BC Coilovers
#1
BC Coilovers
I would like feedback on why the BC Coilover is generally heralded on scoobynet as the recommended coilover for the Impreza, when their general appraisal in the rest of global Scoobymania is pretty poor - wrx.au clubWRX.net sidc NSIOC etc.
Criticism runs a wide berth from insufficient droop, not enough extended length (similar issue), inconsistent and compromised valving, higher maintenance than a fixed perch damper, more noise, to name a few
What can explain the SN BC love?
Criticism runs a wide berth from insufficient droop, not enough extended length (similar issue), inconsistent and compromised valving, higher maintenance than a fixed perch damper, more noise, to name a few
What can explain the SN BC love?
#2
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This should be interesting.
For reference, having witnessed BC coilovers perform faultlessesly in competition this year I've decided to buy some. I've gone for the Inverted RM series.
Havent tried them yet but the quality if them looks superb.
Here's some pics of mine.
For reference, having witnessed BC coilovers perform faultlessesly in competition this year I've decided to buy some. I've gone for the Inverted RM series.
Havent tried them yet but the quality if them looks superb.
Here's some pics of mine.
#5
I would like feedback on why the BC Coilover is generally heralded on scoobynet as the recommended coilover for the Impreza, when their general appraisal in the rest of global Scoobymania is pretty poor - wrx.au clubWRX.net sidc NSIOC etc.
Criticism runs a wide berth from insufficient droop, not enough extended length (similar issue), inconsistent and compromised valving, higher maintenance than a fixed perch damper, more noise, to name a few
What can explain the SN BC love?
Criticism runs a wide berth from insufficient droop, not enough extended length (similar issue), inconsistent and compromised valving, higher maintenance than a fixed perch damper, more noise, to name a few
What can explain the SN BC love?
Heres a rally kit with longer dampers, extended damper travel and low rate assister springs to allow an additional 50mm of droop:
Every single damper is dyno tested after manufacture with its rates recorded and each kit is assembled with matched dampers so Im not wure where the inconsistant damping comment comes from.
There is no additional noise compared to road kits unless you go for a rose jointed camber adjustable rear top mount.
The advantages that the ride height adjustment, damping rate adjustment camber adjustment, the way the kits can be tailored to meet your exact needs more than make up for the minimal maintance the kits need.
Think on that some the biggest tuners in the UK are happy to recommend and supply the BC Racing range of coilovers. Roger Clark Motorsport, Fensport, Sumo Power, Larkspeed, Scooby World, Amber Performance, Abbey Motorsport, Graham Goode to name but a few. These guys wouldnt supply a product they didnt feel was value for money and fit for purpose as its not worth it in the long term.
Last edited by bren@apex; 09 November 2011 at 09:38 AM.
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#8
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We can dial in greater droop should it be required but for road and most track use its not. The BC Racing Impreza of Duncan Graham was showing some higher corner speeds than the outright Time Attack pro championship winning Evo. Dunc was losing out on the straights due to less power and an H pattern box but he was certainly performing on the corners.
Heres a rally kit with longer dampers, extended damper travel and low rate assister springs to allow an additional 50mm of droop:
Heres a rally kit with longer dampers, extended damper travel and low rate assister springs to allow an additional 50mm of droop:
I cannot see a price on the website or these described, can you show me where these are talked about and rough pricing?
I'm not in the market just yet, I already have coilovers I am happy with. But I'm looking at getting a classic and having some fun with it so am looking at suspension options.
#9
Its £20 per strut extra to add the assister spring and platform.
We dotn offer them because we dont find them necessary. If you have rough roads then you need a softer sprung kit. the more softly sprung the kit is the greater static sag you get and so the greater droop youll have.
A Classic on our 4/3kg.mm kit will run approx 29mm greater front and 38mm greater rear droop than a 6/5kg.mm kit giving total droop of approx 88mm front and 95mm rear.
The reason we dont offer the kits with assister springs by default is because we dont see a need for them for the vast majority of cars.
We dotn offer them because we dont find them necessary. If you have rough roads then you need a softer sprung kit. the more softly sprung the kit is the greater static sag you get and so the greater droop youll have.
A Classic on our 4/3kg.mm kit will run approx 29mm greater front and 38mm greater rear droop than a 6/5kg.mm kit giving total droop of approx 88mm front and 95mm rear.
The reason we dont offer the kits with assister springs by default is because we dont see a need for them for the vast majority of cars.
#10
Scooby Regular
90% of the time coilovers are supplied and fitted when decent adjustable shocks and lowering springs are more than capable and a cheaper options.
As far as BC, well depends who you ask as to what folks think, bit like all products.
As far as BC, well depends who you ask as to what folks think, bit like all products.
#11
What adjustable shocks with decent springs with camber adjustment are available? Bearing in mind that from when we used to supply a lot of dampers and springs we nearly always supplied 4x new damper boots as well because th eold ones were on their way out. So its the cost of 4x adjustable dampers, decent spring set, camber adjustment facility on the front plus 4x damper boots.
We gave up on Koni adjustable dampers and spring combo and KYB AGX adjustable damper and spring combo (spring sbeing Tein, Eibach, H&R) when it because more than apparent that coilovers were coming in at the same money and out performed the adjustable damper/spring combo in terms of ride quality plus you get the added advantage of height adjustment and modular kit form when it comes to replacement parts down the line.
We gave up on Koni adjustable dampers and spring combo and KYB AGX adjustable damper and spring combo (spring sbeing Tein, Eibach, H&R) when it because more than apparent that coilovers were coming in at the same money and out performed the adjustable damper/spring combo in terms of ride quality plus you get the added advantage of height adjustment and modular kit form when it comes to replacement parts down the line.
#12
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My question would be why do you need to change it?
Race cars you need the adjustment for different tracks and setups, but 99% of cars have them fitted and the settings never change untill they go and get replaced (no im not slating a brand off here, just no suspension last 20 years without needing to be replaced)
Race cars you need the adjustment for different tracks and setups, but 99% of cars have them fitted and the settings never change untill they go and get replaced (no im not slating a brand off here, just no suspension last 20 years without needing to be replaced)
#14
Why do you change what? Camber? Ride height? Damping rate?
To maximise the performance from any suspension set up its crucial to have the car aligned properly. You need camber adjustment as part of this alignment process.
Why do you need to set ride height where you want it? Because some people want more or less of a drop than fixed springs allow. We have customers wanting to be able to run above standard ride height, at standard ride height, 30mm drop, 50mm drop, run their car on the floor etc. Fixed springs dont give you this option.
Nor do fixed springs give the option to choose the spring rate to meet your needs and in the same vein adjustable dampers again dont come with any option to tailor the product to meet your needs.
I agree that once set most people generally dont come back and play with the height or alignment but that doesnt mean the adjustment isnt of value when setting the car up in the first instance.
Why would you want to adjust damping? To suit conditions and the environment. The priority on the road for most people os compliancy over ultimate performance or the ability for the suspension not to buck the car into a hedge on bumpy back roads.
But then when on track you want to control the body more so wind the damping up to be able to do so and then back it back off for the ride home.
To maximise the performance from any suspension set up its crucial to have the car aligned properly. You need camber adjustment as part of this alignment process.
Why do you need to set ride height where you want it? Because some people want more or less of a drop than fixed springs allow. We have customers wanting to be able to run above standard ride height, at standard ride height, 30mm drop, 50mm drop, run their car on the floor etc. Fixed springs dont give you this option.
Nor do fixed springs give the option to choose the spring rate to meet your needs and in the same vein adjustable dampers again dont come with any option to tailor the product to meet your needs.
I agree that once set most people generally dont come back and play with the height or alignment but that doesnt mean the adjustment isnt of value when setting the car up in the first instance.
Why would you want to adjust damping? To suit conditions and the environment. The priority on the road for most people os compliancy over ultimate performance or the ability for the suspension not to buck the car into a hedge on bumpy back roads.
But then when on track you want to control the body more so wind the damping up to be able to do so and then back it back off for the ride home.
Last edited by bren@apex; 11 November 2011 at 03:22 PM.
#20
£699 for the BR Series but we offer package deals with Whiteline parts if you want to do other parts at the same time:
http://www.whiteline.com.au/do_segue...=4%2F93-9%2F00
If you let me know what you are doing with the car then I can recommend geometry settings. Just road, road and track, if track then on what tyres?
Thats not really fair now is it. You cant state that he only prefers his BC Racing units because the Exe-TCs were too soft. That implies that he would automatically have prefered the Exe-tcs were they sprung with stiffer spring rates with damping to suit. You dont know what his preference would have been had.
http://www.whiteline.com.au/do_segue...=4%2F93-9%2F00
If you let me know what you are doing with the car then I can recommend geometry settings. Just road, road and track, if track then on what tyres?
Thats not really fair now is it. You cant state that he only prefers his BC Racing units because the Exe-TCs were too soft. That implies that he would automatically have prefered the Exe-tcs were they sprung with stiffer spring rates with damping to suit. You dont know what his preference would have been had.
Last edited by bren@apex; 17 November 2011 at 05:15 PM.
#25
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Ben, what do you mean by droop?
The idea of long suspension travel is great in the real roads we drive on.
With softer springs isn't the probability of bottoming out greater on rough roads?
Last edited by fpan; 19 November 2011 at 12:47 PM.
#26
Scooby Regular
I think I know why some people like them etc. I have them on my blobeye and think they are fantastic better then any suspension I have had on my other subaru as well.
But you have to remeber they have to be set up right etc or they just wont perform.
I think people complain about them because they have probably just put them on without getting them set up or were expecting something else from them as the application was completely different for what they are being used for and what they were intended for.
For example if you are used to the standard suspension and you drive through pot holes like nothing then it won't be the same when you use stiffer suspension.
Some of the forums you mentioned have a lot of american users. Just rember their roads are very different to ours. We have loads of twists and turns which make driving fun. This is where the suspension comes it and you can really appreciate it.
Hope I have made sense lol.
But you have to remeber they have to be set up right etc or they just wont perform.
I think people complain about them because they have probably just put them on without getting them set up or were expecting something else from them as the application was completely different for what they are being used for and what they were intended for.
For example if you are used to the standard suspension and you drive through pot holes like nothing then it won't be the same when you use stiffer suspension.
Some of the forums you mentioned have a lot of american users. Just rember their roads are very different to ours. We have loads of twists and turns which make driving fun. This is where the suspension comes it and you can really appreciate it.
Hope I have made sense lol.
#27
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Its £20 per strut extra to add the assister spring and platform.
We dotn offer them because we dont find them necessary. If you have rough roads then you need a softer sprung kit. the more softly sprung the kit is the greater static sag you get and so the greater droop youll have.
A Classic on our 4/3kg.mm kit will run approx 29mm greater front and 38mm greater rear droop than a 6/5kg.mm kit giving total droop of approx 88mm front and 95mm rear.
The reason we dont offer the kits with assister springs by default is because we dont see a need for them for the vast majority of cars.
We dotn offer them because we dont find them necessary. If you have rough roads then you need a softer sprung kit. the more softly sprung the kit is the greater static sag you get and so the greater droop youll have.
A Classic on our 4/3kg.mm kit will run approx 29mm greater front and 38mm greater rear droop than a 6/5kg.mm kit giving total droop of approx 88mm front and 95mm rear.
The reason we dont offer the kits with assister springs by default is because we dont see a need for them for the vast majority of cars.
Thanks for the reply Bren, was just because you talked about:
"Here's a rally kit with longer dampers, extended damper travel and low rate assister springs to allow an additional 50mm of droop:"
I thought you had some long travel kits rather than just assister springs on a regular coilover.
Cheers
Al
#30
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£699 for the BR Series but we offer package deals with Whiteline parts if you want to do other parts at the same time:
http://www.whiteline.com.au/do_segue...=4%2F93-9%2F00
If you let me know what you are doing with the car then I can recommend geometry settings. Just road, road and track, if track then on what tyres?
Thats not really fair now is it. You cant state that he only prefers his BC Racing units because the Exe-TCs were too soft. That implies that he would automatically have prefered the Exe-tcs were they sprung with stiffer spring
rates with damping to suit. You dont know what his preference would have
been had.
http://www.whiteline.com.au/do_segue...=4%2F93-9%2F00
If you let me know what you are doing with the car then I can recommend geometry settings. Just road, road and track, if track then on what tyres?
Thats not really fair now is it. You cant state that he only prefers his BC Racing units because the Exe-TCs were too soft. That implies that he would automatically have prefered the Exe-tcs were they sprung with stiffer spring
rates with damping to suit. You dont know what his preference would have
been had.
I appreciate how I wrote it could be misinterpreted.
I wasn't having a dig at BC's. IMO they are a very good bit of kit and keenly priced
Out of interest, do they have TUV approval?
Last edited by -Nic-; 20 November 2011 at 06:09 PM.