Rear Bilstein B8s - permanently increased ride height or need to settle?

[Scootny]

Sorry to resurrect a 2 month old post for my introduction. I received a set of the Mountune sport springs from my wife at Christmas in 2018. I hadn't had them installed yet and I just got around to doing it this weekend. I had decided that I was going to get the B8's and do it all at once. I was surprised (maybe shocked is a better word for those who prefer a pun.) When I put the car back down there was zero change in height. I drove it for a short while and the fronts did settle about a quarter inch, the rears are the exact same height as stock, maybe a hair higher. I love the way it rides, but I was looking forward to a little bit of a drop. ~.8 inches rear ~1 inch front is what was advertised. They've only been on a little longer than 24 hours, I'm hoping it settles a little. - The car is a 2017 Fiesta ST White Platinum Tricoat with just under 50,000 miles.

You say that you're loving the way it rides. What do you mean, if you don't mind my asking. Does that mean there has been better compliance over small imperfections? Less understeer? Would you be kind enough to give a description of the change? Thanks! I can't afford to have much, if any drop on my car and if the B8s are a better shock that keeps me from losing ride height I'll consider giving up on getting Konis if I can get a set of progressive Vogtlands springs and shocks that keep my ground clearance high. In my area I punched a hole in the oil pan of my old SVT Focus when I put the Vogtlands on. Just a touch too low. Great springs with much better initial compliance, progressively stiffer cornering performance and a bit less understeer. That was with my beloved Koni yellows. I'm really interested in the ride and handling changes in your setup. Thanks.

 

[Scootny]

So

I was happy enough with my Vogtland springs and stock struts. Then the inevitable happened and the right rear strut started leaking. Based on reading folks' opinions here and elsewhere, ordered some B8s. The result was a mf'ing fender gap, albeit less so than stock. While it's not terrible, a little part of me dies every time I gaze upon the ol' White Knuckle with such an enhanced rake. Does my wife, group of friends, or toddler notice? No. No they do not.

Here, @DangerMouse lamented the ride height increase with B8s, Swift springs, and powerflex pads installed. In one reply to the thread, @KyleS says B8s contribute "to at least a 1/4" increase in rear ride height". Definitely consistent with my experience.

What I haven't been able to determine is if anyone has experienced these struts settling.
If so, can I expedite this process by lugging some weight around in the trunk? Kidding, kind of.
If not, are Koni str.ts or yellows my next purchase?
Any other thoughts appreciated as well. Cheers and thanks.

So, I asked a lot of others for their thoughts on their current setup but forgot to ask you, and you have the springs that I am interested in going to. My challenge is that in the NYC area the roads are crap and any additional loss in clearance would be risky for me. If you would be so kind as to give a guess as to how much lower than stock your Vogtland with stock struts was, and what the B8 setup is now. As well as how the ride/handling compromise has shifted it would be greatly appreciated. You can read my previous posts for my perspective and past suspension experiences. Thanks and looking forward.

 

[Air drum solo]

So


So, I asked a lot of others for their thoughts on their current setup but forgot to ask you, and you have the springs that I am interested in going to. My challenge is that in the NYC area the roads are crap and any additional loss in clearance would be risky for me. If you would be so kind as to give a guess as to how much lower than stock your Vogtland with stock struts was, and what the B8 setup is now. As well as how the ride/handling compromise has shifted it would be greatly appreciated. You can read my previous posts for my perspective and past suspension experiences. Thanks and looking forward.

Hey, yeah, happy to throw my $0.02 in the mix. I was actually surprised that the Vogtlands felt a smidge more comfortable than the stock springs for that first month or two before my rear shock started leaking. I love the drop. I'd say 1.4" is pretty accurate, but with all of these things YMMV. I don't have a recent picture, but I can snap one tomorrow if you're interested.

When I put on the B8 rears, holy shit, 1) so much stiffer and uncomfortable (for me) and 2) this was in addition to the increased ride height. Northern California roads aren't terrible, aren't great, but I swear I felt every gd pebble. I probably broke some unspoken rule by not saying so in this post, but those two things led me to ultimately sell the B8s and go with Koni str.t. Since this is my commuter and I don't autocross, trading stiffness for comfort has worked out great. I've definitely flung it through some corners and exited said corners with a dumbass grin every time. A couple months ago, my front shocks started leaking, so I threw on some str.ts. With the quarantine, I haven't had much of a chance to fully "assess" them insofar as my caveman brain allows me to say, "Me like this" versus "This kinda fucky", but I can say they are for sure cushier than stock and are working out so far.