E86 shock absorber questions

T

TriggerFish

Member
 Too close to London
Site Supporter
Hi all,

I'm looking to replace the suspension on my E86 Sport (3.0si, not an M).

I've got a set of new Eibach Pro springs already (very cheap, so keen to keep these, and people say they ride better than standard). I might use different spring pads etc to remove the 10mm drop, and keep the standard Sport ride height.

I was wondering what shocks people are using though? I don't really want to go down the coilover route, and I've got the B12 kit on my E30, and don't really want the Z4 to be that stiff, so was favouring the B4s (rather than the stiffer B6/B8). Given I plan to use spring pads etc to negate the Eibach drop, hopefully the B4s will be ok.

However... The only E86 B4s I can see are for 'standard' suspension. Likewise for Sachs shocks, I can only see 'standard' suspension.

Fellow E86 Sport owners - what have you done/used for shocks?

Thanks!
 
I have a 3.0 sport as well. From everything that I’ve read, normal B4s will fit just fine. Apparently the dampers for sport or SE models are pretty much the same, it’s just the springs that are different.

I’ll be refreshing mine soon with B4s for what it’s worth.

It’s worth replacing the strut mounts front and rear as well as the drop links from I’ve read as apparently these wear out too.
 
I’ve put B4’s on mine with standard M-Sport springs and it’s fine. Similarly to you I found there wasn’t a difference in parts for the dampers.
 
Mr_Reeves said:
I have a 3.0 sport as well. From everything that I’ve read, normal B4s will fit just fine. Apparently the dampers for sport or SE models are pretty much the same, it’s just the springs that are different.

I’ll be refreshing mine soon with B4s for what it’s worth.

It’s worth replacing the strut mounts front and rear as well as the drop links from I’ve read as apparently these wear out too.
Click to expand...
Thanks! I've got top mounts and shock tower reinforcing plates on the list too - might be worth checking them out if you're not aware already. :) Front drop links are nearly new, but definitely doing the rear (along with all the other subframe/diff/arm bushes)

caius said:
I’ve put B4’s on mine with standard M-Sport springs and it’s fine. Similarly to you I found there wasn’t a difference in parts for the dampers.
Click to expand...

Good to know, thank you!

I wasn't sure if the Sport and SE had different damper rates (I'd have expected them too, tbh, especially as there's different BMW part numbers). But I guess anything will be better than my worn out OE stuff, and if there's no alternatives, then my hand is forced anyway :)

I wonder if E85 B4 for Sport suspension (if it exists) is a better match than the E86 B4 SE? Such little information about the specs of the aftermarket shocks make it hard to make informed choices!
 
I think B6 are suggested for shorter springs as the damping rate is presumably different, but I also read they were much firmer and the B4's would cope with the M-Sport spring only being 10-15mm shorter.

Having run B4's on both SE and M-Sport springs for a few thousand miles they seem fine on both cars. There's definitely a firm-ness to the M-Sport the SE doesn't have, but either bottom out or wallow. (Both cars were on original shocks and handled pretty terribly before replacing!)
 
caius said:
I think B6 are suggested for shorter springs as the damping rate is presumably different, but I also read they were much firmer and the B4's would cope with the M-Sport spring only being 10-15mm shorter.
Click to expand...
FWWIW, the B4s are stock height/stiffness, B6 are stock height/more stiffness, and B8s are lowered/more stiffness. The B8s are often sold with Eibach Pro springs as a 'B12' kit. B6 and B8 are the same damping/stiffness - just different length rods.

caius said:
Having run B4's on both SE and M-Sport springs for a few thousand miles they seem fine on both cars. There's definitely a firm-ness to the M-Sport the SE doesn't have, but either bottom out or wallow. (Both cars were on original shocks and handled pretty terribly before replacing!)
Click to expand...
That's good to know - thank you!!

smorris_12 said:
On the E85 sport and non-sport shocks are a thing. I found Monroe did both for the front of mine but only non-sport for the rear.
Click to expand...
Interesting - thank you, too! So even for E85 it's a struggle to get the right/matching stuff :(
 
Shocks don't control the height, its the spring that does that. In this instance the B4 isn't specifically designed to work with the Msport lower suspension as the shock is designed to control the damping rate over the longer travel standard suspension. However in reality the 15mm drop makes no noticeable difference and they work perfectly. I have them at both ends of my car.
 
TriggerFish said:
FWWIW, the B4s are stock height/stiffness, B6 are stock height/more stiffness, and B8s are lowered/more stiffness. The B8s are often sold with Eibach Pro springs as a 'B12' kit. B6 and B8 are the same damping/stiffness - just different length rods.
Click to expand...
Ah ta, it’s been a while since I looked it all up, conflated the B6 and B8’s.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom