BC Racing Coilovers - Comprehensive Review

[socold57]

bc with teh spring upgrade . wow these coils are nice, what settings are you guys on btw right now im on 15 of the 32 and its a great ride for me on streets quite smooth and nice imo.

ive had tein flex on my eg hatch and tanabe sustec pros on my civic coupe and these are just as good.

thanks everyone for the info and low down on the coils:biggrin:

im very happy with them, will buy again

 

[Single Samurai]

I tried a few in the past week.... started at 15 and was nice as well, then tried 20
... very nice then 10 Hard and it was like a Big Go-Kart ... Sweet Adjustability!

 

[Honcho]

I think I'm going to start at 10 all around for street and see how it goes. For Track, I'm thinking 25 F 20 R

 

[RYU]

Guys, just FYI... when adjusting coilovers it's good practice that whenever you make adjustment corrections you always reset to full firm then back it down to your desired setting.

 

[Single Samurai]

Guys, just FYI... when adjusting coilovers it's good practice that whenever you make adjustment corrections you always reset to full firm then back it down to your desired setting.

Good advice, will make sure to do that as I've just been counting
clicks forward and backwards the past couple of times..... Thx!

 

[nsxot1c]

Installed this weekend. Great adjustability and great ride!!!!

 

[dablackgoku1234]

Anyone know the suspension travel length of the coilovers? I'm afraid of bottoming out since i put mine on full soft.

 

[CircuitMotorsports]

BC doesn't have a measured Drop length. But If you are wanting a soft ride I would go with a Swift spring kit, that should be ideal for what it sounds you're looking for

 

[dablackgoku1234]

I have the standard setup, I assume those are 10k springs?

 

[RYU]

The soft ride is due to the spring rate not necessarily the spring brand. Swift springs are simply a "matched" set (for the track guys who care about every Nth of consistency) and hold the specified spring rate under compression marginally better. They are also a bit lighter. HOWEVER, unless the BC springs are that bad (which they're not) it won't matter if you go Swift or BC for most street driving conditions assuming spring rates are equal. Swift springs are the cat's meow but might not be necessary for your driving conditions.

Call BC Racing directly. They're in Florida. They will provide you appropriate setup information.

http://bcracing-na.info/

 

[Honcho]

Anyone know the suspension travel length of the coilovers? I'm afraid of bottoming out since i put mine on full soft.

From my research, I think it is about 2.5 inches. Because of the separate height ajdustment, you have that full travel no matter how high or low you set the ride height.

With dampers like these, it is probably a bad idea to set them at full soft or full hard. If you take a look at the shock dynos posted earlier in this thread, you'll see that full soft gives you virtually no slow speed rebound damping at all. That means you'll be riding on the springs and experiencing that "pogo" effect you see on a '83 buick with blown shocks going over a speed bump. BC sets the damper at 8 from soft at the factory, and based on the dyno plot I wouldn't go much lower than 5. A good way to tune this is to do some slow speed driving over bumps (5-15 mph) and dial out the pogo effect until it is gone. This is a good base street setting.

The hard settings are similar, but it is more of a track issue. Full stiff on the shock dyno shows a ton of rebound damping, such that it is possible the shock will over-control the spring and not allow it to return to neutral fast enough. This can be a problem on a race course, where the time from turn to turn is not enough to allow the suspension to return to neutral. instead, the suspension "jacks down" until it is fully compressed and riding on the bump stops. I probably would not go much higher than 25 from full soft for this reason.

Assuming I can get my car back on the road this weekend, I will test these settings out in more detail, including at the track. I am going to start with these settings:

(Turns from full soft)
Street: F 13 R 8
Track: F 25 R 20

I would be interested to know from Tristan how high the STi and M3 dedicated track cars are going with the BR dampers.

 

[CircuitMotorsports]

The soft ride is due to the spring rate not necessarily the spring brand. Swift springs are simply a "matched" set (for the track guys who care about every Nth of consistency) and hold the specified spring rate under compression marginally better. They are also a bit lighter. HOWEVER, unless the BC springs are that bad (which they're not) it won't matter if you go Swift or BC for most street driving conditions assuming spring rates are equal. Swift springs are the cat's meow but might not be necessary for your driving conditions.

Call BC Racing directly. They're in Florida. They will provide you appropriate setup information.

http://bcracing-na.info/

The Swift springs are a higher quality spring and will provide better ride quality as well as overall handling. Swift only makes springs, and they are some of the best springs available on the market, which is why they perform better than the standard BC springs (although there is nothing wrong with the standard springs).

The reason they ride better is as they compress the rate does not rise, you will see this mostly only in high quality springs. They also do not tend to bind or bend unevenly. The coil count is also less allowing them to compress farther without binding.

 

[CircuitMotorsports]

From my research, I think it is about 2.5 inches. Because of the separate height ajdustment, you have that full travel no matter how high or low you set the ride height.

With dampers like these, it is probably a bad idea to set them at full soft or full hard. If you take a look at the shock dynos posted earlier in this thread, you'll see that full soft gives you virtually no slow speed rebound damping at all. That means you'll be riding on the springs and experiencing that "pogo" effect you see on a '83 buick with blown shocks going over a speed bump. BC sets the damper at 8 from soft at the factory, and based on the dyno plot I wouldn't go much lower than 5. A good way to tune this is to do some slow speed driving over bumps (5-15 mph) and dial out the pogo effect until it is gone. This is a good base street setting.

The hard settings are similar, but it is more of a track issue. Full stiff on the shock dyno shows a ton of rebound damping, such that it is possible the shock will over-control the spring and not allow it to return to neutral fast enough. This can be a problem on a race course, where the time from turn to turn is not enough to allow the suspension to return to neutral. instead, the suspension "jacks down" until it is fully compressed and riding on the bump stops. I probably would not go much higher than 25 from full soft for this reason.

Assuming I can get my car back on the road this weekend, I will test these settings out in more detail, including at the track. I am going to start with these settings:

(Turns from full soft)
Street: F 13 R 8
Track: F 25 R 20

I would be interested to know from Tristan how high the STi and M3 dedicated track cars are going with the BR dampers.

Good info there as usual


Are you asking how high the damping setting are people are using or how high the ride height is?

 

[Honcho]

Good info there as usual


Are you asking how high the damping setting are people are using or how high the ride height is?

Damper setting. I am curious if anyone is getting jacking down isues at the track on full hard (30 clicks)

 

[RYU]

The Swift springs are a higher quality spring and will provide better ride quality as well as overall handling. Swift only makes springs, and they are some of the best springs available on the market, which is why they perform better than the standard BC springs (although there is nothing wrong with the standard springs).

The reason they ride better is as they compress the rate does not rise, you will see this mostly only in high quality springs. They also do not tend to bind or bend unevenly. The coil count is also less allowing them to compress farther without binding.

It sounds like you just repeated what I said. I'm well aware of the quality of swift springs. I obsessed about them and run them. You were equating a soft ride with the spring manufacturer which is a rather broad statement. There's a lot more than that involved.

 

[Honcho]

It sounds like you just repeated what I said. I'm well aware of the quality of swift springs. I obsessed about them and run them. You were equating a soft ride with the spring manufacturer which is a rather broad statement. There's a lot more than that involved.

I think he was equating the ride to the spring material and its mechanical properties. Over a rough surface, the Swift spring will have a smoother, more linear stroke compared to a standard steel spring, with less chance of coil binding. I think this would result in less jarring moments and a smoother ride, i.e., more even contact patch on the road surface. Swift has videos on their website showing the difference. They are amazing springs.

 

[CircuitMotorsports]

Damper setting. I am curious if anyone is getting jacking down isues at the track on full hard (30 clicks)

It varies from person to person. I hear guys running at every setting under the sun. We don't have a dedicated track team with data to go off of although I wish we did haha.

It sounds like you just repeated what I said. I'm well aware of the quality of swift springs. I obsessed about them and run them. You were equating a soft ride with the spring manufacturer which is a rather broad statement. There's a lot more than that involved.

There is a ton involved scientifically and mathematically, I broke it down in its simplest form. Basically a 10k Swift spring will ride better than a 10k BC/Eibach/Tein/Megan/Kw, etc. spring. For the reasons I mentioned.

I think he was equating the ride to the spring material and its mechanical properties. Over a rough surface, the Swift spring will have a smoother, more linear stroke compared to a standard steel spring, with less chance of coil binding. I think this would result in less jarring moments and a smoother ride, i.e., more even contact patch on the road surface. Swift has videos on their website showing the difference. They are amazing springs.

Exactly

 

[RYU]

no one is saying they are not better.. nevermind I am getting too old for this

 

[Honcho]

no one is saying they are not better.. nevermind I am getting too old for this

LOL You can still drive my car at XPO.

 

[Honcho]

Review Update - Driving Impressions

I finally finished the car and was able to take it out for a shakedown run around the block. The point was mostly to make sure I didn't screw up anything in putting the car/engine back together , but I was also able to get an initial impression of the BCR dampers. Note the ride height still is not set and the car has not yet been aligned. I set the dampers to 10 clicks from full soft all around.

In a word: WOW . The best comparison I can make to the street ride is an NSX that I rode in with JRZ's. The ride is fantastic. All of the small undulations and bumps are just soaked up by that big monotube piston, resulting in a glass smooth ride. I aimed for some big bumps and manhole covers to get an idea of the hard bump characteristics and was impressed. Most coilovers give you a jolt that will knock the fillings out of your teeth, but these BCR's are different. I would describe the hit as firm but smooth. There was ever so slight pogo sticking after the bump, meaning that I am still slightly underdamped at setting 10. 12 would probably be about perfect.

While not at track speeds, I did try to hit some hard corners just to get an idea. All I have to say is Swift springs are amazing. They really are linear. Really. I strongly suspect cranking the dampers up to 20 or 25 is going to create a very competent track suspension. I should be heading to the track later in July, so I will report back.

The verdict? Two enthusiastic thumbs up. At this price, I do not think you can buy a better suspension for the NSX. Value index = HIGH.

 

[EK4 hatchback]

Honcho thanks for the review. After see all the posts, i think i will get a set and give it a try since it is not expensive. I current have the +02 NSXR suspension, it is too harsh my gf is going to complain.

 

[CircuitMotorsports]

Glad to see you are enjoying these BC Coilovers Honcho!

 

[Honcho]

Honcho thanks for the review. After see all the posts, i think i will get a set and give it a try since it is not expensive. I current have the +02 NSXR suspension, it is too harsh my gf is going to complain.

The BCR is probably a step down from NSX-R in terms of raw track performance, but, having daily driven my NSX since completing my refresh, the street ride is miles better. I currently am running my 10/8 kit on 10 clicks from full soft front and rear and the ride is superb. The big piston soaks up all the little road imperfections, but the swift springs still provide very sharp and responsive handling. This setting passed the pregnant wife comfort test btw. :wink:

 

[anesthesia]

Thanks Honcho, for the great review, really considering these, I can't decide if I should pay for the extra swift spring since I don't track or drive the car hard, only weekend cruising. Any major difference on the street between the spring if you were just crusing around?

 

[CircuitMotorsports]

Thanks Honcho, for the great review, really considering these, I can't decide if I should pay for the extra swift spring since I don't track or drive the car hard, only weekend cruising. Any major difference on the street between the spring if you were just crusing around?

I'm sure Honcho will chime in again, but so you guys know the Swift springs will make a big difference whether you are just cruising on the street or on the track