Eibach/Koni vs. Bilstein PSS10 for a street setup

[cobra]

I notice the KW V3 don't come up much in these conversations. Is there a reason why? I run them on one of my other cars and really like them in that particular application. Good range of adjustability and not too firm IMO. But curious as to thoughts on our e46 m3s.

KW V3 have been around for a long time. In this conversation it's about Eibach/Koni/Bilstein per the thread title.

In general when picking suspension we consider a few things:
1. Brand. Is it a reputable brand? Knowing if the proper engineering has been done will tell you if the strength, durability, and tuning work has been put into it. Some lesser brands might purchase a damper "insert" and then package it for a lot of cars without actually tuning it specifically for a vehicle.
2. Architecture. The KW V3 is a hybrid shock - it has a bladder and pressurized reservoir so the air never mixes with the oil like with a twin tube. It will perform more consistently for that reason. But.. it is at its heart a twin tube.
3. Tune. This is the huge variable. You can have a poorly tuned race shock perform worse than a basic, simple emulsion shock if the tune isn't right. Bigger brands tend to put more effort into tuning. Aftermarket tuners can also tweak stuff for a given vehicle use case.

I personally think the KW V3 are a fine shock. Better than most others discussed in this thread due to independent compression and rebound adjustment and preload adjust. But not as good as a more specialized race shock. The PSS10 is a nice design from an architecture point of view because it's an inverted strut, but the adjuster is a bidirectional bleed so it changes compression and rebound at the same time, so you have less control than the V3. If they would put a dual adjuster on it, that would probably be the best shock on the market for this car at that price point.

[bullet0770]

I am in the same boat and looking to change my shocks. My car is street only and currently on OEM setup with 80K miles. I don't drive in city, live in suburbs with twisty road which are in decent shape (NC state)

Options: which one should I buy?

1. B6 with stock springs
2. KONI with Stock springs (Rear SA TCK KONI)
3. KONI with Dinan springs (Rear SA TCK KONI)

Thanks in Advance.

[Tbonem3]

B6 all day erryday
with eibachs, but stock is fine, especially if the car is lighter than average.

[SQ13]

I shouldn’t have opened this thread. Now I’m looking at replacing my PSS10s with B6s or Koni Yellows + Eibach springs.

[GreyM340i]

B6 all day erryday
with eibachs, but stock is fine, especially if the car is lighter than average.

Do you know why ECS says the B6 are for stock springs? I currently have Eibach springs.

[SQ13]

Do you know why ECS says the B6 are for stock springs? I currently have Eibach springs.

https://www.bilstein-shocks.co.uk/pages/confused-bilstein-buying-guide

The B12 kit that ECS sells are B8 shocks/struts (shorter B6s) with Eibach springs.

[GreyM340i]

https://www.bilstein-shocks.co.uk/pages/confused-bilstein-buying-guide

The B12 kit that ECS sells are B8 shocks/struts (shorter B6s) with Eibach springs.

Are we sure the kit includes B8 struts? I thought Bilstein didn't make B8’s for the m3

[SQ13]

Are we sure the kit includes B8 struts? I thought Bilstein didn't make B8’s for the m3

No idea. Most vendors state that they’re B8s in the description.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw...t-m3-46-000613

Edit: Per post #27, they might be B6s. But if the B12 kit includes B6s, I’m sure they’ll work fine.

https://forums.m3cutters.co.uk/threads/bilstein-b12.41187/page-2

[bullet0770]

B6 all day erryday
with eibachs, but stock is fine, especially if the car is lighter than average.

Thank You!!

Lighter wheels or you mean no passengers? What is the best place to buy, tirerack?

I shouldn’t have opened this thread. Now I’m looking at replacing my PSS10s with B6s or Koni Yellows + Eibach springs.

😂😂

[Jimbo's M]

I am in the same boat and looking to change my shocks. My car is street only and currently on OEM setup with 80K miles. I don't drive in city, live in suburbs with twisty road which are in decent shape (NC state)

Options: which one should I buy?

1. B6 with stock springs
2. KONI with Stock springs (Rear SA TCK KONI)
3. KONI with Dinan springs (Rear SA TCK KONI)

Thanks in Advance.

I've been on Koni yellows and Dinan springs for about 17 years. Can't say it's better or worse (no experience other than stock), just a nice 1/2" drop, doesn't screw with geometry, and just works. 2 cents.

[bullet0770]

I've been on Koni yellows and Dinan springs for about 17 years. Can't say it's better or worse (no experience other than stock), just a nice 1/2" drop, doesn't screw with geometry, and just works. 2 cents.

Thanks for your reply, I read iyour comments somewhere in other thread as well :P. I am leaning towards B6 with Eibach springs.

[Tbonem3]

Do you know why ECS says the B6 are for stock springs? I currently have Eibach springs.

Probably because B6 don't have much travel at a ride height much less than stock. But, due to their high gas pressure, even with mild lowering springs like eibach and dinan, you'll be very close to stock ride height anyway (front; rear goes down a little [eibach's drop in the rear is greatert han front]). Then, if you want to go lower up front still, though it costs another $400-600, you can get camber plates (particularly vorshlag, GC & TMS) which shed about 5/8-3/4" of height without compromising travel.

[Tbonem3]

B12 kit is B6s with eibachs. Several years ago it was B6s with H&R, but they switched (good decision, H&R front springs are trash).

There are no shortened B8 shocks for E46 M3 because this car already has too little travel if you go much lower than stock height (and don't ramp up the spring rate, which any of these dampers wouldn't be able to control well anyway - maybe koni's with the rebound slowed way down, but I always hated that - GC school kit with like 500/600 rates; never felt good to me.)

[GreyM340i]

Probably because B6 don't have much travel at a ride height much less than stock. But, due to their high gas pressure, even with mild lowering springs like eibach and dinan, you'll be very close to stock ride height anyway (front; rear goes down a little [eibach's drop in the rear is greatert han front]). Then, if you want to go lower up front still, though it costs another $400-600, you can get camber plates (particularly vorshlag, GC & TMS) which shed about 5/8-3/4" of height without compromising travel.

This is my current ride height with stockish shocks and eibach springs. You think it would ride higher than this or similar? Hopefully the picture shows it well.

[Tbonem3]

Thank You!!

Lighter wheels or you mean no passengers? What is the best place to buy, tirerack?


😂😂

Lighter overall (fewer options, no sunroof, components removed, light mods like battery, cf airbox, cf trunki, etc), talking about sprung weight, which increases spring rate, effectively, so that you get less body roll, though you can also install swaybars too.

Best price will depend on your patience - I find best price by searching by part #s, then comparing vendors as some do or don't charge shipping and/or tax (despite the law changing to require sales tax; some still don't).

My latest bilstein purchase (November, for E90, B8s) was via Autozone because they had a 20% sale that I couldn't believe applied to bilstein suspension! Other vendors that have low prices on bilstein are shock surplus, throtl, bimmerworld depends on what coupon codes you can find and sales. If you don't want to work too hard, it looked like Bimmerworld's price was about the best, though FCP wasn't much more and you can get another set for almost free in the future, presumably.

Though I think bilsteins have lifetime warranty for original owner, hsould something go wrong, prematurely.