Alignment after Bilstein B12's

Probocop

Member
 Fife, Scotland
I've got a B12 kit on order, but I'm not entirely sure when to get my alignment done after fitting the Bilsteins.

I've read both 'let it settle' and 'straight away'.

Please help :)
 
Probocop said:
I've got a B12 kit on order, but I'm not entirely sure when to get my alignment done after fitting the Bilsteins.

I've read both 'let it settle' and 'straight away'.

Please help :)

Having had this fitted, some suggestions
- Alignment: IMO yes, let it settle
- Consider investing in new drop links front & rear as well... possibly even new tie rods ends
- Don’t get rid of the front springs just in case u find too harsh. The new rear spring/shock combo is brilliant - IMO & that of a couple I know found the front too harsh for potholed road use... & ended up with OEM springs & new billy dampers. The car doesn’t skip anywhere near as much as it used to with these slightly softer spring rates
- you could also do the RTAL/RTAB’s but that is a bigger & more expensive job
 
Thanks for the tips, noted 👍

How long would you expect it to take for the new suspension to settle? (Miles or time)
 
Probocop said:
Thanks for the tips, noted 👍

How long would you expect it to take for the new suspension to settle? (Miles or time)
Around 500 miles is reasonable, don't rush it as you'll just have to do it again if it settles after... Been there done that :headbang:
 
Some springs will settle 5 to 10mm, why do you think they add driver and fuel weight when doing the geo...
 
Thats probably to get the exact ride height when they do the alignment, of course height alters the toe.

Ok, news to me that certain springs ’collapse’ that much even as new, never had it on my cars but I may’ve been just lucky. My Eibach Pro’s keep their height anyway.
 
It's surprising, some do settle more than others :thumbsup:

I did run eibachs on the zed for a while and the front definitely settled more over time, I didn't bother measuring it though.
 
Its usually worn shocks that cause suspensions to sag. Modern springs dont need time to settle, at least that's what the manufacturers say.
 
How long or how many miles after fitting do manufacturers wait before they do an alignment before the car leaves the factory? :poke:

Hooke's Law applies with regard to the springs....
 
Probocop said:
So I thought I'd ask Bilstein, and they say it's fine to get the alignment done straight away 🤷‍♂️
Be interesting for you to measure the ride height over a period of time :thumbsup:
 
Any opinion on springs to use with the Bilstein dampers ?? Eibach obviously most common choice but what about H&R , standard etc anyone with first hand experience
 
robjones888 said:
Any opinion on springs to use with the Bilstein dampers ?? Eibach obviously most common choice but what about H&R , standard etc anyone with first hand experience

Yes, I'd love to know what people think of different spring and damper combinations.

My car came with H & R coil-overs fitted, and they are much firmer than the two other Ms I looked at. I'm just trying to decide if I can live with the resultant ride quality. Especially as I also got a full set of Eibach springs and a set of H & R lowering springs with it as well - but the dampers are all 2006 OE units.

When we return to normality it would be really helpful to meet up with owners who have different suspension set-ups to see how they compare.
 
Mr Tidy said:
robjones888 said:
Any opinion on springs to use with the Bilstein dampers ?? Eibach obviously most common choice but what about H&R , standard etc anyone with first hand experience

Yes, I'd love to know what people think of different spring and damper combinations.

My car came with H & R coil-overs fitted, and they are much firmer than the two other Ms I looked at. I'm just trying to decide if I can live with the resultant ride quality. Especially as I also got a full set of Eibach springs and a set of H & R lowering springs with it as well - but the dampers are all 2006 OE units.

When we return to normality it would be really helpful to meet up with owners who have different suspension set-ups to see how they compare.

That would be great. I would also love to meet up and compare.
 
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