Bilstein b6 damptronic

[doctorGolfR]

I’ve consulted bilstein and they told me they are not meant for lowering springs not even a small drop. I consulted many performance shops and they said they will likely reduce the life of the shock, I’ve consulted h and r, and other spring companies . Some said b6 Are not good with lowering springs, others said they are ok but will likely reduce the life of the struts a bit. There was even a shop that told me that hes seen some B6 Damptronic dampers fail on oem springs.
If people want to take a chance with them thats their choice. Ill take the advice of Bilstein themselves. Like i said they were expensive and i dont want to chance it.
The idea that the b6 handles a sport spring has soley originated from anecdotes unsupported by the manufacturer themselves, as well as some spring companies. If you want I have all the emails from them that i can show you.
I dont plan on tracking the car.

Do whatever you want! The real-life positive experiences of all of us shouldn't (and clearly don't) matter to you!

My MK7 R drives like a dream on H&R front/rear sways, Bilstein B6 damptronic/Eibach Pro Kits, CSS knuckles, a front subframe deadset kit, and RS3 style solid rubber front LCA bushings. The smoothest and most responsive vehicle I've ever owned.

 

[Greg_mk7]

Do whatever you want! The real-life positive experiences of all of us shouldn't (and clearly don't) matter to you!

My MK7 R drives like a dream on H&R front/rear sways, Bilstein B6 damptronic/Eibach Pro Kits, CSS knuckles, a front subframe deadset kit, and RS3 style solid rubber front LCA bushings. The smoothest and most responsive vehicle I've ever owned.

Ive ordered the rear sway bar but when it comes to the springs people can do what they want, its not that peoples experiences dont matter to me. Im trying to choose objective information instead of subjective information. You may be right that you might not have issues with the b6 or oem dampers with lowering springs but im listening to the manufacturer(bilstein) and other companies that ive been going back and forth with and am trying to make the best educated decision that i can. I appreciate your feedback, dont want to insult anyone.

 

[tigeo]

I’ve consulted bilstein and they told me they are not meant for lowering springs not even a small drop. I consulted many performance shops and they said they will likely reduce the life of the shock, I’ve consulted h and r, and other spring companies . Some said b6 Are not good with lowering springs, others said they are ok but will likely reduce the life of the struts a bit. There was even a shop that told me that hes seen some B6 Damptronic dampers fail on oem springs.
If people want to take a chance with them thats their choice. Ill take the advice of Bilstein themselves. Like i said they were expensive and i dont want to chance it.
The idea that the b6 handles a sport spring has soley originated from anecdotes unsupported by the manufacturer themselves, as well as some spring companies. If you want I have all the emails from them that i can show you.
I dont plan on tracking the car.

I undestand. Many folks have gotten mixed info from Bilstein on this subject. Your stuff here so for sure do what you are comfortable with! There is not a single mechanical reason that a spring that is long enough to maintain preload on a stock-lenght damper (or B6) will damage the B6 as it's the same damper as the B8 (per Bilstein). For the life of me I can't understand how that is possible by the damper simply being 1" shorter. Think about this w/r Koni - Koni Sport (yellow damper) - works for either/same length for a stock spring or a lowering spring.

 

[Klrider44]

I have the B6 damptronics on my GTI and haven’t had any issues with the VWR DCC compatible springs. I would think if you’re going with the B6’s get a spring that is compliant with the DCC. There are a few people that make springs specifically designed to work with DCC (VWR and 034 come to mind off the top of my head). I don’t know what makes them compliant but I would assume it’s not a big drop in height to keep the DCC system happy. Been pretty happy with my B6’s and it’s only getting better with the DSC DCC tuner. Just my two cents.

 

[Greg_mk7]

I undestand. Many folks have gotten mixed info from Bilstein on this subject. Your stuff here so for sure do what you are comfortable with! There is not a single mechanical reason that a spring that is long enough to maintain preload on a stock-lenght damper (or B6) will damage the B6 as it's the same damper as the B8 (per Bilstein). For the life of me I can't understand how that is possible by the damper simply being 1" shorter. Think about this w/r Koni - Koni Sport (yellow damper) - works for either/same length for a stock spring or a lowering spring.

I think it’s probably because the are adaptive dampers and they have alot more going on in them than b8 and koni yellow which are non adaptive, regardless of length.

 

[tigeo]

I think it’s probably because the are adaptive dampers and they have alot more going on in them than b8 and koni yellow which are non adaptive, regardless of length.

And you certainly may be correct - I'm not sure familiar with the adaptive dampers. Bilstein has told others without DCC the same - "don't use B6" - I call BS.

 

[Greg_mk7]

Has anyone ever put s3 springs on a golf r?
Im thinking about going this route since the spring rates are 310 front, 360 rear, and pretty much same ride height as the golf r, so no drop for the struts.

 

[slipperywhenwet]

Installed Bilstein B6 DCC with OEM springs a little over 2 weeks ago (about 450kms ago), on my '19 R with 86000kms on it.
Was immediately angry that I didn't do this earlier. The crashy, poorly damped, terrible rebounding OEM feeling is completely gone. In its place is suspension that feels like a significant step-up in every way possible.

OEM+ is the perfect way to describe them. They're not full-on race struts, and they don't pretend to be. The B16 DCC were tempting, but felt too "focused" for the way that I drive my car.

The B6 DCC feel like they're the perfect option for someone who daily drives their car with a mix of city and long highway runs, but also likes to rip out into the mountains in the evening or the weekend, and most importantly, prefers that their back doesn't feel like it has been hit with a hammer when the drive is done. If your car is being tracked regularly, I'm not sure that these will give you what you're looking for, but for 85% of owners out there, damn is this a nice upgrade.

 

[Greg_mk7]

Installed Bilstein B6 DCC with OEM springs a little over 2 weeks ago (about 450kms ago), on my '19 R with 86000kms on it.
Was immediately angry that I didn't do this earlier. The crashy, poorly damped, terrible rebounding OEM feeling is completely gone. In its place is suspension that feels like a significant step-up in every way possible.

OEM+ is the perfect way to describe them. They're not full-on race struts, and they don't pretend to be. The B16 DCC were tempting, but felt too "focused" for the way that I drive my car.

The B6 DCC feel like they're the perfect option for someone who daily drives their car with a mix of city and long highway runs, but also likes to rip out into the mountains in the evening or the weekend, and most importantly, prefers that their back doesn't feel like it has been hit with a hammer when the drive is done. If your car is being tracked regularly, I'm not sure that these will give you what you're looking for, but for 85% of owners out there, damn is this a nice upgrade.

I also have b6 damptronic on oem springs, I definitely feel like the oem springs are too soft for these struts. The car feels like it almost bounces off small bumps and still has too much roll, especially the front. Feels crashy over bumps yet soft at the same time. Feels better than the oem struts but still not happy. I bought a pair of s3 springs ( spring rate 310 front and 360 rear, virtually same ride height as the R) and will be installing them this week. Picked them up for 100$ so if they dont ride good not much loss.

 

[scslite]

Do B8s come as damptronic as well? Where can they be sourced in the US?

 

[Greg_mk7]

No they dont make b8 damptronic

 

[slipperywhenwet]

I also have b6 damptronic on oem springs, I definitely feel like the oem springs are too soft for these struts. The car feels like it almost bounces off small bumps and still has too much roll, especially the front. Feels crashy over bumps yet soft at the same time. Feels better than the oem struts but still not happy. I bought a pair of s3 springs ( spring rate 310 front and 360 rear, virtually same ride height as the R) and will be installing them this week. Picked them up for 100$ so if they dont ride good not much loss.

That's interesting to hear. I haven't found the same issue personally, but it would be interesting to swap out the S3 springs and see how they feel, especially at that price! Let us know when you've made the switch.

 

[Greg_mk7]

That's interesting to hear. I haven't found the same issue personally, but it would be interesting to swap out the S3 springs and see how they feel, especially at that price! Let us know when you've made the switch.

Thanks will do.
Couldn’t find much info on anyone who has done it. I regularly get to drive an s3 and love the suspension on that car, the steering programming/feel isnt as good as the R but it is much flatter through corners and doesnt dip and dive as much as the R. Wanted to keep roughly the same ride height but stiffer springs and no aftermarket springs offer that.
Going to be a bit of a guinea pig but I’ll document everything including reight heights before and after and post it.

 

[tmw2442]

The S3 spring rates are not 310/360. RS3 maybe, but the S3 and R are identical...

 

[Greg_mk7]

The S3 spring rates are not 310/360. RS3 maybe, but the S3 and R are identical...

No they are not, s3 and rs3 springs are the same its only the dampers that are different, look it up. R and s3/rs3 springs are different.