[vrooooom]

How much of the improved "feel" comes from the lowered center of gravity and from improved damping of the B16?

[Gusman1]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

How much of the improved "feel" comes from the lowered center of gravity and from improved damping of the B16?

Big improvements all around.

[M2RAW]

For those who track their car with pss10s, what clicks you guys on? Im on 19s and 4 clicks all around right now and not sure if I go stiffest setting on track or maybe canyon roads.

[Kattanah]

Originally Posted by Burnie37

My Bilstein pss10 (Litchfield setup) is set for 4 rear and 7 front, with the minimum drop, which I think is 20mm.

What's your feedback on the Litchfield B16?

And would you think it's worth an additional 30% in cost versus the regular B16?

I am looking to improve the ride quality, car confidence and body roll for a DD car.

[No_curebimmer]

Sooo…today my Indy Shop installed the Bilstein B16. Stock PSS tyres and 788 rims.

Details: I asked for the minimum drop, so the heights ended up being F = 595 mm and R = 610 mm (measurements taken from lower wheel edge to the fender). They told me the front is at their highest position (not liking the front, seems too low, rear is great).

They then balanced the car using Hunter Hawk Eye Elite w/ Active Ride Height Measurement. Turned out perfectly- see attached (no corner balancing).

Damper settings: 5 clicks all around, as I wanted to get a baseline right in the middle. Will likely end up 4F and 6R as this is what the general street consensus is (can anyone rocking the B16 double confirm?)

Initial driving impressions (shop-home): the car absorbs bumps much better, quite a bit less jittery, and most of all, no slams into the bump stops. Cornering improved, yes, but I would need further drives to really assess this given my limited seat time. All this, with a barely noticeable stiffer ride…much more livable!

The ONLY gripe that I have: the front seems a little too low for my liking, top the PSS tyre slightly tucked in. Since the springs will settle at some point, it will be even lower.

I wish there was any way to raise up the front 5-10 mm…not too happy with how the front looks. The rear is glorious though IMO

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by M2RAW

For those who track their car with pss10s, what clicks you guys on? Im on 19s and 4 clicks all around right now and not sure if I go stiffest setting on track or maybe canyon roads.

Just had my B16's installed last week so they're still being 'broken-in/settling' but I'm running 5 all around and it's a fantastic improvement over stock - I hated how most road undulations created bump stops crashing!

May end up 4 F and 6 R, but apparently it's a breeze to adjust the damper/rebound settings.

[No_curebimmer]

I have been driving around whenever I can…man, I am loving how much more compliant & comfortable for DD my car is, yet the stability has also improved (cornering is 5 stars now, it wasn't bad w/ OEM suspension, but I get more steering wheel feedback, immediate turn-ins, etc). Definitely a worthy upgrade!!!

Some updated pictures…

[Sundinisagod]

No_curebimmer the fronts look fine to me in terms of height, that looks like what I’d be aiming for. Can you lower the rears? I think everything would look more right if you did that. Just my 2 cents I don’t yet have coils.

[Daleb]

So i've had my set of B16's on my OG and Comp for a combined time of around 2 years and around 8000 miles, this includes 1 UK winter. There is no denying the improved dampening and compliance on the road is a huge improvement and the car behaves so much better, however....

The build quality on Bilsteins is SHOCKING. In the 8000 miles i've had a snapped rear spring with the other looking like it was going to go soon too, both rear height adjusters are seized and now the rear bushes on both rear shocks are loose and causing a knocking noise. I never had any of these issues on a previous bmw with KW V3's over much greater road miles. I also find Bilsteins customer service is just as bad with huge lead times on replacement parts for what is essentially an off the shelf entry level coilover setup.

Personally these issues are too much to over look vs the improvements and will be binning the Bilsteins for something else. Unfortunately I'll never buy bilstein again which is a shame as the performance is great.

[aroundelway]

Look into motion control suspension. Better quality than the bilsteins and ohlins with great customer support.

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by Daleb

So i've had my set of B16's on my OG and Comp for a combined time of around 2 years and around 8000 miles, this includes 1 UK winter. There is no denying the improved dampening and compliance on the road is a huge improvement and the car behaves so much better, however....

The build quality on Bilsteins is SHOCKING. In the 8000 miles i've had a snapped rear spring with the other looking like it was going to go soon too, both rear height adjusters are seized and now the rear bushes on both rear shocks are loose and causing a knocking noise. I never had any of these issues on a previous bmw with KW V3's over much greater road miles. I also find Bilsteins customer service is just as bad with huge lead times on replacement parts for what is essentially an off the shelf entry level coilover setup.

Personally these issues are too much to over look vs the improvements and will be binning the Bilsteins for something else. Unfortunately I'll never buy bilstein again which is a shame as the performance is great.

Thanks for providing insight - and sorry to hear about your experience, it's helpful for existing and future owners.

No product is perfect, and there is always a bad batch. With that said, the B16 is a tried-n-tru coilover system, designed years ago with many sets out there performing flawlessly XX,000 mi after original install. With that said. I am simply loving the drastically improved ride control - reliability is to be seen!

However, while I don't discount on any way your personal experience, can you please elaborate more about it? Was the installation done by a pro-shop? Did you have any issues from the get go, such as adjustments and such? What was your usage, numerous hard track events, daily driver, or driving miss daisy?

All I am saying after all, is that this is only one data point, and potential buyers shouldn't base their decision solely on this particular use case and experience. The positive reviews thus far greatly outweigh the negative ones…check out all F8x platforms. And the Audi, and Porsche, and VW…there is always a bad actor here and there, by and large, B16s are equally durable and reliable to the KWs.

[carchrism5]

I have run PSS10s on my MK7 GTI and currently have them on my M2 and 911. Their design and ride is great for all around street cars that can hit a track. However I can agree their customer support and replacement parts are not great. I had an issue with the ones on my GTI, very long story but in the end it came down to where you bought them for support. I had to wait for replacement parts (and pay) in weird situation and I certainly thought about that before buying another set for the M2.

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by carchrism5

I have run PSS10s on my MK7 GTI and currently have them on my M2 and 911. Their design and ride is great for all around street cars that can hit a track. However I can agree their customer support and replacement parts are not great. I had an issue with the ones on my GTI, very long story but in the end it came down to where you bought them for support. I had to wait for replacement parts (and pay) in weird situation and I certainly thought about that before buying another set for the M2.

Cheers mate!!! Prime example of superior suspension…like it that much that you bought it thrice! If you wouldn't mind, care to share what part broke that needed replacement and on which car (VW/Porsche/BMW)? And for how long were you using the B16s before it crapped out? Also, was the car mainly tracked or daily'd?

Sadly, this level of customer service and support is becoming more common these days. One underlying factor, I reckon, is the ongoing global supply issue, and the whack-a-mole game of switching manufacturing plants and/or parts suppliers (all in the name of cost cutting).

Remus has become another prime example…great exhaust of course, but US support is dismal. Yet, if I'm not mistaken, Remus remains the most common exhaust across all F8X platforms…

[Daleb]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Thanks for providing insight - and sorry to hear about your experience, it's helpful for existing and future owners.

No product is perfect, and there is always a bad batch. With that said, the B16 is a tried-n-tru coilover system, designed years ago with many sets out there performing flawlessly XX,000 mi after original install. With that said. I am simply loving the drastically improved ride control - reliability is to be seen!

However, while I don't discount on any way your personal experience, can you please elaborate more about it? Was the installation done by a pro-shop? Did you have any issues from the get go, such as adjustments and such? What was your usage, numerous hard track events, daily driver, or driving miss daisy?

All I am saying after all, is that this is only one data point, and potential buyers shouldn't base their decision solely on this particular use case and experience. The positive reviews thus far greatly outweigh the negative ones…check out all F8x platforms. And the Audi, and Porsche, and VW…there is always a bad actor here and there, by and large, B16s are equally durable and reliable to the KWs.

The coilovers where fitted by a bmw specialist and it’s just a weekend car.

There’s no denying the improved performance you get from the b16s over the stock setup and is equal to the kw v3’s in that it’s an entry level coilover for our cars that offers a very good improvement in performance. I also prefer the single adjustment knob for compression and rebound that can be done without taking wheels off vs individual adjustments on the v3’s (rear wheels need removed).

However in terms of corrosion resistance the bilstein a fall short massively. They aren’t stainless steel, they have some form of triple coating that in countries that see rain and salt will corrode. This isn’t an uncommon case for European or uk based cars, just maybe not something you guys see or hear about over in countries that rarely see rain or even salt on the roads. My issues of springs snapping and rear adjusters seizing is down to the rain and salt (albeit very minimal exposure).

I know KW had issues with the rear bearings on their dampers and released an upgraded bearing with people needing to replace them so that issue isn’t solely a bilstein one.

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by Daleb

The coilovers where fitted by a bmw specialist and it's just a weekend car.

There's no denying the improved performance you get from the b16s over the stock setup and is equal to the kw v3's in that it's an entry level coilover for our cars that offers a very good improvement in performance. I also prefer the single adjustment knob for compression and rebound that can be done without taking wheels off vs individual adjustments on the v3's (rear wheels need removed).

However in terms of corrosion resistance the bilstein a fall short massively. They aren't stainless steel, they have some form of triple coating that in countries that see rain and salt will corrode. This isn't an uncommon case for European or uk based cars, just maybe not something you guys see or hear about over in countries that rarely see rain or even salt on the roads. My issues of springs snapping and rear adjusters seizing is down to the rain and salt (albeit very minimal exposure).

I know KW had issues with the rear bearings on their dampers and released an upgraded bearing with people needing to replace them so that issue isn't solely a bilstein one.

Thanks for providing more info - so the issue was corrosion not a mechanical failure 😞

Interesting this occurred given how Bilstein tout "Surface coating using Triple-C-Technology for long-lasting corrosion resistance"

Hard to discern nowadays between 'marketing' speal vs the real deal!

[No_curebimmer]

Ok…just had my installer adjust the heights (original install was ~June, and the have settled down a few mm).

Pictures attached: I asked for ~ 10mm fender gap all around, which resulted in about 608mm front and 610mm heights in the rear. While at at, I had them install Turner Motorsport spacers: 10mm F and 5 mm R).

Looks pretty spot on now!

[carchrism5]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Cheers mate!!! Prime example of superior suspension…like it that much that you bought it thrice! If you wouldn't mind, care to share what part broke that needed replacement and on which car (VW/Porsche/BMW)? And for how long were you using the B16s before it crapped out? Also, was the car mainly tracked or daily'd?

Sadly, this level of customer service and support is becoming more common these days. One underlying factor, I reckon, is the ongoing global supply issue, and the whack-a-mole game of switching manufacturing plants and/or parts suppliers (all in the name of cost cutting).

Remus has become another prime example…great exhaust of course, but US support is dismal. Yet, if I'm not mistaken, Remus remains the most common exhaust across all F8X platforms…

The issues were on the GTI, and I actually saw it with others too on the same platform. The design of the factory upper mounts isn't great and the most common "upgrade" for them by a company who did OEM style also had a number of failures so I really have been left thinking it was something with the MQB platform and suspension design. The failure was the rod snapping at the mounts. Car did a little bit of everything and was about 15-20k miles of use.

Regardless of the failure the customer service was not great and for that reason it is crucial to get it from a reputable retailer that has a good relationship. Of the people I saw with the same failure, their results were pretty different based on where they bought them.

Heard of Remus issues too, unfortunate because they truly make a nice product.

[vrooooom]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Ok…just had my installer adjust the heights (original install was ~June, and the have settled down a few mm).

I had them install Turner Motorsport spacers: 10mm F and 5 mm R).

Looks pretty spot on now!

Nice!

Do you need to replace the stock bolts even at those spacer thickness?

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by vrooooom

Nice!

Do you need to replace the stock bolts even at those spacer thickness?

Yes, the Turner Motorsport spacer kits came w/ longer bolts.

I believe this is a general rule, but adding spacers of any thickness, no matter how thin, you can no longer rely on the OEM lug bolts.

[bromudez]

Originally Posted by No_curebimmer

Ok…just had my installer adjust the heights (original install was ~June, and the have settled down a few mm).

Pictures attached: I asked for ~ 10mm fender gap all around, which resulted in about 608mm front and 610mm heights in the rear. While at at, I had them install Turner Motorsport spacers: 10mm F and 5 mm R).

Looks pretty spot on now!

Looks great. Do you know what the stock fender gaps were before you changed it to 10mm all around?

[No_curebimmer]

Originally Posted by bromudez

Looks great. Do you know what the stock fender gaps were before you changed it to 10mm all around?

Thanks mate! While I haven't measured the fender gap prior to installing the B16s, I can say it must have been about double.

I do have some minuscule rubbing up front when turning the wheels sharply while maneuvering to park, but none while normal driving. No rubbing in the back as I'm only running 5mm spacers (10mm spacers up front).

[HP Autosport]

Lots of value in this PSS10 kit, hardly to get a hold of though. 1-2 months lead time is typical.