Hey all, contemplating a winter suspension upgrade for my S1 GT and was wondering if anyone has been able to directly compare the Bilstein PSS9 vs Ohlins DFV? I would really like to try the Ohlins but the nearly $1,000 difference in price is nagging at me. I have had Porsches equipped with PSS9 suspension and have always been happy with the handling and ride quality, and I have never driven anything equipped with Ohlins. My RX8 is a weekend fun driver, back roads and road trips type mission. I’d like a firm ride but better damped and less crashy than the standard suspension over rough broken pavement. I don’t track the car and don’t have any plans to.

 

I think Ohlins would be massive overkill for street use only. You won't need any of the adjustability features since you're not tuning to different tracks, or heat protection. I don't think you'd feel the difference. Even PSS9 is a bit overkill IMO, regular PSS is great.

 

Thanks Loki, appreciate the feedback. Having owned PSS9 equipped cars in the past I do feel that the adjustability range is enough to feel on the street, and as someone who likes to tinker I appreciate being able to fine tune to my liking. But you are definitely confirming my thoughts related to the Ohlins.

 

Anything other than stock will have more crashing feeling. You may need new bumpstops especially on the rears as they frequently disintegrate. Try looking into Koni SA on stock springs and/or paired with Tein H-tech springs

 

I had Konis with stock springs on my first S1, I felt they were unnecessarily stiff. I’ve never liked the way that Konis ride, I’ve had a few cars with them and never loved them.

My current 2007 has the stock suspension so I suspect the dampers have seen better days. I’ve never had a PSS9 equipped car that I felt was harsh, they’ve all been a great balance between handling and comfort despite being lowered. My Cayman S with PSS9 rode and handled better than stock despite being lowered and aligned to Cayman R specs. I have always envisioned Ohlins as being better still, but maybe that’s not the case.

 

Tein is mostly a downgrade from stock. Mixing and matching dampers and springs is also mostly a downgrade. This isn't a Civic. PSS and PSS9 are very good and both more comfortable and performant than stock. Ohlins are another level above that.

 

You're full of ****. I run Tein on multiple vehicles and Konis with various springs and they've never been a downgrade. I've had Penske and Ohlins as well (not on Rx8) and they were complete overkill for my street driving.

 

Were those vehicles RX8's? Are we comparing performance and comfort or just one of those? Any spring can be stiffer, but stiffness isn't the point.
Yes agreed about Ohlins and Penskes being overkil for the street.

 

I’m personally not a huge fan of mixing and matching random springs and shocks, hence looking at options like PSS and Ohlins. There’s a lot of black magic that goes into a well setup suspension and matching up spring rates with damper performance.

 

I have the Sakebomb FP Longstroke Ohlins valved to 14kg/8kg. The basic Ohlins dfv would be an excellent street coil. The Bilsteins also make an excellent street coil as I had those on my first rx8. The dfv technology is unique in how it handles hard hits and rougher roads, the shocks seem to work better the faster you travel over that sort of terrain. Nothing seems to upset them.

I have zero comfort issues with my ohlins in how they're setup riding to and from events, and street drive it occasionally.

 

@SparklingFresca thank you! That’s exactly the sort of first person feedback I was hoping for. I’ve been doing research across other sports car forums and it’s always the same answer. Bilstein is good, Ohlins are better. My S1 only has 31k and I plan to keep her for a long time, so it’s worth a little extra to invest in the best.