[BDMBimmer]

Originally Posted by cpe90

+1


But my comparison would be with Koni Sports.
So basically from what I've read, if we go ahead with the purchase, we will have no coverage with the warranty because they don't sale this in the US?

I never thought of the warranty, that is a good point. Can anyone chime in.

[J.P.]

No warranty. Which I'm not too concerned about, It only effects defects in craftsmenship. If you ram your car into a curb or install the dampers wrong your fucked regardless.

I did call bilstein NA again, and they said the shocks might not be available at all (in the US) for the xi models, so it looks like we don't have a choice

[MyE92]

[MyE92]

WOW!

[E92Fan]

GROUP BUY - BILSTEIN B8 DAMPERS from the UK

This group buy is only valid if the Bilstein B8 Dampers for the E9x 335xi application remain unavailable in the USA - if Bilstein do make this exact product available for general sale in the USA, then this group buy will be cancelled, as I will not infringe on local dealers and distribution, especially as I am sure some of our US Forum Sponsors are Bilstein suppliers


Firstly, I need to refer you all the the original post, which has an email from Balance Motorsports regarding pricing for the Bilstein B8 Dampers for a 335xi, in E90/1/2 forms...

I am going to have to disappoint all of you - the pricing that they quoted in the email to you is unfortunately very very wrong Those prices do not reflect the changes in exchange rates from the Euro to the £ Sterling, as well as recent price increases by Bilstein.



The CURRENT RETAIL PRICE from Bilstein, in Euros € for the B8 Dampers are as follows -

VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left - € 276.08
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right - € 276.08
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each - € 159.46



Translated into £ Sterling at current exchange rates (£1 = €1.09755), they are as follows -

VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left - £ 251.54
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right - £ 251.54
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each - £ 145.29

Total Retail Price in the UK for all four dampers would be - £ 793.66



Taking a look at Balance Motorsport's website, which has a discount applied with the new updated pricing, you can see this -

VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left - £ 229.71
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right - £ 229.71
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each - £ 132.94

Total from Balance Motorsports therefore will be - £ 725.30


This is considerably more than what they quoted you first time round






If members still want to persist with a group buy, then I have arranged the following for you:


For 1-4 Sets...
VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each

Total for four dampers - £ 659.00 a saving of £ 134.66 from UK RRP



For 5-9 Sets...
VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each

Total for four dampers - £ 618.00 a saving of £ 175.66 from UK RRP



For 10-14 Sets...
VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each

Total for four dampers - £ 583.00 a saving of £ 210.66 from UK RRP



SHIPPING will be a FLAT RATE £ 90 to anywhere in the USA. Any locally applicable customs duty will be down to yourselves




Conversion into US$, at current rates (£1 = $1.48)

1-4 Sets... $ 975.32 + $ 133.20 shipping
5-9 Sets... $ 914.64 + $ 133.20 shipping
10-14 Sets... $ 862.84 + $ 133.20 shipping


Retail would be... $ 1,174.62 + $ 133.20 shipping


I am sorry that this might be disappointing to you, as you were all hoping it would be $900 all in. Unfortunately, you were misinformed badly. At least you have the complete picture now.

It's now over to you - looking at the situation, this group buy will only really work if there are a few of you. If it does go ahead and there are members who would like to purchase kits, then payment can be made by credit card or wire transfer only. My UK contact, who also sponsors the UK section of E90Post, would need proof of address if payment is to be made by credit card, and we would only be able to ship to the credit card holder's address. Payment will only be taken in £ Sterling - the applicable exchange rate at the time of purchase (using www.xe.com) will give you an indication of the cost in US$

Incidentally, I am assuming that members are aware that B8 Dampers are designed for SHORTENED or LOWERING SPRINGS (greater than 30mm drop), and are NOT SUITABLE for use with standard E9x springs... if you are after a set of dampers to use with the OEM springs, then you MUST use the B6 Dampers...



Tony

[pdjafari]

Guys I am 99% sure the XI uses the SAME shock as the I. Who's to say we cant just use 335I rear shocks which are sold here and simply "import" the fronts? Or am I missing something???

Again 335I and 335XI rear struts are identical (OEM) as well as some aftermarket ones (Konis fit the XI)

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by pdjafari

Guys I am 99% sure the XI uses the SAME shock as the I. Who's to say we cant just use 335I rear shocks which are sold here and simply "import" the fronts? Or am I missing something???

Again 335I and 335XI rear struts are identical (OEM) as well as some aftermarket ones (Konis fit the XI)

Um.. you have a little misplaced information there, so yes, you might be missing something!!



Part numbers for an E90 335i and 335Xi, USA version, 08/2008 manufacture....
(the numbers are the same for the European 335Xi as well)

USA 335Xi - rear shock - 33526779985
USA 335i (SE) - rear shock - 33526784977
USA 335i (Sport) - rear shock - 33526784978

USA 335Xi - front shock left - 31316780193
USA 335Xi - front shock right - 31316780194
USA 335i (SE) - front shock left - 31316784973
USA 335i (SE) - front shock right - 31316784974
USA 335i (Sport) - front shock left - 31316784975
USA 335i (Sport) - front shock right - 31316784976


As you can see, these are all different...
Oh and incidentally, the part numbers came off a 2009 BMW ETK disc...

[S_M]

Just becuase they have different part #'s doesnt mean they won't fit...

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by reallyslow

Just becuase they have different part #'s doesnt mean they won't fit...

You're kidding, right?!

I didn't say they wouldn't "fit" - heck I could probably get an E36 325i damper to "fit"! But I'd bet a large amount of money and my reputation that it probably wouldn't have the same damping or valving characteristics to suit a much heavier, four-wheel-drive 335xi

I hope you don't belong to the tuning school who's doctrine is... "...but as long as it "fits" who cares right?! Just stick any old part on there....!"

Someone did say to me before.. "...actually I think a Merc C Class steering wheel might fit our BMWs - I'll do that as my next mod!..."

[S_M]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

You're kidding, right?!

I didn't say they wouldn't "fit" - heck I could probably get an E36 325i damper to "fit"! But I'd bet a large amount of money and my reputation that it probably wouldn't have the same damping or valving characteristics to suit a much heavier, four-wheel-drive 335xi

I hope you don't belong to the tuning school who's doctrine is... "...but as long as it "fits" who cares right?! Just stick any old part on there....!"

Someone did say to me before.. "...actually I think a Merc C Class steering wheel might fit our BMWs - I'll do that as my next mod!..."

Don't get started with the dynamics of these OEM shocks and they're valving, put them on the dyno and the rates will be all over the place no matter what part # it is. Much heavier 335xi? Not much heaver than a 335i with 2 passengers no? I guess we should be changing out stuts when we have extra weight in the car... I happen to belong to the school of people who have real life experience with suspension design and tuning, and the school of those who don't believe everything they read on the internet...

However, you have to go above and beyond what you needed to say to get your point across, and reaffirm why people think BMW owners are douches.

[E92Fan]

So let me ask you this then - if the 335xi is in your terms roughly the same as a 335i with two passengers, then what happens when you have a 335xi with four passengers? Moving this on to the ultimate conclusion, what happens when the 335xi has four passengers, and a whole trunk full of luggage?

I agree that the valving characteristics are probably within a wide tolerance - in fact, that's why BMW moved from Sachs to Bilstein in the manufacturing of the dampers so that there could be more consistancy. However, instead of using that same 335i damper on the 335xi and therefore having the damping characteristics either positively or negatively skewed to one side of the tolerance limits, wouldn't it make sense to make a new specification of damper specifically for the 335xi so that the tolerance limits are more equally distributed?

Granted, I may not be as full of wisdom as you undoubtedly are, given your apparent condescending and somewhat conceited tone, but what I would also say is this - BMW, like any other car manufacturer, want to save money and cut costs where possible. This is especially evident in the proliferation of parts sharing. Given this, if BMW thought they could get away with using the same damper on the 335xi as they do on the 335i, isn't reasonable to expect them to have? BMW have thought it necessary to create a separately specified damper for the 335xi. Surely that ought to say something, even to a supposedly ignorant douche like me, as you have so kindly pointed out.

Perhaps you should think again about labelling yourself too - after all, you drive a BMW! However I do acknowledge that my sarcasm in my original reply to your post may have been somewhat hard to bear, but on looking at your post again, don't you agree that it comes across as a little ill-thought out given its apparent simplistic nature, especially with no explanation or supporting argument. If I came across as offensive, I apologise. Incidentally, I strongly advise you to reconsider thinking of yourself as better or I should say more knowledgable than someone else. After all, you have no idea who I am, who I might be, or what qualifications I may or may not have; and vice versa...

Now, I have other things to be getting on with, so if you don't mind I'll be avoiding the "I'm holier than thou" argument and get on with my day. I assume you want no part of this group buy? Thought not.

To everyone else, the offer still stands...

[S_M]

You have no idea who I am or what my qualifications are either, and since I don't want to waste either of our time carrying on a pissing match, and don't want to clutter up the thread we are done here. Enjoy the group buy

[deletedelete]

How come nobody can say for sure what suspension the xi has. Some says its the same as the "i" and some say completely different. geez guys, its impossible to know what my car has or what I should do for upgrades.

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by Prowess Symphony

How come nobody can say for sure what suspension the xi has. Some says its the same as the "i" and some say completely different. geez guys, its impossible to know what my car has or what I should do for upgrades.

Wel, I just told you what your car has, and the data has come directly off the BMW Parts computer... And I am saying for sure...

[J.P.]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

Wel, I just told you what your car has, and the data has come directly off the BMW Parts computer... And I am saying for sure...

the rear suspension is pretty much the same, however your front suspension is very different from the "i" model

This is why there are a bunch of people interested in the billy dampers

[BDMBimmer]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

GROUP BUY - BILSTEIN B8 DAMPERS from the UK

This group buy is only valid if the Bilstein B8 Dampers for the E9x 335xi application remain unavailable in the USA - if Bilstein do make this exact product available for general sale in the USA, then this group buy will be cancelled, as I will not infringe on local dealers and distribution, especially as I am sure some of our US Forum Sponsors are Bilstein suppliers


Firstly, I need to refer you all the the original post, which has an email from Balance Motorsports regarding pricing for the Bilstein B8 Dampers for a 335xi, in E90/1/2 forms...

I am going to have to disappoint all of you - the pricing that they quoted in the email to you is unfortunately very very wrong Those prices do not reflect the changes in exchange rates from the Euro to the £ Sterling, as well as recent price increases by Bilstein.



The CURRENT RETAIL PRICE from Bilstein, in Euros € for the B8 Dampers are as follows -

VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left - € 276.08
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right - € 276.08
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each - € 159.46



Translated into £ Sterling at current exchange rates (£1 = €1.09755), they are as follows -

VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left - £ 251.54
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right - £ 251.54
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each - £ 145.29

Total Retail Price in the UK for all four dampers would be - £ 793.66



Taking a look at Balance Motorsport's website, which has a discount applied with the new updated pricing, you can see this -

VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left - £ 229.71
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right - £ 229.71
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each - £ 132.94

Total from Balance Motorsports therefore will be - £ 725.30


This is considerably more than what they quoted you first time round






If members still want to persist with a group buy, then I have arranged the following for you:


For 1-4 Sets...
VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each

Total for four dampers - £ 659.00 a saving of £ 134.66 from UK RRP



For 5-9 Sets...
VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each

Total for four dampers - £ 618.00 a saving of £ 175.66 from UK RRP



For 10-14 Sets...
VE3-E247 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Left
VE3-E248 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Front Right
BE5-C042 Bilstein Monotube Damper B8, Rear, each

Total for four dampers - £ 583.00 a saving of £ 210.66 from UK RRP



SHIPPING will be a FLAT RATE £ 90 to anywhere in the USA. Any locally applicable customs duty will be down to yourselves




Conversion into US$, at current rates (£1 = $1.48)

1-4 Sets... $ 975.32 + $ 133.20 shipping
5-9 Sets... $ 914.64 + $ 133.20 shipping
10-14 Sets... $ 862.84 + $ 133.20 shipping


Retail would be... $ 1,174.62 + $ 133.20 shipping


I am sorry that this might be disappointing to you, as you were all hoping it would be $900 all in. Unfortunately, you were misinformed badly. At least you have the complete picture now.

It's now over to you - looking at the situation, this group buy will only really work if there are a few of you. If it does go ahead and there are members who would like to purchase kits, then payment can be made by credit card or wire transfer only. My UK contact, who also sponsors the UK section of E90Post, would need proof of address if payment is to be made by credit card, and we would only be able to ship to the credit card holder's address. Payment will only be taken in £ Sterling - the applicable exchange rate at the time of purchase (using www.xe.com) will give you an indication of the cost in US$

Incidentally, I am assuming that members are aware that B8 Dampers are designed for SHORTENED or LOWERING SPRINGS (greater than 30mm drop), and are NOT SUITABLE for use with standard E9x springs... if you are after a set of dampers to use with the OEM springs, then you MUST use the B6 Dampers...



Tony

That sucks, it's ends up being more than KWv1s... - I miss read, the retail would be more but a group buy would get it lower.

Has anyone contacted Blistein US and said that we have 10 guys willing to buying them right now? We can put a deposit down for them or something to make it worth their while.

[pdjafari]

Originally Posted by BDMBimmer

That sucks, it's ends up being more than KWv1s... - I miss read, the retail would be more but a group buy would get it lower.

Has anyone contacted Blistein US and said that we have 10 guys willing to buying them right now? We can put a deposit down for them or something to make it worth their while.

KW V1s are $1300 shipped or $1300 plus shipping everywhere that I have checked. Additionally, they are height adjustable ONLY...these Bilstein's have an adjustment for firm/soft

[BDMBimmer]

Originally Posted by pdjafari

KW V1s are $1300 shipped or $1300 plus shipping everywhere that I have checked. Additionally, they are height adjustable ONLY...these Bilstein's have an adjustment for firm/soft

Yeah that is what I have found. But you have to add in $225 + shipping for the springs also.
I would take the adjustment for the ride quality over just height adjustment any day. That is why I haven't bought the KWv1s or v3s, I need to ride a car with them installed, it seems like half the people love the ride and the other half are saying they both are too harsh.
I really don't mind our handling I just would like to lower it a bit, but not be cheap about it.

[cpe90]

I'm not sure if this is helping or not.

I just read the latest issue of Roundel magazine and Bilstein has ads in it.
They showed all of their shocks product (B4/B6/B8/PSS) and it says Bilstein USA on the bottom if I'm not mistaken.
I think if they advertise it then they might sale it here in the near future?

My car is 328i and not xi but I'm interested on getting the B8 to match up with my H&R sports spring.
But not until they have it for sale in the states. Import it from Europe is too much money.

[mds82]

My struts will be here this week finally..... I cant wait

[J.P.]

the exchange rate is what kills me

(FUCKIN SUB-PRIME LOANS!!!)

[flem]

Originally Posted by JP_335xi

the exchange rate is what kills me

(FUCKIN SUB-PRIME LOANS!!!)

lol... we could wait a few months for the exchange rate to come down... US economy is still growing faster than Europe which could mean a stronger dollar in the near future

other than that the exchange rate kills me too