Looking at your avatar reminded me of the Senna movie I saw today. So awesome, yet a teared up a bit.
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Best Coilovers for under a grand?
- Thread starter NetViper
- Start date
I'm working on a system for a friend to make his Bilstein shocks height adjustable.... without adding a lot weight (actually reducing the assembly weight) and preventing any rubbing issues encountered with other systems.
I got the front worked out and recently bought a rear Bilstein shock to study and for comparison to OEM and KW.
In this photo you can see that the OEM shaft is much longer than the KW shaft and slightly shorter than the Bilstein shaft.
I got the front worked out and recently bought a rear Bilstein shock to study and for comparison to OEM and KW.
In this photo you can see that the OEM shaft is much longer than the KW shaft and slightly shorter than the Bilstein shaft.
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- Joined
- 11 January 2006
- Messages
- 393
im looking for something not too harsh of a ride, thinking of going custom spring rates with bc racing, 8k/8k vs the normal 10k/10k
you guys think this will ride good, i figure the kw's are like 6k/6k, not using for track use, street weekend type car only
you guys think this will ride good, i figure the kw's are like 6k/6k, not using for track use, street weekend type car only
Are KW's really 6k/6k? If that's the case then I may get some cheaper coilovers with custom spring rates as well. Anyone have experience with custom springs rates in this range on non KW's?
Im not gonna bother reading through the whole thread, but if it hasn't been said already... Bor Chuann, a Taiwanese company, makes the V1 and BR type coilovers for the NSX... otherwise known as Megan Racing and BC Racing respectively. I had planned on importing their stuff and rebranding it to my own specs, years ago before Megan Racing did. A shame, I could be making big bucks.
I talked with ravi about this. He explained the different ways coilovers are made. long story shoet, a 6k/6k on a bc will not be anything like the kw because of the shocks.
I have bc with swift springs and I am very happy with them so far and less than half the cost of the kw v3.
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I have bc with swift springs and I am very happy with them so far and less than half the cost of the kw v3.
Sent from my BlackBerry Runtime for Android Apps using Tapatalk
Me too.
Swifts 10k/8k. Worked directly with BC to set mine up. Gonna do a full review. 
Me too.
Wow! You two were the last I'd have thought to give the BCs a try but im glad you did and eager to hear your thoughts. I was close to buying an 8k/8k setup last year. Swift springs are awesome!
You guys know me by now. I research the living hell out of everything before I do it.
Some interesting food for thought:High pressure monotube
46mm piston
High-temp shock oil
OEM fit- no zip ties, etc.
Independent height adjustment - full shock travel no matter how low you go.
Japan-made pillowball mounts
Custom valving for free
TUV certified
http://www.bcracing-na.com/products.php?view=Technical
JRZ was complimentary of these coilovers on another forum, though they noted they serve different segments of the market. Sometimes you have to take a chance. If they run as good as I think they will, then we may have a new viable option for NSX owners. I will be honest in my review.
I've been running Megans for nearly a year now. I think I'm around 4.25" ground to jack points. At first I didn't think they were too bad but now they are brutal on full stiff and I couldn't really tell a difference with them at full soft. Usually I don't give a damn about the ride quality but I'm either starting to get old or maybe a little too used to my smooth 2012 Golf TDI (I commute 104 miles every day). Starting to ponder a change...but I need low and stiff to run my offsets with less rubbing.
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Wow, I'll make sure to stay away from those. How about the BC or Tein Flex - any reviews on those for street use only?
I will do a full review of my BC's in a few weeks. They are primarily street, but can be used for track as well. BC's G35 shop race car won several time attacks on an off-the-shelf BR kit, which is the same damper offered for the NSX. There are valving limitations such that I would not recommend them for a full-up race car. Of course, neither does BC. I appreciate their honesty. The BR kit compares most favorably feature-wise with the Tein Monoflex and JIC FLT-A2.
Paul...You're timing couldn't have been better...I was speaking with Ravi about purchasing the VRH kit for the 05. He was singing the praises of the BC coilovers. I'm purely a street driver and more of a show than go guy but I didn't want to be seen as cheaping out on the coilvers for the 05 so I was going to go with the KWs. The KW's with the VRH kit through Ravi is $6,000
...with the BCs is $3,900....if you're running BC's...thats good enough for me!
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Group buy on the BC's?
- Joined
- 11 January 2006
- Messages
- 393
Im down for a groupbuy for the bcs with swift springs
Who could we contact to ask about group pricing? I want the swift springs as well.
Honcho, do you plan to corner balance your car? I think it'll be worth it.
I am sure Ravi could do something for you guys. I went through Circuit Motorsports. They are big in the Subaru and M3 world (which is where I found all the info on the BC's incidentally). Tristan was great to work with, and the price was unbelieveable. They were able to work with BC directly to set me up with my specs.
I was going to run straight out and do it but I read a few older threads where Billy questioned the wisdom of doing so on anything but a full race car. He pointed out that a properly corner-weighted car is set up with only you as a driver. If an instructor rides with you, you drive on the street with a passenger, you add back your spare, etc, it will mess up the balance. He also pointed out that the NSX has nearly perfect cross weight as a chassis, so paying $300+ to get that last 1-2% isn't worth it for anyone other than a professional racer. He recommended the following procedure to get you to 98% balanced:
1. Set the front and rear ride heights on one side, making sure there is at least 1/8" of rake front to rear (Shad says 1/2" and I am trying to find out what the NSX-R does on another thread).
2. Measure from the bottom spring perch to the middle of the lower shock mounting bolt for front and rear shocks.
3. Go to the other side of the car and set the shock lengths equal to the first side, measuring the same way.
4. Re-check ride height and make sure it is all correct. Drive around for a few hundred miles and re-check the ride height, re-adjusting if necessary.
Billy seemed to imply that the most critical part of the process is ensuring the shock heights are IDENTICAL left to right. Those threads were from 2009 and 2010, so he may have changed his view. Hopefully he will chime in here.
I have had KW3, but like more of BC Racing.
So happy with the BC Racing and price is okay as well...
So happy with the BC Racing and price is okay as well...
Rake will also depend on the weight you've removed from your car if you've put it on a diet, and also your desired front/rear weight distribution.
If you can borrow some scales, and laser-level your floor, I think you should do your own corner balancing.
You have a 20YO aluminum car. Some of the frames have been "tweaked." Put one of these old cars on a frame jig and see how off they are.
Rake is dependent on your dampers/springs, weight distribution, sways, tires, and how you want it to drive. Unless your tires, weight balance, sways, and dampeners are OEM Type-R or equivalent, your particular car and handling preference may necessitate a different rake than the Type-R. Hope that makes sense.
Dave
If you can borrow some scales, and laser-level your floor, I think you should do your own corner balancing.
You have a 20YO aluminum car. Some of the frames have been "tweaked." Put one of these old cars on a frame jig and see how off they are.
Rake is dependent on your dampers/springs, weight distribution, sways, tires, and how you want it to drive. Unless your tires, weight balance, sways, and dampeners are OEM Type-R or equivalent, your particular car and handling preference may necessitate a different rake than the Type-R. Hope that makes sense.
Dave
Thanks Dave. Message received- get the alignment done.
I will go with the Shad recommendation of 1/2".
Honch, I'm just a hack but I've been playing around with the rake too. It was noticeable for me in the oversteer/understeer department but I was able to tune it out with damper adjustments. Again, i'm a hack so i'm not sure if adjusting the dampers is masking some other problem with my setup but at the end of the day I was able to tune the car to be neutral and predictable and i'm a happy camper.
I also measure my coilover heights with a caliper (hat to perch to lower bracket to eye bolt) so i'm pretty precise in measuring at full droop (no weight on the car). I'm relying on the balanced nature of the Swift springs and the "straightness" of my suspension components in that once the weight is on the car they are relatively even Left to Right. There's just no way for me to measure the height at the at-rest position which is how I feel it should be done.. hence why asked about the corner balance. It's interesting to hear Billy's thoughts that there's only marginal improvements to be gained. After tweaking my car setup this wknd (no corner balance yet) I believe him! I fell in love with my car all over again.
I hope you're happy with your setup as well!
I also measure my coilover heights with a caliper (hat to perch to lower bracket to eye bolt) so i'm pretty precise in measuring at full droop (no weight on the car). I'm relying on the balanced nature of the Swift springs and the "straightness" of my suspension components in that once the weight is on the car they are relatively even Left to Right. There's just no way for me to measure the height at the at-rest position which is how I feel it should be done.. hence why asked about the corner balance. It's interesting to hear Billy's thoughts that there's only marginal improvements to be gained. After tweaking my car setup this wknd (no corner balance yet) I believe him! I fell in love with my car all over again.
I hope you're happy with your setup as well!
OEM rake is closer to 1/2" IIRC. Mine wound up around 1/2" too. Set it there, do a quickie DIY alignment and test drive it and play with the dampening settings.
After you drive it around awhile, go back and change the rake to zero or 1/8". Again, do a quickie alignment, and play around with it.
See what feels best. Obviously, this exercise can take some time and really only makes sense if you have scales or can borrow them to do it yourself.
But once you see the changes in handling that came from changing the corner weights, you'll be much happier with the final results.
Check your local SCCA forums to see who might have scales you can borrow. Most of those folks are really happy to loan them to you and good folks to get to know.
Dave
After you drive it around awhile, go back and change the rake to zero or 1/8". Again, do a quickie alignment, and play around with it.
See what feels best. Obviously, this exercise can take some time and really only makes sense if you have scales or can borrow them to do it yourself.
But once you see the changes in handling that came from changing the corner weights, you'll be much happier with the final results.
Check your local SCCA forums to see who might have scales you can borrow. Most of those folks are really happy to loan them to you and good folks to get to know.
Dave
Looking at BBKs and found these photos from KSport and their QC in AZ:
After 3 years of service, I may send mine back to them to get another dyno plot (to see how they've held up), and possibly a rebuild. It's nice knowing that there is someone in the U.S. to take care of this if when needed. And yes, rebuilds are a necesity over time. Race JRZ's, Motons, Penske's, etc are rebuilt very frequently.
The BC's sound interesting, but until I experience them firsthand, I'd still say the KSports are the top option if people are looking for something inexpensive that has a track record and proven reliability. And I went with the 10kg/mm front / 8kg/mm rear rates - it's a great match for these cars.
Dave
After 3 years of service, I may send mine back to them to get another dyno plot (to see how they've held up), and possibly a rebuild. It's nice knowing that there is someone in the U.S. to take care of this if when needed. And yes, rebuilds are a necesity over time. Race JRZ's, Motons, Penske's, etc are rebuilt very frequently.
The BC's sound interesting, but until I experience them firsthand, I'd still say the KSports are the top option if people are looking for something inexpensive that has a track record and proven reliability. And I went with the 10kg/mm front / 8kg/mm rear rates - it's a great match for these cars.
Dave
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