Bilstein HD + Pinks - dashcam clips

I just installed the Bilstein HD + Spec B Wagon Pinks combo on my 2005 Outback XT 5MT.

 

Here are some video clips from my dashcam. The video and audio should give anyone interested in going this route some idea of the overall ride quality of this combination. Also installed are AVO LCA bushings and a COBB RSB. Front internal bump stops were trimmed by half and the rears replaced with LGT wagon stops. Tires are Nokian WRG2 all-weather in the Outback's standard 17" size.

 

 

Freeway drive with some pavement imperfections and bridge expansion joints:

 

 

 

Around town:

 

 

 

Our local tsunami hazard zone:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwnUb196EpI]Rural road - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

A bumpy right-hander:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLpxQefFFOE]A bumpy bend - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

This one surprised me. The Megans were quite rough in sections of construction zone with large differences in pavement height, but the Bilsteins were surprisingly comfortable:

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcFa0Lxigd4]Construction zone - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

 

Coming from the "Outback specific" Megan Racing coilovers I am somewhat surprised by the harshness of the Bilsteins and Pinks. I wasn't expecting a supple ride, but in my opinion this setup is considerably stiffer than what I would call "factory firm".

 

 

It feels like squat, drive and body roll is actually less than what I was experiencing with the Megans and the car stays nice and flat when shifting.

 

Our roads aren't in the best shape but they're far from bad and have very few potholes, so I was surprised at just how little isolation from road imperfections this setup seems to provide.

 

Time will tell, but unfortunately the ride quality of this suspension setup isn't all that different from what I was trying to get away from with the Megans.

This is a great suspension review/write up.

Thanks. I had a hard time trying to find in-car video from a car with HDs (let alone HDs and Pinks) so I thought I'd put something together to give people an idea of what it might be like.

 

Obviously opinions are very much subjective but had I seen something like this myself I probably would have done it very differently.

 

The camera doesn't really show the true surface of the road and the Youtube compression doesn't help either, but the sound should give viewers a pretty good idea of the in-cabin experience.

I run HD's with spec b springs. it's a really good DD setup for a place that sees snow plus I do a good amount of city driving.

How does it compare to what you see in my videos? The whole car shakes and rattles like it's still on the cheap Megan coils...

The noises are pretty strange. I can't say my car was nearly that clunky, and I had all the front end bushings, the big Hotchkis bars, and the KCA399's in the rear.

 

Are you sure all the top hats are tight, bushings are lubed, and the end links are in good shape?

 

Double check the rear bump stops, too. Make sure there is room, and that they aren't hitting on big bumps. I had that problem at first with my coilovers and switched to the wagon stops, then when I went to the HD/Pinks I cut my OE stops so they were even shorter.

Thanks for chiming in here. I hit a couple of speed bumps fairly hard and the suspension is silent. The noises I think are just from all the rattly interior bits (it's an '04 built '05 model).

 

But it should give you an idea of how much harshness and vibration comes into the car.

 

This setup is perplexing. Turning into parking lots crossing sidewalks, speedbumps, etc.. is significantly more comfortable than with the Megans. Very firm, but not harsh. City driving is remarkably similar to the Megans.

 

I don't know if I'm using the correct terminology here, but it seems to be the low amplitude, high frequency pavement irregularities it has the most problems with (sunken/raised manhole covers, tree roots causing the pavement to lift, expansion joints, etc...)

My rears were sqeeky because i didn't torque the piston enough

I can tell there are some really good quality dampers under the car. I think the springs might be the culprit, but I don't know enough about what I'm feeling and how the suspension influences ride quality to pinpoint exactly what might need to be changed.

 

The suspension is silent over speed bumps, except for the famous Subaru steering rack clunk.

If you ever get rid of those pinks I want first dibs

I think it's softening up a little with some more miles on it. The difference between the old and new setup is more noticeable. Hopefully the alignment goes well. The tech had to grind the hold for the camber bolt a little bigger to get it within spec on the front-right strut when I had the Megans. My Bilsteins are a touch bit lower.