NO GO Bilstein B8's for E61
10-28-2017, 01:51 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Polk City, FL USA
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My Ride: 2001 M5, 2010 535iXT Automatic
Model Year: 2001, 2010
NO GO Bilstein B6's for E61
Hi Guys n' Gals,
I saw somewhere in this post a person had stated they had put Bilstein B6s on the USA BMW E61 with air bag suspension / Electronic Height Control.
THIS IS A NO GO
1. ECS Tuning website said they would fit.
2. When I got the shocks, they were about 4" longer than the old OEM shocks/dampers. I figured that the OEMs had lost some height due to the leaks, 90k mileage and the Bilsteins weren't compressed.
3. The B6s installed relatively easy, had to pre-compress them, but it went pretty well. THEY PHYSICALLY FIT into the right space(s).
4. After installing, took a test ride, and the EHC (air bag suspension) warning /alert came on within half a mile. The wagon felt like a 50 year old truck with bad shocks.
5. The Bentley manual said to have the dealer reset the EHC, so I was pretty unconcerned, as I already had made an appointment.
6. The dealership reset the EHC, but the warning came right back on,. They went through some trouble shooting efforts to no avail. Everything said the EHC was working within parameters. Kudos to local Lakeland, FL Fields BMW dealership, they only charged me for the minor computer check.
7. My initial thoughts were that the increased height provided by the Bilstein B6s made the air bag system superfluous. This seems to have been confirmed.
8. KUDOS to ECS Tuning -- I called them up, they double checked the B6s against my VIN and found out that no B6 would fit. They offered full reimbursement, including return shipping costs.
9. I decided to go back to OEM shocks. I ordered new shocks, cushions, bump stops, nuts, etc.
10. Earlier this morning I removed the Bilsteins, and installed the new OEMs. After torqueing everything down, I lowered the car. The car was sitting very low, at least an inch of tire was below the fender/wing line. When I turned the car onto accessory, I heard the deep hum of the EHC system booting up. The car returned to normal height.
11. Test drive seems everything is okay.
12. Now to return the Bilstein B6s to ECS Tuning.
I saw somewhere in this post a person had stated they had put Bilstein B6s on the USA BMW E61 with air bag suspension / Electronic Height Control.
THIS IS A NO GO
1. ECS Tuning website said they would fit.
2. When I got the shocks, they were about 4" longer than the old OEM shocks/dampers. I figured that the OEMs had lost some height due to the leaks, 90k mileage and the Bilsteins weren't compressed.
3. The B6s installed relatively easy, had to pre-compress them, but it went pretty well. THEY PHYSICALLY FIT into the right space(s).
4. After installing, took a test ride, and the EHC (air bag suspension) warning /alert came on within half a mile. The wagon felt like a 50 year old truck with bad shocks.
5. The Bentley manual said to have the dealer reset the EHC, so I was pretty unconcerned, as I already had made an appointment.
6. The dealership reset the EHC, but the warning came right back on,. They went through some trouble shooting efforts to no avail. Everything said the EHC was working within parameters. Kudos to local Lakeland, FL Fields BMW dealership, they only charged me for the minor computer check.
7. My initial thoughts were that the increased height provided by the Bilstein B6s made the air bag system superfluous. This seems to have been confirmed.
8. KUDOS to ECS Tuning -- I called them up, they double checked the B6s against my VIN and found out that no B6 would fit. They offered full reimbursement, including return shipping costs.
9. I decided to go back to OEM shocks. I ordered new shocks, cushions, bump stops, nuts, etc.
10. Earlier this morning I removed the Bilsteins, and installed the new OEMs. After torqueing everything down, I lowered the car. The car was sitting very low, at least an inch of tire was below the fender/wing line. When I turned the car onto accessory, I heard the deep hum of the EHC system booting up. The car returned to normal height.
11. Test drive seems everything is okay.
12. Now to return the Bilstein B6s to ECS Tuning.
Last edited by sfcacique; 10-31-2017 at 05:11 AM. Reason: Wrong model/part number
