GR86 S18 RSG - Halo White Manual

[S18RSG]

By now I imagine many of you will have seen the second Carwow video, and regretably, that's all from the Youtube side of things for now.

In other news, I got confirmation today that my coilovers order has gone through.

After debating for a few weeks, shopping around for the best deals, and generally getting annoyed with companies, people and systems, I settled on the Bilstein B14 kit.

My goal with the car has always been to create a "GRMN86", or at least, my interpretation of that. In my mind, there's no room for fully adjustable coilovers in an OEM+ type build, so my choice needed to ensure the stock top mounts were maintained (additionally to eliminate any potential added NVH, which I know from experience often comes with pillowball top mounts), and ideally needed to limit the adjustability (though I'd have allowed some basic damping adjustment).

These Bilsteins appear to tick the boxes.

So many coilover kits for these car appear to be built for the track. Springs with a stiffness approaching double that of stock. Spring rate balance being shifted all over the place, and no real emphasis on quality over just features and buzzwords.

Bilstein need no buzzwords to demonstrate their quality, that's well established. The springs on these coilovers are also progressive, going from around 20% softer than stock, up to around 80% stiffer than stock, but importantly, maintaining the spring rate balance front to rear (which should hopefully keep that excellent rearward bias of the car).

Height adjustment allows for anywhere from 10mm to 30mm of drop. Probably about right, as any lower than that on UK roads and you're replacing damaged parts.

I will hopefully have these delivered, fitted and setup by Japfest, so I look forward to sharing some opinions on how they perform on the new platform. They seemed to get great reviews on the previous platform, and plenty of other cars on the market.

 

[KobayashiMaru86]

I know these are good as my brother runs them on his GT86 so have always been on the list too. Faster you go, the better they get. Looked into other options briefly but as you say it's a lot of marketing buzz words and no real testing on the car. It has to still feel like an 86 which is what I'd like to stick to.

 

[ZN8]

So many coilover kits for these car appear to be built for the track. Springs with a stiffness approaching double that of stock. Spring rate balance being shifted all over the place, and no real emphasis on quality over just features and buzzwords.

I'd be interested in your feedback with these, I am of the same mind as you, pillowball top mounts aren't needed and are not good for longevity and a lot of the coil overs on the market are just cut and paste with matching spring rates front and rear, which will upset the awesome characteristic this car has. I have been deliberating between Bilsteins offerings and KW. Did you consider KW?

 

[mackie]

Where did you order the Bilstein kit from? I don’t see them listed anywhere but I’m assuming it’s the same kit offered as an option in Germany?

 

[S18RSG]

I'd be interested in your feedback with these, I am of the same mind as you, pillowball top mounts aren't needed and are not good for longevity and a lot of the coil overs on the market are just cut and paste with matching spring rates front and rear, which will upset the awesome characteristic this car has. I have been deliberating between Bilsteins offerings and KW. Did you consider KW?

Agree with everything you said there.

I did consider KW, in fact, my original post in this thread mentions my next modification as "fit KW coilovers". They were my original first choice.

The three I considered were KW V1, Bilstein B14 and ST X/XA's.

The ST's, for those unaware, are internally identical to the KW V1s, but are built from galvanised steel vs the stainless of the KWs. The additional cost for that one change, is some £250-300. That feels like a lot of money.

The ST XA's are effectively a KW V2 equivalent (KW don't make V2s for the 86 platform), introducing some rebound damping to the X's, for around £100 more. These were a heavy contender too, but I decided against having that adjustment. I'd be forever tweaking it.

All things considered, the Bilsteins are stainless like the KW V1s, sit in between the ST's and KW's price wise, and have the unique benefit of progressive springs vs linear in the other options. Something about progressive springs is very appealing for a road car. There's a fair chance the car will see some track usage in its life also, so having that adaptability in a quality coilover seems a no brainer.

 

[S18RSG]

Where did you order the Bilstein kit from? I don’t see them listed anywhere but I’m assuming it’s the same kit offered as an option in Germany?

I ordered from Progressive Parts. They're not the cheapest, but offer a very handy 0% over 6 months. As I'm ordering wheels and tyres, and need all this fitting before Japfest, that's a welcome option.

They are however cheaper on many sites (ML Performance especially, as they're currently offering around 15% discount for Easter) if you're happy to pay all in one go.

 

[S18RSG]

Well, despite being quoted 3-4 weeks for delivery, I had a surprise box turn up late last week.

Was a little confused at first, as the box clearly states Bilstein B16 (the adjustable version costing around 50% more money), but upon further investigation, it is the correct kit just in a generic box.

Haven’t taken any photos of the parts just yet, but initial inspection quality is, as expected, very good.

Also had confirmation that the wheels are around 2-3 weeks away from being completed and shipped, so there’s a really good chance it’ll all be here in time for Japfest.

Just now need to make a decision on tyres and sizes. Going with an 18x8.5 wheel, so my initial thoughts are a 225/40/18 to maintain the dynamic properties of stock, with a touch more lateral grip.

Thinking I might go with the new Goodyear Eagle F1 Assy 6 tyres, which seem to be favoured above the Pilot Sport 5s for sporty driving and wear properties, as well as being just £340 for a full set in that size.

Any recommendations aside from that, I’m all ears!

 

[KobayashiMaru86]

Was a few years ago but I run the Eagle F1 Assymetric 3's for years and loved them, then made the change to Michelin to the then PS3 and was quite a step up, loved PS4's ever since. I'm intrigued to see how the Goodyears go. I do remember like most tyres but them in particular they took a good tank of fuel to bed in. After that they were great. I want to go 225 eventually too as then the prices are sensible over the 215's we have now. Would be nice to be under £400 a set

 

[S18RSG]

Those of you who follow me on social media (Instagram here - https://www.instagram.com/s18rsg/) will know by now, but yesterday I had the Bilstein coilovers fitted.

The drive from Hereford to Wrexham to visit my long term friend Richard at Tuned UK also gave me a chance to test out the cars' practicality, as I had to take my parents and my dog to Telford to pick up their new motorhome. Aside from some minor legroom complaints from both parents, the near 2 hour journey passed by without any issues!

At Tuned, Richard and I discussed the car, talked about some alignment settings, then I just let him do what he does best. 4 hours later, and the car was complete.

As this was the first GR86 that Richard had worked on (after many hundreds of GT86s), he decided to use me as a guinea pig to test out some new alignment settings (currently under wraps, you'll have to contact him if you want the same), but what I can say is this:

Car is lowered around 25mm all round.
16mm camber bolts fitted to the front and maxed out.
No need for aftermarket camber adjustment on the rear, as the natural camber settled exactly where we wanted it.

The height, to my eye, looks great. Stock wheel fitment, as expected, is woeful. Thankfully, my new wheels are due within the next 2 weeks, so this eyesore won't last too long!

Upon first impressions, specifically on the coilovers, my current feelings are extremely positive. Despite going only around 5mm from the bottom of the coilovers adjustment range, the ride is great. I would describe it as feeling like stock 90% of the time. Feeling better than stock 2% of the time. Feeling worse than stock 8% of the time.

To give that more context, the majority of the time there is no real difference. Car feels stiff, but really well damped. Occassionally, that increase in firmness results in a touch of bouncing and a slightly firmer feeling than stock. But very occasionally, I prepare myself for some poor road surfaces and the new suspension just smooths the road surface out entirely, very impressive. On the motorway/NSL A roads is where I'd say the downsides are highlighted most (not a huge issue, because I try to avoid them like the plague, don't buy a car like this to commute on motorways). Really uneven B roads and potholed roads is where I'd say they shine.

As far as the driving is concerned now (a lot of which can be associated with the combination of the coilovers and related setup), the car is A LOT more lively. Front end feels massively more alive. Turn in response is improved massively. The rear end still feels playful, but at the same time a lot more tied down. The "slack" in the stock setup (which isn't massively noticable until it's reduced) has been massively reduced, and where I'd sometimes be waiting for the car to react to my inputs previously, now the car is much more responsive to minor inputs of both steering and throttle.

I described it to Richard as though the car is now just on its toes. It's like a boxer in the first round of a fight, being compared with themselves after 11 rounds (the stock car).

Overall, I would highly recommend this for anyone looking to go down the OEM+ type route like myself. The goal was always to take inspiration from my own idea of what a "GRMN86" would be, and Bilstein, so far, appears to be a great partner in that journey.

 

[Gari]

Looks smart! Appreciate you being a guinea pig for all of these parts, I think I may end up copying the suspension setup as well what wheels are you going for?

 

[S18RSG]

Looks smart! Appreciate you being a guinea pig for all of these parts, I think I may end up copying the suspension setup as well what wheels are you going for?

Haha, I’m happy to mate! Thankfully I have some good relationships with some of these companies I’m using, so managing to get some deals organised etc. which I’m hoping I can also pass on to everyone else.

I’ve ordered a set of Japan Racing SL01’s in bronze. I’m usually an advocate of avoiding “replica” wheel brands, however, having seen the quality of the new flow formed range from JR, against the price and weight (just over £1000 in 18x8.5, and 8kg per wheel) the prospect is almost unbeatable for those who want a lightweight, but cost effective wheel.

 

[mackie]

What offset out of interest? I’m considering 18x8.5 ET43, looks perfect to my eyes:

 

[S18RSG]

What offset out of interest? I’m considering 18x8.5 ET43, looks perfect to my eyes

ET35 for me mate. I'm running more camber than the picture you posted, so should look pretty similar fitment wise, just with a little more camber

 

[Bathroom_Security]

Loved the B14's on my DC5 but they did have helpers on the front. Surprised a 25mm drop is so low on the adjustment range ,are they within tolerance still?

Also I got -1 camber on the driver front with upper bolts. Adding lower bolts got me significantly more, about -2.5 I think, settled on -1.75 currently. Plenty of time to try different settings. Did you get more than that?

 

[S18RSG]

Loved the B14's on my DC5 but they did have helpers on the front. Surprised a 25mm drop is so low on the adjustment range ,are they within tolerance still?

Also I got -1 camber on the driver front with upper bolts. Adding lower bolts got me significantly more, about -2.5 I think, settled on -1.75 currently. Plenty of time to try different settings. Did you get more than that?

The adjustment range is fairly decent on the B14s, but the tolerance is 10-30mm. We settled at 25mm as it looked about right, and obviously the higher it is, the more compliant it is.

We just did the bottom bolts and what we could get out of the tolerances on the top hats etc. Settled at over 2deg negative and under on the rear.

 

[S18RSG]

Well as many of you will have seen if you attended Japfest, I finally managed to get the new wheels fitted.

They were actually due a few days in advance of Japfest, as were the tyres, but some complications with delivery services meant I didn't receive them until Saturday morning. Queue a day of mad rushing around trying to get everything ready for the show, and me being 3 hours later than planned to the hotel bar!

But alas, we managed it just in time.

So as a reminder, the wheel specs are as follows:

Japan Racing SL01 (flow formed) wheels
18x8.5
ET35
Weighing just 8.2kg per wheel (verified on my own scales)
225/40/18 Continental SportContact 7 tyres
Original TPMS sensors swapped over from OEM wheels

Fitment is pretty much spot on for what I was expecting. A little bit of tyre stretch, but in my opinion just enough to keep the sidewall nice and stiff without looking silly.

Camber isn't massively aggressive, but still no issues with rubbing at any time so far, even on some fast bumpy roads on the way to Silverstone.

So far, I can immediately tell the difference in the weight between these wheels and OEM. Car is significantly more keen to turn in, and almost feels like it can be driven with the fingertips, rather than the hands. The tyres, as I've already experienced, are also superb. Ample grip in all weathers, but still narrow enough to allow a bit of tail out action when needed. Also a lot more progressive when they do let go than the stock PS4s.

One downside of this particular setup, is that these tyres, especially with a slight stretch, have a VERY solid sidewall. Fantastic for taking the slop out of the steering, not fantastic for smoothing out roads. What additional compliance I'd gained on a rough road surface with the Bilsteins has been eliminated and made worse than stock by this tyre setup. The dampers still cope well, but it is a much firmer experience. There'll be no falling asleep at the wheel, no matter how boring the motorway commute!

For those looking for coilovers and wheels, my recommendation should you want to maintain compliance in the ride, would be to go to a 235/40 and stick with a PS4/PS5 or similar. My 30-something year old back can still just about survive the abuse, but YMMV!

Some bonus shots of fitment and Japfest club stand, just because

 

[GR86Enthusiast]

View attachment 16098

Car looks amazing and the new wheels are stunning

 

[S18RSG]

Car looks amazing and the new wheels are stunning

Much appreciated mate, thank you.

 

[ZN8]

That is a lovely setup, what offset are they? The fitment is definitely more on the aggressive side, without that bit of sidewall stretch the rears would poke.

 

[S18RSG]

That is a lovely setup, what offset are they? The fitment is definitely more on the aggressive side, without that bit of sidewall stretch the rears would poke.

Thanks mate. They’re ET35 all round. The rear is definitely a little aggressive, but I think only if running a 245 tyre and less than 2deg of camber would you have issues.

I don’t personally like the idea of a tyre that wide anyway thankfully, I like the cars balance on a narrower tyre