[bunker]

Originally Posted by LYTSOUT

After a TON of research, I decided on the Bilstein B16 Damptronic coilovers which is the B16 version (similar to the PSS10) that plugs directly into the OEM EDC and is activated by the center console's Comfort/Sport button, exactly as the OEM dampers do rather than having to turn the knob under the car like the PSS10.
[/url]

Man, thank you so much for this. I have been searching for the same solution for my F36 because I want to keep the EDC functional. Any reason why this setup would work on the F30 but not the F36 that you can think of?

[Boostedphil698]

Originally Posted by LYTSOUT

I love my F30 xDrive, but my biggest issue from day 1 has been the suspension. Too tall, too soft, too floaty, etc. This is my 5th BMW, and (besides the X3) it's by far the softest, most Buick-like ride I've experienced, even with the EDC in Sport mode. I had planned to flash the Dinan Shockware, but sadly, my car was one of the [supposedly] rare cars that wouldn't accept it so my options were:
A) do nothing and be miserable
B) lower it on springs but that wouldn't fix the dampers
C) do springs and EDC compatible dampers (like the Bilstein B6, etc) but that would give a potentially uneven drop front-to-rear
D) do non-EDC-compatible coilovers (KW, PSS10, etc) but lose the EDC functionality
E) use an EDC-compatible coilover (B16 Damptronic) and tick every box

After a TON of research, I decided on the Bilstein B16 Damptronic coilovers which is the B16 version (similar to the PSS10) that plugs directly into the OEM EDC and is activated by the center console's Comfort/Sport button, exactly as the OEM dampers do rather than having to turn the knob under the car like the PSS10.

https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/produ...67944709395141

I haven't seen any first hand reviews of this kit so I suspect I may be one of the first adopters, at least in the Bimmerpost community, so I feel compelled to do a thorough write-up.

Cost: not cheap. $2,586 shipped from www.shockwarehouse.com

Installation: relatively straight forward. Biggest issue was the strut nut where the top of the damper inserts into the top hat. It takes a special socket attachment, but the one I purchased (I think it was 18mm?) only fit the rear OEM strut. The front was larger (19mm?). To make matters worse, the new dampers used an even different, larger size (21mm?) so if you really want to do this right, get a full set of these stupid sockets. I ended up just tightening them down with an open ended wrench with an allen wrench stuck through it. Unfortunately, I was unable to torque them with that method. Oh, and you have to remove the entire front fender liner to get to the OEM EDC plug, but that was no biggie, just a minor surprise.

It's hard to explain the strut nut so here's how it works:
https://bimmertips.com/how-to-proper...que-strut-nut/

This is the one I bought which only worked for the OEM rear
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...3046sch01a-01/

This is the set you'd (probably?) need to do the whole job:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...e/003046schkt/

You'll also need a spindle spreader b/c the spindle his held on via tension:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...-tool/scw3435/

Performance: I've put about 1000 miles on them so far so over the course of about two months I've got a very good idea of how they're doing. I'm not going to lie like so many others around here and say "THIS CAR NOW HANDLES LIKE IT'S ON RAILS!!!", but what I will say is that handling is dramatically improved. Gone is the floatiness, the dive with hard braking, the squat with hard acceleration, and much of the lateral body roll with cornering (but not all of it). There's still a noticeable difference in Comfort vs Sport. It's hard to quantify, but I'd definitely say that Comfort is tighter than OEM Sport used to be, and Sport is even tighter still. But neither of them are uncomfortable whatsoever, even on shitty midwestern roads, and although I haven't driven them back-to-back yet, I'm pretty sure my car is still softer in Sport than my dad's F80 ZCP in Comfort.

Generally speaking, it's a very good, compliant yet firm, sporty ride. Basically this is more-or-less what you might expect from a proper OEM sport suspension in a German sedan (rather than the joke of a suspension that came on the car). My only complaint is that they sometimes feel underdamped, but this is only noticeable upon braking. It's not overly dramatic, and my indy mechanic didn't even notice it. This is not noticeable whatsoever in any other driving condition over potholes or other bumps in the road...only when coming to a complete stop. Not a huge deal and not a deal-breaker, but the kit was expensive enough that anything much short of perfection is mildly annoying.

Drop: Here's where it gets interesting. Bilstein *suggests* (more on that later) a 30-50mm drop and in order to accomplish that range, and they recommend adjusting the shock collar to specs from a fixed point on the damper within a given 20mm range. One would assume that the upper end of this range would give the 30mm drop and the lower end of this range would give the 50mm drop...but that didn't happen. I initially set them up at the highest recommended level, assuming this would be around a 30mm (1") drop...but the front barely dropped at all while the rear did drop about 1 1/8". I then lowered the front all the way down as far as I could possibly get the collar on the threads of the shock body (obviously this was far below their recommended range) and only then got about 1.5" of drop. At that point, I was noticing much more harshness in the suspension and some mild clicks/clunks when I'd do a full lock turn at slow speeds so I raised it back up after just a few miles. I assumed I had done something wrong during the installation, so after several emails and phone calls to the techs at Bilstein, the answer I finally got back was:

"Bilstein does not give minimum and maximum drop ranges, it is more or less optimal performance range. These kits have been tested and built in Germany then re-tested on US spec models before they are cataloged. Do you have measurements of the vehicle prior to the install? My assumption would be that the kit is installed correctly if the dampening stages are working correctly. We recommend on all adjustable kits be corner balanced prior to alignment. The corner weights of the vehicle are not the same on all 4 corners which means it will require different preload per corner for the vehicle to sit correct and level. This will also allow the alignment tech to give it a once over to determine if everything has been installed correctly.

Not sure how to get past the part of you feeling our optimal performance range is not correct, again we have tested these on US spec chassis and populated our catalog notes to reflect our chassis measurements.

We have sold quite a few of these kits in the US and have had no issues to date."

I didn't bother responding once I got that answer b/c I got the sense they were blowing me off.

Long story short, after even more adjustment, where I ended up was lowering the front halfway between the lower end of their recommended range and the very bottom of the threads, and I left the rears at the upper limit of their recommended range. This ultimately gave me about a 1 1/8" drop overall, very even front-to-rear. It looks good, and, to be honest, I'm not really sure I'd even want to go any lower if it were possible, but I do feel somewhat let down that I didn't get the range I expected, even if I didn't plan to use it to the max.

So would I get them again? Yes. I absolutely wanted to keep the EDC functionality and have the ability to fine tune the ride height. Am I 100% satisfied? Not 100% but maybe 95%. The lack of *suggested* lowering is a bummer and the underdamping of the rear when coming to a full stop is mildly annoying, but not enough to give me any level of buyers remorse. I was so unhappy with the car before I installed them that I was considering selling it. But now it's just about right from both an aesthetic and performance standpoint, and with FBO/Stage 2, it's a freaking blast to drive. Had I not done the suspension, I don't know how the in the hell his car would handle that level of power so I'm very glad I went this route.

Hope this helps some of you, and I'd love to hear any feedback you may have!

P.S. The one thing I didn't do during install was loosen and retorque the preloaded rubber-steel interfaces so I had my indy shop do this later. Kind of annoying that this key piece of info was buried in the British version of Bilstein's website and not in the instruction manual nor even the American website. You'll see what I mean about halfway down this page:
https://www.bilstein.com/uk/en/blog/...tion-mistakes/

Gonna have to add these to my list of "must buy." That fitment is great, and I also believe I had EDC. I have Xdrive and the fitment sucks.

[Uni-Rapide]

Going to install my B16 Damptronic set tomorrow. But I found a strange contradiction in the manual regarding the bump stops on the front struts.

In the manual on page 4 it says "Do not re-use original bumper, since BILSTEIN strut has built in bump stop".

But the picture/drawing on page 21 seems to indicate that the original bump stop should be used.
So now I am confused...
See also attached photos of the manual.

I compressed the damper by hand and can't feel any difference in resistance over the full stroke of the damper. Also the end of the stroke is a hard stop.
So to me it seems like there is no internal bump stop...

What should I do, install the bump stops just to be sure or not?

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by Uni-Rapide

What should I do, install the bump stops just to be sure or not?

Only Bilstein Monotube dampers use internal bump stops, so you'll want to re-use your OE ones (trimmed) with these.

[Uni-Rapide]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

Only Bilstein Monotube dampers use internal bump stops, so you'll want to re-use your OE ones (trimmed) with these.

Thanks FaRKle!
But when you say "trimmed" you mean I should shorten them a bit?

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by Uni-Rapide

Thanks FaRKle!
But when you say "trimmed" you mean I should shorten them a bit?

Yes, if you're lowering the car I recommend trimming or getting shorter bump stops to maintain enough damper travel before engagement. 0.5-1" of free damper travel is good.

[Uni-Rapide]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

Only Bilstein Monotube dampers use internal bump stops, so you'll want to re-use your OE ones (trimmed) with these.

FaRKle! you are legend:

[jimmyfloyd]

Originally Posted by LYTSOUT

I love my F30 xDrive, but my biggest issue from day 1 has been the suspension. Too tall, too soft, too floaty, etc. This is my 5th BMW, and (besides the X3) it's by far the softest, most Buick-like ride I've experienced, even with the EDC in Sport mode. I had planned to flash the Dinan Shockware, but sadly, my car was one of the [supposedly] rare cars that wouldn't accept it so my options were:
A) do nothing and be miserable
B) lower it on springs but that wouldn't fix the dampers
C) do springs and EDC compatible dampers (like the Bilstein B6, etc) but that would give a potentially uneven drop front-to-rear
D) do non-EDC-compatible coilovers (KW, PSS10, etc) but lose the EDC functionality
E) use an EDC-compatible coilover (B16 Damptronic) and tick every box

After a TON of research, I decided on the Bilstein B16 Damptronic coilovers which is the B16 version (similar to the PSS10) that plugs directly into the OEM EDC and is activated by the center console's Comfort/Sport button, exactly as the OEM dampers do rather than having to turn the knob under the car like the PSS10.

https://www.bilstein.com/us/en/produ...67944709395141

I haven't seen any first hand reviews of this kit so I suspect I may be one of the first adopters, at least in the Bimmerpost community, so I feel compelled to do a thorough write-up.

Cost: not cheap. $2,586 shipped from www.shockwarehouse.com

Installation: relatively straight forward. Biggest issue was the strut nut where the top of the damper inserts into the top hat. It takes a special socket attachment, but the one I purchased (I think it was 18mm?) only fit the rear OEM strut. The front was larger (19mm?). To make matters worse, the new dampers used an even different, larger size (21mm?) so if you really want to do this right, get a full set of these stupid sockets. I ended up just tightening them down with an open ended wrench with an allen wrench stuck through it. Unfortunately, I was unable to torque them with that method. Oh, and you have to remove the entire front fender liner to get to the OEM EDC plug, but that was no biggie, just a minor surprise.

It's hard to explain the strut nut so here's how it works:
https://bimmertips.com/how-to-proper...que-strut-nut/

This is the one I bought which only worked for the OEM rear
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...3046sch01a-01/

This is the set you'd (probably?) need to do the whole job:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...e/003046schkt/

You'll also need a spindle spreader b/c the spindle his held on via tension:
https://www.ecstuning.com/b-schwaben...-tool/scw3435/

Performance: I've put about 1000 miles on them so far so over the course of about two months I've got a very good idea of how they're doing. I'm not going to lie like so many others around here and say "THIS CAR NOW HANDLES LIKE IT'S ON RAILS!!!", but what I will say is that handling is dramatically improved. Gone is the floatiness, the dive with hard braking, the squat with hard acceleration, and much of the lateral body roll with cornering (but not all of it). There's still a noticeable difference in Comfort vs Sport. It's hard to quantify, but I'd definitely say that Comfort is tighter than OEM Sport used to be, and Sport is even tighter still. But neither of them are uncomfortable whatsoever, even on shitty midwestern roads, and although I haven't driven them back-to-back yet, I'm pretty sure my car is still softer in Sport than my dad's F80 ZCP in Comfort.

Generally speaking, it's a very good, compliant yet firm, sporty ride. Basically this is more-or-less what you might expect from a proper OEM sport suspension in a German sedan (rather than the joke of a suspension that came on the car). My only complaint is that they sometimes feel underdamped, but this is only noticeable upon braking. It's not overly dramatic, and my indy mechanic didn't even notice it. This is not noticeable whatsoever in any other driving condition over potholes or other bumps in the road...only when coming to a complete stop. Not a huge deal and not a deal-breaker, but the kit was expensive enough that anything much short of perfection is mildly annoying.

Drop: Here's where it gets interesting. Bilstein *suggests* (more on that later) a 30-50mm drop and in order to accomplish that range, and they recommend adjusting the shock collar to specs from a fixed point on the damper within a given 20mm range. One would assume that the upper end of this range would give the 30mm drop and the lower end of this range would give the 50mm drop...but that didn't happen. I initially set them up at the highest recommended level, assuming this would be around a 30mm (1") drop...but the front barely dropped at all while the rear did drop about 1 1/8". I then lowered the front all the way down as far as I could possibly get the collar on the threads of the shock body (obviously this was far below their recommended range) and only then got about 1.5" of drop. At that point, I was noticing much more harshness in the suspension and some mild clicks/clunks when I'd do a full lock turn at slow speeds so I raised it back up after just a few miles. I assumed I had done something wrong during the installation, so after several emails and phone calls to the techs at Bilstein, the answer I finally got back was:

"Bilstein does not give minimum and maximum drop ranges, it is more or less optimal performance range. These kits have been tested and built in Germany then re-tested on US spec models before they are cataloged. Do you have measurements of the vehicle prior to the install? My assumption would be that the kit is installed correctly if the dampening stages are working correctly. We recommend on all adjustable kits be corner balanced prior to alignment. The corner weights of the vehicle are not the same on all 4 corners which means it will require different preload per corner for the vehicle to sit correct and level. This will also allow the alignment tech to give it a once over to determine if everything has been installed correctly.

Not sure how to get past the part of you feeling our optimal performance range is not correct, again we have tested these on US spec chassis and populated our catalog notes to reflect our chassis measurements.

We have sold quite a few of these kits in the US and have had no issues to date."

I didn't bother responding once I got that answer b/c I got the sense they were blowing me off.

Long story short, after even more adjustment, where I ended up was lowering the front halfway between the lower end of their recommended range and the very bottom of the threads, and I left the rears at the upper limit of their recommended range. This ultimately gave me about a 1 1/8" drop overall, very even front-to-rear. It looks good, and, to be honest, I'm not really sure I'd even want to go any lower if it were possible, but I do feel somewhat let down that I didn't get the range I expected, even if I didn't plan to use it to the max.

So would I get them again? Yes. I absolutely wanted to keep the EDC functionality and have the ability to fine tune the ride height. Am I 100% satisfied? Not 100% but maybe 95%. The lack of *suggested* lowering is a bummer and the underdamping of the rear when coming to a full stop is mildly annoying, but not enough to give me any level of buyers remorse. I was so unhappy with the car before I installed them that I was considering selling it. But now it's just about right from both an aesthetic and performance standpoint, and with FBO/Stage 2, it's a freaking blast to drive. Had I not done the suspension, I don't know how the in the hell his car would handle that level of power so I'm very glad I went this route.

Hope this helps some of you, and I'd love to hear any feedback you may have!

P.S. The one thing I didn't do during install was loosen and retorque the preloaded rubber-steel interfaces so I had my indy shop do this later. Kind of annoying that this key piece of info was buried in the British version of Bilstein's website and not in the instruction manual nor even the American website. You'll see what I mean about halfway down this page:
https://www.bilstein.com/uk/en/blog/...tion-mistakes/

Thanks for the excellent write up. One thing I wanted to clarify is that you used the B16 on an xDrive car, correct? All documentation shows it is for RWD cars, which led me not to look at them, but if they work on an xDrive, then that opens up another option.

[LYTSOUT]

Originally Posted by jimmyfloyd

Thanks for the excellent write up. One thing I wanted to clarify is that you used the B16 on an xDrive car, correct? All documentation shows it is for RWD cars, which led me not to look at them, but if they work on an xDrive, then that opens up another option.

Yep, the car is definitely an xDrive. I think there was a different part number/SKU for the xDrive but I don't recall what it was so you should check for yourself to make sure you get the correct kit.

[AW F31]

Originally Posted by jimmyfloyd

Thanks for the excellent write up. One thing I wanted to clarify is that you used the B16 on an xDrive car, correct? All documentation shows it is for RWD cars, which led me not to look at them, but if they work on an xDrive, then that opens up another option.

Resurrecting a bit of an old thread, but for future readers benefit, the correct SKU for x-drive equipped F3X is SKU 49-255980.

[LYTSOUT]

Originally Posted by FaRKle!

Funny enough, I just had another forum member come over this weekend to swap rear springs on his B16 Komfort kit because the ride comfort and handling weren't satisfactory. After changing just the rear springs to achieve to flat ride, he's much happier.

I will say that EDC systems are able to compensate for not having flat ride to some extent (this is my own experience testing various springs when I had EDC) than static systems, so that may be a contributing factor to your experience.

Resurrecting an old thread...but it's okay b/c i'm the OP so I can do WTF I want!

Anyway, FaRKle! I finally got around to playing with your flat ride calculator, which is awesome btw. And I also read some more stuff about flat ride and watched Shaikh's video about it. Suffice it to say, I'm intrigued, and I think this may be a solution for my oscillations. Your calculator suggests I would need 900-1100lb springs in the rear to achieve flat ride with the 330lb springs that came on the B16 Damptronics.

Since the rear springs are easier to swap than the fronts, this may be something I'm interested in trying out. But where would I find custom springs like that, how would I guarantee they fit (IIRC, the rears just use the OEM cups so I assume it wouldn't be too hard to find something to fit), and could I still be able to have them be height adjustable? The last thing I want to do is install significantly firmer springs which jack up the rear and give a ton of forward rake, especially if they aren't able to be lowered.

So do you have insight on where to find ~900lb rear springs if I did want to give them a try? More importantly, do you think this setup would improve the ride (esp WRT the oscillations I'm noticing when coming to a complete stop as described above)? Any downside to it that I'm not considering?

Thanks again for all your work here on the forums and your youtube vids! Btw, I've got the same Millway street camber plates you discussed on my F80 and love them. More than enough adjustability, and not a single squeak or creak out of them!

Update...I think I figured it out from this video!

Is it correct to assume these are things I'm looking for (linked in your video)? If so, why do you recommend the 10" spring over the 8"?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...ae7c17041b2ee9

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...a2f97d0ccfef24

[FaRKle!]

Originally Posted by LYTSOUT

But where would I find custom springs like that, how would I guarantee they fit (IIRC, the rears just use the OEM cups so I assume it wouldn't be too hard to find something to fit), and could I still be able to have them be height adjustable?

The Bilstein kit you have can accept standard 60mm ID coilover springs in the rear if you get an Energy Suspension 96103 pad for the bottom. Then you can look for any of those springs offered by Hyperco/Swift/Eibach/ect.

9" length will give you the most flexibility, 8" will do too at those higher rates.

A customer of mine with 340i and B16 damptronic didn't like the ride so I set him up with softer KW front springs, and standard 60mm coilover rear springs. He's much happier.

[ringo9]

Further resurrection in 2023 lol: but hey, this thread has so much useful information about a subject which is very hard to find accurate, and scientific / objective information about, rather than the oh-so-typical "Hey guys, fitted them and OMG the car is on rails now and everything is perfect in the world!!!"

I want to start by saying the car that I am planing to fit those is a M140i xDrive with OEM EDC. Apparently 49-255980 is the correct product number for it, which sounds weird since it means the same Bilstein set is used on M140iX -240iX, -340iX and possibly -440iX?? Are all those cars so close in terms of weight that the same set can be used among all of them? Or maybe slightly different performance is to be expected from it depending on which car it's fitted?

Now, my requirements set is very much the same like the OP's which inevitably makes the B16 DT the only upgrade that will tick every box.
I was tempted by the B16 PSS10 mono-tube manually adjustable as they are apparently offering more performance for track driving but I don't think 3-4 track days a year and a few laps around the Nurburgring warrant the loss of EDC and the ability to loosen a firm, or at least firmer than stock, suspension over bad roads in your daily driver.

Only other option I imagine is the B6 DampTronic set, shocks only, but I would need to match those with H&R Sport springs I currently run (can't find their rates online) and not sure how well that combo would work?

OP, how are you getting on with them a year after your last post and almost 2.5 years after your first install? How is the long-term assesment? Still the best option for you for your original requirements set or you would try other options if you were to do it again?

Cheers

[johnung]

Originally Posted by ringo9

Further resurrection in 2023 lol: but hey, this thread has so much useful information about a subject which is very hard to find accurate, and scientific / objective information about, rather than the oh-so-typical "Hey guys, fitted them and OMG the car is on rails now and everything is perfect in the world!!!"

I want to start by saying the car that I am planing to fit those is a M140i xDrive with OEM EDC. Apparently 49-255980 is the correct product number for it, which sounds weird since it means the same Bilstein set is used on M140iX -240iX, -340iX and possibly -440iX?? Are all those cars so close in terms of weight that the same set can be used among all of them? Or maybe slightly different performance is to be expected from it depending on which car it's fitted?

Now, my requirements set is very much the same like the OP's which inevitably makes the B16 DT the only upgrade that will tick every box.
I was tempted by the B16 PSS10 mono-tube manually adjustable as they are apparently offering more performance for track driving but I don't think 3-4 track days a year and a few laps around the Nurburgring warrant the loss of EDC and the ability to loosen a firm, or at least firmer than stock, suspension over bad roads in your daily driver.

Only other option I imagine is the B6 DampTronic set, shocks only, but I would need to match those with H&R Sport springs I currently run (can't find their rates online) and not sure how well that combo would work?

OP, how are you getting on with them a year after your last post and almost 2.5 years after your first [...]

A buddy of mine installed the Bilstein B16-Damptronic and really hated them. Said that they basically turn Comfort mode into the stock Sport mode, and turn Sport mode into way too harsh. B16 are known for overly stiff front springs.

Have you considered KW DDC coilovers? They plug right into the BMW Adaptive/EDC system.

[toxik]

Originally Posted by johnung

A buddy of mine installed the Bilstein B16-Damptronic and really hated them. Said that they basically turn Comfort mode into the stock Sport mode, and turn Sport mode into way too harsh. B16 are known for overly stiff front springs.

Have you considered KW DDC coilovers? They plug right into the BMW Adaptive/EDC system.

johnung have you had experience with KW DDC? since I know you're the best source for suspension info for our cars. From my research, as you said, the B16 and even the Damptronic B6 shocks are a bit harsh. But from what I heard, the KW DDC drop the car way too much, I read that a realistic minimum drop in front for KW's is something like 1.2 inches. I feel like premature wear on xdrive suspension components could become a factor there.

[ringo9]

Originally Posted by johnung

A buddy of mine installed the Bilstein B16-Damptronic and really hated them. Said that they basically turn Comfort mode into the stock Sport mode, and turn Sport mode into way too harsh. B16 are known for overly stiff front springs.

Have you considered KW DDC coilovers? They plug right into the BMW Adaptive/EDC system.

Don't know if they work that much different on the 3-series but that is not what owners of other M140s on B16 DT have told me. The common conclusion is they are a big improvement especially on the daily fast driving and offer better control on public roads without becoming punishing.
They do mostly agree that they are not an absolute track upgrade though and that they could do with further firming for absolute time chasing but I doubt I will ever worry about that during my track-days.

I do have far more negative reviews regarding the KW DDC though in that they need constant repairs, or far earlier than they should have for the mileage and use. I also don't want to drop the car too much and B16 seem ideal.

[johnung]

Originally Posted by toxik

johnung have you had experience with KW DDC? since I know you're the best source for suspension info for our cars. From my research, as you said, the B16 and even the Damptronic B6 shocks are a bit harsh. But from what I heard, the KW DDC drop the car way too much, I read that a realistic minimum drop in front for KW's is something like 1.2 inches. I feel like premature wear on xdrive suspension components could become a factor there.

I appreciate the kinds words but I would call myself knowledgeable on suspensions. I’d call FaRKle! the expert. I’ve probably learned half of what I know on F30 suspensions from him.

I haven’t had hands-on with the KW DDC. The feedback that I get in general about KW is that their products are well designed with both performance and comfort in mind. Bilstein tends to prioritize performance so their products are often overly stiff/harsh.

I relayed what a knowledgeable buddy had told me about his experience with B16-Damptronic. And that B16 front springs have way high spring rates.

As far as XDrive drop, I actually go by what the major spring makers “say” by their product designs. The last thing that they are going to do is to open themselves up to liability by selling springs with estimated drops that will break XDrive. The lowest estimate that I’ve seen is a front XDrive drop of 1.5”/1.6”. Now they aren’t going to cut it too close so there’s probably a little more buffer as well.

As far as KW estimated drops, see photos…
For my F30 335i XDrive, all of the drops for KW coilovers including KW DDC start at Front 1.0”/Rear 1.2”, except for the KW V2 Street Comfort which start at F0.6”/R0.8”

In measuring my own car, I’ve determined that to make the F/R tire/fender gaps equal (remember that I am not talking about chassis height here, just visual gap), the front has to be dropped about 0.6”/0.7” more than the rear. It still comes pretty close visually if the difference is 0.2”-0.4”

With most of the KW coilovers, if that visual look is your goal then the Front drop should be about 1.4”-1.6”, while the rear should remain at its highest setting of a 1.2” rear drop.

With the KW V2 Street Comfort, the minimum rear drop is 0.8, so if the goal is that visual gap perception, then the front drop should be set to 1.0”-1.5”.

I have talked to KW tech support (very helpful) who claim that the spring rates of the V1/V2/V3 are Front 226 lbs/inch, Rear 630 lbs/in, and the spring rates of the V2 Street Comfort are F226/R575.

They claimed that the V2 and V2 SC dampers were the same which would mean that the differences are drop range and rear spring rate.

For comparison, the Eibach XDrive spring kit E10-20-031-06-22 has higher than stock spring rates of F194/R542. Note: The Eibach -05 kit has identical spring rates.

I wouldn’t be surprised if any manufacturer had issues with their EDC implementation/integration with BMW. If it were easy, more would be doing it. From what I’ve read, my impression is that Bilstein’s issues have to do with their design priorities which typically won’t change. While KW issues may have had to do with early components which can and possibly already have been rectified. I’d even call KW tech support and ask about any DDC hardware/software revisions that have been made or scheduled.

I would caution when researching KW DDC vs B16-Damptronic, not to put too much weight on any one comment or on a group of comments that appear to be repeated from a single source. I tend to think that comments from guys who I know/respect as valid, and take most others with a grain of salt.

Hope this helps!”

[DapDonut]

Gonna revive this thread really quick. How do the OEM EDC wires plug into these coilovers? What do you mean you had to remove the front fender wire? Im just confused because I thought the oem wire plugs right into the Bilstein's.

[Matthewricha]

Originally Posted by DapDonut

Gonna revive this thread really quick. How do the OEM EDC wires plug into these coilovers? What do you mean you had to remove the front fender wire? Im just confused because I thought the oem wire plugs right into the Bilstein's.

It'll be the same as my Bilstein B4 Damptronic shocks. You don't use the OEM shock wires. Bilstein provide their own wires that plug into the arch hidden cabling behind the arch lining. Rears are easily accessible. The fronts you have to pull away the arch lining to access.

[B58]

I’m glad I came across this thread. Now I know what to get for my 340i.

[LYTSOUT]

Originally Posted by ringo9

I want to start by saying the car that I am planing to fit those is a M140i xDrive with OEM EDC.

OP, how are you getting on with them a year after your last post and almost 2.5 years after your first install? How is the long-term assesment? Still the best option for you for your original requirements set or you would try other options if you were to do it again?

The B16 setup was certainly an improvement, but I wouldn't say it was great. In retrospect, the OEM 335i xDrive suspension was really really soft and floaty so probably anything would have been an improvement. Was I glad I did it? Yes, but if I had to do it over again, I'd probably try something different. The ride was stiffened up with the B16s, but not as much as I'd have liked. There was still a good bit of body roll in corners, and I drove exclusively in Sport+ mode.

That car is now gone, and I've since upgraded to a 340i xDrive. This one has stock EDC dampers with Dinan springs (installed by the previous owner) and it does not have Dinan Shockware. Interestingly, this setup is MUCH stiffer and has less roll than the full CO B16 setup on my old 335. It's so much stiffer, in fact, that I almost always keep the suspension in Comfort. I'm unsure if this is solely due to the Dinan springs, or if the OEM dampers improved that much with the F30 LCI transition from 335i to 340i. It's been a while, but I do recall looking up the part numbers for the 335i vs 340i suspension and some of them were different including the dampers so I have a feeling this is part of it. I'll let FaRKle! and johnung comment/confirm that b/c I'm sure they know more about it than me.

My point is this: you're already starting with an M140i which presumably has better OEM suspension than the 335i that I had. If I were you, I'd just get springs and leave the dampers alone. If you want it even stiffer, you can flash Dinan Shockware. I actually planned to flash Shockware onto this 340i shortly after buying it, but after driving it for the last six months, I've decided not to. If the road is 100% perfect, Sport is great, but if there are any potholes or imperfections, Sport is way too stiff. Dinan essentially moves Sport into the Comfort spot, and I definitely do not want that to be my softest setting.

Originally Posted by johnung

A buddy of mine installed the Bilstein B16-Damptronic and really hated them. Said that they basically turn Comfort mode into the stock Sport mode, and turn Sport mode into way too harsh. B16 are known for overly stiff front springs.

Have you considered KW DDC coilovers? They plug right into the BMW Adaptive/EDC system.

I did not find this to be the case. Each setting was stiffened up a decent amount, but I wished it was even stiffer in all modes. For frame of reference, the 335i with B16 in Sport was definitely softer than my stock F80 in Comfort. As I said above, my 340i with Dinan springs in Comfort is stiffer and corners flatter than the 335i B16 in Sport.

The B16 was significantly cheaper than the KW DDC which is why I went with them. I do wonder if the KW DDC is the better option, tho.

Originally Posted by B58

I’m glad I came across this thread. Now I know what to get for my 340i.

As I said above, I'd just do springs on a 340i. I don't know that it's worth the money and hassle to do full COs, esp since we don't really know if they're really any better than the OEM +/- springs.

[toxik]

LCI shocks are different from pre-LCI, at least part number wise from what I know. so to me it makes sense why your pre LCI f30 felt different from your current 340. One of my friends had a pre LCI 335 and when he test drove my 340i, he said the suspension feels perfect.

I also want to probably just go the springs route versus coilovers. now im thinking if I should just stick to a new set of OEM shocks instead of getting B4's like I was considering. I'm also leaning towards pairing them with Eibach or ACS springs once I do a suspension overhaul.

I have zero complaints about my OEM suspension, other than wheel gap.