Bilstein B12 Pro-Kit Review

breaking badly said:

One more vote for the 034 mounts if you pull both sides out anyway.**
I fully agree with Sandman and Geomets.



**The only reason why I didn't suggest them in my last post is that the
other side seems to work fine and you certainly want identical mounts on
both sides.

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OP, the 034 mounts are made of harder rubber and more of it.
I think the OE and ECS mounts bottom out easily. The 034's handle impacts better. Long Life? Will have to wait and see.


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Would B8 dampers pair well with VWR springs? Just filing away for future reference when my stock dampers go kaput.

BlueHen said:

Would B8 dampers pair well with VWR springs? Just filing away for future reference when my stock dampers go kaput.

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The VWR is a little more of a drop than the Bilstein. I am not sure if they are any stiffer of a spring rate but I am sure we could figure that out with some digging around. I think someone made a thread with all the spring rates for lowering springs. I am really liking the feel so far with the B8s and the Eibach pro kits. I would have loved to have gone lower, but seeing as this is my daily, I am really happy with just the 1" drop. I really choose the Eibachs because it is sold as the B12 kit that way. I got a smoking deal on the front dampers and pieced the rest of the kit together. That said, The B8 dampers are shorter than the stockers and made to lower and stiffer springs. I am sure they would still work really well with VWR springs or H&R for that matter.

I am really kicking myself about the strut mounts. For whatever reason, the right side is still will rub here and there. Only on large bumps. Left does not hit. I did the fender screw mod and bent the tabs back but that right side still makes contact over large bumps. Could this be the mount flexing more? I am a big dude and obviously still on the left and over the same dips only the right side rubs. Nothing in corners, just large square edged bumps or big dips in the road.

Sandman GTI said:

OP, the 034 mounts are made of harder rubber and more of it.
I think the OE and ECS mounts bottom out easily. The 034's handle impacts better. Long Life? Will have to wait and see.


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034 mounts are on the list now. Its pretty frustrating that I would have to rip it all completely apart to get to them. But I think the increased stiffness would be welcomed to let the shock and spring do their job better. I am driving about 300 miles on them this weekend so we will see if there are any changes for better or worse.

I changed to 034 mounts and new bearings when I had my MSS springs installed. It's only been around 2K miles, but so far they are silent and solid....and I've hit a few nasty Baltimore potholes. I'm glad I did the upgrade.

BlueHen said:

Would B8 dampers pair well with VWR springs? Just filing away for future reference when my stock dampers go kaput.

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Readthebook bought my B8's to go with his VWRs. I road in his car briefly and it seemed well supported. Would need more of his feedback though.

OP, another advocate here of the 034 mounts. I've had them for 6 months and no issues.


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Luvs2speed said:

034 mounts are on the list now. Its pretty frustrating that I would have to rip it all completely apart to get to them. But I think the increased stiffness would be welcomed to let the shock and spring do their job better. I am driving about 300 miles on them this weekend so we will see if there are any changes for better or worse.

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When I purchased the 034 HD mounts I asked them if they had a HD spring bearing. The reply was not at this time. I asked if they needed a test vehicle when they develop one. They said some were being tested.
So, maybe in time they will have a HD spring bearing.
Add this to the list also.
If the current mounts and bearings do not hold up then coil overs that do not use OE style mounts and bearings might be needed. Not sure if they will cure all issues or if they have their own weaknesses.

Luvs2speed said:

I did the fender screw mod and bent the tabs back but that right side still makes contact over large bumps. Could this be the mount flexing more? I am a big dude and obviously still on the left and over the same dips only the right side rubs. Nothing in corners, just large square edged bumps or big dips in the road.

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Dude, are you 100 % sure you fitted both mounts correctly? They have
a specific orientation and there's a tab indicating it.

BlueHen said:

Would B8 dampers pair well with VWR springs? Just filing away for future reference when my stock dampers go kaput.

Click to expand...

Yeah, they will work nicely, way better than VWRs do with stock shocks.
That said, the B12 prokit will perform even better on bigger bumps due to
the bigger travel remaining because less low than VWRs . . .

breaking badly said:

Dude, are you 100 % sure you fitted both mounts correctly? They have
a specific orientation and there's a tab indicating it.



Yeah, they will work nicely, way better than VWRs do with stock shocks.
That said, the B12 prokit will perform even better on bigger bumps due to
the bigger travel remaining because less low than VWRs . . .

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Yeah I triple checked mount orientation and rechecked. Both are in correctly, the PSS 245 are pushing it I guess even on a 45 ET wheel. It might be time for a little rolling of the fenders, luckily I know someone with a roller.

breaking badly said:

Yeah, they will work nicely, way better than VWRs do with stock shocks.
That said, the B12 prokit will perform even better on bigger bumps due to
the bigger travel remaining because less low than VWRs . . .

Click to expand...

Good info; thanks for the input.

Luvs2speed said:

Yeah I triple checked mount orientation and rechecked. Both are in correctly, the PSS 245 are pushing it I guess even on a 45 ET wheel. It might be time for a little rolling of the fenders, luckily I know someone with a roller.

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You can try pushing the wheels inward while bolting the new mounts to the chassis. You're losing some negative camber (we are talking about centi- here) but you will gain a little clearance, even if it is a couple of mm. Then go to an alignment shop immediately. Poor alignment can cause a little rub if the tolerances are tight.
I would definitely not go for a 245 tyre in the first place, but that's a tip for future reference.

Geomets said:

You can try pushing the wheels inward while bolting the new mounts to the chassis. You're losing some negative camber (we are talking about centi- here) but you will gain a little clearance, even if it is a couple of mm. Then go to an alignment shop immediately. Poor alignment can cause a little rub if the tolerances are tight.
I would definitely not go for a 245 tyre in the first place, but that's a tip for future reference.

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Thanks for the tip! Alignment is happening on Monday. I wanted to give the car some time to settle.

I agree with Geomets on that, 245/40 R18 is extremely tight, but that doesn't
help you as you already have them. You haven't had an alignment performed
yet? Have you been on the stock springs before? If so, your toe value have
been altered noticeably (lowering means loe out on front and increased toe in
on rear). Do you want to get it aligned strictly to factory spec or would you
like to talk about settings?

breaking badly said:

I agree with Geomets on that, 245/40 R18 is extremely tight, but that doesn't
help you as you already have them. You haven't had an alignment performed
yet? Have you been on the stock springs before? If so, your toe value have
been altered noticeably (lowering means loe out on front and increased toe in
on rear). Do you want to get it aligned strictly to factory spec or would you
like to talk about settings?

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I would love to get some recommended settings. I am planning a track day in May but otherwise, this is my daily. I am not bound to factory settings and I am open to all suggestions. Do you think the Alignment will help with the last bit of rub I have? I have an alignment sheet from the stock suspension if you want me to post that up I would be happy to.

Yeah, would be nice you post it up.

As Geomets has mentioned there's very marginal play on both the ball joint to control arm
and the strut mount to body assembly. Though you shouldn't expect this to solve your
issue completely, in your case it's worthwhile making use of it by pushing strut and swivel
inwards while a 2nd mechanic tightening the bolts/nuts. Obviously that needs to be done
before aligning toe.
Unfortunately Volkswagen didn't provide a camber adjustment on front, but only centering
camber by shifting te entire subframe.
On rear I'd set camber to a lower value. Factory spec is -1°45' (some say -1.75°) with a
huge tolerance of 30' (again, some say 0.5°) allowed. Make use of it for a more neutral
handling by setting it to somewhere at -1°20' (-1.33°). Did I mention one dregree is 60
minutes?
Toe settings are highly matter of taste. I'd stick with stock, which is between +0°10' and
+0°15' toe in on front and between +0°15' and +0°20' toe in on rear. The higher rear value
provides proper high-speed stability. Feel free to run even values or even lower toe in on
rear if your familar with a more tail-happy car.

What about swapping the strut mounts before having the alignment done?