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2Addicts | BMW 2-Series forum Technical Topics Suspension | Chassis | Brakes Bilstein B16 Damptronic Review

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      05-12-2021, 12:21 PM   #1
Gepeto
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Bilstein B16 Damptronic Review

Cross-posting from a deep thread in a weird place to be sure people can find this easily.

The kit is 49-255935 - for M235i RWD (fits other models too)

Alright! They are ON, the car is ALIGNED, and HEIGHT is adjusted.

Photo attached.

As you can see I didn’t drop it too much from a base M235i but there still quite a bit of room to go down on them. Yes, I know one of my wheels is curbed, long story, but I do have a replacement wheel in my garage and it will become my spare soon enough

I am NOT a professional reviewer of this stuff, I haven’t had many coilovers before, but I can say I’m usually a fan of a good set of Koni Yellow struts with good springs, and I don’t shoot for super stiff because I hate losing traction in corners on bad asphalt.

Installation
As I have detailed in previous posts in this thread, the packaging was very bad…

The plastic protecting connectors was shattered, there’s paint scratches, and the bracket that holds the brake lines on one side was bent at 90 degrees. Thread was damaged, and there are scratches on the « adjustment spin-thingie » (sorry for using highly technical terms). My (awesome) mechanic took his time, cleaned up the thread, slowly bent the bracket back, etc.

What I will do this fall is shoot some antirust oil of some kind to protect them, because I don’t want to go through winter with exposed metal on this.

In the meantime, the distributor is working with Bilstein for some kind of compensation.

A friend got a set of Ohlins for a different type of car at the same time I got mine. The difference in how they were packed and protected and how great the finish is on them is night and day.


Ride Quality
Definitely feels better than my OEM suspension with about 53,000miles on Quebec roads (well…technically a lot of those were on the track and 1500 were in Germany - but the rest is all very bad roads. Think Michigan if you’re from the US, it’s pretty much the only comparison).

I was worried that it might be a bit too hard for daily driving, but it isn’t. In fact, I think I would prefer slightly stiffer springs or damping. Someone coming from a stock 228 might see a bigger difference in stiffness, but from a M235i all I can say is the very scientific « Yes it’s stiffer, but it also feels more solid and more comfortable ».

I went with 0 toe up front and about -2 camber all around. The car now chases down « tracks » on the highway a bit more than before but the steering feels more alive. I have not driven the car much yet but the most obvious improvement is in transitions - there is less body roll and the car reacts faster.

I also put on adjustable Hotchkis end-links in the front, set to the lowest amount of « pre-load » for now. I’ll probably get the same in the back (and probably change the swaybar at least in the back before the next alignment).

Overall it does not feel like an obvious « aftermarket suspension » - it just feels like a more solid OEM, which is nice.

Track
I’m not a great driver, and I only do 3-4 events a year usually. It was not worth measuring times before/after as too many other variables including my own consistency would make a much bigger difference anyway.

I am going to the track tomorrow for the first time with them, I’ll report back.

I’m expecting a reduction in body roll, faster transitions, and hopefully the ability to put the power down a bit earlier (don’t have a real diff yet), so you will get my anecdotal data on that in a few days.


UPDATE: POST-TRACK REVIEW!

So I tried them for an entire day at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, which is a great track. I had not driven there since last fall on OEM shocks, so unfortunately I don’t have « fresh » memories of them, so of course none of this is very scientific.

The thing that was most noticeable for me was stability under braking. In a M235i at this track, you reach probably 130mph or so before a relatively heavy braking zone, and the track is a bit bumpy there. With the OEM suspension I always felt a bit uncomfortable there, the front of the car seemed to have a bit of a mind of its own. Now, it is much more planted, while being compliant enough to not leave the asphalt while I am braking.

The additional stiffness and camber (from dropping the car) seems to have helped me put the power down as well, though if you overdo it, there is less compliance allowing acting as a buffer between the throttle and the road. I really need a diff next year, why do they have to be so expensive?

As I said, I’m not someone who does track days 20 times a year, I have not measured times before or after, so all I can really say is it really made the car more confidence inspiring for me, without being too harsh. A good driver would still beat the hell out of me on a stock suspension, but it has made lapping more enjoyable for me.

Bottom line
The shipping problems left a sour taste in my mouth. Maybe it was bad luck but looking at this thread and how they pack their stuff… I am not sure I would buy them again.

If we ignore those issues though, it seems like a solid package to get better suspension on a F22 while remaining streetable even on bad roads and eliminating wheel gap.

I changed my top plates while I was at it to get new ones with bearings, and now that I have about -2c camber everywhere I will look and see if I can fit a wider square setup when these tires are done.

Damptronic is nice, but the effect is not so pronounced that I would hate the car if it was always on the hardest setting. I think I would be totally happy with a manual version of this and electronic suspension delete. Then, I would have more settings to try.

So TL;DR: Are they worth it? If you receive them in good shape, yes.
Would a manual version be worth it? Yes, if I could save the money and just go with the manual version now I probably would.
Are they streetable: Absolutely
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Last edited by Gepeto; 05-26-2021 at 06:55 AM.. Reason: Adding more photos
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      05-14-2021, 01:24 AM   #2
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Yellow&Blue team

Oh wow your kit came in pretty rough, def worst than mines. #Feels and the frustration.
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      05-17-2021, 09:23 AM   #3
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Thanks Gepeto!

I read your replies in the other thread. I had a question or two.

Can you detail again how much more LOWER you think the front and rear could go down?

Your car def looks like it isn't lowered too much. Which is great as many folks looking at this setup are not too interested in slamming their cars.

Did you possibly measure before and after heights? No big deal if you didn't.

You review is spot on with other fwiw. Although the springs are stiffer, the shocks are designed and built with these rates in mind for this chassis. So I am not to surprised they don't feel crashy or stiff. As others have said, they simply provide more control and better handling because of it.

With that said, how is the body roll in comparison to stock?
Did you end up going to the track?

Thanks Gepeto! Your feedback is really helpful...

josh
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      05-26-2021, 06:49 AM   #4
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Hi! I will measure the car probably this weekend, it has a bunch of garage appointments this week and I need to find a flat place.

As for the track I will update my original post in a minute!
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      05-27-2021, 09:43 AM   #5
spidy512
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Thanks Gepeto! I really appreciate your help. here. I am almost ready to pull the trigger....

josh
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      06-12-2021, 09:30 AM   #6
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Gepeto,

Can you remind me what camber plates you used?

Thanks!
josh
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      06-16-2021, 08:47 AM   #7
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Great review, looking for the same package as my car's shock absorbers are out.
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Mo
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      06-18-2021, 11:23 AM   #8
Gepeto
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Quote:
Originally Posted by spidy512 View Post
Gepeto,

Can you remind me what camber plates you used?

Thanks!
josh
I don’t have camber plates. I did replace the top plates with brand new OEM ones while doing this, cause why not.

I have K-MAC bushings:

BMW 193616-8H . Front
Camber Inner Arm Adjustable Bush Kit Bushing (Pair)
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