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      02-18-2016, 02:17 PM   #1
aritala
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Bilstein B6 (SP) or Bilstein B8 (HD)?

So I am currently doing a suspension upgrade on my 2008 135i with M sport package. I just ordered and am about to install a M3 Front Control Arm Upgrade Kit and an M3 Sway Bar. I live in NJ and my car is a daily driver and potholes here are a problem, however, I want to benefit from a tighter and sportier suspension. Given the suspension mods I've mentioned above, would going with Bilstein Sport Performance shocks/struts be too unforgiving or should I go with Bilstein Heavy Duty?

I had previously considered Koni Adjustable Yellows but they tend to wear out by 70k miles or so and from what I hear Bilsteins last forever. I will not be adding lowering springs because I think the difference in performance is negligible and I think the car is low enough as is stock.
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      02-18-2016, 02:45 PM   #2
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I ran HDs (and H&R springs) on my E36 while living in Wisconsin (very bad roads) and never felt it was too rough. You may feel differently :O/

The factory "sport" suspension on my "is" E36 was shit. The factory MSport suspension on my E82 is just about perfect (for me, no track, just noodling around town).
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      02-18-2016, 02:48 PM   #3
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I'm looking at replacing the dampers on my car as well, I've been reading around the forum and from my understanding the B6 & B8 have the same dampening, the difference is that the B6 is meant to be used with an OEM sport spring, where as the B8 is meant to be used with mild lowering springs.

Also another forum member mentioned that if you live in an area that has freezing temperature (assuming you use your car as a daily driver) the Bilstiens tend to be very bouncy for the first few miles of driving. Apparently most after market shock tend to react this way to freezing cold temperatures, as the oil in the shock gets thicker a.k.a freezing.

Last edited by i128; 02-18-2016 at 02:57 PM..
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      02-18-2016, 03:13 PM   #4
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Nothing is lifetime - not even your transmission fluid.

B6 & B8 dampers had some big issues on E8x/E9x BMW's; there are countless threads over at German BMW forums about it, yet Americans say their Bilsteins last long. Some guys had to get new shocks after 10k miles, some have had no issues whatsoever. However, it seems that standalone shocks like the B6 or B8 are more robust than the ones in the B14 coilover kit.

Just a heads-up.

As for your question, Bilstein says B8's are for M Sport springs. You could pair both HD or B8's with M Sport springs without a problem. The B8 shocks are 30mm shorter, I believe.

The B12 kit is a great bang for the buck; comes with B8 shocks and Eibach Pro-Kit springs. Search around, lots of info here.

P.S. 70k miles on Konis is great; shocks on an E91 were gone in less than 60,000 miles.
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      02-18-2016, 03:39 PM   #5
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I put 120K miles on my Bilsteins, AFAICT they were still good when I gave the car away last year.
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      02-18-2016, 04:07 PM   #6
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I'm a big fan of Bilstein suspension dampers. I ran them on my E46 330i and on my E36 M3, in addition to several other family vehicles (Toyota & Lexus). I was a huge fan of their construction quality, performance and ride quality. For my BMWs, I have always chosen the sport variants.

My 135i has low mileage and my original suspension is in excellent shape, but I still plan to upgrade to Bilstein Sport dampers with Eibach Pro Kit springs and sway bars. I know it will take the handling to another level.

My only personal experience with Koni was a set of single adjustable yellow dampers that turned out to be defective.

Another cool thing is that Bilstein will rebuild and revalve your dampers. They are local to me in San Diego. I haven't done it myself yet, but I've heard you can even specificy Alpina spec among other things when it comes to valving.
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      02-19-2016, 12:07 PM   #7
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If you contact Bilstein's Tech Dept, they'll answer your questions which shock to use.

A big mistake people make is to choose a shock based up the road conditions or the ride they want. You pick the shock based upon the spring you are using. The damping of the shock should match the rate of the spring. If you use a lowering spring, it will be shorter in height and thus stiffer to prevent it from bottoming out and will require in most cases, the B8.

For example, my 2010 MB SLK with the Sport Pkg which has a half inch drop in the front will require the B8. BTW, what has been mentioned about the B8 being slightly shorter, compared to the B6, is also true at least for my Sport SLK. The non-sport SLK uses the B6.

To sum it up, if you retain the OEM suspension, you'll use the B6. If you use a lowering spring, then the B8.

BTW, another fact is the Bilsteins are guaranteed forever unless they come on the car as OEM!
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      02-19-2016, 12:56 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Rooty Von Tooty View Post
For example, my 2010 MB SLK with the Sport Pkg which has a half inch drop in the front will require the B8. BTW, what has been mentioned about the B8 being slightly shorter, compared to the B6, is also true at least for my Sport SLK. The non-sport SLK uses the B6.

To sum it up, if you retain the OEM suspension, you'll use the B6. If you use a lowering spring, then the B8.
Contradicting yourself there.

All 135i's have got M Sport suspension so according to Bilstein.de, the B8 are recommended.
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      02-19-2016, 01:20 PM   #9
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Unhappy Boo hoo!

Quote:
Originally Posted by swagon View Post
Contradicting yourself there.

All 135i's have got M Sport suspension so according to Bilstein.de, the B8 are recommended.
I'm not contradicting myself. You can't read and process information. Of course, guys like you have to be spoon fed, since you are unable to figure things out for yourself.

The M-Sport Suspension is the OEM suspension for the 135i M-Sport. Does it differ from the 135i non-M-Sport which also is the OEM suspension for this version of the 135i? The difference may not be significant as far as choice of shock goes. The final arbiter is Bilstein, and the best course of action is to check with their tech department.

Finally, the description of what's appropriate for many cars isn't all that clear on the Bilstein site.
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      02-19-2016, 01:52 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Rooty Von Tooty View Post
For example, my 2010 MB SLK with the Sport Pkg which has a half inch drop in the front will require the B8. BTW, what has been mentioned about the B8 being slightly shorter, compared to the B6, is also true at least for my Sport SLK. The non-sport SLK uses the B6.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Rooty Von Tooty View Post
I'm not contradicting myself. You can't read and process information. Of course, guys like you have to be spoon fed, since you are unable to figure things out for yourself.

The M-Sport Suspension is the OEM suspension for the 135i M-Sport. Does it differ from the 135i non-M-Sport which also is the OEM suspension for this version of the 135i? The difference may not be significant as far as choice of shock goes. The final arbiter is Bilstein, and the best course of action is to check with their tech department.
Bilstein does not care whether the M Sport suspension, which is 15mm lower than stock, is standard on the 135i or not. The B6 & B8 shocks are suitable for ALL E82 variants (from the 120i to the 135i).
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      02-19-2016, 03:18 PM   #11
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I have the same decision to make for my 128I. Bilstein or Koni. I had years worth of experience with both on an E36. Neiter let me down, but the Bilstein were so much stiffer, so I switched to Koni's which could be "dialed in". I never had any fail, even though I tracked both. And the Koni+eibach+camber plates could really perform at the track and reeled in much higher horsepower cars in the corners. So I'm leaning toward Koni.
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      02-19-2016, 03:20 PM   #12
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NJ potholes & incomplete road repairs/reconstruction don't care either. Your suspension will be destroyed.
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      02-19-2016, 03:45 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mr Rooty Von Tooty View Post
I'm not contradicting myself. You can't read and process information. Of course, guys like you have to be spoon fed, since you are unable to figure things out for yourself.

The M-Sport Suspension is the OEM suspension for the 135i M-Sport. Does it differ from the 135i non-M-Sport which also is the OEM suspension for this version of the 135i? The difference may not be significant as far as choice of shock goes. The final arbiter is Bilstein, and the best course of action is to check with their tech department.

Finally, the description of what's appropriate for many cars isn't all that clear on the Bilstein site.
Bilstein specifically states that the B8 sport dampers are for cars with the M sport suspension, which all 135i vehicles got in the US.
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      02-19-2016, 06:08 PM   #14
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But I can tell you from experience that hd's work problem free with a mild drop of roughly one inch. Although sports are cheaper they are hard to install without one of those expensive spring compressors.
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      02-19-2016, 06:15 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by brocklanders View Post
But I can tell you from experience that hd's work problem free with a mild drop of roughly one inch. Although sports are cheaper they are hard to install without one of those expensive spring compressors.
That expensive spring compressor can be loaned from your local auto parts store for about $0.00 +/- 0.
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      02-19-2016, 06:19 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dtla1
Quote:
Originally Posted by brocklanders View Post
But I can tell you from experience that hd's work problem free with a mild drop of roughly one inch. Although sports are cheaper they are hard to install without one of those expensive spring compressors.
That expensive spring compressor can be loaned from your local auto parts store for about $0.00 +/- 0.
Not my auto parts store I checked three stores before I bought the thirty dollar spring compressors. But that's fortunate for you thanks for sharing. Either way my point was b6 will work the same on sport suspension.
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      02-19-2016, 07:17 PM   #17
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So I spoke with technical specialist at turnermotorsports.com and it seems like the B6 and B8 are identical except for the fact that the B8 can be used with a spring but not required. Given that I wondering whether or not I should go with the B12 kit which is basically a B8 that comes with springs. The kit lowers your car a little over an inch in the front and back. Has anyone used springs and had their car lowered? Did you find the car too close too the ground/bottoming out too easily or was it manageable. Also, did you notice an improvement in handling by having the springs?
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      02-19-2016, 07:38 PM   #18
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I have Swift springs and b6, it does not scrape any more than sport suspension. These cars sit pretty low in stock form compared to most. As far as handling it feels firmer all around but I also did some bushings and sway bars as well, can I make it around a track faster probably not.
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      02-19-2016, 08:42 PM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aritala View Post
So I spoke with technical specialist at turnermotorsports.com and it seems like the B6 and B8 are identical except for the fact that the B8 can be used with a spring but not required. Given that I wondering whether or not I should go with the B12 kit which is basically a B8 that comes with springs. The kit lowers your car a little over an inch in the front and back. Has anyone used springs and had their car lowered? Did you find the car too close too the ground/bottoming out too easily or was it manageable. Also, did you notice an improvement in handling by having the springs?
The B12 kit pairs Bilstein B8 sport dampers with Eibach Pro-Kit Springs. Pro-Kit springs are the mildest offering by Eibach. I ran them on my 330i and a friend has them on his E36 M3. They tidy up handling nicely, and you can hardly tell the difference in ride height. Eiback sport line are significantly more aggressive and lower the car too much for my tastes.
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      02-24-2016, 12:38 PM   #20
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If you read through this thread, you can see there is confusion which Bilstein, B6 or B8, is proper for the 135i either M-Sport or non-Sport. Another point of confusion is the 135i M-Sport lowered? I haven't be able to find any BMW literature which settles the issue.

Another point of contention is the difference between the B6 and B8 besides damping. I understand the B8 is slightly shorter than the B6. This is true regarding my Sport SLK, and using the B6 rather than the proper shock or B8 would screw up the suspension. Using the incorrect shock does make a significant difference in the ride and alignment parameters.

In any case, the only shock I would use are the Yellow Bilsteins, they also come in OEM black. You can't wear them out, and they have a lifetime warranty.
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      02-24-2016, 01:29 PM   #21
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Quote:
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Another point of confusion is the 135i M-Sport lowered? I haven't be able to find any BMW literature which settles the issue.
-15mm.
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      02-24-2016, 01:35 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by swagon View Post
-15mm.
Was the 135i sold any where in the world with a different suspension other than the M Sport, or was it the M Sport suspension everywhere? I know it's M Sport in the US.
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