SPECIALIST: BILSTEIN
Surprised to hear one of Porsche’s longest-standing OEM suppliers of advanced damping equipment started out as a window fittings manufacturer? Welcome to the wonderful world of Bilstein!
In the cut and thrust world of automotive manufacturing, it’s a genuine achievement for any company to get a decade of sustainable trading under its corporate belt, particularly during these trying times. With this in mind, the fact suspension manufacturer, Bilstein, has remained at the top of its game for almost 150 years tells us much about the people and the products behind the iconic German brand.
Bilstein was created by its eponymous founder, August Bilstein, in Germany's Westphalia region back in 1873. Nobody could have guessed the company's products would one day have such a critical influence on the comfort and safety of transport, primarily because Bilstein was made famous by its metal window fittings, which were sold under the name AUBI, an abbreviation of August’s full name. A series of technical innovations followed, and the revenues earned through patents provided a solid basis for the later successes of what was still a young company.
In order to meet exacting quality demands during the preliminary design and manufacturing of his products, August established his own strip iron rolling mill in 1919. A short while later, his son, Hans, returned to Westphalia from where he’d been staying in the USA, the move enabling him to take over the running of the family firm while exploring new nickel and chrome plating concepts he’d been experimenting with. It was in 1927 that Hans made his first move into the automotive accessories industry: he worked on a joint venture with a Berlin-based lifting gear company, before supplying the first chrome-plated bumper for mass-produced vehicles in 1928. Car ownership was in its infancy, and the opening of the first motorway between Cologne and Bonn was a long four years away, but Bilstein’s reputation for technical innovation saw it have huge impact on what was a burgeoning marketplace — the company began to produce automotive lifting jacks, although its true market niche was yet to be realised.
In 1954, Bilstein recognised the potential in an idea developed by hydraulic suspension system designer, Christian Bourcier de Carbon, a year earlier. His research and subsequent patent concerned the creation of a high-pressure, gas-filled monotube damper designed to eliminate the physical disadvantages associated with
then conventional shock absorbers. De Carbon’s design proposed a light damper that could be fitted in any position, encouraging Bilstein to invest an enormous sum of money in the necessary production facilities, as well as a rigorous research and product development programme. The firm’s enthusiasm paid off: in 1957, the introduction of the first gas-filled monotube shock absorber in a standard production car — a Mercedes-benz, in case you were wondering — is still regarded as a landmark in active driving safety.
Bilstein’s engineers quickly realised this exciting new technology would find its ultimate proving ground in motorsport, leading them to work with Mercedes-benz technicians in preparing a W111 220 SE ‘Fintail’ for the 1960 Monte Carlo Rally. Thanks to superior control delivered by the new damper technology, not to mention the exemplary reliability of the host Mercedes, the car’s appropriately named driver, Walter Schock, won the event. In fact, the 220 SE blocked out the podium, taking first, second and third place. Better yet, Schock would take the driver’s championship that year, setting a blueprint for the Bilstein brand.
GLOVES OFF
Rallying was a major activity for Bilstein throughout the following decades. The company dominated the sport at every level and in every class, becoming the default damper manufacturer for most
BILSTEIN OFFERS A HUGE STOCK OF REPLACEMENT DAMPERS FOR HISTORIC PORSCHES, FROM THE LEGENDARY 356, THROUGH ALL GENERATIONS OF 911
participating teams. Indeed, pick any rally car from this period and you’ll find it was likely running Billies — we’re talking Peugeot 205 T16, Metro 6R4, Rs-badged Fords, the Saab 99, Datsun 240Z, Audi UR Quattro, Lancia’s Stratos and Delta machines, Subaru Imprezas, the Opel Ascona… oh, and let’s not forget the 911! From F1 to transaxles, Bilstein has long had a firm affinity with Porsche motorsport and production cars — whenever the Stuttgart brand has needed a truly effective suspension solution for any of its products, it almost always turned to its long-standing technical partner. It’s a relationship enjoyed by both companies all the way to the present, with Bilstein’s engineers doing their level best to improve the driving dynamics of the current-generation 911. History shows time and again how such experiments aren’t without risk, but Bilstein has risen to the challenge and triumphed on numerous occasions.
Co-operation between the brands the began in the early 1960s. As outlined in recent issues of 911 & Porsche World, our favourite manufacturer was active in F1 as a constructor and, after previous suspension problems, installed Bilstein dampers on the Type 804. Success was resounding: Dan Gurney won the 1962 French Grand Prix, thus securing Porsche a win in the royal class of motorsports. In the following years, cooperation with Bilstein continued — the 906, 907, 908, 910 and 956/962, one of the most successful racing sports cars
ever manufactured, all benefited from Bilstein’s input. The company’s shock absorbers were also increasingly used in Porsche’s road vehicles, which is why in the here and now, Bilstein offers a huge stock of replacement dampers for historic Porsches, from the legendary 356, through all generations of 911, cars in the transaxle family of products and even the 959. Different Bilstein products with different damping rates can be selected, thereby enabling further personalisation to suit your driving style.
Latterly, the availability of Bilstein’s EVO SE for the 992-generation 911 takes the form of a coilover further enhancing the driving experience by way of Bilstein’s Damptronic X technology, which is already installed in the 911 production model. A 30mm drop in ride height — with threads to spare and a technical component report — lowers the host 992’s centre of gravity and gives the car a sportier stance, while impressing with higher cornering speeds, giving experienced Porsche pilots even greater control. Additionally, the EVO SE coilover kit is fully compatible with the newest Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) system and can therefore be easily fitted using the plug-and-play method. In other words, the latest valve technology developed with Porsche is now available in the aftermarket exclusively from Bilstein. Non-adaptive (EVO S) and track-focused (EVO R) options are also available to choose from.
FACTORY FINISH
“How does Damptronic X enhance driving dynamics in the new 911?” we hear you cry. For many years, high agility and premium ride comfort were criteria which practically excluded one another, but Porsche has worked hard to prove the two are mutually compatible. With the design of the 992, Bilstein closely supported Porsche in the development of a Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) damper with updated technology. “When Porsche first contacted us with the requirements of its 992 platform, we already had plans for a shock absorber in which the conflict of objectives between driving comfort and
agility could be resolved,” revealed Dr. Ing. Andreas Rohde, Bilstein’s Head of Technology and Innovation at the time of the 992’s release into the wild. “The Damptronic X damper is equipped with a super-fast switching adjustment valve. Its high adjustment dynamics allow the required damping forces to be altered in a few milliseconds in response to the damping requirement determined by the central control unit. The control concept calculates and adjusts the damping several hundred times per second, depending on the driving situation and wheel requirements. Consequently, both handling and driving comfort, as well as safety, have been increased.”
The development of the system took three years, with testing carried out on the high-speed circuit at Nardo and, of course, on the Nürburgring-nordschleife. The result is impressive: when compared to the 991, the damping force in the 992’s stock suspension boasts up to forty percent more spread. Moreover, Porsche claims it to be faster at every braking point, promoting deceleration with more stability, taking more speed into the curve and following the driving line as if on rails, whipping back into the straight. And this despite Porsche choosing a surprisingly safe set-up.
Bilstein production and testing is based at four main sites, all of which are in Germany. The pretty village of Ennepetal (Bilstein’s home since day one) is the location of the company’s sizeable production facility. The site is a charming sprawl of disconnected buildings documenting the firm’s organic growth. Laboratories, workshops, training centres and design studios play host to over fourhundred employees, though Bilstein’s largest facility is in Mandern. Opened in 1956, it currently employs double the number of Ennepetal’s employees and is dedicated to the production, testing and shipping of an impressive 27,000 shock absorbers and struts each day. Much of the company’s OEM and motorsport work is carried out here, and cutting-edge robotic production lines sit alongside traditional craftsmen abutted by enormous machines producing huge volume product with clinical accuracy. Think 600,000 valve spring washers a day and you’re on the right track!
Real-world testing is taken care of at Bilstein’s impressive Papenburg facility in North Germany and, of course, at the awe-inspiring Nürburgring, where the company has significant involvement and has racked up numerous ‘home wins’. The Papenburg centre is worth having a peek at on Google Maps, not least to get a handle on the scale of the place. Here, all leading German automotive manufacturers test their wares on the venue’s incredible selection of roads, surfaces and tracks, and Bilstein’s own technicians shake down every new upgrade fitment, damper re-valving and re-profiling in order to achieve optimum ride quality. It’s good to know that even when a part is signedoff by computers and dynos, skilled test drivers make final changes to ensure ‘feel’ is even better than figures.
Bilstein has always had a strong presence in the UK, but in 2014, the company opened the doors to its purpose-converted technical centre in the heart of Leicestershire. Housing an impressively gigantic warehouse and logistics hub, Bilstein UK can deliver almost every single one of the company’s thousands of service and tuning parts to any destination across Britain within a day of a customer’s order being placed.
TRADE SECRETS
The centre also houses Bilstein’s Special Projects division, where the likes of Caterham and Ariel have their dampers hand-finished. Plus, the facility boasts a considerable research and development laboratory, with full servicing and upgrade facilities available for manufacturers and race teams to take advantage of. Intriguingly, an area where activities are regarded ‘top secret’ concerns Bilstein’s large defence and military operations. It’s here that a range of technical innovations designed for armoured and bespoke vehicle makers takes place.
To this day, the demands of Bilstein’s customers in the tuning industries, combined with the company’s commitment to motorsport, are what drive the brand’s development and innovation. More than half the teams in the annual 24 Hours of Nürburgring approach the starting line with Bilstein accessories on-board, and the firm’s OEM clients include Aston Martin, Jaguar, Nissan, Porsche, Mercedes-benz, BMW and just about every top-tier sports and prestige car manufacturer you can shake a damper at.
August Bilstein may no longer be around to see how well the company that bears his name has done for itself, but it’s safe to assume he’d be thrilled with his legacy. Not bad for a window-fitting equipment salesman!