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Bilstein b12

"M" Specific discussion
mc5
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Bilstein b12

Post by mc5 » Thu Mar 23, 2017 7:01 pm

I already have eibach springs, anyone have any experience of this kit. Will it improve the ride on your typical bumpy b road

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vester86
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Bilstein b12

Post by vester86 » Thu Mar 23, 2017 9:51 pm

springs will be the same, so in your case upgrading to bilstein B8 shocks will give you the same package

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Bilstein b12

Post by Worcester_spoon » Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:02 pm

I've done this conversion. It's a much better ride IMHO, but definitely firmer. A lot firmer.
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mc5
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Bilstein b12

Post by mc5 » Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:13 pm

Not sure b8s are available separately for the M. The price difference is minimal & I could sell the eibachs

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Bilstein b12

Post by Scooba_Steve » Thu Mar 23, 2017 11:01 pm

I (non-M) got all the bits and assembled off the car so the new ones could just go straight in. Not a lot more and speeds up the process.
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Bilstein b12

Post by Viren » Fri Mar 24, 2017 6:08 pm

On the ZM the b8 is not available, the b12 comes with b6 shocks. I think the ride quality is defo firmer and a little more crashy especially with the upgraded rear top mounts. But handling is much improved and so much more stable. Did the upgrade last year at about 68k miles. Worth replacing all the rubber bits on front and rear shocks while your at it.
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mc5
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Bilstein b12

Post by mc5 » Fri Mar 24, 2017 7:54 pm

Viren wrote:On the ZM the b8 is not available, the b12 comes with b6 shocks. I think the ride quality is defo firmer and a little more crashy especially with the upgraded rear top mounts. But handling is much improved and so much more stable. Did the upgrade last year at about 68k miles. Worth replacing all the rubber bits on front and rear shocks while your at it.
So would you recommend it overall. I expect it to be firmer but does it absorb bumps better or do you still get thrown around on a bumpy road.

What rear top mounts did you get. Did you replace the front top mounts

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Bilstein b12

Post by Number5 » Fri Mar 24, 2017 8:01 pm

Ive got Eibachs and B12s on my Alpina. Yes it's a firm nice ride and not at all uncomfortable.

it's perfect for smooth tarmac or a second/Sunday car but I dont think I'd want this set up on a daily/about-town car. Saying that, the Alpina also runs on 19" wheels, so they will be less forgiving too, when it comes to potholes
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Bilstein b12

Post by Viren » Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:22 pm

mc5 wrote:
Viren wrote:On the ZM the b8 is not available, the b12 comes with b6 shocks. I think the ride quality is defo firmer and a little more crashy especially with the upgraded rear top mounts. But handling is much improved and so much more stable. Did the upgrade last year at about 68k miles. Worth replacing all the rubber bits on front and rear shocks while your at it.
So would you recommend it overall. I expect it to be firmer but does it absorb bumps better or do you still get thrown around on a bumpy road.

What rear top mounts did you get. Did you replace the front top mounts
I kept the front mounts oem. The rears I went for rogue engineering ones which are a really good piece of kit. I'd defo recommend the b12 and they do perform a lot better on bumpy roads at speed. It's the slow speed in town crashyness that drives me crazy but maybe I'm more sensitive to it.

In my opinion the car sits perfectly on eibachs.
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Bilstein b12

Post by DMC63 » Fri Mar 24, 2017 9:41 pm

mc5 wrote:I already have eibach springs, anyone have any experience of this kit. Will it improve the ride on your typical bumpy b road
I've had the B12 kit on for about 6 months. Very firm ride. Unforgiving on bumpy roads. But great fun :thumbsup:
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Bilstein b12

Post by Angelus666 » Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:58 am

So what's the view on the best option/set up for a daily?

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Post by Scooba_Steve » Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:20 am

I found the ride better than on OE shocks and springs.
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Bilstein b12

Post by lordgrover » Tue Mar 28, 2017 12:53 pm

DMC63 wrote:
mc5 wrote:I already have eibach springs, anyone have any experience of this kit. Will it improve the ride on your typical bumpy b road
I've had the B12 kit on for about 6 months. Very firm ride. Unforgiving on bumpy roads. But great fun :thumbsup:
Surprises me. I had B12 kit on my GT86 and it was leagues ahead of the stock setup for both handling and comfort.

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Bilstein b12

Post by Argenta » Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:24 pm

Could anyone compare it with the KW V3 set up?

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Post by pHilli0 » Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:19 pm

Argenta wrote:Could anyone compare it with the KW V3 set up?
Never experienced the b12 kit but my KW V3s are an incredible bit of kit. Car has never felt so good since fitted and I love being able to adjust them easily to suit what ever you need. Upgrading the ARBs and fitting the RTAB kit makes a big difference too. The rear end feels as good as I could want.
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