NEW Bilstein B8 Performance Plus Dampers w/Mountune Sport Springs

[Khill007]

OK,

Just pulled the trigger on these. I haven't seen anyone post anything on this so figured "what the hell...why not try it"?!?

For those who didn't know, Bilstein NA just added a plethora of shock options for our cars. Hopefully they perform well. I'm a little worried as the Mountune springs were designed with OEM dampers?!?

Bilstein NA - http://cart.bilsteinus.com/search/mmid=417094/drivetype=FWD

We shall see???? They should be delivered in a week so I will keep everyone updated.

 

[Crooked Letta]

B8's are good especially if you just want to do springs. The best way to think about B8's are an upgraded OEM damper and then some. A tiny bit firmer but a better over all damper especially with valving and not to mention Monotube design.

Keep us informed with how you like them

 

[Sourskittle]

Sub'd sounds cool


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Turbo65]

Sub'd for sure

 

[Plainrt]

Is there somewhere can see prices on these? Sorry if I
Missed it in link.

 

[neeqness]

I think Mountune springs are progressive and these shocks seem to be stiff like the oem shocks (the site says that they are a little firmer) so the overall feel should balance out but I am subbing anyway to see what you think about it. I may be interested in purchasing these when my konis start wearing thin...although I might try the swift springs instead.

 

[Khill007]

Sub'd for sure

Best pricing I've found:

$106.00 each for fronts
http://www.ajusa.com/Bilstein-22-245229-B8-Performance-Plus-Suspension-Strut-Assembly-a10758b.html

$99.00 each for rears
http://www.ajusa.com/Bilstein-24-239349-B8-Performance-Plus-Shock-Absorber-a10758a.html

 

[Jesse]

I have the B14 PSS ones and they are awesome, great on the track and smoother than stock on the street.

 

[speed_easy]

I was seriously considering these / the B6s about a month ago but when I called, the Bilstein rep confirmed this was in fact a twin-tube design, so unless they had a major redesign change recently, please be aware these are not like the B14s, which are a true monotube design. To this day I am shocked that Bilstein would let a technicality like this slip through the cracks considering they are the authority over their website and have the supporting tech info to make this distinctly clear for the consumer. A marketing gimmick or a clerical error? I am not sure... but just want to make sure there is no confusion for those of whom the twin-tube design is a deal breaker on an otherwise promising non-ride height adjustable shock from a reputable company (like it was for me at the time).

Also to note: the FL, FR, and Rear shock part numbers are also cross listed with the S, SE, and Titanium trim Fiestas. On the phone I found out this was because the dampers are not specifically valved to the stock ST spring rate, but rather are set to an intermediate setting/profile that allows them to be used in conjunction with an entire host of fiesta spring rates and lengths. As far as I understand the B6s are popular in the rally fiesta world (because of their aggressive damping profile and their ability to eat bumps/potholes for breakfast ) and are designed to be used with the stock springs, which as is well known, will maintain the stock ride height. In the case of the B8s, the same damper cartridge is reused, but this time, paired up with a shorter shaft which, when used with a lowering spring, will allow the ride height to drop without infringing on the life of the damper.

Don't mean to rehash things experienced members will find trivial, but in case you are a newb like me I hope this information helps to shed light on the bilstein B6/B8 dampers.

For these reasons and others, I am sub'd for a review of the shocks once installed!

 

[Khill007]

I was seriously considering these / the B6s about a month ago but when I called, the Bilstein rep confirmed this was in fact a twin-tube design, so unless they had a major redesign change recently, please be aware these are not like the B14s, which are a true monotube design. To this day I am shocked that Bilstein would let a technicality like this slip through the cracks considering they are the authority over their website and have the supporting tech info to make this distinctly clear for the consumer. A marketing gimmick or a clerical error? I am not sure... but just want to make sure there is no confusion for those of whom the twin-tube design is a deal breaker on an otherwise promising non-ride height adjustable shock from a reputable company (like it was for me at the time).

Also to note: the FL, FR, and Rear shock part numbers are also cross listed with the S, SE, and Titanium trim Fiestas. On the phone I found out this was because the dampers are not specifically valved to the stock ST spring rate, but rather are set to an intermediate setting/profile that allows them to be used in conjunction with an entire host of fiesta spring rates and lengths. As far as I understand the B6s are popular in the rally fiesta world (because of their aggressive damping profile and their ability to eat bumps/potholes for breakfast ) and are designed to be used with the stock springs, which as is well known, will maintain the stock ride height. In the case of the B8s, the same damper cartridge is reused, but this time, paired up with a shorter shaft which, when used with a lowering spring, will allow the ride height to drop without infringing on the life of the damper.

Don't mean to rehash things experienced members will find trivial, but in case you are a newb like me I hope this information helps to shed light on the bilstein B6/B8 dampers.

For these reasons and others, I am sub'd for a review of the shocks once installed!

This is great info. I appreciate it! I don't track the car so hopefully it will be good. I really just wanted to avoid disassembling the stock front struts to put the Mountune springs in and figured this would be best option. I've used Bilsteins in several other applications and have had mostly good results. Hopefully this little experiment works?!?

 

[speed_easy]

I've had the Bilstein B6s on my old car a 98 Jetta VR6 and after letting them settle in a bit, found them to be the epitome of what a heavy duty shock should offer for those who drive on beat up roads like those in the metro Detroit area. With the stock springs and meaty sidewalls of the OEM wheel setup, the shocks simply ate potholes like a champ. They car maintained its composure over rough surfaces and felt very well planted in turns. I can't say the cornering grip / at limit driving improved much beyond the stock setup with the B6s since the stock ride height was maintained (a proper set of coil-overs and/or tires would have been better suited for that obviously) but every characteristic below that handling limit became more accessible and the suspension just felt more 'robust'. The shocks transformed the balance of the car in a strong-man type of way and eliminated wheel hop completely. They were always up to the task even when driving over pothole laden back country roads. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

Fast forward to the Fiesta ST and the 'cringe' feeling you get when you hit a patch of potholes or a set of expansion joints on the highway. Adding more sidewall / downsizing the wheel diameter sure did help, but the jarring ride and occasional strike-throughs are still there for me. In certain really bad areas I will actually slow down just to avoid the excessive rough ride and because I don't want to destroy the suspension, chassis, or add new squeaks and rattles all over the cabin. On a tangential side note is that just me or is that actually a valid concern? Don't get me wrong the car is great overall and nothing short of incredible on fresh paved roads. But there's definitely an opportunity to improve the dampers for more heavy duty oriented use.

Really hope that the B8s will deliver on that same promise and in combination with the lowering springs push the handling limits for you as well! Any particular plans with the tire / wheel combo you will be using?

 

[Khill007]

I've had the Bilstein B6s on my old car a 98 Jetta VR6 and after letting them settle in a bit, found them to be the epitome of what a heavy duty shock should offer for those who drive on beat up roads like those in the metro Detroit area. With the stock springs and meaty sidewalls of the OEM wheel setup, the shocks just ate potholes like a champ. They car maintained its composure over rough surfaces and felt very well planted in turns. I can't say the cornering grip / at limit driving improved much beyond the stock setup with the B6s since the stock ride height was maintained (a proper set of coil-overs and/or tires would have been better suited for that obviously) but every characteristic below that handling limit became more accessible and the suspension just felt more 'robust'. The shocks transformed the balance of the car in a strong-man type of way and eliminated wheel hop completely. They were always up to the task even when driving over pothole laden back country roads. I thought it was the best thing since sliced bread.

Fast forward to the Fiesta ST and the 'cringe' feeling you get when you hit a patch of potholes or a set of expansion joints on the highway. Adding more sidewall / downsizing the wheel diameter sure did help, but the jarring ride and occasional strike-throughs are still there for me. In certain really bad areas I will actually slow down just to avoid the excessive rough ride and because I don't want to destroy the suspension, chassis, or add new squeaks and rattles all over the cabin. On a tangential side note is that just me or is that actually a valid concern? Don't get me wrong the car is great overall and nothing short of incredible on fresh paved roads. But there's definitely an opportunity to improve the dampers for more heavy duty oriented use.

Really hope that the B8s will deliver on that same promise and in combination with the lowering springs push the handling limits for you as well! Any particular plans with the tire / wheel combo you will be using?

Excellent...and thank you! I'm going to stay with 17 x 7 wheels but haven't made my mind up on wheels yet?!? I'm very picky with aesthetics and to be honest are more important to me than performance per se. I will probaby source wheels from Europe as Performancealloys.com is actually cheaper than Tire Rack on some wheels with shipping included. Hell, I may even buy some Pilot Sport 3 summers from them since they are available in the european market?!? A bit pricey to have those shipped but not overly so.

These are the wheels I'm battling over right now...

I like the OZ look TEC wheels but the offset isn't that aggressive for 7" wheels. The Eta Beta Tettsut's are 35 offset so a bit more aggressive and I think 5 stars look GREAT on our cars.

We shall see??????????

: )

 

[Khill007]

Sorry to go off track with the wheels...A.D.D. is real man!?!

 

[neeqness]

I'm currently using the konis str.t and I have no complaints at stock height with the oem springs but I would prefer to have it dropped a bit. While I loved how the lowering springs felt in turns on paved and maintained roads with the oem struts, the less perfect roads left much to be desired which is why I went to konis and the oem springs in the first place.

These B8's seem to be a nice alternative that I can use with my lowering springs to handle the bumps while maintaining hopefully maintaining some of that great handling. Looking forward to your review...

 

[speed_easy]

My fault for asking... Ha

The reason I asked though is because of two things I've been personally struggling to wrap my head around, and that is - how does the amount of side wall (read: stiffness of the sidewall if modeled as a spring) and wheel weight affect the ride when running an aggressive damping profile (which the B6/B8 presumably would do)?

WHY? (And this refers to my previous post where i said there were other reasons... here the are) If you really search through the BMW forums you will occasionally come across a sour review of the B8s with either an H&R or Eibach lowering spring. I may be overthinking it because most are very commending and positive, like this one, but it still got me thinking, you know?

- On my jetta I had plenty of sidewall and the oem wheels were quite heavy. The spring was stock = linear. The B6 shocks I ran were valved specifically for the OEM spring. The ride was fantastic.

- On the (stock) fiST there is very little sidewall and the wheels are quite heavy. The stock spring is linear. The B6 valving would be slightly short of perfect since not tuned specifically to the OEM spring, but still very close so lets assume insignificant... What would the ride be like? Would the rubber band tires and lots of damping result in a ride that is a bit too 'harsh'?

- Lets say the wheels you are looking at about the same weight as the stock ones and same size, then how would the added spring stiffness (from the lowering spring) and progressive spring rate affect the ride of the car?

- Lets say your wheels are in fact lighter than stock but still the same size, how would less wheel weight affect the ride? Is too much damping for any given wheel mass a thing?

I wish someone who can account for these differences or knows suspension theory would take the time and explain these things in greater detail because I sure as hell can't, instead am stuck here hypothesizing about something I know little about. LOL

BTW agreed about the 5-spoke design, as the multi spoke don't look nearly as good were they a larger size...

 

[PIPLUP]

I might get the B8 dampers to go with my Cobb Sport springs.

 

[caliboy15]

I would try this with Swift springs

 

[neeqness]

I would try this with Swift springs

Me too although depending on how soon I get them, I may try it with Eibach first, but I expect the swift to be a better fit.

 

[Khill007]

My fault for asking... Ha

The reason I asked though is because of two things I've been personally struggling to wrap my head around, and that is - how does the amount of side wall (read: stiffness of the sidewall if modeled as a spring) and wheel weight affect the ride when running an aggressive damping profile (which the B6/B8 presumably would do)?

WHY? (And this refers to my previous post where i said there were other reasons... here the are) If you really search through the BMW forums you will occasionally come across a sour review of the B8s with either an H&R or Eibach lowering spring. I may be overthinking it because most are very commending and positive, like this one, but it still got me thinking, you know?

- On my jetta I had plenty of sidewall and the oem wheels were quite heavy. The spring was stock = linear. The B6 shocks I ran were valved specifically for the OEM spring. The ride was fantastic.

- On the (stock) fiST there is very little sidewall and the wheels are quite heavy. The stock spring is linear. The B6 valving would be slightly short of perfect since not tuned specifically to the OEM spring, but still very close so lets assume insignificant... What would the ride be like? Would the rubber band tires and lots of damping result in a ride that is a bit too 'harsh'?

- Lets say the wheels you are looking at about the same weight as the stock ones and same size, then how would the added spring stiffness (from the lowering spring) and progressive spring rate affect the ride of the car?

- Lets say your wheels are in fact lighter than stock but still the same size, how would less wheel weight affect the ride? Is too much damping for any given wheel mass a thing?

I wish someone who can account for these differences or knows suspension theory would take the time and explain these things in greater detail because I sure as hell can't, instead am stuck here hypothesizing about something I know little about. LOL

BTW agreed about the 5-spoke design, as the multi spoke don't look nearly as good were they a larger size...

I too would love to hear a suspension guru chime in here. I've read that lighter wheels will tame the harshness but the other technical jargon went way over my head. I also thought the Swift springs may be a better choice but I bought the Mountunes thinking I would be using the stock dampers. From what I've read the problem with the OEM setup was the rebound on rear dampers were way too stiff...or something like that?!?

 

[Khill007]

Oh, and I got a shipping notice yesterday. These should be here Wednesday.