The new B16 kit offers OEM levels of fit, finish and ride quality, coupled with significant improvements in handling. Everything included in the kit has been designed and produced entirely in-house in Bilstein’s cutting-edge German production facilities.

Thanks to precision-machined threaded steel bodies, the Bilstein kits offer 20mm of ride height adjustment from a lower starting point, which equates to a drop of between -30mm and -50mm. This is regarded by most engineers to be the most that it is possible to lower a vehicle before handling becomes adversely affect and safety is compromised.

The B16 kit represents the pinnacle of suspension performance, allowing the owner to fine-tune the ride height and stance to suit their own needs. Each damper unit has nine steps of adjustment, with bump and rebound being changed together in a carefully pre-set ratio to ensure that the car retains impeccable manners. With a damping range that offers either limo smoothness, track control or indeed, anything in-between, the B16 kit truly allows you to have two cars in one.

As with all Bilstein performance products, this kit has been extensively proven. Not only in Bilstein’s extensive laboratory set-up, but more importantly, at the Papenburg test facility, where Bilstein have their unparalleled research centre. Here, both kits were ‘shaken down’ by real, live test drivers, to ensure that these upgrades don’t just work well in a computer simulation, but can offer ride quality and peerless handling whether fully loaded or on the poorest of surfaces.

As you might expect from the World’s leading original equipment manufacturer, both kits carry full TUV approval and 12 months warranty. The complete B16 is priced at £1550.00 + VAT.

The new parts are aimed at two markets. Firstly, as superior performing, cost-effective replacements for vehicles that were factory fitted with CC discs, and secondly, to be combined with Tarox calipers as the ultimate motorsport fitment for teams looking for unparalled performance combined with extended durability and heat handling capability.

TAROX Carbon Ceramic brakes offer significantly greater retardation over a wide heat range, thanks to their unique construction. The discs feature a continuous monolithic fibre structure which avoids the need of a specified layer of friction material. This construction method provides a far stronger disc structure as well as offering the added benefit that the disc can be resurfaced and reused.

Most commercially available carbon ceramic discs are of a two part moulded cut fibre structure featuring a ‘core’ and a ‘friction surface’. The core is usually a lesser material with typically, a 0.5mm bonded layer of friction material bonded on top.

However, the continuous fibre monolithic structure of the TAROX carbon ceramic discs equates to a higher thermal conductivity, allowing the brake rotor to achieve lower bulk temperatures during a braking application. The cooler running temperatures directly lower the oxidation rate of the disc improving its lifespan. This also benefits the lifespan of the brake pad.

The rate of wear on Carbon Ceramic discs is determined by oxidation – a process that occurs at high temperature when the rotor is exposed to the air around it. Oxidation levels are measured in terms of weight loss and surface texture. The disc surface will begin to feel rough with the onset of oxidation.

Due to the superior design structure, when compared to a typical composite ceramic disc the TAROX discs are 43% stronger when destruction tested back to back.

TAROX Carbon Ceramic disc 23.7 kJ of energy required @ 7400 rpm (560mph)
Typical Carbon Ceramic disc 16.6 kJ of energy required @ 6250 rpm (470mph)

TAROX Carbon Ceramic discs have been dyno tested against typical ceramic discs to monitor deterioration at key temperature ranges. The following figures show a comparison;

TAROX Carbon Ceramic disc 4 hour cycle @ 900 °C resulted in a 12.5% loss of weight
Typical Carbon Ceramic disc 4 hour cycle @ 900 °C resulted in a 19 % loss of weight

TAROX Carbon Ceramic disc 4 hour cycle @ 700 °C resulted in a 7.5% loss of weight
Typical Carbon Ceramic disc 4 hour cycle @ 700 °C resulted in a 15% loss of weight

The range launches with 23 fitments, covering outside diameters from 283mm right up to 420mm and features a wide range of thicknesses from 26mm to 40mm. In other words, almost all commercially required sizes.

Despite the clear technical advantages over the competition, the Tarox Carbon Ceramic range starts at a reasonable £2210 + VAT per disc.

For more information on the Tarox range, please click to http://en.tarox.com/ or call the UK team on 01706 222 872

The first of many enhancements to roll out of Forge’s Gloucestershire factory is this superbly engineered induction kit for the 1.6 Turbo variant. Featuring a custom-wound silicone induction hose and a high quality, non-oiled cotton gauze cone filter, the kit offers a proven gain over the restrictive factory box and filter. Thanks to the filter itself having a much higher flow rate than the restrictive OEM paper element, coupled with the carefully sculpted and smoothed airways of the hose, dyno gains of 6 bhp over the stock airbox have been recorded on an independent dyno. Naturally, tuned or remapped vehicles can expect to see higher gains still.

As enthusiasts have come to expect from Forge, the kit contains everything needed for a quick and easy fitment, including high-quality stainless steel clamps and clear, concise instructions.

So, with proven dyno gains, even on a standard car – and the promise of more for those looking to tune further, the Forge DS3 induction kit must be a de rigeur fitment at just £164.27 + VAT.

For more information please visit www.forgemotorsport.co.uk or call 01452 380999

The new kit has been designed to be fully compatible with all versions of Nissan’s latest ‘Godzilla’ and is a true ‘plug and play’ fitment, integrating with all factory electronics. As you would expect from this talented trio, handling ability has been taken up several notches, but without sacrificing ride comfort. In fact, thanks to the vastly superior internals of the damper unit, ride quality is significantly improved, particularly on cars still wearing ‘Run Flat’ tyres.

Offering enhanced body control, allied to an impressively aggressive stance and rake change, the Litchfield kit, once correctly fitted and aligned, will massively reduce the car’s natural propensity to understeer, whilst simultaneously transforming steering feel and accuracy. The lower stance and superior surface damping not only appeal visually and dynamically, but also offer increased high-speed stability on both road and track.

The kit is a true technical tour de force, thanks to Litchfield unparalleled access to both Eibach and Bilstein’s OEM development teams. The damper units are produced to OEM standard, but feature a unique custom shim stack and revised piston design, developed in conjunction with Litchfield’s engineers. This offers the driver significant improvements over the factory dampers, with low speed ride comfort being utterly transformed with much more compliance. As one would expect from Nissan’s original supplier, the dampers retain all Comfort, Normal and Race modes.

The springs have been through the same extensive development process, with the R&D being undertaken by the same design team that is responsible for Eibach’s F1 and WRC programmes. The front springs have been developed from a specification derived from the German firm’s multiple title-winning NASCAR range, whereas the rears have been wound in Eibach’s Special Projects division as a bespoke item.

The damper bodies have been finished at Bilstein’s Ennepetal factory in a hard wearing silver powder coat finish and the Eibach springs have been pre-stressed, shot peened and then electrostatically powder-coated in the motorsport ‘Himmelblau’ hue.

Rear Anti Roll Bar

Although the new spring and damper kit can be fitted in isolation, owners looking for the ultimate GT-R package will also opt for Litchfield’s custom rear anti-roll bar set up. Once again, this has been produced exclusively for Litchfield, by Eibach, and benefits from extensive testing in all manner of road and track conditions. The bar features innovative new geometry developed by Litchfield’s engineers and is fully adjustable with 5 individual settings to allow owners to set the car up to suit prevailing weather or track conditions – or indeed, personal preference.

The thicker rear bar reduces body roll through increased design stiffness over the OEM part. Developed on Eibach’s motorsport production line, they are manufactured from cold-formed, high-strength aircraft-grade steel for precision performance, and finished with the long lasting ‘Himmelblau’ powder coat finish to match the springs. The anti-roll bar comes complete with all new bushes to further improve response and precision.

The Litchfield Kit has taken over 12 months of development, including comprehensive back to back testing of every model year of GTR as well as comparisons against the leading aftermarket solutions.  This ensures all the GTR’s suspension control systems work perfectly and the long term reliability is as good as the original dampers. The kit benefits from a comprehensive 2 year warranty on all components.

The Litchfield GT-R kit offers a more ‘analogue’ link between the steering and the driver, increasing driver confidence, increasing turn-in, reducing understeer and creating a more stable high-speed chassis, particularly over undulating surfaces. Add in the ability to tailor the car to suit driver tastes and makes a compelling package at a very reasonable £2,995 + VAT.

No GTR is complete without it. Please contact www.litchfieldimports.co.uk or call 01684 850999 for more details.

Each kit is hand-assembled in Tarox’s Italian factory and features some unique design features that set it apart from the competition. Based around the race-proven B33 6 piston billet calipers, the Integra kit utilises two 330mm x 26mm two piece discs. The rotor is machined from solid billet steel, making for a disc that will withstand much greater heat cycling without distortion. A precision-machined alloy bell completes the picture, and all components bolt to the existing OEM mounts, integrating perfectly with factory ABS systems, where fitted.

Owners can choose from either the ‘Strada’ street pad, for all-round ‘press-on’ driving, or for those who like to exploit the Integra’s peerless poise on track, the ‘Corsa’ circuit-focussed pad provides more than enough retardation to handle even the hottest of Hondas.

The complete kit is priced very competitively at £1799.00 excluding VAT and includes all fittings, lines and fluid, ready to be fitted.

For more information on the Tarox range, please click to http://en.tarox.com/ or call the UK team on 01706 222 872.

In standard form the car is finely balanced and a brilliant drive, but for those looking to achieve the ultimate in pin-point handling, without upsetting the Suzuki’s superb road manners, Eibach have released a selection of chassis upgrades to endow the Kizashi with unparalleled handling. This is achieved without inducing harshness or spoiling the car’s balance.

The new Eibach Pro-Kit lowers the car by around 20mm and offers a drastically improved stance, better turn-in and lower centre of gravity for decisive direction changes. Working in harmony with the standard dampers, the Pro-Kit rides at almost factory comfort levels, truly offering the best of both worlds. These are priced at £130.87+ VAT.

For more information on the Eibach range of chassis enhancements, please call 01455 285851 or click to www.eibach.com

Pro-Kit ‘Dynamic Benefits’

·         Lowered ride height, more sporty / aggressive appearance

·         Lower centre of gravity, therefore less body roll during cornering

·         Improved braking and accelerating, due to reduced weight transfer between axles (nose diving under braking and squatting under acceleration) – maintaining tyre contact load

·         Improved cornering grip and steering feel

·         Ride comfort preserved whist still improving the vehicle handling (progressively wound)

Pro-Kit ‘Quality benefits’     

·         Full TUV accreditation

·         Industry leading tolerances on spring rate and dimensions

·         Stress relieved, Pre-Set and shot peened – eliminating spring ‘sag’ and vastly improving fatigue life

·         Industry leading corrosion protection – double layered phosphate and electrostatic epoxy powered coated

·         Same high quality spring steel as used in Eibach’s F1 springs!

Not only will the damper giant be unveiling several new products at the show, but will also be showcasing its partnerships with leading race teams/tuners and OEMs. The cars confirmed for the stand will be an Audi TT, complete with the company’s top-of-the-range BILSTEIN B16 adjustable coilover package and to add a dash of British style amongst the finest German engineering, a tuned Jaguar XK-RS from the specialist Jaguar tuner, Spires. This car boasts the latest CATS-compatible BILSTEIN B6 Monotube damper kit, complete with custom-specified Eibach ERS race springs.

As the OEM supplier to the latest Nissan GTR (R35), it comes as little surprise to find that, along with technical partners Eibach Springs, BILSTEIN will also be exhibiting a highly-tuned car from leading JDM specialist and tuner, Litchfield Imports. This car will also be demonstrating the BILSTEIN B6 DampTronic system, which allows the driver to adjust the car’s damping characteristics ‘on the fly’ in response to driving style or changing ambient conditions.

Commenting on the stand, UK sales manager, Aaron Quilter said. ‘The whole team are very much looking forward to ASI 2012. Not only do we have some genuinely exciting new products to show, but also some superb cars to present them with. We very much hope to see all of our industry friends, old and new, there over the two trade days.’

The BILSTEIN stand will be in the Engineering Hall in booth number E720. Please do stop by and take a look.

For more information, please click to www.bilstein.de or call BILSTEIN UK on 0116 247 8930.

In all, the Dutch manufacturer has created some twelve different windings to account for the differing weights and characteristics of the entire range. Also, varying degrees of lowering are available, ranging from 40mm/40mm front/rear through to a more aggressive 70mm/60mm on certain models. The much vaunted M3 version has a unique 30/20mm application.

In each case, the springs have been fully TUV approved and are optimised to work perfectly with the OEM damper set-up. By lowering the car, the Cobra kit endows the recipient Beemer with a superb stance, accentuating its lines and enhancing the sporting nature of the car further still.

Handling is dramatically improved thanks to the lower centre of gravity, and thanks to a careful choice of spring rate, ride quality is hardly affected. In addition, the Cobra springs are shot peened pre-fatigued and heat-treated, before being zinc plated and powder-coated to protect them against the elements. This attention to detail is backed by Cobra’s class leading 5 year warranty.

Kits are available for all and petrol and diesel variants. Prices start from £114.29 + VAT for a set of 4 springs.

For more details please click to www.cobra-suspension.com or call the team on 01530 517920.

This stunningly engineered suspension solution has been designed for both road and racing use and offers an unparalleled balance between track performance and road usability. Both bump and rebound settings can be finely adjusted by race-quality thumbwheels, distinctly, quickly and precisely with no need for specialist tools. Initial fitments will be available from spring 2012 and will cover the VW Golf 6, BMW M3 (E46), BMW M3 (E36) and Porsche 911 GT2/GT3 (997). Other fitments for core tuner and track cars are expected to follow throughout the year 2013.

The BILSTEIN CSC Clubsport coilover suspension incorporates high-grade, OEM and racing quality components and can lower the front and rear of the vehicle between 30 and 55 mm, to suit track conditions or personal preferences. The thumbwheels offer ten levels of rapid and precise bump and rebound, with positive detents to allow the user to ‘feel’ each stage of adjustment. BILSTEIN took the active decision to make these units with an internal reservoir design in order to further reduce the weight of the unit, as well as increasing under-arch clearance for aftermarket wheel and tyre combinations.

Don’t be fooled by the full TÜV approval however, this is a true race-ready kit, which can be ordered with the optional extras of ultra-lightweight aluminium support bearings from BILSTEIN. For those spending more time on track than on Her Majesty’s Highway, BILSTEIN Motorsport can also optimise the damper and spring characteristics to make the recipient vehicle podium-ready.

“The BILSTEIN CSC Clubsport is ideal for sports drivers who want to drive on normal roads but who are also interested in taking their car to its limits on the racing track. Aimed primarily at smaller racing teams taking part in the VLN or the 24 Hours Nürburgring, this suspension represents a cheaper alternative to the BILSTEIN MDS motor sports suspension,” explains Thorsten Schwippert, Director of Sales and Marketing at ThyssenKrupp BILSTEIN Tuning GmbH. “The outstanding performance of this exclusive Clubsport suspension unit stems from the intensive trials we carried out on the Nordschleife and from endurance tests performed at the Papenburg Test Centre.”

The Clubsport suspension will initially be available from spring 2012 for the VW Golf 6, BMW M3 (E46), BMW M3 (E36) and Porsche 911 GT2/GT3 (997). Applications for the BMW M3 (E92), BMW 1 and 3 Series (E87-92), Porsche 911 (1970 to 1989) and Mitsubishi EVO 8, 9 and 10 will then follow in spring 2013. Prices have yet to be confirmed.

For more information, please click to www.bilstein.de or call BILSTEIN UK on 0116 247 8930.

Designed to fit directly onto the existing factory caps, these stunningly over-engineered offerings will fit all VAG 2.0 TSi engine variants, adding a touch of under-bonnet glamour to any cherished or show car, whilst keeping the OEM caps in their rightful place, keeping your local dealer – and warranty cover – firmly onside!

Two finishes are available; tough, anodised black for those favouring a more ‘OEM+’ demeanour and highly polished aluminium for those looking for the ultimate in showfield appeal.

Priced at just £59.00 + VAT for pair of water and oil caps, the Forge parts are the ultimate first or last mod to any cherished car. An essential upgrade for any 2.0 TSi VAG motor!

For more information or to buy this part online, please click to www.forgemotorsport.co.uk or call the team on 01452 380999.