Mazdaspeed 3 - Bilstein B16 test drive

First time driving on a new suspension setup, Bilstein B16 (PSS9) coilovers...these are my initial thoughts and impressions driving them on the street. track testing to come

[@tomastoth5026]

These shocks are really really good. Front setting is 6 and rears are at 5. Very good compromise between comfort, stability and handling 🎉

[@tomastoth5026]

Hi. I have an idea. Maybe you could make a review with softest, hardest setting and something in the middle. What other mods do you have on your Speed? The engine sounds good. Thanks 😊

[@BuildinProgress]

I have few good videos covering every mod and everything for my car. Engine and chassis. Just go through my channel and you will find it!

[@tomastoth5026]

Hi. Thank you for the review. I also have Mazdaspeed 3 BL (Mazda 3 MPS in Europe). I seriously consider buying these set of coilovers but I came across many different informations. 1. I found the information that there is "normal" and "comfortable" version of B16s 2. I found some pictures of them with single spring or with two springs as main spring and a little spring called helper spring 3. Some sources claim this set has only rebound damping adjustment and some are saying it has parallel compression (bump) and rebound damping 4. I have found the information that PSS10 has better quality adjustment to PSS9. Could you please make it clear for me and tell me what specification/set up do you have on your Mazda? Thanks a lot 🤝🍀💗

[@BuildinProgress]

Hey there. Here is the part number for the exact kit I ran: 48121262. This is the PSS9. The PSS10 isn’t, or at least wasn’t an option for this car back when I did this upgrade. There is bilstein b8, b12, b14 and b16 options for these cars. B16 is the most track focused while the others are more street focused with softer spring rates and no dampening adjustment. You need to be careful looking online as some websites just use a stock photo which won’t show the helper spring. The b16 uses a helper spring up front. No downsides to it. I found these coilovers were very nice on the street. Amazing motion control and body roll control. Amazing high speed and low speed dampening. The adjusters do mainly affect rebound. This is common on 1 way coilover setups. You can use this to help tune the handling balance of the car. As you increase rebound compression will increase as well but it is not 1:1. Compression will only increase slightly I’ve ran a few different coilover setups now and if I could have it my way I would probably run bilstein on everything(not available for my current car). The dampening is truly something special on those bilsteins. I hope this helps!

[@tomastoth5026]

@@BuildinProgress Thank you very much for comprehensive information 🤝 now I run BC Racing BR Series, but makes clunking noise right from the instalation and l will send them back as soon as I get new set - most probably B16s. I don't want BCs anymore. Good luck and thanks again. Wishing all the best 🍀💗

[@BuildinProgress]

@@tomastoth5026 bilstein is on another level compared to BC. You’ll enjoy the b16s

[@tomastoth5026]

Didn't you experience some performance loss like stuttering between 5 and 6t rpms? I have replaced the spark plugs Denso ITV 22 for NGK Rutheniums (for highly boosted ecoboost and disi engines) and I also sometimes experience that stuttering like spark blowout at that rpms. I decreased the spark plug gap on the new ones from 0,8mm to 0,65mm. Then I tested it on flat and uphill wot up to 6500rpms couple of times and it didn't show up. But recently it started to happen again. Did you experience something like this? If yes, what was the solution? I have installed SRI stage 2 from CS and remapped and thus it gets power at the top end which I like, but it makes this phenomenon. Thank you for your reply ❤

[@BuildinProgress]

To me it’s sounding like “spark blow out” very common on the platform. I had it many times and the real solution is to just install new spark plugs. Try gap around 0.60-0.62mm. I ran it around 0.61mm(0.024) and that was the secret setup for me. I changed plugs around every 7000-10000km because they would wear out quickly and spark blow out would return. This is very common on this platform. One other thing you can try just as maintenance is to clean the MAF sensor with MAF cleaner spray

[@tomastoth5026]

@@BuildinProgress thank you, buddy 😊

[@CheaperEngineer]

Great video, thank you for sharing. I am interested in the B16/PSS9 coilovers for my MS3, and have a few questions if you do not mind... Do you have aftermarket (stiffer) swaybars on the car? Do you know the spring rates of the coilovers, or are their part numbers painted on the coils? They look like a progressive rate from the website photographs. Also, what ride height did you settle on? Would appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks.

[@BuildinProgress]

i have a white line rear sway bar, currently set on the softer setting, OEM front sway bar(not worth upgrading in my opinion). the springs rates are 7k front and rear on these which is the best i could find for an off the shelf coilover. pretty much all others have a super soft rear spring rate(you definitely dont want that lol). the rear spring is progressive and the front is linear(according to bilstein). for ride height, since i track this car often im only slighly lower then stock, maybe about a half inch drop all around. i will say these coilovers feel amazing on the street, but on track, its even more of a night a day difference over what i had before(KW v1). hope this helps!

[@CheaperEngineer]

@@BuildinProgress Thanks for the detailed reply! So the B16/PSS9 springs are substantially stiffer than H&R's kits @ 4.7kg/mm F&R, but less stiff overall than Corksport's v2 kit @ 7.0kg/mm F and 8.5kg/mm R. I think factory rates are 3.4kg/mm F and 3.0kg/mm R. Are the adjusters accessible without removing the dampers? From photos it seems like the front adjuster is a tight reach inside the knuckle. What damper settings have you settled on for street driving? FWIW, I have Corksport swaybars front and rear. I thought the car handled better with just RSB, and like you was doubtful FSB was worthwhile. But the FSB gave much better F/R roll balance, and made the car more agile and nimble even on factory springs and shocks. Highly recommend the FSB despite the more complicated installation.

[@BuildinProgress]

@@CheaperEngineerthats interesting about the fsb, i always figured it wasnt very helpful when trying to promote a more neutral handling bias, and trying to promote over steer. thanks for that info. as for spring rates, i looked at KW v3, corksport, and every single other option. the bilsteins had the best off the shelf rates, even higher then KW v3. also, i didnt go with the CS coils which i considered because when i asked them where they were made, and if they were rebuild-able i didn't get good answers. basically the CS kit is like every single other $1000 coilover, made in china/taiwan, with "custom valving" for the stiffer rate. same thing BC and other companies alike do. i wanted something better, and with better comes more expensive but having done a direct comparison, BCs with "custom" rates vs my Bilsteins just off the shelf, its not even a little bit close in terms of body control, damping, high speed and low speed compression. its night and day. Bilstein FTW. my dampers are set in the middle all around right now and thats been feeling fantastic. in my most recent track day video you can hear me talk about the on track handling and how dialed it is feeling. the damper knobs are a bit annoying to reach but it can be done track side, you just gotta lay on the ground

[@CheaperEngineer]

@@BuildinProgress I am preparing to install the Bilstein B16 kit and have a few questions if you don't mind. :-) Is the rear spring seat adjuster (body side) accessible at full droop, or does the rear spring have to be pulled out to make any rear height adjustments? It is not obvious to me that I will be able to get a spanner wrench in there. Did you loosen the Rear LCA inboard bolt (same one used for toe adjustment) during installation? Bilstein instructions and Mazda FSM do not mention it, but I see some videos for this platform (Focus/3/C30/S40/V50) which recommend doing this. If this makes installation easier, then I would want to mark or index the bolt to return the cam to something approximating the original position/toe. My goal is to have ride height similar to yours, 0.5-1.0in lower than stock, because I am trying to keep in the sweet spot of the rear camber curve to minimize understeer. Would you mind sharing the distance of exposed threads Front and Rear on your setup? The dimensions given in the mounting instructions are unnecessarily cryptic: the lower datum on the Front diagram is ambiguous, and I am guessing the range given (225-240mm Front, 45-50mm Rear) is not the total adjustment range but something close to factory height.

[@BuildinProgress]

@@CheaperEngineer i can share the amount of exposed threads with you thats no problem. My car is currently up at my shop in 100 pieces as im just finishing up my motorswap but when im out there this weekend i can measure for you thats no problem. as for rear LCA inboard bolt i did not loosen it but i can see it would have helped lol. as for adjusting the rear ride height while everything is installed...i dont actually remember now lol. i dont think you can easily get in there with the spanner wrenches though so try and set it up ideally the first time lol. also keep in mind the car will lower after a few KMs of driving so dont go too crazy low. For me i wanted a minor drop but was more concerned with maintaining the correct suspension geometry and allowing some actual compression room for on track(avoid rubbing, i hate that)