[rvt1000]

Need to replace front struts on my '17 240ix. Wanted to upgrade over stock to take care of the instability over expansion joints etc. Article I read said the Bilstein B6's were the upgraded shock that still kept the other functions and variable damping.

Now that they are installed it's like sport mode all the time. I feel zero difference between eco, comfort or sport.

Anyone else running B6's how do yours feel?

Edit: put a few more miles on it and it feels slightly better. But still not much difference in modes and mostly if pushing a corner. Still harsh for eco or comfort mode. (Sorry about the overdramatic verbag before)

They do feel like an upgrade and if they breakin a bit they should be an upgrade. Thoughts?

[YYZF22N55]

I’m running b16s and they feel like an upgrade over m suspension

[Dom147]

You mention they retain variable damping. Did you buy the B6 Damptronics?

[jb-slow]

I have the b6 damptronics on my car, they are stiffer across the board, and I'm pretty sure they lifted up the ride height a bit. They're fantastic on track though.

[Matthewricha]

I have the B4 damptronics on my M235i and they too are rather harsh. A lot more NVH, especially over high freqency road imperfections. However the car handles really well. Can get tiresome at times. Mine definately raised the ride height by about 8-10mm. Sometimes in Sport mode I can feel the rear rise slightly.. not by much though

[Rich.Wolfson]

Originally Posted by Matthewricha

I have the B4 damptronics on my M235i and they too are rather harsh. A lot more NVH, especially over high freqency road imperfections. However the car handles really well. Can get tiresome at times. Mine definately raised the ride height by about 8-10mm. Sometimes in Sport mode I can feel the rear rise slightly.. not by much though

I replaced the OEM Damptronic shocks at 90,000 miles with the Bilstein B4s. I would have done them sooner but the shocks were hard to find. I labored whether to get the B6s but I find the B4s perfect in every way. No noticeable NVH and no ride height change.

Just my experience.

///Rich

[Matthewricha]

Originally Posted by Rich.Wolfson

I replaced the OEM Damptronic shocks at 90,000 miles with the Bilstein B4s. I would have done them sooner but the shocks were hard to find. I labored whether to get the B6s but I find the B4s perfect in every way. No noticeable NVH and no ride height change.

Just my experience.

///Rich

Interesting! you look to have the same car as me. I do have M Performance springs on the front which are stiffer than M Sport but also 19inch 624M Alloys so not much sidewall give. Do you run 18 inch wheels? Having said this I went directly from OE Dampers to B4 with the same springs and wheels so the only difference was the B4's and they definately made the ride harsher. Guess this is a subjective subject.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by jb-slow

I have the b6 damptronics on my car, they are stiffer across the board, and I'm pretty sure they lifted up the ride height a bit. They're fantastic on track though.

The B6 are a high nitrogen pressure monotube damper. The nitrogen pressure provides a lifting force on the valve stack so you’ll see a 1/2-1/3” increase in ride height.

[Matthewricha]

The passives maybe, but the B6 damptronic shocks are twin tube..when I compared my OE shocks to the B4 damptronics the spring cup on the B4's were tapered differently to OE which results in the very small height difference.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Matthewricha

The passives maybe, but the B6 damptronic shocks are twin tube..when I compared my OE shocks to the B4 damptronics the spring cup on the B4's were tapered differently to OE which results in the very small height difference.

From the literature I’ve read about b6 and b6 damptronic dampers is they’re all high pressure nitrogen monotube dampers.

[Dom147]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

From the literature I’ve read about b6 and b6 damptronic dampers is they’re all high pressure nitrogen monotube dampers.

they reused the same description of the damptronics and the regular B6's. The damptronic are indeed twin tube which is evident by the thinner shaft.

[M3SQRD]

Here’s the link the B6 product page and a screen cap pic of the b6 features

https://workshop.bilstein.com/en/products/bilstein-b6/

Originally Posted by Dom147

they reused the same description of the damptronics and the regular B6's. The damptronic are indeed twin tube which is evident by the thinner shaft.

Here’s the BW description of the F22 B6 dampers:https://www.bimmerworld.com/Suspensi...Drive-EDC.html


Directly from Bilstein’s website (third bullet from bottom):

[M3SQRD]

The Subaru front dampers are a twin tube design buy the rear dampers are still a high gas pressure monotube design. So some brands do use twin tube; however, BMW is using F and R monotube designs.8

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Matthewricha

I have the B4 damptronics on my M235i and they too are rather harsh. A lot more NVH, especially over high freqency road imperfections. However the car handles really well. Can get tiresome at times. Mine definately raised the ride height by about 8-10mm. Sometimes in Sport mode I can feel the rear rise slightly.. not by much though

Increase in ride height is fixed and is due to the high nitrogen gas pressure Bilstein runs in the monotube dampers. The gas pressure creates a lifting force on the damper valve stack.and will raise the car from 1/2-1/3” but it doesn’t change with different edc/sport settings.

[M3SQRD]

Originally Posted by Matthewricha

The passives maybe, but the B6 damptronic shocks are twin tube..when I compared my OE shocks to the B4 damptronics the spring cup on the B4's were tapered differently to OE which results in the very small height difference.

So please show documentation where bmw b6 passive and damptronic dampers use a twin tube design. If not please stop spreading misinformation regarding bmw b6 dampers.

[Matthewricha]

Originally Posted by M3SQRD

So please show documentation where bmw b6 passive and damptronic dampers use a twin tube design. If not please stop spreading misinformation regarding bmw b6 dampers.

I am not spreading misinformation. I contacted Bilstein Leicester UK about three years ago to clarify a few things on the product and they stated they were twin tube. There was a marketing error carried over from the passive shocks. The installation instructions also show you must use an external bumpstop on the front shocks, which if was a monotube shock would have an internal bumpstop and wouldn't need an external one. The TUV certificate also states these are twintube - unfortunately bilstein removed this from the web a while back. This has been discussed at length on the UK sites, such as babybmw. Also a large thread on these here:
https://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...296041&page=17

The M3/M4 B6 Damptronics ARE monotube however, which are different part numbers obviously.

https://web1.carparts-cat.com/defaul...04&14=4&12=130

look up 23-250734, 23-250727 & 20-250744

[XutvJet]

My current suspension is quite the Frankenstein setup. I have OEM dampers with Dinan springs in the front and Bilstein B6 Damptronics, shorter E series bumpstops, and Eibach Pro Kits in the back. I didn't like the Dinans in the back as their linear rate was too soft and created more squat and crashing into the stops. The Dinans were also really low in the back even with their ride height increasing spacer. The Eibachs are stiffer, progressive rate, and sit about 1/2" higher than the Dinans with the height increasing spacer.

I had B6 Damptronics in the front for about 2 weeks. They were terrible. They were harsh in all mods, crashed over bumps, clunked (common B6 issue), and raised the front end a full 1/2" (known issue). I told FCP Euro that I wasn't happy with them and they said to send them back for a full refund including shipping their dime. The B6s in the rear have been great for 3 years. I've always felt the rear axle on these cars just weren't damped and sprung right. The B6s and Eibachs fix much of it.