E85 Front suspension/shock absorbers- How To

bigwinn · Post by **bigwinn** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 5:11 pm

No worries gents

Wouter I’ve yet to do front suspension and find that the upper and lower rubbers are past it- but of course if you want peace of mind go for it!!!

WouterZZZZ · Post by **WouterZZZZ** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:38 pm

Thanks, I will replace them after nearly 17 years of perfect service. You have inspired me a lot. Have nice Christmas holidays. Off course I will let you know once I’ve replaced it all. Frgr Wouter

True-Blue · Post by **True-Blue** » Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:41 pm

WouterZZZZ wrote: Sat Dec 18, 2021 10:38 pm Thanks, I will replace them after nearly 17 years of perfect service. You have inspired me a lot. Have nice Christmas holidays. Off course I will let you know once I’ve replaced it all. Frgr Wouter

I had no choice as my car was running on coilovers when I bought it, and the original struts were not included. I have to say though, the spring pads are cheap as chips really, so worth replacing IMHO

Zulu4 · Post by **Zulu4** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 6:40 pm

Thanks Stuart for the great write-up.

I just changed my front shocks for Bilstein B4's and I noticed a couple of things which others may find useful.

Firstly, the B4's have a longer shaft than the OEM shocks that were on my 3.0Si Sport. I had read that someone was concerned that this would be the case and that the B4's would now be in a permanently compressed state when fitted. I understand why now, so time will tell how they do.

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Secondly, when I refitted the spring, I initially thought this was the correct place for the bottom end to go, as it seemed to fit nicely against the lip of the rubber.:

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But looking at Bigwin's and my other side which I hadn't dismantled, it seems the end of the spring needs to be in this position:

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bigwinn · Post by **bigwinn** » Tue Jul 12, 2022 7:02 pm

That had me foxed for a while Rob as it looked like it should sit into that groove flush- but it doesn't!

Well done

And thanks again for the loan of VCDS

thespannerman · Post by **thespannerman** » Sun Jul 24, 2022 3:53 pm

Just ordered and now awaiting delivery of all the bits to do mine, but intriguing bit about the lower spring position as I would have also thought it would have gone up against that step in the rubber.

Al

enuff_zed · Post by **enuff_zed** » Sun Jul 24, 2022 3:55 pm

thespannerman wrote: Sun Jul 24, 2022 3:53 pm Just ordered and now awaiting delivery of all the bits to do mine, but intriguing bit about the lower spring position as I would have also thought it would have gone up against that step in the rubber.

Nope, mine have always been the same, don't quite line up as you'd think.

Zedebee · Post by **Zedebee** » Sun Sep 17, 2023 11:01 pm

Hi Bigwinn, how did you torque up the top nut to 64Nm without the piston spinning? NewTIS says to use a special tool. I can’t for the life of me remember how I did it last time.

bigwinn · Post by **bigwinn** » Mon Sep 18, 2023 6:41 am

If I recall I did it as tight as I could off the car with mole grips on the shaft then installed on the car and re torqued with the weight on the wheels

rob_heff · Post by **rob_heff** » Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:46 am

Zulu4, Just wondered how you were getting on with the B4's? I've emailed Blistein and they told me they aren't correct for the 3.0i but lots of people do use them, I'm thinking about getting some for mine, but curious how they're behaving? Cheers

Z4Mariner · Post by **Z4Mariner** » Tue Mar 19, 2024 12:29 pm

I have about 9K miles on my 3.0Si coupe (sport springs) with B4's. I went with advice from a friend's son who's a BMW master tech - he said I'd likely find B6's too harsh on our rough roads. The B4's are doing fine, and it's been a good choice for me. They didn't increase my ride height.

rob_heff · Post by **rob_heff** » Wed Mar 20, 2024 2:18 pm

Z4Mariner wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 12:29 pm The B4's are doing fine, and it's been a good choice for me. They didn't increase my ride height.

Really appreciate the reply - I've purchased some B4's last night and am excited to get these on with the existing sport springs. Great to hear form somebody that can vouch for them, and that's exactly my reason for not wanting anything sportier too.

chanlon1 · Post by **chanlon1** » Wed Mar 20, 2024 2:30 pm

I put on B4's along with Eibach Pro lowered springs about 6 weeks ago. Probably only done 100 miles so far on them.
My impressions:
I haven't noticed any difference in ride quality, however, I feel that my old shocks were past their prime, so maybe I am used to a harsher ride?
One side of the car is around 5 mm lower than the other. We've had the car up on a ramp, taken measurements, checked everything out and cannot notice anything different between sides. It's not overly noticeable, but when you know, you know.......

Zulu4 · Post by **Zulu4** » Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:38 am

rob_heff wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:46 am Zulu4, Just wondered how you were getting on with the B4's? I've emailed Blistein and they told me they aren't correct for the 3.0i but lots of people do use them, I'm thinking about getting some for mine, but curious how they're behaving? Cheers

Hi, they have been fine.
As others have said, I haven't noticed that much difference in ride quality. The E85 is always going to be a but bumpy though.

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