Lowering springs
- Thread starter Marlon
- Start date
Marlon said:Interesting Simon.
How much are a set so Blisten B4s and would it make sense to keep my SE springs (keeps cost down - on 70k miles 10 years old). Would that lower my ride height - yours look fine to me btw
Balance motorsport were the cheapest for b4s when I got mine. I agree with patriot that new shocks will higher your car slightly if the shocks are knackered. When I initially fitted my b4s with eibachs it used to catch/bottom out less than it did on the old ones with m sport springs. Despite being supposidly 15mm lower
Been doing an amount of research on this currently...
... Are B4s not the wrong shock for anything other than SE springs? I was under the impression that if you're running M-Sport or lowering further, you'd be wanting B8s due to the latter being a 'shorter' shock, and therefore set up for the 'smaller' M sport or lowering springs?
I guess it's an idea to stick B4s with lowering springs to the view that you'd get some of the lowering and some of the added stiffness, but more compliancy than if you'd go with B8s, but I can't say that I'm certain that's the way it would work out.
... Are B4s not the wrong shock for anything other than SE springs? I was under the impression that if you're running M-Sport or lowering further, you'd be wanting B8s due to the latter being a 'shorter' shock, and therefore set up for the 'smaller' M sport or lowering springs?
I guess it's an idea to stick B4s with lowering springs to the view that you'd get some of the lowering and some of the added stiffness, but more compliancy than if you'd go with B8s, but I can't say that I'm certain that's the way it would work out.
Damn this is confusing! My ride is not great and I think the shocks may be playing a big part of that. I just am so confused what to replace them with! I'm thinking a 3 state plan.
Stage 1. Replace the current ringlets with normal tyres. I've bought a set of 108s with decent rubber and some life left on them. They should be delivered tomorrow. They will go straight on the car. I'll see what that does for the ride over the next few days. The set I take off will go to have some new winter tyres fitted. Any suggestions for these? The best I've seen recommended are Continental Winter Contact TS860 or Hankook i*cept RS2. I can then swap between these when necessary.
Stage 2. Replace the shocks. My Zed is a facelift 3.0 Si so I guess I'm somewhere between a Bilsten B4, B6 or B8! All of my miles at the moment are commuting to and from work. 60 miles each way mostly dual carriageway but some minor roads and they're shut! I also want to do some track days next year so need to bear that in mind.
Stage 3 springs?
Or I could go the whole hog at Stage 2 and go for some decent coil overs, if they're actually easy to change between normal road settings and track settings. I've never actually had coil overs so don't have any experience. I'd rather do it once properly than do it several times. But as I said it's just confusing!
Stage 1. Replace the current ringlets with normal tyres. I've bought a set of 108s with decent rubber and some life left on them. They should be delivered tomorrow. They will go straight on the car. I'll see what that does for the ride over the next few days. The set I take off will go to have some new winter tyres fitted. Any suggestions for these? The best I've seen recommended are Continental Winter Contact TS860 or Hankook i*cept RS2. I can then swap between these when necessary.
Stage 2. Replace the shocks. My Zed is a facelift 3.0 Si so I guess I'm somewhere between a Bilsten B4, B6 or B8! All of my miles at the moment are commuting to and from work. 60 miles each way mostly dual carriageway but some minor roads and they're shut! I also want to do some track days next year so need to bear that in mind.
Stage 3 springs?
Or I could go the whole hog at Stage 2 and go for some decent coil overs, if they're actually easy to change between normal road settings and track settings. I've never actually had coil overs so don't have any experience. I'd rather do it once properly than do it several times. But as I said it's just confusing!
I feel your pain Jon. I'm at the point of saving for some new dampers alongside a general suspension refresh, and right now I'm blowed if I know where to spend the money.
My current logic is to buy the B8s for reasons explained above, and the fact that the B6/B8 are monotube, and therefore superior to twintube B4s. I'm happy to be corrected mind. Beyond that I've no idea, I've heard springs are good for ~120k, but I'm really looking at doing the following given i'm on 107k and a lot of original parts:
Front dampers of some variety yet to be confirmed.
Front springs
New lower arms
Anti roll bar links & bushes
Front top mounts
Rear dampers again. God knows what.
Rear springs
Rear top mounts
Rear Anti roll bar links & bushes
Rear lower wishbone
Rear upper wishbone.
My current logic is to buy the B8s for reasons explained above, and the fact that the B6/B8 are monotube, and therefore superior to twintube B4s. I'm happy to be corrected mind. Beyond that I've no idea, I've heard springs are good for ~120k, but I'm really looking at doing the following given i'm on 107k and a lot of original parts:
Front dampers of some variety yet to be confirmed.
Front springs
New lower arms
Anti roll bar links & bushes
Front top mounts
Rear dampers again. God knows what.
Rear springs
Rear top mounts
Rear Anti roll bar links & bushes
Rear lower wishbone
Rear upper wishbone.
I had a facelift 3.0si with 19" wheels and changed the springs to Eibachs. The car looked absolutely stunning but the ride was far too hard for a daily driver. My commute was ok as I knew where all the potholes were but I used to dread having to drive anywhere new on dark and rainy nights where it's difficult to see the road.
So I now need to decide on what to do with my 3.0 Si roadster. I use it every day to commute to and from work, @120 miles a day motorway and a/b roads and will do about 4 track days a year. The options;
1. New Bilstein B6 struts and keep the current springs.
2. New Bilstein B6 struts and new standard m-sport springs.
3. New Bilstein B6 struts and Eibach springs.
4. New Bilstein B8 struts and new standard m-sport springs.
5 New Bilstein B12 setup.
I'm not keen on Option 1 as I suspect that the springs, front especially, are quite tired. Option 2 gives the best comfort, if what I read is to be believed. Option 3 is the compromise option of softer struts but the "better"(?) springs? Option 4 doesn't seem to make sense as it's the harder struts and softer springs and Option 5 is the one that lots of people have gone for. There doesn't seem to he a great deal of difference in the price between any if the options. So I guess, in reality, it's really a straight fight between Option 2 and Option 5.
I know that everyone has their own opinion and they differ greatly from person to person but any great words if wisdom before I flip a coin?
1. New Bilstein B6 struts and keep the current springs.
2. New Bilstein B6 struts and new standard m-sport springs.
3. New Bilstein B6 struts and Eibach springs.
4. New Bilstein B8 struts and new standard m-sport springs.
5 New Bilstein B12 setup.
I'm not keen on Option 1 as I suspect that the springs, front especially, are quite tired. Option 2 gives the best comfort, if what I read is to be believed. Option 3 is the compromise option of softer struts but the "better"(?) springs? Option 4 doesn't seem to make sense as it's the harder struts and softer springs and Option 5 is the one that lots of people have gone for. There doesn't seem to he a great deal of difference in the price between any if the options. So I guess, in reality, it's really a straight fight between Option 2 and Option 5.
I know that everyone has their own opinion and they differ greatly from person to person but any great words if wisdom before I flip a coin?
Whatever choice you make Option 3 is pointless really from both a technical & financial point of view. The only difference between the B6 and the B8 is the shock rod length is reduced to suit lowering springs (namely Eibachs) with B8s. The compression and rebound characteristics are identical, all you'll achieve is some unnecessary reduction in travel/ preloading of the shock with a B6 over a B8. As the B12 kits (B8 & Eibach combo) tend to be really good value anyway it would seem pointless to buy Eibachs and B8 shocks separately.
What's not of your list are B4s paired with either SE, MSport or Eibachs, on a road going car, especially one doing the commute you do that would be my choice for a comfier setup than the B6/8 shocks. Cheaper too!
What's not of your list are B4s paired with either SE, MSport or Eibachs, on a road going car, especially one doing the commute you do that would be my choice for a comfier setup than the B6/8 shocks. Cheaper too!
I hadn't realised that the difference between the B6 and B8 was just the rod length,. I thought the rod length difference was between the B4 and the B6/B8 with the former being longer for SE / M-Sport springs and the latter for the lowered ones.MACK said:
True if the B6 and B8 are only different in rod length then the B12 kit makes perfect sense.MACK said:
I hadn't looked at the B4s as I thought that they were too short for the standard M-Sport springs. I've not noticed that the price of the B6/8 being very different.MACK said:
MACK said:
If I went for the B4 M-Sport option would it be worth upgrading the anti-roll bars for the track? The track will be reasonably smooth, so the spring damper arrangement is less important except for roll in the corners, but the softer setup would be better for the commute where the anti-roll bars have less effect.
I'll be honest, I've thought long and relatively hard about this.
It's getting B4s and standard springs. One of my biggest gripes with the car is the ride quality, and truth be told I don't want to be in the position of investing more money and ending up with more backache than I already have. A few of my favourite roads are simply undriveable as it is - I mean, I can get from A to B, but not at any real pace.
As another upvote for B4's, I have them on the front of my road rally car, and they actually work really well on that. Not a Z4, but something to consider.
But. Your views may vary. Mine's never going on track, just down Hampshire's rutted broken road surfaces.
It's getting B4s and standard springs. One of my biggest gripes with the car is the ride quality, and truth be told I don't want to be in the position of investing more money and ending up with more backache than I already have. A few of my favourite roads are simply undriveable as it is - I mean, I can get from A to B, but not at any real pace.
As another upvote for B4's, I have them on the front of my road rally car, and they actually work really well on that. Not a Z4, but something to consider.
But. Your views may vary. Mine's never going on track, just down Hampshire's rutted broken road surfaces.