[tadaska]

Looking to replace my shocks/springs soon. Currently on SE suspension with everything original (from 2006) except the rear shocks but they were an uninformed purchase (Meyle) and will have to be replaced to match the rest.

Bilstein B12 Pro kit seems to be held in high regard. But I'm not convinced it's for me.

I do want the ride height lower than SE for looks but maybe not as low as the B12 Pro. Also, I hate the look of the smaller wheel arch gap at the back that BMWs usually have. I'd like it to be the same or even slightly more at the back.

I want the suspension to feel sophisticated. I don't drive fast anymore so don't care about sporty handling quite as much. I'd rather not feel the shocks of bumps being transferred into the car.

So basically slightly lower than SE but not too much, no smaller wheel arch gap at the back, and good damping.

Are there any other options than the B12 Pro kit?


PS: I mostly drive only around the town these days: work, shops, beach. Hardly ever get to go on a motorway or bendy B roads. From some reading I did last night it looks like the sporty mono-tube B8s are better for faster speeds. And for comfy town driving twin-tube is better. But I still want a bit of lowering. Maybe M Sport level. Which kit would suit this criteria?

[vester86]

bit late to the party, but what i did was pair my M-sport springs (OEM) with Bilstein B4 dampers (they come in a shorter version to match the Msport springs). on the front i used a X-drive or Z4 topmount which lowers the front suspension by another 10mm (aprox). perfect stance now in my opinion

[tadaska]

Originally Posted by vester86

bit late to the party, but what i did was pair my M-sport springs (OEM) with Bilstein B4 dampers (they come in a shorter version to match the Msport springs). on the front i used a X-drive or Z4 topmount which lowers the front suspension by another 10mm (aprox). perfect stance now in my opinion

Not late at all, won't be doing this until the Summer. Just researching so it's all ready when the time comes.

Which one is the top mount? https://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/sho...diagId=31_0716

Also, maybe you could post a pic of how it looks?

[vester86]

#1 in the Realoem image, parts.nr. 31306775098 (but then the X-drive/Z4 version which has obviously a different partnr which i don't have here right now)

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by vester86

bit late to the party, but what i did was pair my M-sport springs (OEM) with Bilstein B4 dampers (they come in a shorter version to match the Msport springs). on the front i used a X-drive or Z4 topmount which lowers the front suspension by another 10mm (aprox). perfect stance now in my opinion

XD top mounts are a good shout. I have them on my car too (but a camber plate makes up the difference in ride height). Note that you need to use the studs from the original mounts with these, since the XD studs are longer and hit the strut brace. Just a case of hammering out all the studs, then hammering the old ones into the new mounts.

[tadaska]

How much wear is there likely to be on a mount that has done 160k miles? I think I saw somewhere they wear out and lower the car so to speak.

How much lowering would there be due to my old mounts?

[Tambohamilton]

Yeah, they do sag with age. I'd guess the difference between old M-sport and new XD wouldn't be much; maybe 3mm.

[vester86]

Originally Posted by tadaska

How much wear is there likely to be on a mount that has done 160k miles? I think I saw somewhere they wear out and lower the car so to speak.

How much lowering would there be due to my old mounts?

between old and new (all things equal) up to 10mm