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BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum > E90 / E92 / E93 3-series Technical Forums > Suspension | Brakes | Chassis > ULTIMATUM: Bilstein B14 or KW V1 (POSSIBLY ST)



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      05-04-2020, 12:14 PM   #1
Myn54isSLOW
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I'm having a hard time deciding which coilovers to go with for my 335is. I'd love to maintain as close to stock ride quality as I can with the new set. I'm not planning on tracking the car so this is purely for looks. I don't want to go the lowered spring route because of adjustability and premature shock wear. That leaves my top 3 choices. BILSTEIN B14 ($814) or KW V1 ($1400). Is paying that extra money for KW honestly worth it? Is is true what people say about ST's being a galvanized steel version of the KW?
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      05-04-2020, 03:43 PM   #2
Jerain
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Myn54isSLOW View Post
I'm having a hard time deciding which coilovers to go with for my 335is. I'd love to maintain as close to stock ride quality as I can with the new set. I'm not planning on tracking the car so this is purely for looks. I don't want to go the lowered spring route because of adjustability and premature shock wear. That leaves my top 3 choices. BILSTEIN B14 ($814) or KW V1 ($1400). Is paying that extra money for KW honestly worth it? Is is true what people say about ST's being a galvanized steel version of the KW?
ST-x is like galva KW V1, made by same company and are twin tube. Bilstein B14 is monotube and for 814 dollars it's a no brainer to get IMO, in my country Belgium they are 1200 dollars new...
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      05-04-2020, 04:52 PM   #3
vester86
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consider KW Street Comfort
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      05-04-2020, 08:55 PM   #4
haaken675
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Just did b14's this weekend. Haven't driven enough to know for sure, but it definitely feels stiffer then I was expecting.
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      05-13-2020, 12:26 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jerain View Post
Quote:
Originally Posted by Myn54isSLOW View Post
I'm having a hard time deciding which coilovers to go with for my 335is. I'd love to maintain as close to stock ride quality as I can with the new set. I'm not planning on tracking the car so this is purely for looks. I don't want to go the lowered spring route because of adjustability and premature shock wear. That leaves my top 3 choices. BILSTEIN B14 ($814) or KW V1 ($1400). Is paying that extra money for KW honestly worth it? Is is true what people say about ST's being a galvanized steel version of the KW?
ST-x is like galva KW V1, made by same company and are twin tube. Bilstein B14 is monotube and for 814 dollars it's a no brainer to get IMO, in my country Belgium they are 1200 dollars new...
So monotube is better than twin tube?
The ST X are actually $791 on ECStuning and Bilstein are a bit more at $814. I'm also in the same boat of deciding between these 2 options.

Actually Megan Racing also has a set of coilovers for $899 and they are monotube. Would you still choose Bilstein over those options? The Megan Racing 32-way dampening and they do come with the strut mounts already installed
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      05-13-2020, 02:08 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhosGotTheLoud View Post
So monotube is better than twin tube?
The ST X are actually $791 on ECStuning and Bilstein are a bit more at $814. I'm also in the same boat of deciding between these 2 options.
Twin tube in theory can be set up a lot nicer than an equivalent mono tube (lower gas pressure, an extra layer of compression valving, etc), but a nice mono tube will be better than a lame twin tube...and vice-versa. Twin tubes will be heavier, like-for-like, and due to having an extra seal and more complex layout they're likely to be less reliable - particularly in a MacPherson strut system.
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      05-24-2020, 05:20 PM   #7
kanovic
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I got b14 and I absolutely love them. They are not bouncy at all or too stiff. Gives the right amount of drop and comfortable, I would say they rode like my factory msport suspension did.
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      05-25-2020, 08:49 PM   #8
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If you're still looking for b14's, I just ordered mine from x-ph and with the coupon code right now they were 738 shipped. Pretty good deal I think.
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      05-27-2020, 04:13 AM   #9
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coupon code?

I've never heard of x-hp but I just visited the sit and if i could get them for 738 I'd hop on it immediately. where did you find the code?
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      05-27-2020, 08:13 PM   #10
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I've never heard of x-hp but I just visited the sit and if i could get them for 738 I'd hop on it immediately. where did you find the code?
It was probably only for Memorial Day. I think rn they have the code save25 and that'll bring them to 790 I believe
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      06-07-2020, 05:23 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by WhosGotTheLoud View Post
It was probably only for Memorial Day. I think rn they have the code save25 and that'll bring them to 790 I believe
It was a Memorial Day weekend sale, ended up picking ST coilovers for my E91 X-Drive for about $790 shipped.
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      06-12-2020, 01:57 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by donut_boi View Post
It was a Memorial Day weekend sale, ended up picking ST coilovers for my E91 X-Drive for about $790 shipped.
You made the right decision if you value street manners at all. Bilstein HDs are rough. They're the cheapest monotube you can buy, so that's understandable.
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      06-13-2020, 03:10 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tlow98 View Post
You made the right decision if you value street manners at all. Bilstein HDs are rough. They're the cheapest monotube you can buy, so that's understandable.
That’s correct, exactly the reason why I went with the STs is for street drive ability and road manners. Best value for allowing for height adjustability and shock valving design for the springs.
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