[D's Bimmer]

Well, I have had the B12 kit on my 2011 e90 335i for about 6 weeks now. Have driven almost 4000kms on the car since then. Finally switched over to my summer tires this morning and let me tell you what a difference going from those winter run flats tanks to my Volk forged rims with Michelin PSS rubber has been. Initially, I found the car a tad harsh on some road conditions. Although, much less harsh than the coilovers I have driven on(KW and BC) to be honest. I still wanted to get as close to an OEM feel in terms of the smoothness and yet still enhance the performance and tightness if that makes sense.

The B12 kit has done that finally with the summer tires on it. I spent the majority of the day pushing the car on the same roads that have bothered me and it has smoothed out nicely. I am happy with the look. I wouldn't mind a few mm's higher in the back and maybe a few lower in the front but we are not talking more than two or three mm's to be honest. Will be spending the day tomorrow giving the car a spring detail as the weather will finally be warm enough!(sorry for the dirty car pics!)

Glad I made the upgrade!

[solishe]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

Well, I have had the B12 kit on my 2011 e90 335i for about 6 weeks now. Have driven almost 4000kms on the car since then. Finally switched over to my summer tires this morning and let me tell you what a difference going from those winter run flats tanks to my Volk forged rims with Michelin PSS rubber has been. initially, I found the car a tad harsh on some road conditions. Although, much less harsh than the coilovers I have driven on(KW and BC) to be honest. I still wanted to get as close to an OEM feel in terms of the smoothness and yet still enhance the performance and tightness if that makes sense.

The B12 kit has done that finally with the summer tires on it. I spent the majority of the day pushing the car on the same roads that have bothered me and it has smoothed out nicely. I am happy with the look. I wouldn't mind a few mm's higher in the back and maybe a few lower in the front but we are not talking more than two or three mm's to be honest. Will be spending the day tomorrow giving the car a spring detail as the weather will finally be warm enough!

Glad I made the upgrade!

Looking real good! Are you running spacers?

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by solishe

Looking real good! Are you running spacers?

Thanks!

I am running a 10 mm spacer up front at the moment. My wheel setup is as follows:

235/35 19 35et Front
265/30 19 30et Rear

I might dial the front spacer back to 5 mm but not sure at the moment.

[solishe]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

Thanks!

I am running a 10 mm spacer up front at the moment. My wheel setup is as follows:

235/35 19 35et Front
265/30 19 30et Rear

I might dial the front spacer back to 5 mm but not sure at the moment.

Nice. I remember running spacers on the B8s and I thought they handled even better without the spacers, just felt more natural to have the bump forces closer in. But damn they looked good as yours do. I started 12 up front 15 rear but had too much rubbing. So I went 10 up front 12 in rear for a bit but then just took them off.

[jjellyneck]

Glad to hear!
Which KW version did you compare it to?

[chatch10]

The car looks amazing! I love those rims!

The Bilsteins come with their own bump stops correct? Or did you use the e36 m3/e85 z4 combo I keep hearing about?

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by jjellyneck

Glad to hear!
Which KW version did you compare it to?

V2 and StreetComfort. I have driven on TCKline and Ohlin's and would personally only buy these brands based on experience. As you already now, suspension is so subjective on some levels and personal preference plays a huge factor in what determines feel behind the wheel.

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by chatch10

The car looks amazing! I love those rims!

The Bilsteins come with their own bump stops correct? Or did you use the e36 m3/e85 z4 combo I keep hearing about?

Thanks. The Bilsteins do come with their own bumpstops so no need for external ones.

[oregondonor]

Seems weird to be calling the move from coilovers to shocks and springs an upgrade. I absolutely love how your car sits, both gap and flushness.

[Stream]

Looks perfect!
Do you have any rubbing with 2-3 passengers?

[stashtrey]

Beautiful setup. Makes me wish I had gotten an i and not an xi.

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by oregondonor

Seems weird to be calling the move from coilovers to shocks and springs an upgrade. I absolutely love how your car sits, both gap and flushness.

This is my dd. The only coilovers I would have put on this car would have been either TCKline or Ohlin's but they are triple the cost of this B12 setup. The other coilovers I have tried are much to harsh and jaring for my liking as mentioned earlier. And given I do allot of driving, the durability of the Bilstein dampers was very appealing from a maintainance standpoint. I am really happy with the stance.

Thanks,

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by Stream

Looks perfect!
Do you have any rubbing with 2-3 passengers?

I have had my rear fendors trimmed so no rubbing at all now. The Michelin PSS'S are also big tire as you know so that made the trimming even more vital compared to a Hankook for example.

[oregondonor]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

I have had my rear fendors trimmed so no rubbing at all now.

What does having your fenders "trimmed" entail? I've had a peek up there and the inner fender well seems it could cause issue.

[solishe]

Originally Posted by oregondonor

What does having your fenders "trimmed" entail? I've had a peek up there and the inner fender well seems it could cause issue.

I would think it means rolling back the lip (that's inside along the arch) that protrudes inward. I guess after reading this they can trim it too.

[mlifxs]

that looks alot better than the winter tire set up . Good to hear everything's working out.

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by oregondonor

What does having your fenders "trimmed" entail? I've had a peek up there and the inner fender well seems it could cause issue.

There is a great body shop guy here in Toronto who is a master at properly trimming the inner side of the rear wheel well. Rolling works in many cases but trimming is the proper way to go in my mind.

[D's Bimmer]

Originally Posted by mlifxs

that looks alot better than the winter tire set up . Good to hear everything's working out.

Thanks man. Now I just need to turn my attention to the rear pieces and decide what to do. Will the M3 rear subframe bushings make a real difference without increasing cabin noise? Do I do the rear M3 parts like I did the front.

[solishe]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

Thanks man. Now I just need to turn my attention to the rear pieces and decide what to do. Will the M3 rear subframe bushings make a real difference without increasing cabin noise? Do I do the rear M3 parts like I did the front.

If you are happy with the rear behavior I'd say leave it alone. Only mess with subframe bushings/m3 arms/increased rear bar diameter, rear toe arms if you are sensing something not right back there. Ride comfort will decrease a bit with those changes. Just depends if you want comfort to reign supreme or performance.

[mlifxs]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

Thanks man. Now I just need to turn my attention to the rear pieces and decide what to do. Will the M3 rear subframe bushings make a real difference without increasing cabin noise? Do I do the rear M3 parts like I did the front.

I only have subframe inserts and the M3 rear guide rods. I do think they help, so I would think that m3 subframe bushings would be better than the inserts. I would think they'd help a 335i more than a 328i.

My rear cabin noise has not increased, however with all the firming up, both front and rear, I may be hearing more rattles, including one on the rear window panel that I'm going to fix soon. Could be suspension mods, or car age or who knows what.

Our roads are probably smoother than yours...so overall, it's not going to stop me from doing other things in the future, like firmer dampers or m3 rear wishbones. Maybe get feedback from people in your area or where there's rougher roads than here in Florida.

[kentgbr]

Originally Posted by D's Bimmer

Well, I have had the B12 kit on my 2011 e90 335i for about 6 weeks now. Have driven almost 4000kms on the car since then. Finally switched over to my summer tires this morning and let me tell you what a difference going from those winter run flats tanks to my Volk forged rims with Michelin PSS rubber has been. Initially, I found the car a tad harsh on some road conditions. Although, much less harsh than the coilovers I have driven on(KW and BC) to be honest. I still wanted to get as close to an OEM feel in terms of the smoothness and yet still enhance the performance and tightness if that makes sense.

The B12 kit has done that finally with the summer tires on it. I spent the majority of the day pushing the car on the same roads that have bothered me and it has smoothed out nicely. I am happy with the look. I wouldn't mind a few mm's higher in the back and maybe a few lower in the front but we are not talking more than two or three mm's to be honest. Will be spending the day tomorrow giving the car a spring detail as the weather will finally be warm enough!(sorry for the dirty car pics!)

Glad I made the upgrade!

Great to hear you are happy with the upgrade. I ordered the B12 kit along with M3 control arms - can't wait to get everything installed.

[nydog]

The drop is great. B12 is the set-up I plan to go with when I do my suspension.