ED Springs?

 

[MiamiBourne]

What do you mean by ED Springs?

Emmanuele Design or Emmotion Springs.

 

[Tony Sparta Evo]

Ah ok gotcha not heard of them, I don’t think we have those here in the UK. Eibach, H&R, Koni, VWR, Bilstein, KW are the main brands here.

 

[Chogokin]

The suspension probably needs to settle. With them wound all the way down...you should be able to tuck the tops of your tires if you have the stock 18in wheels. I have the B14. I still have a bit more to go before being bottomed out. With that said...I wouldn't really recommend winding them all the way down. That might really degrade the ride quality. Good thing about coilovers is that you can always play with the ride height until you find something that you're happy with.

I have mine set where the control arms are parallel with the ground.

 

[Tony Sparta Evo]

You could easily do this on the front but not on the rear without fully removing the locking ring and just leaving the adjuster ring. I agree with the settling process, however it will settle more on the front than the rear due to the engine being up front and the extra weight.