sjs Posted September 19, 2022 Share Posted September 19, 2022 Hi Gents - great to be back! I know a few on the forum have done the bilstein B8 and intrax spring upgrade. Any long term feedback from the upgrade or comments in general as i can no longer find the threads on the old site! What else would you change 'whilst in there' doing the suspension on a unmodified/oem car. The car is just gone 100k and only had a few arms changed over the years. thanks...Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TH E39M5 Posted September 20, 2022 Share Posted September 20, 2022 Hi Steve. Although I can't comment on the modified route I can say I was very happy with the results I got with new genuine original struts from BMW (which are only available through a dealer as Sachs don't list them for aftermarket). I replaced all the top mounts, rubber spring pads and bump stops as part of the refresh at around 125k miles. I got a big improvement in damping and body control all round but retained that supple nature that makes the E39 so refined and well-behaved on our broken roads. I'm not convinced further stiffness will actually make it genuinely 'better' but peoples' definition of what's good will vary a lot. One final point to add is if this is an original car with only 100k on the clock then adding modifications may not help its long term value, if that is of concern. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 I'm going to chime in and say new OEM is probably best, No e39 M5 experience but i've fiddled on with various suspension set ups on cars over the years and as I get older and wiser I realise now the manufacturers know a thing or two. Unless your building a track car i'd stick with stock 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbrownings Posted September 22, 2022 Share Posted September 22, 2022 Totally agree with above. I replaced my suspension at around 100k miles including Bilstein shocks and Intrax springs after reading some good reviews (and it was a cheaper option than BMW parts). However, I had them removed after six months of bone-shaking driving (on London roads and country lanes) and did what I should have done in the first instance and replaced with OEM springs and shocks. An expensive mistake! To be fair the car sat a little better aesthetically but was really uncomfortable to drive. Fine on the smoothest of roads but terrible on anything else. Also, the Intrax springs didn't seem to cope with the weight of the car (especially the rear) and after only a short time looked compressed and squashed flat in part. So, for me, Bilstein/Intrax is far from an "upgrade". Quite the opposite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vRS_Billy Posted May 17 Share Posted May 17 What about the bolstering B12 kit with the B8 shocks and eibach springs? I was going to do that on my last M5 then sold it and was going to fit to my e39 530d but ended up selling that so sold the kit. Now managed to get another M5 and looking at what to fit to it. Can get the B12 kit for around £750 + what ever the fittings will cost. Might ask cotswold what the price is for new std shocks and springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve VH Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 Any suspension setup will be a compromise, however I have no doubt that the manufacturer will do far more test to find the optimum setting for shock absorbers for the E39, than anyone would in the aftermarket setup. So buy that E39 and enjoy it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duncan-uk Posted June 6 Share Posted June 6 On 17/05/2024 at 01:40, vRS_Billy said: What about the bolstering B12 kit with the B8 shocks and eibach springs? I was going to do that on my last M5 then sold it and was going to fit to my e39 530d but ended up selling that so sold the kit. Now managed to get another M5 and looking at what to fit to it. Can get the B12 kit for around £750 + what ever the fittings will cost. Might ask cotswold what the price is for new std shocks and springs. In my experience Bilstein is good - I had B8s and H&R springs on my e28 - i went too far with solid top mounts but it worked well for my needs which was fast road/track/ second car. I put B6/8 - i cant recall which - with standard springs on my e39 530d - it was ok but standard suited me better and i went back to OE Sachs. For normal day to day i would say go OE, if its a high days and holidays then i would consider a Bilstein set up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vRS_Billy Posted June 7 Share Posted June 7 Cheers mate, yea the car is for fun. Think the bilstein B12 will be the route to go for me, then use powerflex heritage bushes on most arms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjs Posted August 5 Author Share Posted August 5 Just an update: i fitted the B8 shocks and Intrax springs along with an all round refresh of bushes, top mounts, spring pads, bump stops, engine mounts, gearbox mounts..... Car feels fantastic. Out of the 4 dampers that came off i think 2 are not working properly and dont rebound. Honestly it isnt that stiff at all, i have a mk7.5 Golf Gti Performance and it is considerably stiffer as standard. The ride is very good on the M5 and it has only lowered it slightly. Fronts are down about 18-20mm and the rears are only about 2-4 mm lower. So looks wise it looks perfect to me. Have kept the existing OEM springs and dampers incase required in future! cheers...Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.