Shocks

[taz1966]

Hi all,
Can anyone recommend the best shocks to go with my new Eibach Pro kit spring.
Looked at the Bilstein B12 kit but as above i only need the shocks.
Can you still get the original Sachs shocks for the ZMR

Sean

[taz1966]

Hi all,
Can anyone recommend the best shocks to go with my new Eibach Pro kit spring.
Looked at the Bilstein B12 kit but as above i only need the shocks.
Can you still get the original Sachs shocks for the ZMR

Forgot to mention that i have all-ready got the springs on but they are a bit crashy so was hopping if i change the shocks it might not be as bad.
Car has done 49500 miles and of course they are now 16 years old.

Sean

[plenty]

The Bilstein kit comprises B6 dampers and Eibach Pro-Kit springs.

The dampers are available separately.

[taz1966]

Hi,
Ive had a look for the B6 be can only find the rears in stock.
If i use the B6 will it still retain the 20mm drop on the front and 10mm rear with the Eibach springs i have

[Bombardino]

Hi,
Ive had a look for the B6 be can only find the rears in stock.
If i use the B6 will it still retain the 20mm drop on the front and 10mm rear with the Eibach springs i have

I had the set up your planning on and I quickly reverted back to OEM springs, whilst the car looked better with the slight drop and drove far better on billiard smooth roads if you can find one, but in reality the roads in the UK are in a terrible state and I found myself concentrating way to much trying to dodge imperfections in the road surface than enjoying the journey.

[plenty]

Hi,
Ive had a look for the B6 be can only find the rears in stock.
If i use the B6 will it still retain the 20mm drop on the front and 10mm rear with the Eibach springs i have

Try the Bilstein store: https://www.bilsteinsuspensionstore.co. ... 006%7C2009

Ride height is mostly determined by springs, so you'll retain the drop regardless of which dampers are fitted.

[True-Blue]

EDIT - photos removed as it seems the B12 kit for M’s have B6 shocks but the Kits for non-M’s have shortened B8’s which makes the car sit lower.

[ShaunKC]

I purchased the B12 kit even though I already had Eibach springs; at the time, the price difference made it a no-brainer, but now there looks to be more of a saving to purchase without the springs.

While Plenty is correct about the dampers supposedly not affecting the ride height, my experience is that the B6 dampers make a big difference. I spent a lot of time with emails to and from Bilstein (via Larkspeed) because their dampers altered the ride height massively, and I didn't like the raised 4x4 look at all. In the end, I changed the rear tyres to 275/35/19 (from 265/30/19) to get the lowered look that I wanted, and similar to what I had before changing to Bilstein. Bilstein claimed the difference in ride height on the OEM dampers was lower due to their age, but as the ride height is supposed to be governed by the springs, I never really bought this explanation. What I would say is that the ride on the Bilstein was a big improvement, even more so when I changed the tyres, so I do not doubt that at 55k and 16 years, the OEM dampers on my car were knackered.

If I were purchasing again with the knowledge that I have now, I would probably be looking for OEM dampers, if they are still available.

The two pictures show the car on the same Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers but with different rear tyre sizes.

The front is also higher, but just acceptable; I will put on bigger tyres eventually to fill the arch better with the new dampers, but as the tyres are basically brand new, I have just added 12mm spacers to fill the arch for now. The pictures show the car without the spacers.

When I changed to Bilstein, I also had all the rubber mounts, etc., front and back, replaced by BMW OEM.

I hope this is some help.

[plenty]

Bilstein claimed the difference in ride height on the OEM dampers was lower due to their age, but as the ride height is supposed to be governed by the springs, I never really bought this explanation.

The correct explanation if you were on the original dampers. It would have been the same outcome had you purchased new OEM dampers, as while there are minimal differences in ride height between damper variants when new and paired with the same springs, the difference in ride height between old and new dampers is often noticeable.

Also bear in mind ride height takes time to settle.

[True-Blue]

That’s odd, I’ve seen several E85/E86’s with the B12 kit fitted and never seen a 4x4 effect?

Do the M’s run shorter Shocks than Non-M’s?

I think the E85 B12 Pro kit should come with B8’s which are shorter than B6’s ?

[plenty]

The B12 kit comes with B6s and the Eibach springs are same for E85 non-M and ///M. The front dampers are different as the ///M uses a different design and the rears are also different although presumably interchangeable.

[True-Blue]

Every day’s a school day - looks like the B12 kit for M’s comes with B6 shocks and for all other E85/86 B8 shocks.

OP please ignore my photos

[ShaunKC]

Bilstein claimed the difference in ride height on the OEM dampers was lower due to their age, but as the ride height is supposed to be governed by the springs, I never really bought this explanation.

The correct explanation if you were on the original dampers. It would have been the same outcome had you purchased new OEM dampers, as while there are minimal differences in ride height between damper variants when new and paired with the same springs, the difference in ride height between old and new dampers is often noticeable.

Also bear in mind ride height takes time to settle.

According to Bilstein, the height with dampers will not settle, although I thought the same!

But really, the point I made was that the Bilstein dampers do affect the ride height. The garage I use, who are pretty specialised and have obviously fitted many dampers over the years, were surprised how much of a difference the Bilsteins made to the height, and their opinion was that they were too stiff. However, the car's ride height exactly matched (within a few mm) Bilstein's expected height. I don't know what the OEM dampers would look like paired up with the Eibach springs, but the reason I went for the B12 kit was for a lower look, which I only got once I changed the tyres.

Your car does look good on them, though, and the height looks fine, I guess you are running 265/35/19's on the rear, I think what I had on (265/30/19's) made the problem look worse.

[plenty]

The garage I use, who are pretty specialised and have obviously fitted many dampers over the years, were surprised how much of a difference the Bilsteins made to the height, and their opinion was that they were too stiff. However, the car's ride height exactly matched (within a few mm) Bilstein's expected height.

Not surprising tbh that brand-new suspension rides higher than 16-year-old parts. Not only do worn dampers lose gas pressure, but springs settle as well. If you'd fitted brand-new OEM springs and shocks, your car would be higher still.

Out of interest, would you care to share your ride-height measurements (ideally measured from centre of wheel to arch lip)?

[ShaunKC]

The garage I use, who are pretty specialised and have obviously fitted many dampers over the years, were surprised how much of a difference the Bilsteins made to the height, and their opinion was that they were too stiff. However, the car's ride height exactly matched (within a few mm) Bilstein's expected height.

Not surprising tbh that brand-new suspension rides higher than 15-year-old parts. Not only do worn dampers lose gas pressure, but springs settle as well. If you'd fitted brand-new OEM springs and shocks, your car would be higher still.

Would you care to share your ride-height measurements (ideally measured from centre of wheel to arch lip)? Which can be compared vs OEM.

I went back to the Eibach springs that were on the car previously and put the new ones away for spares because I thought the springs would be at fault; there was no difference between the two.

Springs control the height; dampers control the ride. This is what I have always been led to understand.

It's a while ago now, but I have dug out this old picture I took when I fitted them and was having my discussions with Bilstein; it looks like 365mm from the centre to the arch. I'm not sure what OEM is, but I bet its not 375mm!