star69me

I just purchased a set of H&R sport springs 1.3 front drop 1.2 rear drop for my 07 550i base model non sport suspension. I told the H&R rep i was going with the bilstein B4 struts/shocks. He told me the B4's are for OEM replacement and stock springs, and they weren't made for the lowerimg spring set up. He said i need to go with the B6. Is the B6 a stiffer hard ride? Can anyone weigh in on this. Im just trying to get it right the first time.

07 550i non sport model

quattromeister

Yes purchased last summer. For me in Seattle they are very stiff. I should have stayed with stock coils and the B4s. Now I am currently also runnning on 17 style 138 and would like to move to the original 124 or 128s but worried that the ride will get worse. Can some weigh in on if the tires will make enough of a difference to make the ride more comfortable? I would consider working out a deal with you if you want the H&R sport springs and sport struts. PM me...

2008 E61 wagon

star69me

I live in jacksonville florida and the roads i drive on are not bad except the crazy lane patterns bc of construction. I have staggered 19s on now and was planning to move up to the concept one 20 inch. Now i have these H&R springs and need the B6. Now im wondering if i should of just bought the B4 and stayed woth the stock springs. What kind of shocks do you have. What roads in seattle are bad. Besides Rainer. Im from seattle. I went to Ballard and nathan hale back in the day

star69me

PM sent

07 550i non sport

KyleB

Eibach pro-kit/ B8s

fin.

star69me

Hey kyle do you think the b6 match with the bilstein sport for the base suspension will do ok. Im thinking of moving up to the concepts one cs20 . Thanks for the chime in. Hey isnt your set up on a 530i

star69me

Not to put you location out there but dont you live in florida also? Hows your streets

KyleB

LOL no problem, yes I am in Florida too. I'm over in Tampa Bay, Pinellas county to be more specific. The roads here are fairly smooth and pothole free. The last time I drove through Jax was last spring, I95 was a mess but other than that I'm sure your 'in-town' streets are about the same as mine.

I don't know why people want to pair B6 Bilsteins with aftermarket lowering springs. As long as I've been modding BMWs (20+ years) B6s have been more or less intended for cars with stock sport suspensions (i.e. an inch or less lower than a standard car), whereas the B8s are for cars that are being lowered with an aftermarket set of springs (1"+). In my opinion, if you are going to lower your car with H&Rs, Eibachs, whatever, you ABSOLUTELY want B8s. Your Eibach rep is right, the B4s will not work for what you are doing.

I have Eibachs and B8s on my E60 and couldn't be happier. The car is properly lowered, and the ride quality is as comfortable as it was when it had the stock non-sport springs and shocks. My wife and parents all ride in it an actually comment on how smooth the car rides, and to this day I don't think any of them know I actually lowered the car. With the springs you are using I would 100% go with B8s. When you do get around to swapping your suspension out, don't forget to replace your strut/shock mounting hardware with new bolts and nuts. They aren't listed anywhere as torque to yield bolts, but for some reason BMW specs that they can only be used once. There are several E60 owners who reused the hardware and had rear lower shock bolts snap on them.

star69me

Thanks KyleB i was about to pull the trigger on the b6. But it make alot of sense to pair the sport prings with the b8 sport struts and shocks. I just hope the weight n of my 550 doesnt drop it too low.

KyleB

It shouldn't. H&R is about as reputable as it gets when it comes to springs. Whatever they specified in the description is what you should expect. My Eibachs are supposed to lower the car about the same, and I do just fine with it. Good luck with your car