Bilstein B16 Damptronic Max Drop

[TSL]

Recently picked up a set of Bilstein B16 Damptronics for my F82, love the set but I want a more aggressive fit. Looking to match H&R super sports (1.6in drop upfront, 1in drop in the rear)

Has anyone tried this on the b16’s, if so, how has it affected the coilovers? Don’t want to compromise performance for a slightly more aggressive stance.

[M3SQRD]

Front range is 30-40 mm and rear range is 5-25 mm. Have you set the ride height per Bilstein’s instructions? Did you measure your ride heights before and after installing the B16? The before and after values are what you need to make sure you’re in the 30-40 mm range.. Based on a max of 40 mm, that should be close to front ride height you’re looking for - 40 mm = 1.57”. Bilsteins are not designed to be slammed.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by TSL

Recently picked up a set of Bilstein B16 Damptronics for my F82, love the set but I want a more aggressive fit. Looking to match H&R super sports (1.6in drop upfront, 1in drop in the rear)

Has anyone tried this on the b16’s, if so, how has it affected the coilovers? Don’t want to compromise performance for a slightly more aggressive stance.

I may have misread your OP. You want to use the B16 Damptronic dampers with H&R lowering springs? If this is what you’re asking then, no, this doesn’t work. The H&R lowering springs are designed to fit the oem lower spring seat and the oem top hat (upper strut mount). The B16 lower spring mount is considerably smaller in diameter than the oem strut lower spring seat so the H&R spring lower diameter will be too large for the Bilstein lower spring seat. However, what I discussed above, was the B16 dampers and springs being used and they match up really well with your lowering goals.

[TSL]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

I may have misread your OP. You want to use the B16 Damptronic dampers with H&R lowering springs? If this is what you’re asking then, no, this doesn’t work. The H&R lowering springs are designed to fit the oem lower spring seat and the oem top hat (upper strut mount). The B16 lower spring mount is considerably smaller in diameter than the oem strut lower spring seat so the H&R spring lower diameter will be too large for the Bilstein lower spring seat. However, what I discussed above, was the B16 dampers and springs being used and they match up really well with your lowering goals.

Thanks for this, I plan to use the B16’s springs, just wanted to get the hight of the H&Rs. If I were to max out the front, I’m assuming that would degrade ride quality? Where I’m at the roads are certainly not the best. And I don’t want to be consistently bottoming out this suspension kit.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by TSL

Thanks for this, I plan to use the B16’s springs, just wanted to get the hight of the H&Rs. If I were to max out the front, I’m assuming that would degrade ride quality? Where I’m at the roads are certainly not the best. And I don’t want to be consistently bottoming out this suspension kit.

That’s a misconception that a lot of people have with dampers. A damper is basically a piston rod with a stacked set of shims, washers and orifices (valve stack) that rides inside of a cylinder (damper body) filled with hydraulic fluid. As the valve stack is pushed/pulled thru the hydraulic fluid, it creates a differential pressure in the fluid on the two sides of the valve stack. A differential pressure times an area is a force. This damping force when applied over a certain distance (e.g., 2” of suspension travel at 3 in/sec due to a large bump) absorbs energy equal to the damping force times the distance the piston has travelled. I included the 3 in/sec because damping force is proportional to piston velocity (c*v=c*dx/dt, similar to how a spring force is proportional to displacement, k*x). No where did I say anything about where the valve stack starting position is inside the damper. As long as the damper has sufficient bump (compression) travel and rebound travel then it doesn’t matter where the valve stack starting position is. Dampers use bump stops to limit excessive bump travel which is what gets reduced when a car is lowered. Bilstein B16 struts are an inverted strut design which comes with an internal bump stop. As long as you stay within Bilstein’s max-min ride height values then running out of travel should not be a concern and ride quality also is unaffected.

[TSL]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

That’s a misconception that a lot of people have with dampers. A damper is basically a piston rod with a stacked set of shims, washers and orifices (valve stack) that rides inside of a cylinder (damper body) filled with hydraulic fluid. As the valve stack is pushed/pulled thru the hydraulic fluid, it creates a differential pressure in the fluid on the two sides of the valve stack. A differential pressure times an area is a force. This damping force when applied over a certain distance (e.g., 2” of suspension travel at 3 in/sec due to a large bump) absorbs energy equal to the damping force times the distance the piston has travelled. I included the 3 in/sec because damping force is proportional to piston velocity (c*v=c*dx/dt, similar to how a spring force is proportional to displacement, k*x). No where did I say anything about where the valve stack starting position is inside the damper. As long as the damper has sufficient bump (compression) travel and rebound travel then it doesn’t matter where the valve stack starting position is. Dampers use bump stops to limit excessive bump travel which is what gets reduced when a car is lowered. Bilstein B16 struts are an inverted strut design which comes with an internal bump stop. As long as you stay within Bilstein’s max-min ride height values then running out of travel should not be a concern and ride quality also is unaffected.

Sounds good, thanks for the explanation!