Bilstein B12 Pro Long Term Reviews?

[fascistbullyboy]

Hi All,

New to the forum. The rear shock on my 135i recently blew and I've been looking for a replacement/upgrade. I was wondering whether there are any long term reviews/opinions on the B12 Pro kit. I've been through VTL's build thread and saw experience with premature sagging.

I was wondering if other owners have had similar experiences. Has there been substantial performance decreases as well?

I'm looking to spend around 1000-1300 CAD (Canadian Rupees) for the replacement. Originally I was looking at ST Coilovers but decided against that due to fear of rust.

Thanks in advance.

J

[Esteban]

Here's my thread with a poll about Bilsteins, in case you haven't already seen it.

[asbrr]

Originally Posted by fascistbullyboy

Hi All,

New to the forum. The rear shock on my 135i recently blew and I've been looking for a replacement/upgrade. I was wondering whether there are any long term reviews/opinions on the B12 Pro kit. I've been through VTL's build thread and saw experience with premature sagging.

I was wondering if other owners have had similar experiences. Has there been substantial performance decreases as well?

I'm looking to spend around 1000-1300 CAD (Canadian Rupees) for the replacement. Originally I was looking at ST Coilovers but decided against that due to fear of rust.

Thanks in advance.

J

Check out the other thread, lot of info. In short my experience has bee fine, no sagging (I'm at 65K of usage on terrible Toronto roads). Only issue was last summer where both my fronts were blown/leaking. This was made worse by poor supply at Bilstein's factory so I got one strut right away and had to wait 7 months for hte other to show up....they apparently were moving factories or something and supply was terrible. Both replaced under warranty though, had to pay for hte labour etc still.

If you don't daily drive or the roads aren't horrendous (Vancouver is better than Toronto), they should be fine.

[The Wind Breezes]

People like Bilstein cuz of the warranty but to use it is incredibly inconvenient in the best circumstances.

I would just replace with OE or OEM shocks and drive normally. Why do you want an "upgrade?" If it's for comfort you're going in the wrong direction and performance wise the stock suspension can be driven fast as shit especially on the street.

[fascistbullyboy]

Hi all, thanks for all the replies.

I'm actually surprised the linked thread hadn't come up when I did my google searches. Interesting. That thread is very informative indeed.

The car is going to be daily driven with the occasional backroads/canyons. I actually came to the 135i from two R53 Mini Cooper S'. Since I got rid of the RFT I've been pretty underwhelmed with how sloppy and disconnected the car felt and saw this as an opportunity to tighten things up a bit. The power is fun and all but the turn in and roll is just so brutal.

[irontitan]

Nice insights, I was actually planning to get a Bilstein this month and I kinda doing some reading about it to affirm my decision.

[duder13]

Originally Posted by fascistbullyboy

Hi all, thanks for all the replies.

I'm actually surprised the linked thread hadn't come up when I did my google searches. Interesting. That thread is very informative indeed.

The car is going to be daily driven with the occasional backroads/canyons. I actually came to the 135i from two R53 Mini Cooper S'. Since I got rid of the RFT I've been pretty underwhelmed with how sloppy and disconnected the car felt and saw this as an opportunity to tighten things up a bit. The power is fun and all but the turn in and roll is just so brutal.

The stock shocks/struts are awful. New rear subframe bushings and new shocks/struts are the two of the biggest things you can do to improve handling feel (probably in that order,) and Bilstein or Koni are two of the most popular, reasonably priced options around here. If you want to improve turn in, you can look into M3 arms and Dinan camber plates up front, too.

[fascistbullyboy]

duder13 , RSFB are definitely on my to-do list but unfortunately will not be done this job. I just want to get that blow shock fixed ASAP. when I do the RSFB i'll probably do the arms and camber plates as well.

That said,

Does anyone have experience with the Powerflex Rear Upper Strut Mounts and the B12 kit? I noticed they do not come with a washer and nylock nut like the Dinan kit. Is that just something i'll have to source out on the side?