Bilstein B16 Damptronic Kit - A love/hate relationship.

[jpy1980]

Ok so I wasn’t really gonna post anything on this topic, but I have to vent/rant/complain/cry. Haha oh first world problems.

About a week ago, I pulled the trigger and purchased the Bilstein B16 Damptronic coilover kit for my 2015 M3 with EDC.

Wanted the regular PSS10 coilovers but none were in stock, so I got the only other B16 Damptronic Kit available in the US besides the one that Supreme had.

The product shipped fairly quick to my door step and since the online vendor was not in my home state, I contacted Kevin at EAS to perform the install. It all worked out because I also had a meeting in Anaheim that same day. Serendipitous. Much luv to Kevin though, super cool and professional. Very patient as well.

Well the install went well until the final plug was installed in the front. This is when a chassis malfunction error popped up. They Ruled out that it was any of the sensors that went bad and finally came to the conclusion that it was that cable that connected one of the front shocks to the cars computer. I’ll post pics of the error in the next post. Switched the cables around and the error followed the bad cable. Damn man. I specifically went with Bilstein since they are so big and I thought their QC would be better than that.

Now getting the only kit available in the US may make you somewhat of a pioneer, but having one of the only kits to be manufactured and BROKEN is another thing. I’ve been going to heck dealin with the online vendor and Bilstein to get this sorted only to have Bilstein come and say that it may take up to a month to get that damn wire to me. No stock in America, could possibly be in Germany. They are not sure yet.

Now I have a car with a chassis malfunction message and shocks that are on their stiffest mode. Bilstein told me that by default when there is no electricity going through the shock, it reverts to its stiffest state (sports plus). They called it their “limp mode state.”

Now I consider my car a race car because you know, #becauseracecar, but man the ride is very stiff for DD in the stuck sports plus setting. On smooth track it would be glorious.

Now I’m driving my wife and kid around and she’s complaining that my car is way too stiff and there is nothing I can do but wait. Plus I have an error message glaring at me from the dash and my suspension select mode is blank. Blah.

I thought it’d be nice to retain the EDC settings, but I bought my car and now that I think about it, deleting EDC may be a smart move as that one less electronic thing to go out in the long run.

I should’ve just gotten the V3s, but I digress. I actually like the performance of these coilovers.

When I finally do get that cable, I’ll put it in the other modes and let you guys know how it feels but for now I can tell you how it feels in their version of “sports plus.”

I have a civic manual M3 with EDC and I DD the car, go to the canyons on the weekends and track my car about 3-4 times a year.

I previously had swift springs with CS suspension coding. Car felt really good, better than when it didn’t have the CS coding, but if I hit a hump or an undulating road, the car would squat then it would wallow/wobble. Kinda disconcerting and not confidence inspiring. With the Bilsteins in sport plus mode car feels stiff, well damped on smooth roads and very confidence inspiring. When you press the accelerator, there’s no squat so the car feels faster and more responsive. I like it a lot. What it feels like would be my OEM EDC with swift springs and CS coding, but stiffer, more controllable and less wallowy.

If the darn edc just worked, I’d be such a happy camper. Ugh.

Oh well. The online vendor said he will contact me on Monday to give me an update so I guess I’ll keep whoever’s interested updated.

Sorry for the rant just bummed that my expensive ass suspension is not working properly. Carry on.

[jpy1980]

Here are some photos

Edit: bah I can’t upload the photos.

[jpy1980]

Test

[jpy1980]

Test

[XKxRome0ox]

Fail!

That sucks
Hope it gets sorted out quickly

Let's trade cars next week Haha

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

Fail!

Psh... Imma tell your wife how much you spent on your e90 M3!! >

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by XKxRome0ox

Fail!

That sucks
Hope it gets sorted out quickly

Let's trade cars next week Haha

Don’t know if your wife will be keeeeeeen on the bumpy ass ride.

Otherwise it’s pretty fun.

[ethannie9696]

That sucks! Hope all goes well soon!

[melanthius]

I was almost you. Same situation and also a 2015 M3. Tried to buy the non-EDC bilsteins but they had a long lead time so I was moments away from buying probably the very set you bought. I ended up with the KW V3s as I was able to get them at a good discount.

Sucks man so sorry to hear that about your new coils

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by jpy1980

Now I have a car with a chassis malfunction message and shocks that are on their stiffest mode. Bilstein told me that by default when there is no electricity going through the shock, it reverts to its stiffest state (sports plus). They called it their “limp mode state.”

Now I consider my car a race car because you know, #becauseracecar, but man the ride is very stiff for DD in the stuck sports plus setting. On smooth track it would be glorious.

Now I’m driving my wife and kid around and she’s complaining that my car is way too stiff and there is nothing I can do but wait. Plus I have an error message glaring at me from the dash and my suspension select mode is blank. Blah.

The "default" / powered off state is much stiffer than when in actual operation. I dyno'd my F3x adaptive dampers and the default forces they output (at high speed in particular) are ridiculous! Since the current to the control valve is controlled the same as your OE dampers, the actual operation space shouldn't be nearly as stiff as you're feeling now.

One of the things you can do in the interim period, is try to fix the wire/rig it up yourself while you wait for a new one. It's only two pins/wires. I'd use a multimeter and check for the short. If the pins/connectors aren't the issue you can cut them off, and then splice in some new wire to reconnect the two connector ends. If the wait for a replacement cable is going to be a while that's what I'd do.

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by melanthius

I was almost you. Same situation and also a 2015 M3. Tried to buy the non-EDC bilsteins but they had a long lead time so I was moments away from buying probably the very set you bought. I ended up with the KW V3s as I was able to get them at a good discount.

Sucks man so sorry to hear that about your new coils

Thanks!

How are the V3s? Are they easy to adjust in terms of ride quality? Also I heard that they run pretty low on the f80

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

The "default" / powered off state is much stiffer than when in actual operation. I dyno'd my F3x adaptive dampers and the default forces they output (at high speed in particular) are ridiculous! Since the current to the control valve is controlled the same as your OE dampers, the actual operation space shouldn't be nearly as stiff as you're feeling now.

One of the things you can do in the interim period, is try to fix the wire/rig it up yourself while you wait for a new one. It's only two pins/wires. I'd use a multimeter and check for the short. If the pins/connectors aren't the issue you can cut them off, and then splice in some new wire to reconnect the two connector ends. If the wait for a replacement cable is going to be a while that's what I'd do.

I actually asked the online vendor about this. They said for now leave it as is in case Bilstein wanted it back to figure out what went wrong. I asked them to ask Bilstein if it really will take a whole month and if so if I can just keep the wire and try and fix it.

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

The "default" / powered off state is much stiffer than when in actual operation. I dyno'd my F3x adaptive dampers and the default forces they output (at high speed in particular) are ridiculous! Since the current to the control valve is controlled the same as your OE dampers, the actual operation space shouldn't be nearly as stiff as you're feeling now.

One of the things you can do in the interim period, is try to fix the wire/rig it up yourself while you wait for a new one. It's only two pins/wires. I'd use a multimeter and check for the short. If the pins/connectors aren't the issue you can cut them off, and then splice in some new wire to reconnect the two connector ends. If the wait for a replacement cable is going to be a while that's what I'd do.

Also the shop that installed it for me said there was an issue of continuity but they can’t tell if it’s the end pieces or the wiring inside.

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by jpy1980

I actually asked the online vendor about this. They said for now leave it as is in case Bilstein wanted it back to figure out what went wrong. I asked them to ask Bilstein if it really will take a whole month and if so if I can just keep the wire and try and fix it.

I would try to contact Bilstein directly and see if you can get permission to try to rig the wire while you wait. Their US CS is pretty easy to reach via phone.

Originally Posted by jpy1980

Also the shop that installed it for me said there was an issue of continuity but they can’t tell if it’s the end pieces or the wiring inside.

It might require cutting the cable in half to diagnose that.

[jpy1980]

Hmmm.

I’d rather have an electrician try and fix it, but there aren’t many places these days where you can walk in and ask to fix. I wouldn’t even know where to start. Too bad RadioShack closed down.

Who would I call or search for on yelp?

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by jpy1980

Hmmm.

I’d rather have an electrician try and fix it, but there aren’t many places these days where you can walk in and ask to fix. I wouldn’t even know where to start. Too bad RadioShack closed down.

Who would I call or search for on yelp?

The cables look pretty simple. Any person that solders or fixes electronic things (even hobbyists) should be able to test for the short and figure it out. If you don't have any friends/coworkers/acquaintances like that, you can see if a cell phone repair shop might be able to do it.

[jpy1980]

I’ll see if I can find someone. If not, can you do it?! I’ll send the cable with a $20 bill haha

The cable is actually very robust. Kinda like a bicycle shifter cable. Like hard tubing.

[gixxer_kidd]

Sorry to hear about your problems but at least it sounds like it should be an easy fix. I almost pulled the trigger on this kit 2 weeks ago so I would of been in your shoes. Hope it gets sorted soon.

Can you share some pics of your car with this setup?

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by gixxer_kidd

Sorry to hear about your problems but at least it sounds like it should be an easy fix. I almost pulled the trigger on this kit 2 weeks ago so I would of been in your shoes. Hope it gets sorted soon.

Can you share some pics of your car with this setup?

It’s so funny that this being one of the only kits available that this could’ve happened to anyone. Yet it happened to me haha.

I’m on daddy duty today so I’ll try and take pics tomorrow.

I actually left the rear the same height as it was with my swift springs and the front I raised it a bit so I could get more suspension travel and more clearance.

Here’s my car with the swift springs:

[knightarmor]

Is the cable just shorted? If you can't find someone locally to look at it I'll look at it. PM if you want some help.

[jpy1980]

Originally Posted by knightarmor

Is the cable just shorted? If you can't find someone locally to look at it I'll look at it. PM if you want some help.

Yes it is shorted according to the installer. I’ll send you a PM.

[knightarmor]

Originally Posted by jpy1980

Yes it is shorted according to the installer. I’ll send you a PM.

Got your message and replied. Didn't see this. Yea if it's just a short it's an easy fix.