Mot time, spring snapped, b12's ordered....

M

Muckinonthesofa

Member
My Z4MC went in for it's MOT today and failed on a broken rear spring. It was just a matter of time I suppose..... :headbang:

Anyway, this has brought forward my plans to improve on the standard set up's handling and body control, there's no way I'm going to replace one spring with another oem item so figured now's as good a time as any.

Having done a bit of research including asking advice on this great forum, I've ordered Bilstein B12's. For my needs they represent best value and they will be fitted as soon as they arrive next week. I will update this on my thoughts about the improvements. :thumbsup: :driving:
 
Same man-maths that I used, but I went the whole hog and put a B16/PSS10 kit on.

My original springs/dampers lasted until 130,000 miles though.
 
I'm looking at getting the b12, but for a 3.0si.
Where did you get them from, demon tweaks seem like a good price at the moment.
 
dhobbs said:
I'm looking at getting the b12, but for a 3.0si.
Where did you get them from, demon tweaks seem like a good price at the moment.
Click to expand...

Ordered mine from Euro Performance. They were cheapest, but they were all within about £30-40 of each other, and had the quickest delivery time. :thumbsup:
 
mmm-five said:
Same man-maths that I used, but I went the whole hog and put a B16/PSS10 kit on.

My original springs/dampers lasted until 130,000 miles though.
Click to expand...

Ha, yep! Oem spring £109 + vat + fitting. Circa £200 for something I was always going to replace. Bilstein B12's fitted and set up circa £1k, I'd of wasted £200 in my book. :thumbsup:
 
mmm-five said:
Same man-maths that I used, but I went the whole hog and put a B16/PSS10 kit on.

My original springs/dampers lasted until 130,000 miles though.
Click to expand...

Plenty of life in mine yet then. :D :driving:
 
Mine has just passed the 100k mark and feels a little bit sloppy. As it degrades slowly over time I haven't really noticed it. I changed the drop links and they were knackered although testing on the car they seemed fine. I've just ordered a set of top mounts and bits and will order the b12 soon. Best part of a grand for the parts alone. :o
 
Had a call from the garage yesterday to say everything is done and my car is ready. Unfortunately I was in work and they were closing before I could get there and due to my shifts this week may have to wait until Tuesday to collect it. Frustrating...... :headbang:
 
I'm really tempted to do this upgrade myself. Is the drop noticeable? I'm quite happy with the normal ride height.
 
I think it's a cm or so lower compared to standard. Nothing too severe, there are 2 speed humps outside my house and they're not an issue. Ride is better than OEM too, firm but well damped..
 
The garage kindly delivered my back to me this afternoon, so it was waiting for me when I got back from work.

I've had chance to take it for a quick 7-8 mile run but on fairly boring roads (not the Brecon Beacons, my favourite haunt! :D ) and my initial thoughts are;

It looks noticeably lower and imo much better.

Much less dive and squat, particularly squat under acceleration. Something I thought the stock set up was awful for so very happy with that.

Ride seems no firmer but is definitely better with a more controlled feel.

Less roll around corners.

Front end seemed tighter, less prone to understeer. Didn't get chance to get on it early out if corners but I'd say the rear would have more grip as well.

I'm planning a good run up through the Brecon Beacons and on to mid Wales soon so will have a better idea of how it handles all the dips, crests, cambers, fast/slow bends etc etc after that but initial impressions are excellent, basically more body control and grip. :thumbsup: :driving:
 
Muckinonthesofa said:
Much less dive and squat, particularly squat under acceleration. Something I thought the stock set up was awful for so very happy with that.

Ride seems no firmer but is definitely better with a more controlled feel.
Click to expand...
Just what I want to hear. I replaced the suspension on my Cerbera with springs that were massively stiffer (450lbs front, 375 rear) but because the dampers were so much better than stock the ride was fantastic in comparison to before. I'm hoping for the same here.
 
That's great, thanks for the feedback. Are you running stock 18s?

Could you measure the ride height? From the top of one of the front alloys to the arch would be fine. Or ground to the bottom of one of the fangs. Thanks.

I'd love to take a ride in a zed with this kit. Is there anyone around London / Kent / Essex or even Herts / Bucks?

Cheers.
 
abar121 said:
That's great, thanks for the feedback. Are you running stock 18s?

Could you measure the ride height? From the top of one of the front alloys to the arch would be fine. Or ground to the bottom of one of the fangs. Thanks.

I'd love to take a ride in a zed with this kit. Is there anyone around London / Kent / Essex or even Herts / Bucks?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm running the standard 18" 224's (csl's are on the to do list!)

Sorry, not sure what the fangs are but I measured each end from the ground through the centre of the wheel to the arch. Measurements were;

Front - 648mm

Rear - 665mm

I've no idea what it was before but to my eyes it definitely looks lower. I'll try and get a photo up but I find it a pain in the ass getting photos up on here! :headbang:
 
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