Front Shock Replacement

[miranc12]

Hi all,

Got some B6’s ready to be fit to the car. Think I’m gonna try them out with the original springs first before considering Eibachs.

Question is, what’s spring compressors have people had the most success with? Doing some reading online and I’m finding that people are having a hard time compressing these springs to get them off the shock.

Cheers.

 

[Deepseaskateboard]

Getting them off and back on again is a nightmare.

Ideally, need a machine like this.

I can’t speak for the M, but on my E89 my father inlaw had to jerry rig something like this together.

Much safer to buy one, but some are £££

Perhaps a local shop would let you use theirs or, them just do the job for you.

 

[tomscott]

I bought some generic ones from amazon the manual ones and they were too big to actually fit in under the wheel well and compress.

Worth buying the best ones you can last thing you want is a spring pinging they can do a huge amount of damage to you and the car.

 

[RMB]

Tbh I’d just change the springs and all the other bits all at the same time. Saves all the faff twice and they’re probably past their best if original.
Maybe take everything to a decent garage to get them to put the springs on safely too.

 

[w1ndsurfnut]

It is a real faff as there is not a lot of spring length to get the compressors on. The bottom nut that holds the damper can be a pita too if they have never been off. Ended up cutting one of mine out.

 

[miranc12]

Part of reluctance to change the springs to eibachs is some people saying it makes the ride a lot more firmer and you also need to cut the bump stops on the b6 shocks to compensate the height drop. Otherwise you could be bottoming out a lot.

Seems like this job would be better off done by a specialist. Probably also do the droplinks, tie rod ends too.

Was hoping a spring compressor like the picture below would do the trick!

 

[TriggerFish]

and you also need to cut the bump stops on the b6 shocks to compensate the height dro

Please do some more research, and don't just take my word for it, but Bilstein often include internal bump stops on their uprated products, so you may not need them at all.

 

[miranc12]

I have done some research and you are right b6’s do have internal bump stops. However they are not designed for lowered springs, B8’s are. The B6 bump stops can be removed and trimmed, there seems to be mixed opinions online.

 

[N52 ZED]

Part of reluctance to change the springs to eibachs is some people saying it makes the ride a lot more firmer and you also need to cut the bump stops on the b6 shocks to compensate the height drop. Otherwise you could be bottoming out a lot.

Seems like this job would be better off done by a specialist. Probably also do the droplinks, tie rod ends too.

Was hoping a spring compressor like the picture below would do the trick!

When I get round to doing mine this is the set (or very similar) I use.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I thought Bilstein only made the B12 for Z4M cars?

FWIW I know of two M Coupe owners who fitted Eibachs and disliked them so much on the front they went back to standard.

 

[Rockhopper]

I bought some generic ones from amazon the manual ones and they were too big to actually fit in under the wheel well and compress.

Worth buying the best ones you can last thing you want is a spring pinging they can do a huge amount of damage to you and the car.

You take the strut off the car and then fit the compressors. But they probably still wouldn’t work. The floor mounted one is the best option but some people have done it on the car buy using the weight of the car to compress the spring.

 

[TriggerFish]

I thought Bilstein only made the B12 for Z4M cars?

FWIW I know of two M Coupe owners who fitted Eibachs and disliked them so much on the front they went back to standard.

I can see the B8 shock for my E86 3.0si - so no - they do the B12 for other E85/6 versions, too. The B12 kit is just the B8 shock pre-bundled with springs.

From Bilstein themselves:

The Bilstein B12 Performance Suspension Kit is a complete, pre-configured system that combines Bilstein B8 high-performance dampers with precision-matched lowering springs from Bilstein or Eibach.

 

[miranc12]

I thought Bilstein only made the B12 for Z4M cars?

FWIW I know of two M Coupe owners who fitted Eibachs and disliked them so much on the front they went back to standard.

I’m quite certain the b12 kit used b6 shocks and eibach springs for the M. I’m not aware of a B8 shock being made for the Z4M.

 

[0l0dom0l0]

I removed and refitted the front springs on my Z4M with some real basic spring compressors. It can be done and it wasn't as sketchy as I was expecting.
You just need to get the position of tje compressors right so you are compressing as much of the spring as possible.

 

[miranc12]

Hi all,

Thought its worth reviving this after I completed the job. I used the Vevor spring compressor shown in the pictures. It worked a charm.
Drop links and the top mount bearing were replaced as well as those things were toast.

The car drives amazing and I'm kicking myself that I didn't do the job earlier this summer.

 

[colb]

Flootr mounted sspring compressor every time, far more control with these and extreamly safe to use.

 

[Nick W]

Fitted the B12 kit without any compressors other than my body weight. Resting vertically on a slab of 6x1 on the garage floor, a hand either side of the top mount and a cool wifey to start the thread on my down stroke. Not easy but def not any danger. On wifeys 220d I did have to use compressors but onlt a pair of bog standard sykes pic ones and spanners. No humans were injured in any of the above procedures

 

[MrPT]

Quite like the look or those vevor ones. I don’t mind using cheap spring compressors but the claws always seem to damage the coating.