Bilstein B12 pro kit

mweisdorfer · 11-24-2015, 11:15 AM

My suspension was long overdue on my 2007 335i Sedan with 120k on it.

Knowing what I know now, I would probably do shocks and struts at the 75k mark, if you're a daily driver and drive on the many crappy roads here in Michigan.

I bought the Bilstein b12 pro kit from FCP euro, which has a lifetime warranty on all their parts and they price match other on-line competitors. I also redid the strut bearings and gaskets as well as the upper, lower/upper, and lower shock mounts.

Bilstein shocks/struts are nice because they come with their own bump stops.

The Eibach lowering springs were easy to install in the rear. All I had to do was remove the bolt that holds the ball joint together on the lower control arm. The driver's side had an additional sensor of some sort that was attached to the lower control arm mid way towards the subframe; it sort of looked like the headlight self adjusting sensor on the front driver's side. It was sort of a pain to line up the control arm with the ball joint, in order to slide the bolt back in place. I had to push the control arm over while a buddy of mine jacked it up. Even then it took a few times to get it right.

As long as you have a 13/16 spark plug socket and a special 22mm strut socket with a carved out center, which I bought at ECS tuning, taking out the upper spring perch from the old setup and installing the new spring was pretty standard. I bought the ADT tools 7585 on Amazon for about $35.00, in order to condense the spring; they were rated almost 5 stars; very heavy duty.

ECS and Bav auto both have very good DIY videos on how to install new shocks and struts.

You do need a good/ great torque wrench. The torque settings were mentioned in both videos I believe, but I double checked my Bentley Repair manual just to make sure.

Having an air gun and PB blaster and or Kroil oil is also a must. I have a DEWALT DWMT70773L. Got it on amazon for $112.00. Nice air gun. I took off the ball joint, upper control arm and strut knuckle bolts, on the medium setting, with very little effort. Keep in mind in Michigan we use salt on the roads in the winter time for 4 months out of the year. So, I was highly concerned about these bolts being frozen and almost impossible to get off.

I am very impressed so far with this setup. I know it takes a couple of months (2,000 miles) to get them fully broken in. I can't wait to experience the drive when the shocks/ struts are broken in.

My car had the standard suspension on it. So, I went from one extreme to the other.

avocet · 11-24-2015, 12:36 PM

I personally feel that bilstein has the best valving(for a high performance street application) in the business.

Enjoy!

banshee28 · 11-24-2015, 08:50 PM

I just installed this same kit on my 06 330i. I upgraded from OEM Sport. It rides great, and is still breaking in. Height is just about the same as before, but should settle down very slightly.

I think it was a great upgrade, esp, since I had 90k on the OEM setup.

cdgatti · 11-25-2015, 05:21 AM

just hang on guys those bilsteins will really smooth out over time.

swagon · 11-25-2015, 05:39 AM

Thanks for the post. My B12 kit was delivered on Monday and now I just need to buy shock mounts and other stuff. Car has 65k miles on the clock.

mweisdorfer · 11-25-2015, 06:27 AM

You can save some money by ordering lemforder vs BMW parts. Lemforder is the OEM provider. I personally don't like paying $$$$ for the BMW stamp to be honest.

All you probably need is:

upper shock mounts, upper lower shock mounts, lower shock mounts, strut bearings and the gaskets for the strut bearings.

Anything else, you'll end up not needing.

swagon · 11-25-2015, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

You can save some money by ordering lemforder vs BMW parts. Lemforder is the OEM provider. I personally don't like paying $$$$ for the BMW stamp to be honest.

All you probably need is:

upper shock mounts, upper lower shock mounts, lower shock mounts, strut bearings and the gaskets for the strut bearings.

Anything else, you'll end up not needing.

Yeah, I've looked into Lemfoerder and already got a list of their part numbers. All the shock mounts you have mentioned. I can't find the strut bearings and gaskets on ETK (I'm not that much into technical stuff, sorry). Have you got a part number by any chance?

Thanks.

only1harry · 11-25-2015, 07:19 PM

Very nice, thanks for the info. So how does the B12 kit feel while it's breaking in? Is the ride "rough"? I have to see if they make it for 335xi. How much did it lower your car so far? I know the springs will settle in and lower it even more. Was just wondering if there was an initial drop. I am in NY and don't want to lower the car much because of all the snow and salt in the winter, and the not-so great roads.

Just curious. Did you tighten the control arms while the car was on the ground or jacking up the spindle or control arms for the final tightening, and the same for the upper strut mounts - final tightening with the suspension loaded? I am getting mixed information on this, but I know on all my Hondas/Acuras and the 5 different suspensions I installed (used to auto-x a lot), the race shops always did the final tightening on the bolts with the suspension loaded. The very first shop I went to (regular mechanic/shop) for my first spring/shock and sway bar upgrade did not hardly tighten anything under load, and the car felt really weird and very loose in the rear, but after the race shop did it right my Integra's handling improved (night & day) and everything felt nice and tight. I would think the same holds true for the Bimmers especially where bushings are involved that need to be loaded before final tightening. I am asking because I got my B6 shocks installed at RE a couple of weeks ago and they don't have a rack. They tightened everything up while the car was jacked up with the wheels drooping and the car feels very bouncy

I am pretty sure that's a symptom of not doing the final tightening of the shock mounting points (or at least the top mounting points) with the car on the ground.

Harry

mweisdorfer · 11-25-2015, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swagon

Quote:

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

You can save some money by ordering lemforder vs BMW parts. Lemforder is the OEM provider. I personally don't like paying $$$$ for the BMW stamp to be honest.

All you probably need is:

upper shock mounts, upper lower shock mounts, lower shock mounts, strut bearings and the gaskets for the strut bearings.

Anything else, you'll end up not needing.

Yeah, I've looked into Lemfoerder and already got a list of their part numbers. All the shock mounts you have mentioned. I can't find the strut bearings and gaskets on ETK (I'm not that much into technical stuff, sorry). Have you got a part number by any chance?

Thanks.

Strut bearings

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E90-33...cks/ES2581252/

Gasket

https://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E90-33...hocks/ES49727/

mweisdorfer · 11-25-2015, 10:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by only1harry

Very nice, thanks for the info. So how does the B12 kit feel while it's breaking in? Is the ride "rough"? I have to see if they make it for 335xi. How much did it lower your car so far? I know the springs will settle in and lower it even more. Was just wondering if there was an initial drop. I am in NY and don't want to lower the car much because of all the snow and salt in the winter, and the not-so great roads.

Just curious. Did you tighten the control arms while the car was on the ground or jacking up the spindle or control arms for the final tightening, and the same for the upper strut mounts - final tightening with the suspension loaded? I am getting mixed information on this, but I know on all my Hondas/Acuras and the 5 different suspensions I installed (used to auto-x a lot), the race shops always did the final tightening on the bolts with the suspension loaded. The very first shop I went to (regular mechanic/shop) for my first spring/shock and sway bar upgrade did not hardly tighten anything under load, and the car felt really weird and very loose in the rear, but after the race shop did it right my Integra's handling improved (night & day) and everything felt nice and tight. I would think the same holds true for the Bimmers especially where bushings are involved that need to be loaded before final tightening. I am asking because I got my B6 shocks installed at RE a couple of weeks ago and they don't have a rack. They tightened everything up while the car was jacked up with the wheels drooping and the car feels very bouncy

I am pretty sure that's a symptom of not doing the final tightening of the shock mounting points (or at least the top mounting points) with the car on the ground.

Harry

I don't think the suspension is all that rough to be honest, but you have to consider 3 of my 4 struts/ shocks were gone. So, I'm basically got going from no suspension to one of the best suspensions money can buy for this car. I do think the car is lower to the ground but not a whole lot. I did tighten the various suspension parts up while the suspension was loaded.

I would suggest loosening up the two control arms, upper control arm and strut knuckle bolt in the front and then load the suspension with a jack while it's on Jack stands of course. Just make sure the car stays on the Jack stands. Then tighten up the bolts to torque spec. Same with the rear. The only bolt they should have touched would have been the ball joint on the lower control arm. Sometimes when you want something different done right ya gotta do it yourself.

Double check to see that the springs are attached to the upper and lower perches the right way. That can cause the car to not feel right.

Drive it for about a month and and then get an alignment once the suspension is broken in and settled.

mweisdorfer · 12-01-2015, 06:24 PM

Just wanted to add that I pulled my car up side by side to my friends 2012 335is and my car is now just as low to the ground as this car with an m-sport suspension after only 225 miles on my new suspension.

peterparker · 12-01-2015, 06:47 PM

Can you post pics of the height? I seen some photos and the rears are always lower than the front... I hate that look!

mweisdorfer · 12-01-2015, 06:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by peterparker

Can you post pics of the height? I seen some photos and the rears are always lower than the front... I hate that look!

I don't have any pics. The 335is is definitely more even planed than the 335i. My car is higher in the rear end than the 335is. The height I speak of is seen when looking at the fronts of both cars and comparing the height of the mirrors of both cars side by side.

Cheekrs · 08-22-2022, 06:39 PM

Hate to revive an old thread.. but this one keeps popping up in my searches so I’m gonna see if anyone has input.

Have an 11 335i M sport. M sport struts we’re blown - swapped b12 pro kit in and my ride height is noticeably higher - car feels a bit bouncy on rough roads. I’m going to try and loosen her up and retighten under load.. but the kit raised my car maybe half an inch or more. I went from very little wheel gap to about an inch up front.

Any thoughts or input or advice would be appreciated.

11-24-2015, 11:15 AM	#1
mweisdorfer Major General 1903 Rep 6,968 Posts Drives: 2007 Black/Black 335i e90 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Holly, MI iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW E90 335i [0.00] 2008 bmw x5 [0.00]	My suspension was long overdue on my 2007 335i Sedan with 120k on it. Knowing what I know now, I would probably do shocks and struts at the 75k mark, if you're a daily driver and drive on the many crappy roads here in Michigan. I bought the Bilstein b12 pro kit from FCP euro, which has a lifetime warranty on all their parts and they price match other on-line competitors. I also redid the strut bearings and gaskets as well as the upper, lower/upper, and lower shock mounts. Bilstein shocks/struts are nice because they come with their own bump stops. The Eibach lowering springs were easy to install in the rear. All I had to do was remove the bolt that holds the ball joint together on the lower control arm. The driver's side had an additional sensor of some sort that was attached to the lower control arm mid way towards the subframe; it sort of looked like the headlight self adjusting sensor on the front driver's side. It was sort of a pain to line up the control arm with the ball joint, in order to slide the bolt back in place. I had to push the control arm over while a buddy of mine jacked it up. Even then it took a few times to get it right. As long as you have a 13/16 spark plug socket and a special 22mm strut socket with a carved out center, which I bought at ECS tuning, taking out the upper spring perch from the old setup and installing the new spring was pretty standard. I bought the ADT tools 7585 on Amazon for about $35.00, in order to condense the spring; they were rated almost 5 stars; very heavy duty. ECS and Bav auto both have very good DIY videos on how to install new shocks and struts. You do need a good/ great torque wrench. The torque settings were mentioned in both videos I believe, but I double checked my Bentley Repair manual just to make sure. Having an air gun and PB blaster and or Kroil oil is also a must. I have a DEWALT DWMT70773L. Got it on amazon for $112.00. Nice air gun. I took off the ball joint, upper control arm and strut knuckle bolts, on the medium setting, with very little effort. Keep in mind in Michigan we use salt on the roads in the winter time for 4 months out of the year. So, I was highly concerned about these bolts being frozen and almost impossible to get off. I am very impressed so far with this setup. I know it takes a couple of months (2,000 miles) to get them fully broken in. I can't wait to experience the drive when the shocks/ struts are broken in. My car had the standard suspension on it. So, I went from one extreme to the other.
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11-24-2015, 12:36 PM	#2
avocet Major 252 Rep 1,157 Posts Drives: 2007 328i 2011 X5d Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Vancouver bc iTrader: (0)	I personally feel that bilstein has the best valving(for a high performance street application) in the business. Enjoy!
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11-24-2015, 08:50 PM	#3
banshee28 Private 3 Rep 72 Posts Drives: 2006 330i 6MT ZSP Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: FL iTrader: (1)	I just installed this same kit on my 06 330i. I upgraded from OEM Sport. It rides great, and is still breaking in. Height is just about the same as before, but should settle down very slightly. I think it was a great upgrade, esp, since I had 90k on the OEM setup.
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11-25-2015, 05:21 AM	#4
cdgatti Colonel 255 Rep 2,547 Posts Drives: e90 328i Join Date: May 2011 Location: KY iTrader: (4)	just hang on guys those bilsteins will really smooth out over time. __________________ OEM Black grill and Blackline tails - LCI halogens with Lux V2 coded as DRL - 3M Crystalline - BMS PBX - OEM Euro Airbox with K&N - Hardwired CTEK - Bilstein B6 w/OEM springs and SP perches - Conti DWS06 - HiFi-Helix DSP - JLAudio HD/XD-Morel - CD changer trim - AE optical out
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11-25-2015, 05:39 AM	#5
swagon Major General 13524 Rep 8,165 Posts Drives: F80 6MT Join Date: Jun 2013 Location: . iTrader: (0)	Thanks for the post. My B12 kit was delivered on Monday and now I just need to buy shock mounts and other stuff. Car has 65k miles on the clock.
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11-25-2015, 06:27 AM	#6
mweisdorfer Major General 1903 Rep 6,968 Posts Drives: 2007 Black/Black 335i e90 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Holly, MI iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW E90 335i [0.00] 2008 bmw x5 [0.00]	You can save some money by ordering lemforder vs BMW parts. Lemforder is the OEM provider. I personally don't like paying $$$$ for the BMW stamp to be honest. All you probably need is: upper shock mounts, upper lower shock mounts, lower shock mounts, strut bearings and the gaskets for the strut bearings. Anything else, you'll end up not needing.
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11-25-2015, 07:19 PM	#8
only1harry Second Lieutenant 37 Rep 257 Posts Drives: 2011 E92 335i xDrive Join Date: Nov 2013 Location: NY iTrader: (0)	Very nice, thanks for the info. So how does the B12 kit feel while it's breaking in? Is the ride "rough"? I have to see if they make it for 335xi. How much did it lower your car so far? I know the springs will settle in and lower it even more. Was just wondering if there was an initial drop. I am in NY and don't want to lower the car much because of all the snow and salt in the winter, and the not-so great roads. Just curious. Did you tighten the control arms while the car was on the ground or jacking up the spindle or control arms for the final tightening, and the same for the upper strut mounts - final tightening with the suspension loaded? I am getting mixed information on this, but I know on all my Hondas/Acuras and the 5 different suspensions I installed (used to auto-x a lot), the race shops always did the final tightening on the bolts with the suspension loaded. The very first shop I went to (regular mechanic/shop) for my first spring/shock and sway bar upgrade did not hardly tighten anything under load, and the car felt really weird and very loose in the rear, but after the race shop did it right my Integra's handling improved (night & day) and everything felt nice and tight. I would think the same holds true for the Bimmers especially where bushings are involved that need to be loaded before final tightening. I am asking because I got my B6 shocks installed at RE a couple of weeks ago and they don't have a rack. They tightened everything up while the car was jacked up with the wheels drooping and the car feels very bouncy I am pretty sure that's a symptom of not doing the final tightening of the shock mounting points (or at least the top mounting points) with the car on the ground. Harry __________________ 2011 Space Grey 335i xDrive E92, Sport Pack/Premium/Winter/Navi rolling on 342's. 2019 Accord Sport 2.0T 10-sp.
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12-01-2015, 06:24 PM	#11
mweisdorfer Major General 1903 Rep 6,968 Posts Drives: 2007 Black/Black 335i e90 Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Holly, MI iTrader: (0) Garage List 2007 BMW E90 335i [0.00] 2008 bmw x5 [0.00]	Just wanted to add that I pulled my car up side by side to my friends 2012 335is and my car is now just as low to the ground as this car with an m-sport suspension after only 225 miles on my new suspension.
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12-01-2015, 06:47 PM	#12
peterparker Captain 137 Rep 819 Posts Drives: e90 Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Rochester NY iTrader: (3) Garage List 2009 BMW 335i [0.00]	Can you post pics of the height? I seen some photos and the rears are always lower than the front... I hate that look!
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08-22-2022, 06:39 PM	#14
Cheekrs New Member 1 Rep 9 Posts Drives: 335i M-Sport 6MT & TRD Tacoma Join Date: Feb 2021 Location: Tacoma iTrader: (0)	Hate to revive an old thread.. but this one keeps popping up in my searches so I’m gonna see if anyone has input. Have an 11 335i M sport. M sport struts we’re blown - swapped b12 pro kit in and my ride height is noticeably higher - car feels a bit bouncy on rough roads. I’m going to try and loosen her up and retighten under load.. but the kit raised my car maybe half an inch or more. I went from very little wheel gap to about an inch up front. Any thoughts or input or advice would be appreciated.
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