10-05-2020, 10:57 AM | #1 |
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Bilstein B16 Damptronic - Too stiff for the street?
Hi guys,
I am on the fence about ordering this damptronic coilover set for my F80 ZCP. Seems like there are mixed reviews, specifically in terms of how stiff this set up really is for daily driving. I don't mind a stiff ride and predominantly drive in sport or sport plus on my ZCP EDC stock dampers. I am just trying to get an idea of just how stiff this set up really is by way of comparison to stock ZCP comfort sport and sport plus EDC modes. Is comfort on the Bilstein damptronic equivalent to sport on stock EDC? If so that will be more than acceptable to me however any stiffer would probably become a headache. I appreciate that it will be nearly impossible for me to get a true idea of how stiff these coils are without actually riding in a car running this set up. Also comfort is in itself very subjective. Has anyone tried these dampers back to back with the likes of KW V3 or KW DDC and could provide some feedback on the comparison? Thanks |
10-05-2020, 02:53 PM | #2 |
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Call Kies Motorsports and ask Bryan his advice. He ran B16 Damptronics on his ride (for a short bit).
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10-05-2020, 05:56 PM | #3 |
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if you're riding in sport plus most of the time you'll be fine. It also makes a difference what kind of tire you run, I run PSC2 with alot stiffer sidewalls than let's say a PS4S, so it's a lot more harsh.
Definitely not a plush ride.. those bilsteins are stiff... |
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10-05-2020, 06:37 PM | #4 |
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I've commented about this exact question in a few discussions. I'm sure with a little of digging you will find my comments along with other views.
Long story short; I've driven on stock ZCP,kw v3's, B16 EDC & KW DDC. If the KW DDC is within budget, I would buy them 5x over any other suspension I just mentioned. B16's are still decent but I had them at the lowest setting (which is probably what made them ride so harsh) & I wasn't satisfied with the ride height & ride quality. KW DDC gave me everything I was looking for and I feel are the perfect street coil over suspension if you want something on the softer side. If you don't care for slamming the car & don't mind having a firmer ride (maybe yours is just a weekend toy) then b16's may be for you. Like I said there is ALOT of threads already talking about this if you do your research but this was my overall take. |
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10-06-2020, 07:34 AM | #5 |
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I'm also close to pulling the trigger on B16 Damptronic. I've become fairly serious about tracking, so my priority is optimizing handling in that scenario, though my F80 is my daily driver as well. As others have mentioned, what I've gathered in aggregate is that they are quite stiff on the street, particularly if you slam them -- and obviously running a stiff tire isn't going to help. If you're comfortable with OEM Sport+, then sounds like with just a modest drop and allowing for break-in, you might be OK.
If you're not going to track, then KW DDC is probably the way to go comfort-wise. Regarding their track performance, I've heard feedback from one vendor that at least one customer commented on how KW DDC on track is sub-optimal, with more-than-expected body roll. |
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10-06-2020, 10:54 AM | #6 |
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I have a set of these - in Sport+ they are really stiff ( too stiff for the road ). Comfort mode is OK.
I'm still running MPSS and plan to move over to MP4S as and when. Really improved the handling of the car though.
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10-11-2020, 01:30 AM | #7 |
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I have a detailed review posted. You might want to check that out.
Even on Sport Plus and Cup 2 tires, I think it's a great suspension. The damping is so much better and more comfortable over bumpy roads compared to the stock zcp setup. The B16 kit solved every issue handling wise for me. My wife tells me the car feels like a go cart.
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12-08-2020, 12:14 PM | #8 |
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So I just got these installed yesterday (Bilstein damptronics on my 2020 M4 Comp).
Right now they are still settling and don't have them perfectly setup or aligned (waiting for them to settle), but here are my initial comments: NOTE: I had Eibach prokit's in it prior on stock shocks 1. I lowered it to have 1 finger gap in the front and no gap in the rear 2. The car is GLUED to the ground. I put in sway bars prior and now with the new coilovers, it's 100% on rails. 3. The car is a lot stiffer and even slightly bouncer, but I suspect the bounce could be corrected with adjustment in height and alignment since all 4 wheels have a lot of negative camber at this point. 4. I plan on tracking my car 1-5 times per year, but I mostly daily drive and canyons once in a while. If I cant adjust out the bounce I may go back to static springs. I know that it may not handle as well, but I would rather sacrifice some handling for better ride quality on the streets. Overall the ride quality is fine and you WILL feel each crack in the road, but it's not harsh. I feel that the coilovers are fine-tuned instruments that can pick up the small details of the road, while the stock setup was more numb to it. |
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12-09-2020, 09:28 AM | #9 |
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hellokitty Did the car get a smoother when the springs settled?
I personally love a car with a very stiff ride, so I'm looking forward to mine getting installed. The bounce should be dampened out unless the springs need to settle a bit and dampers need to be "broken in". Are the springs on the B16Ds progressive? That can cause some bounce issues if the car is lowered to an extreme. |
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12-11-2020, 02:25 PM | #13 | |
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Glad to hear that the bounce has diminished. |
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12-11-2020, 02:49 PM | #14 | |
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12-14-2020, 06:03 AM | #15 |
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I'm running these and can confirm that they bounce a little, although I haven't put many miles on them.
I might raise the car a bit if the bounce doesn't go away as it can get a little annoying. However, the car is absolutely planted and feels amazing to drive. I wouldn't say they're uncomfortable or annoying, but they can bounce a little on slightly bumpy roads.
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12-14-2020, 11:56 AM | #16 |
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Ya, added a bit back in the bank and it feels alot better. The front isnt "that" low... theres about a "1 finger" gap in the front, while no gap in the rear, but not tucked.
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12-14-2020, 01:12 PM | #17 | |
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I have found that people often complain about poor ride quality of XYZ springs or coilovers or shocks without really taking into consideration what happens when you remove suspension travel. If the stock suspension has 3 inches of travel before it fully compresses, but you take away 2" of that travel by lowering the car 2", it can now only compress 1" before bottoming out. When you bottom out the suspension, the spring rate basically ramps up to infinity and the ride quality feels really bad. Then people will claim that a certain spring or shock or coilover has bad ride quality. The poor ride wasn't due to overly stiff springs or super firm compression damping, but just due to the physics of the car bottoming out more from lack of suspension travel. Some people will then turn the dampers softer hoping to fix the ride quality but doing this can exacerbate the issue b/c softer compression damping makes it even easier to bottom out the suspension. Conversely, increasing the compression damping can improve the ride quality b/c the stiffer damping prevents the car from hitting the bumpstops as much. |
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12-14-2020, 04:31 PM | #18 | |
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01-28-2021, 05:58 PM | #19 | |
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01-28-2021, 06:03 PM | #20 |
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From what I am going through I suggest you get the KWs. I was told by Bilstein to raise my car 1.5 due to lack of preload on the fronts which make a thinking sound at slow speed.. So I'm raising it and removing their suspension.
What are the thoughts from others with the Bilsteins, are you lowered near this height? I don't think this is low at all but would like to hear form others. Last edited by irunalot; 01-28-2021 at 06:33 PM.. |
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01-28-2021, 06:49 PM | #21 |
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^ I posted on your other thread. Mine is lower than yours and have no noise.
Not sure why you have one issue you’d want to take it off without fully investigating the noise. I thinks it’s either install issue or possibly mfg defect |
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01-28-2021, 07:00 PM | #22 | |
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2017 F80 M3 ZCP / AA GESI DPs / Akrapovic Evo / BBS FI-R 19" / Bend Calibration ECUTEK Flex Fuel | Bilstein B16 DDC + CS EDC / BMC Filters / BMS OCC / CSF HE / ESS CP / Nitto NT555R2 / PD Crank Hub / SPL Suspension / Uniden R7 / Wagner Top Mount IC
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