Bilstein B12 Kit Impressions

mweisdorfer · 07-31-2018, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phyrexia

I talked to Bilstein at Bimmerfest and the issue is that E9X is old and low priority, and then on top of that, European vendors have priority for stock over US vendors.

May I suggest the BMW Performance Suspension? It's great.

Only thing is BMW Performance Suspension is way more expensive.

I got mine at FCP Euro about 27,000 miles ago. I'm not worried now, but in 50,000 more miles when I turn them in to get more shocks for free as part of the lifetime warranty, I wonder how they will handle this ?

bimmaholic540 · 08-01-2018, 03:32 AM

Thanks for all the help and advice.

I ended up ordering the B8 struts/dampers, with plans to get the springs later when they are available, and if needed after trying just the dampers with the existing M-sport springs.

I thought it was just the full B12 kit that is on backorder everywhere, but as many of you probably are aware, it is specifically the B8 struts that everyone is waiting for. The rear dampers already arrived, but the struts supposedly will be shipped directly from the manufacturer on Augst 20.

Before posting my question, I couldn't find any reviews from someone who had just the B8s with the original M-Sport springs. Since then, though, I have found several positive reviews of that combination.

Again, my goal is not the same as most. For this car, I am OK with sacrificing ride quality for handling. The car never had the solid feel of my 540i. I attributed much of that to the Run-Flat tires it came with. By replacing those with Non-RF tires, I just traded in one set of problems for a different one (the squishy cornering an excessive roll).

I also appreciate the tire advice. Maybe OT here, but my absolute favorite summer tire on previous cars was Toyo Proxies 4. But they completely changed the design of this tire and I do not like the current version. I'm sure it is partly due to the suspension being tuned for RF tires, but the Proxies may have also been changed to try and improve their winter performance, which was essentially zero with the original design. I didn't care about that though because I have great winter tires and I have no problem on snow covered hills that people can't climb with 4WD+all-seasons. The old Proxies were great and they should have kept them and just labeled them as summer.

I guess I should ask/research exactly what "tuning" was done with the 335i M-Sport suspension in their effort to adjust it to the run-flats.

mweisdorfer · 08-01-2018, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bimmaholic540

Thanks for all the help and advice.

I ended up ordering the B8 struts/dampers, with plans to get the springs later when they are available, and if needed after trying just the dampers with the existing M-sport springs.

I thought it was just the full B12 kit that is on backorder everywhere, but as many of you probably are aware, it is specifically the B8 struts that everyone is waiting for. The rear dampers already arrived, but the struts supposedly will be shipped directly from the manufacturer on Augst 20.

Before posting my question, I couldn't find any reviews from someone who had just the B8s with the original M-Sport springs. Since then, though, I have found several positive reviews of that combination.

Again, my goal is not the same as most. For this car, I am OK with sacrificing ride quality for handling. The car never had the solid feel of my 540i. I attributed much of that to the Run-Flat tires it came with. By replacing those with Non-RF tires, I just traded in one set of problems for a different one (the squishy cornering an excessive roll).

I also appreciate the tire advice. Maybe OT here, but my absolute favorite summer tire on previous cars was Toyo Proxies 4. But they completely changed the design of this tire and I do not like the current version. I'm sure it is partly due to the suspension being tuned for RF tires, but the Proxies may have also been changed to try and improve their winter performance, which was essentially zero with the original design. I didn't care about that though because I have great winter tires and I have no problem on snow covered hills that people can't climb with 4WD+all-seasons. The old Proxies were great and they should have kept them and just labeled them as summer.

I guess I should ask/research exactly what "tuning" was done with the 335i M-Sport suspension in their effort to adjust it to the run-flats.

These are the springs used in the b12 kit

https://eibach.com/us/i-5938-pro-kit...4-springs.html

So, if you can source the struts, you'll have the kit in its entirety.

Get Michelin A/S 3 plus and don't look back. Great, great all-season tire for the e90.

desertman123 · 08-01-2018, 10:24 PM

Love the B12 kit, but it exposed weaknesses in my suspension which I hesitate to address due to possibly more NVH (bushings). I do want more M3 bits, but not at the expense of a sore ass. Control arms, RSF bushings, diff bushings, etc. Also I don't really feel like paying, what, $600? on bushings

I got B12, Whiteline RSFB inserts on Michelin PSS.

Spitfire007 · 08-02-2018, 08:12 AM

The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises.

I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it.

I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.

mweisdorfer · 08-02-2018, 12:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises.

I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it.

I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.

I would say, you need to look at a different platform. Mercedes tends to drive like what you are looking for. Cadillac as well. BMW e90. Nope. Suspension is designed for performance first & comfort a close second. It's a drivers car.

Not trying to offend you in anyway. The e90 is what it is.

Spitfire007 · 08-02-2018, 04:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises.

I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it.

I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.

I would say, you need to look at a different platform. Mercedes tends to drive like what you are looking for. Cadillac as well. BMW e90. Nope. Suspension is designed for performance first & comfort a close second. It's a drivers car.

Not trying to offend you in anyway. The e90 is what it is.

Not offended at all, you make good points about a diff platform.

I came from the following, not in any particular order...
2000 TransAm 6-speed (ls1)
E82 135i MSport
E46 325 Ci sport package
E38 740iL
'74 2002 Tii

I can absolutely confirm that the e90 is NOT above these others in handling, that it is LESS balanced, and not as comfortable.

The e82 135i was so poorly damped and oversprung the rear end would hump and wiggle in the turns on poor quality pavement.
I though the e90 would be better, and it is, only very slightly.

I don't need caddy or Mercedes old-man rides. I like a taught and solid sporty ride, but the e90 is punishing for most normal people, and it's a family sedan for goodness'sake!

The e46 was the great in terms of handling, balance, and low NVH.

The e38 was bigger, but EVEN BETTER (yes it was).

I'm just disappointed with the modern bmws, and this is unfortunately my last until they improve.

mweisdorfer · 08-02-2018, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

Quote:

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises.

I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it.

I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.

I would say, you need to look at a different platform. Mercedes tends to drive like what you are looking for. Cadillac as well. BMW e90. Nope. Suspension is designed for performance first & comfort a close second. It's a drivers car.

Not trying to offend you in anyway. The e90 is what it is.

Well I came from the following, not in any particular order...
2000 TransAm 6-speed (ls1)
E82 135i MSport
E46 325 Ci sport package
E38 740iL
'74 2002 Tii

I can absolutely confirm that the e90 is NOT above these others in handling, that it is LESS balanced, and not as comfortable.

The e82 135i was so poorly damped and oversprung the rear end would hump and wiggle in the turns on poor quality pavement.
I though the e90 would be better, and it is, only very slightly.

I don't need caddy or Mercedes old-man rides. I like a taught and solid sporty ride, but the e90 is punishing for most normal people, and it's a family sedan.

I'm just disappointed with the modern bmws, and this is unfortunately my last until they improve.

I think then, you need to update the suspension to a level that is suited to your tastes.

Jklad · 08-02-2018, 04:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

Quote:

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises.

I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it.

I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.

I would say, you need to look at a different platform. Mercedes tends to drive like what you are looking for. Cadillac as well. BMW e90. Nope. Suspension is designed for performance first & comfort a close second. It's a drivers car.

Not trying to offend you in anyway. The e90 is what it is.

Not offended at all, you make good points about a diff platform.

I came from the following, not in any particular order...
2000 TransAm 6-speed (ls1)
E82 135i MSport
E46 325 Ci sport package
E38 740iL
'74 2002 Tii

I can absolutely confirm that the e90 is NOT above these others in handling, that it is LESS balanced, and not as comfortable.

The e82 135i was so poorly damped and oversprung the rear end would hump and wiggle in the turns on poor quality pavement.
I though the e90 would be better, and it is, only very slightly.

I don't need caddy or Mercedes old-man rides. I like a taught and solid sporty ride, but the e90 is punishing for most normal people, and it's a family sedan for goodness'sake!

The e46 was the great in terms of handling, balance, and low NVH.

The e38 was bigger, but EVEN BETTER (yes it was).

I'm just disappointed with the modern bmws, and this is unfortunately my last until they improve.

You really think a e90 is below a 2000 trans am in terms of handling and balance? That's nuts.

Those cars handled terribly and were completely front heavy, with no rear brakes and the body roll of a boat. fast in a straight line but the party ended as soon as you had to take a turn.

Jklad · 08-02-2018, 05:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

Quote:

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises.

I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it.

I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.

I would say, you need to look at a different platform. Mercedes tends to drive like what you are looking for. Cadillac as well. BMW e90. Nope. Suspension is designed for performance first & comfort a close second. It's a drivers car.

Not trying to offend you in anyway. The e90 is what it is.

Not offended at all, you make good points about a diff platform.

I came from the following, not in any particular order...
2000 TransAm 6-speed (ls1)
E82 135i MSport
E46 325 Ci sport package
E38 740iL
'74 2002 Tii

I can absolutely confirm that the e90 is NOT above these others in handling, that it is LESS balanced, and not as comfortable.

The e82 135i was so poorly damped and oversprung the rear end would hump and wiggle in the turns on poor quality pavement.
I though the e90 would be better, and it is, only very slightly.

I don't need caddy or Mercedes old-man rides. I like a taught and solid sporty ride, but the e90 is punishing for most normal people, and it's a family sedan for goodness'sake!

The e46 was the great in terms of handling, balance, and low NVH.

The e38 was bigger, but EVEN BETTER (yes it was).

I'm just disappointed with the modern bmws, and this is unfortunately my last until they improve.

You really think a e90 is below a 2000 trans am in terms of handling and balance? That's nuts.

Those cars handled terribly and were completely front heavy, with no rear brakes and the body roll of a boat. fast in a straight line but the party ended as soon as you had to take a turn.

Spitfire007 · 08-02-2018, 06:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jklad

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

Quote:

Originally Posted by mweisdorfer

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spitfire007

The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises.

I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it.

I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.

I would say, you need to look at a different platform. Mercedes tends to drive like what you are looking for. Cadillac as well. BMW e90. Nope. Suspension is designed for performance first & comfort a close second. It's a drivers car.

Not trying to offend you in anyway. The e90 is what it is.

Not offended at all, you make good points about a diff platform.

I came from the following, not in any particular order...
2000 TransAm 6-speed (ls1)
E82 135i MSport
E46 325 Ci sport package
E38 740iL
'74 2002 Tii

I can absolutely confirm that the e90 is NOT above these others in handling, that it is LESS balanced, and not as comfortable.

The e82 135i was so poorly damped and oversprung the rear end would hump and wiggle in the turns on poor quality pavement.
I though the e90 would be better, and it is, only very slightly.

I don't need caddy or Mercedes old-man rides. I like a taught and solid sporty ride, but the e90 is punishing for most normal people, and it's a family sedan for goodness'sake!

The e46 was the great in terms of handling, balance, and low NVH.

The e38 was bigger, but EVEN BETTER (yes it was).

I'm just disappointed with the modern bmws, and this is unfortunately my last until they improve.

You really think a e90 is below a 2000 trans am in terms of handling and balance? That's nuts.

Those cars handled terribly and were completely front heavy, with no rear brakes and the body roll of a boat. fast in a straight line but the party ended as soon as you had to take a turn.

I didn't say the trans am was better. I simply put that in there to explain my history with a tremendous variety of cars.
But you didn't read the post. You go to the first or second line and stopped.

My point is that the e90 cannot be made as older bmws were. There's no provision for reducing NVH while getting excellent and COMFORTABLE performance, like their cars used to have.

Yeah the handling is great.
Yeah the steering is amazing
Yeah it inspires confidence

But does a normal 328i do it without being rough and loud and hard as a plank? No.

And I've done the homework and been on here for a looooong time and done the mods (Bilstein, bushings, various nonRFT tires...blah blah blah)

It's just not as refined a car as they used to be. That's the point I am making.

08-01-2018, 03:32 AM	#46
bimmaholic540 Registered 2 Rep 3 Posts Drives: 2008 335i M-Sport Join Date: Jul 2018 Location: US iTrader: (0)	Thanks for all the help and advice. I ended up ordering the B8 struts/dampers, with plans to get the springs later when they are available, and if needed after trying just the dampers with the existing M-sport springs. I thought it was just the full B12 kit that is on backorder everywhere, but as many of you probably are aware, it is specifically the B8 struts that everyone is waiting for. The rear dampers already arrived, but the struts supposedly will be shipped directly from the manufacturer on Augst 20. Before posting my question, I couldn't find any reviews from someone who had just the B8s with the original M-Sport springs. Since then, though, I have found several positive reviews of that combination. Again, my goal is not the same as most. For this car, I am OK with sacrificing ride quality for handling. The car never had the solid feel of my 540i. I attributed much of that to the Run-Flat tires it came with. By replacing those with Non-RF tires, I just traded in one set of problems for a different one (the squishy cornering an excessive roll). I also appreciate the tire advice. Maybe OT here, but my absolute favorite summer tire on previous cars was Toyo Proxies 4. But they completely changed the design of this tire and I do not like the current version. I'm sure it is partly due to the suspension being tuned for RF tires, but the Proxies may have also been changed to try and improve their winter performance, which was essentially zero with the original design. I didn't care about that though because I have great winter tires and I have no problem on snow covered hills that people can't climb with 4WD+all-seasons. The old Proxies were great and they should have kept them and just labeled them as summer. I guess I should ask/research exactly what "tuning" was done with the 335i M-Sport suspension in their effort to adjust it to the run-flats.
	Appreciate 0 Quote

08-01-2018, 10:24 PM	#48
desertman123 E82 Mudflap Ambassador 2214 Rep 2,219 Posts Drives: '08 128i Join Date: May 2016 Location: Orlando, FL iTrader: (0) Garage List 1992 Honda Beat [9.50] 2008 BMW 128i [10.00] 2014 BMW 528i [10.00]	Love the B12 kit, but it exposed weaknesses in my suspension which I hesitate to address due to possibly more NVH (bushings). I do want more M3 bits, but not at the expense of a sore ass. Control arms, RSF bushings, diff bushings, etc. Also I don't really feel like paying, what, $600? on bushings I got B12, Whiteline RSFB inserts on Michelin PSS. __________________ My 2008 128i - Sparkling Graphite/Beige - Sport pkg - 6MT - Click me! Parents' 2014 528i - Mineral White/Ivory White - fully loaded Instagram @Andreys_128i and @Honda.Bito
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08-02-2018, 08:12 AM	#49
Spitfire007 Captain 189 Rep 682 Posts Drives: 09 328i Sport 6MT Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Baltimore, MD iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 328i [0.00]	The car was engineered from the ground up to use runflats. Therefore, any mods are going to expose weaknesses and create the need for compromises. I love the car and the engine and steering, but it was never comfortable, and my wife hates it. I'm in NYC area, and the roads ARE terrible, but the e90 could honestly have been made better, with more comfort in mind, without sacrificing performance.
	Appreciate 1 desertman1232213.50 Quote