BoldUlysses' 540i/6 Log & Thread o' Questions

[Binjammin]

Wow, and I thought your 525 was clean.

[BoldUlysses]

Both cars are about as clean as they get in those pics. The lighting, etc, hides the oxidation on the 525's roof, among other things...

[Binjammin]

Wat?

I thought your 525 was clean, and it is, but the 540 next to it is immaculate, so the 525 looks filthy in comparison.

[BoldUlysses]

The 525 definitely has its share of dings and scrapes compared to the 540, which is incredibly clean and dent- and scratch-free; I guess I just don't see how you're seeing that from those pics. Sure you can see the spot of bird crap on the hood of the 525, but overall I though the picture showcased the car pretty well and hid most (all?) of its defects.

Eh. Ain't no thang.

[clevertd]

Where's the M50 going?

[Binjammin]

He's scrapping it tomorrow, better get any parts off him now before it's too late.

[BoldUlysses]

Where's the M50 going?

It's all but sold to a forum member. Should be gone on Friday.

- - - Updated - - -

Are Bilstein Sport shocks going to be acceptable with the stock springs, or should I get the Konis?

[ShapeShifter]

Get the Konis. You will be happy with the few extra dollars spent. I find that my front Billie sports crash pretty hard on really bad roads.
Be sure to buy new mounts too. I would buy the parts as cash allows and install it all at once.


I got my B&B from LM Performance. They have the best price hands down.

http://www.lmperformance.com/185777/.html

If you can save a couple hundred buying a used one from Tyler, jump on it.

[BoldUlysses]

Thanks Pat. I'll hold out for the Konis. Don't want any crashing. Are you still on stock (M-Tech) springs?

[ShapeShifter]

No, I have billie sports and eibachs. I really like the eibachs but I want to be a little lower in the front.
I will be selling these off soon. Perhaps you would want the springs? They should work really well with the Koni's.

The LowTec is another option for you. They are $525 shipped from Mel and include springs (your choice of drop), strut inserts, front strut mounts and rear shocks.

I should have this Lowtec setup here in the next week or so. I really liked the spring rates and shock valving and had no crashing on my touring with them.
I opted for 45mm/40mm springs.

[BoldUlysses]

Good info. I'm bleeding through my budget pretty quickly, so I'm going to have to be selective at this point about what I replace/upgrade... Will let you know about the springs. I had a set of Eibachs on my old Supra that I liked a lot.

[Leonator134]

I'm on Billies and stock springs and the ride is perfect and I have never bottomed out. Just want to dispel any billie hate.

[jbondbmw]

I just read through the whole thread. Very exciting, Matt! I'll be sure to check back for more updates.

Props to Fox for showing how helpful of a group the E34 people are.

[ShapeShifter]

I'm on Billies and stock springs and the ride is perfect and I have never bottomed out. Just want to dispel any billie hate.

Do you have sports?

I don't think there is anything to dispel. If enough folks who actually have sports and have reported the crashing, are giving a subjective substantiated viewpoint, there is truth to it.
I wouldn't necessarily say the car bottoms out, its the internal bump stops that are found in the sports that bottoms out (harshly) before the spring reaches full compression.

The sport rears are actually valved very nicely and never have these problems. Its only the fronts.

Guys who have had their sports custom valved at bilstein seem to fix the inherent problem.

I never had any problems or crashing with H&R's and Billlie sports on my e24, I liked them enough that I bought the same setup 3x for 3 different E24's.
Based on years of driving that car with the Billie sports, I thought some of these guys were nuts and had some other problems till I experienced it myself.

[BoldUlysses]

I just read through the whole thread. Very exciting, Matt! I'll be sure to check back for more updates.

Props to Fox for showing how helpful of a group the E34 people are.

Thanks Mike! And yes, big thanks to Fox.

I wouldn't necessarily say the car bottoms out, its the internal bump stops that are found in the sports that bottoms out (harshly) before the spring reaches full compression.

Yeah I don't want that. I guess I'll pass on these, then:

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum....php?t=1999116

[K Fox]

I'm on Billies and stock springs and the ride is perfect and I have never bottomed out. Just want to dispel any billie hate.

You can try to dispel the hate all you want - but for a daily driver, Bilstein shocks suck. I have HD's on my 94, and I hate the way it rides. Still stock (tall as hell) springs, so they're soft and all, and it rides worse than the 6 speed does. Bilsteins are not comfortable - they're more....because racecar. I've also had Bille's on another car of mine for over 10 years, and it totally sucks for daily use. They're simply way too stiff, and the bumpstops in them are too long (interfere too early). I won't buy another set of them probably ever - if I want 'racecar' handling, I'll go coil-overs, and if not I'll want something comfortable.

Also, aren't you currently being rode in OT for driving you car like an octogenarian?? You likely don't push it hard enough to know if the shocks crash...

Fox (being playful today....)

[PorscheH6]

Bilsteins on e34s are terrible, absolutely horrid. Try a Koni and you'll be sold for life.

[Leonator134]

You can try to dispel the hate all you want - but for a daily driver, Bilstein shocks suck. I have HD's on my 94, and I hate the way it rides. Still stock (tall as hell) springs, so they're soft and all, and it rides worse than the 6 speed does. Bilsteins are not comfortable - they're more....because racecar. I've also had Bille's on another car of mine for over 10 years, and it totally sucks for daily use. They're simply way too stiff, and the bumpstops in them are too long (interfere too early). I won't buy another set of them probably ever - if I want 'racecar' handling, I'll go coil-overs, and if not I'll want something comfortable.

Also, aren't you currently being rode in OT for driving you car like an octogenarian?? You likely don't push it hard enough to know if the shocks crash...

Fox (being playful today....)

Then I must hav sports because I don't experience any of that. In fact, I am extremely content with the current set up for daily use.

I haven't been pushing my car lately because the motor mounts are leaking. Which can lead to colossal failure should they fail, namely the driver's side. New poly mounts arrived yesterday.

[ShapeShifter]

You might have Bilstein Tourings, they do not have the internal bump stop and there are not very many if any, complaints about them. A great shock for a stock set up.

The sports have more of a problem than the HDs due to a shorter stroke. I'm not sure if the HDs have an internal bump stop.

[AndrewH]

Get the Konis. You will be happy with the few extra dollars spent. I find that my front Billie sports crash pretty hard on really bad roads.
Be sure to buy new mounts too. I would buy the parts as cash allows and install it all at once.


I got my B&B from LM Performance. They have the best price hands down.


http://www.lmperformance.com/185777/.html

If you can save a couple hundred buying a used one from Tyler, jump on it.

This. Billy sports suck, I've got Konis on the M3 and I would never go back to the bilsteins.

[K Fox]

I'm not sure if the HDs have an internal bump stop.

They absolutely do. The only difference between the sports and the HD's is the actual length - they are otherwise identical.

Fox

[bubba966]

Try a Koni and you'll be sold for life.

This.

And now while Koni's are on sale why would you not get them? Koni's on stock springs in my Touring are awesome.

[BoldUlysses]

Konis on the way.



I'm going to order front and rear shock mounts:



Anything else I need?

[ShapeShifter]

I'm not sure if the konis require new bump stops or not.
I'm pretty sure I had bump stops on my Porsche spec konis.

[thatonedood]

IDK what's needed up front, but for my rears I got new hex mounting bolts for the shocks, spring pads and all the locking nuts, plus some other stuff that may not be needed:

Ordered some more parts:

HEX BOLTH07110
[Part#: 07119914829] Bmw 2 3.49
PROTECTION TUBEH3110D
[Part#: 31331134314] Bmw 2 1.6
WASHER-GASKETH3310D
[Part#: 33521129567] Bmw 2 1.21
GUIDE SUPPORTH33410
[Part#: 33521132270] Bmw 2 36.56
SUPPORTH33530
[Part#: 33521136063] Bmw 2 2.44
SELF-LOCKING HEX NUTH3310D
[Part#: 33521137747] Bmw 2 0.67
SPRING PAD UPPERH3310D
[Part#: 33531133670] Bmw 2 4.16
SPRING PAD LOWER331060
[Part#: 33531133671] Bmw 2 6.1
ADDITIONAL SHOCK ABSORBER R333550
[Part#: 33531135624] Bmw 2 16.46
SELF-LOCKING COLLAR NUT072000
[Part#: 07119905374] Bmw 6 0.47