[Bimmerius]

car: 2010 e90 328 xi 6MT 90k miles

car was soft and floaty there was zero doubt the suspension needed a refresh
changed mounts all around, tie rods and front control arms. Also changed tires all around to Continental Extreme DWS

Shop: had all work done at ZNM auto in NJ, very happy with them, big shout out to Matt, Zack, and Nick, thanks guys

review after about 600 miles so far

Struts/shocks, Bilstein B4: they feel compliant, not soft not harsh so basically as advertised an OEM solution. Some sites like tire rack indicate they are valved 10% stiffer than stock.. this along with being a great value for the money sold me on these. Car is a daily driver so wasn't looking for much more anyway and didn't want to spend much either.

original suspension was shot - rear shocks wouldn't return at all when I tested them after removal.. with the new ones most of the nose dive/lift is gone and car feels very solid changing lanes on the highway.

For my purposes these B4's get the job done, just don't really think they are 10% stiffer.. they are good for daily and my occasional second gear redline!

[Rollo`]

Thanks...was curious about those myself. Mike Miller recommends the HD but the advertising makes HDs sound like truck shocks. I have been wondering if the B4 was a good alternative to OEM.

[Murf]

Thanks for the review. I'm in the same boat as you but I have the sport suspension and I'm seriously contemplating getting the B4 sport version. Can't beat the brand or price but there is precious little feedback on these, strange actually.

Do you feel that the B4's are any stiffer or basically exactly exactly the same as stock?

[Bimmerius]

update at close to 1000 miles:

these are NOT soft. they are stiff and probably stiffer than the stock ones just as advertised over some sites

it is not easy to compare to stock as I don't really remember what stock/new felt like driving (got this car used couple of months ago -but my wife had same e90 2011 328xi with 17's and run flats.. which I remember was good handling but loud and somewhat unsettling due to run flats over imperfections)

I don't have run flats and can still hear/feel road imperfections; but in a compliant way and never unsettling.. (tires at +1 33 Front 37 Rear Conti extreme DWS 225/45/17)

Acceleration nose lift and braking nose dive is almost gone.. car really feels very tight.

I actually drove my wife's F30 328 xi the other day.. and that is a soft suspension setup!

overall these B4's I want say are OEM+ / stiffer

[Murf]

Hey quick question- I am putting these on my car this weekend and when I opened the box I noticed that the rears have a white plastic cap or collar on one end (where the rod comes out). Seems like its not meant to be removed but I've not seen this in any of the vendor pics. Is this supposed to stay on?

[BlueSander]

I got my car used and I think the shocks were gone for a long time already. Coming from Audi, my 08 328xi coupe rides a lot harder than what I'm used to. Everytime I leave NY city on i95 to i91, I don't dare to do anything more than 65mph just because the potholes scare the living hell out of me. It's like shot gun inside the cabin. I've replaced the rear and thinking of doing the front. I looked at the shocks on ECStuning and OEM are expensive! People here talk a lot about Bilstein B4 which is much much cheaper and seems to be almost OEM ride quality. What do you guys think? Should I spend the money for OEM or just go with Bilstein b4 and get it over with? The car has 115k miles on the clock now. Also, I changed the runflat for Michelin A/S 3 and although the ride is better, Michelin tires is horrific in snow (I got into a minor accident because of it as well). I have always been a fan of Conti DWS, they are softer tires, last much longer and do better n snow. One thing I do like Michelin tires better is their stiff sidewall. It takes a lot more to mess up these Michelin tires doing parallel parking in NY.

[woodpecka]

Originally Posted by BlueSander

I got my car used and I think the shocks were gone for a long time already. Coming from Audi, my 08 328xi coupe rides a lot harder than what I'm used to. Everytime I leave NY city on i95 to i91, I don't dare to do anything more than 65mph just because the potholes scare the living hell out of me. It's like shot gun inside the cabin. I've replaced the rear and thinking of doing the front. I looked at the shocks on ECStuning and OEM are expensive! People here talk a lot about Bilstein B4 which is much much cheaper and seems to be almost OEM ride quality. What do you guys think? Should I spend the money for OEM or just go with Bilstein b4 and get it over with? The car has 115k miles on the clock now. Also, I changed the runflat for Michelin A/S 3 and although the ride is better, Michelin tires is horrific in snow (I got into a minor accident because of it as well). I have always been a fan of Conti DWS, they are softer tires, last much longer and do better n snow. One thing I do like Michelin tires better is their stiff sidewall. It takes a lot more to mess up these Michelin tires doing parallel parking in NY.

Bilstein B4 all the way. Could not tell the difference in ride but much cheaper.

[chris@strutmonkey]

I recommend the B4s. Also, at 115k, you are going to need to replace all the wear and tear items as well - strut mounts, bumpstops, springs pads, etc. "Do it once, do it right"

Originally Posted by BlueSander

I got my car used and I think the shocks were gone for a long time already. Coming from Audi, my 08 328xi coupe rides a lot harder than what I'm used to. Everytime I leave NY city on i95 to i91, I don't dare to do anything more than 65mph just because the potholes scare the living hell out of me. It's like shot gun inside the cabin. I've replaced the rear and thinking of doing the front. I looked at the shocks on ECStuning and OEM are expensive! People here talk a lot about Bilstein B4 which is much much cheaper and seems to be almost OEM ride quality. What do you guys think? Should I spend the money for OEM or just go with Bilstein b4 and get it over with? The car has 115k miles on the clock now. Also, I changed the runflat for Michelin A/S 3 and although the ride is better, Michelin tires is horrific in snow (I got into a minor accident because of it as well). I have always been a fan of Conti DWS, they are softer tires, last much longer and do better n snow. One thing I do like Michelin tires better is their stiff sidewall. It takes a lot more to mess up these Michelin tires doing parallel parking in NY.

[HerrGruyere]

I just put B4s on the rear. I bought the car ('07 328xi wagon) used two years ago, and for some reason there were Koni Yellows on the back. In any case, I hit a pothole two weeks ago and blew a mount which caused it to rattle around in the hole back there. Pretty scary drive home.

Anyway, with all new mounts plus the B4s, the ride is totally different. Granted, I have 146K miles on the clock, and the Konis were totally blown (didn't return after compression). I love the ride. It's so much quieter, and there's no dip or nose raise on brake/accel. Highly recommend B4s.

[jwebb335xi]

Originally Posted by chris@strutmonkey

I recommend the B4s. Also, at 115k, you are going to need to replace all the wear and tear items as well - strut mounts, bumpstops, springs pads, etc. "Do it once, do it right"

I totally agree with this "do it once; do it right" mentality. I replaced my struts/shocks last spring and, when doing so, replaced upper and lower mounts in the rear and upper mounts/strut bearings up front. They're somewhat costly, but the effort it takes to tear everything apart if your do it yourself or the money you'd pay to do it a second time can be avoided.

In my case, I selected B6s with stock mounts expect for Dinan uppers in the rear. That plus front lower control arms returned my daily driver to the firm, but very well handling car it had been previously.

Without run flats, but with stiffer shocks, I'd say the car is firm but compliant. It does not dive into potholes with the feeling that the windshield will break and the car is unsettled. Rather, it's one firm bump and nothing more.

All that said, B6s are "firmer" than the old stock set-up and I can see why some folks may find it "harsh" on firm roads. To each his/her own. If you can drive a car with B4s and another with B6s before you invest in new shocks/hardware, that would be ideal.

Some folks like the Koni adjustable as well... I had them on another BMW with H&R springs and the handling was really good, particularly for light track and autocross duty.

[MysticRob]

Both front stock struts/shocks make that irritating "pssst" (loud air escaping noise) when hitting even the smallest imperfections in the road (which in norcal is pretty much every few inches ) and since I like driving with the windows down I'm tired of hearing it. Car has 134k on the M Sport Suspension, and looking at the shocks/struts they appear original without any visible leaking, or ride issues.

I want to maintain stock ride quality, especially on our crappy roads, so I'm thinking about the B4 replacements, as opposed to the B6. I'm curious if anyone else has any experience with the B4 and if they could share their opinions.

[blackhawkk22]

Originally Posted by Bimmerius

car: 2010 e90 328 xi 6MT 90k miles

car was soft and floaty there was zero doubt the suspension needed a refresh
changed mounts all around, tie rods and front control arms. Also changed tires all around to Continental Extreme DWS

...

For my purposes these B4's get the job done, just don't really think they are 10% stiffer.. they are good for daily and my occasional second gear redline!

This is great. Thanks OP for the review. I was set on the B6 HDs but recently saw a few people say how the ride height is much higher than stock. My current setup is perfect but the ride has deteriorated quite a bit. Its especially embarrassing when I have people in my car and it rides like an 1060s Toyota FJ army truck. I think I'll end up going with the B4 Sport setup. Lets hope the ride height remains the same!

I noticed no increase in height w/ B6s.

Your front end needs to come down like half an inch though...I'd be more concerned with that.

[culto]

I just had Bilstein B4s installed on my 2011 328ix and I am very happy with them. The cost was reasonable (thanks bavauto) and my indi was very fair with the installation charges. The ride is great (firm but not too firm) and I was amazed when my indi told me that the original shocks/struts were shot with only 52,000 miles on the car.

[tlow98]

Originally Posted by culto

I just had Bilstein B4s installed on my 2011 328ix and I am very happy with them. The cost was reasonable (thanks bavauto) and my indi was very fair with the installation charges. The ride is great (firm but not too firm) and I was amazed when my indi told me that the original shocks/struts were shot with only 52,000 miles on the car.

Good to hear about the improvement.

Sadly, most OE shocks simply don’t last much longer than 50k. They might not be leaking at that point and aren’t normally totally blown but they do generally lose a lot resistance.

[Paul20]

Originally Posted by woodpecka

Bilstein B4 all the way. Could not tell the difference in ride but much cheaper.

How are the b4 bilstein shocks now. How many km have you done with them?