BC Racing Coilovers

[TwoK4drSi]

I've got this on my list of things to do. UP does have that threaded damper but it's a fixed length and not really designed for height adjustment. It's also very expensive imo. My friend has been the test mule for those dampers in the last part of his autox season. It definitely helped his experience substantially. He nearly swept the season iirc and by an even larger margin once these dampers got on there.

I have something in the works so that people can get good dampers to work with things like Eibach/UP, or stock springs.

This BC coilover out of the box cannot work with factory springs however. There are several things that need to be done such as a custom uppermount or adapters for the factory mount. In addition to that is a custom lower spring perch for the OEM spring. Both of which UP has done with their "Autox" damper setup.

I do know the 16k front and 6k rear isn’t balanced at all for the street....probably out of the box drift setup. Would definately order a higher spring rate for the rear and for sure. A friend and myself were thinking about doing aircups on these since they fit the requirement on depth and diameter. Too bad you’re in Cali....I’d take you up on your offer.

 

[P3D-R]

I do know the 16k front and 6k rear isn’t balanced at all for the street....probably out of the box drift setup. Would definately order a higher spring rate for the rear and for sure. A friend and myself were thinking about doing aircups on these since they fit the requirement on depth and diameter. Too bad you’re in Cali....I’d take you up on your offer.View attachment 625936

Last I spoke to them they had changed the spring rates from 16/6. Honestly those rates don't make much sense to us in regards to wheel rates. The wheel rates/frequencies don't match front to rear so most of the Taiwan/Chinese setups concern me. I'm also not a fan of cups. I've had them before. They can be loud and clunky. In addition to that the cup will only lift as much as the static weight of the vehicle compresses the spring. With 16kg up front that might not generate much lift. In addition to that when the cups aren't filled it's possible the springs will be loose and make noise. I ended up adding helper springs to my setup on my other cars so that we can keep them positioned correctly at all times.

 

[TwoK4drSi]

Last I spoke to them they had changed the spring rates from 16/6. Honestly those rates don't make much sense to us in regards to wheel rates. The wheel rates/frequencies don't match front to rear so most of the Taiwan/Chinese setups concern me. I'm also not a fan of cups. I've had them before. They can be loud and clunky. In addition to that the cup will only lift as much as the static weight of the vehicle compresses the spring. With 16kg up front that might not generate much lift. In addition to that when the cups aren't filled it's possible the springs will be loose and make noise. I ended up adding helper springs to my setup on my other cars so that we can keep them positioned correctly at all times.

This is good information. Thank you. It looks like only fortuneauto (ALS) makes one more cohesive as that is one unit and not an “add on”. Other than that you can pay the premium on KW and their HLS.

 

[6H057]

If you want a better option than the Eibachs and are on a budget, just go for

Tesla Model 3 18+ (Dual Motor AWD) - FIVE8 Industries

Other than that you are just a few hundred dollars away from MPP Comforts.

I've heard good things about BC Coilovers, but that was in the past.

What have you heard about five8? 8k/8k rates don’t sound bad

 

[P3D-R]

What have you heard about five8? 8k/8k rates don’t sound bad

Front rate seems fine but rear doesn't. It's not just about that. You have to look at the lengths of the shock bodies in conjunction with the stroke offered. I wish it was just as simple as rates.

 

[6H057]

Front rate seems fine but rear doesn't. It's not just about that. You have to look at the lengths of the shock bodies in conjunction with the stroke offered. I wish it was just as simple as rates.

Thanks for the info. I’m undecided on whether to go Coilovers or springs. I’m trying to budget. I think I’m going to end up with springs since I’m not ready to take the plunge for a set of MPPs. Still can’t decide on Eibach or H&R if I do

 

[TwoK4drSi]

I’m pretty interested in the fact that the shock can adjusted so technically you can reuse oem springs on an adjustable shock. The only reason why higher spring rates are introduced is because of a shortened overall length spring. I feel that using an oem spring and an adjustable damper could be the best of both worlds.

I am still waiting for an aftermarket shock company to come out with just adjustable dampening shocks. Tokico, KYB, Bilstein, etc need to hit this market ASAP. It looks like unplugged is the only source right now.

Rethinking about this a little more...bc the shocks are height adjustable in the body that would mean a reduction of oil volume inside since there is a hollow cavity underneath which. So from what I can visually see:

Pros: modular. Height adjustable with full stroke at non compressed height.

Cons: Less total oil volume, possible chatter at sleeved connection

 

[P3D-R]

Thanks for the info. I’m undecided on whether to go Coilovers or springs. I’m trying to budget. I think I’m going to end up with springs since I’m not ready to take the plunge for a set of MPPs. Still can’t decide on Eibach or H&R if I do

We have had great results with Eibach. I can't comment on HR but we tend to see their springs sag sooner than the others.

 

[6H057]

We have had great results with Eibach. I can't comment on HR but we tend to see their springs sag sooner than the others.

Thanks for the feedback. My only concern with the Eibach set is the 1.4 drop in the back compared to the H&Rs 1.2 all around

 

[P3D-R]

Rethinking about this a little more...bc the shocks are height adjustable in the body that would mean a reduction of oil volume inside since there is a hollow cavity underneath which. So from what I can visually see:

Pros: modular. Height adjustable with full stroke at non compressed height.

Cons: Less total oil volume, possible chatter at sleeved connection

Couple of notes, the UP damping adjustable shocks are designed to be of fixed height. You can put aftermarket springs on them but the dampers themselves are not intended to be height adjustable. This damper was produced to fill a void for the SS class of SCCA Solo 2 afaik.

In addition to setting up these independent ride height and spring preload type of coilovers you need to take into account critical shock lengths, bump vs droop, etc.... It's not as simple as saying you have 4" of bump and can adjust the height at the lower bracket. Now the rear damper gets even more complicated because if the damper length isn't set correctly, considering it's divorced from the spring, you can end up with a lot of issues. This is why most euro companies like KW have fixed damper lengths. It takes all of that potential problems out of the equation. I too was sold by the fact that you can retain all your bump and still be very low but in all reality droop is so important to your ride quality not to mention rebound valving curves. With that said on the Teslas the shock lengths should be set to a specific measurement and if further ride height adjustments need to be made it should be done at the spring. The way the spring rates appear on the BC's you might need helper springs up there to obtain some droop. All this will be accounted for when I begin custom spec'ing some BC's to help those who need a real budget monotube single adjustable coilover.

 

[P3D-R]

Thanks for the feedback. My only concern with the Eibach set is the 1.4 drop in the back compared to the H&Rs 1.2 all around

This hasn't been an issue for us and does baffle me as well. We have looked at several P3D's and compared them to LR AWD without any issues. I have also measured all the part #'s and compared them. It's really interesting why Eibach made the P3D have a shoter rear spring than the LR AWD. Spring rates are identical. Either way H&R probably won't stay at 1.2 for very long. I see them sag as mentioned before. Eibach seems true to their specs from my experience. We also follow the procedure to trim the bumpstops and have found promising results in doing what Eibach mandates. I know some say it's pointless but in our testing it has made a difference.

 

[MODEL+]

Couple of notes, the UP damping adjustable shocks are designed to be of fixed height. You can put aftermarket springs on them but the dampers themselves are not intended to be height adjustable. This damper was produced to fill a void for the SS class of SCCA Solo 2 afaik.

In addition to setting up these independent ride height and spring preload type of coilovers you need to take into account critical shock lengths, bump vs droop, etc.... It's not as simple as saying you have 4" of bump and can adjust the height at the lower bracket. Now the rear damper gets even more complicated because if the damper length isn't set correctly, considering it's divorced from the spring, you can end up with a lot of issues. This is why most euro companies like KW have fixed damper lengths. It takes all of that potential problems out of the equation. I too was sold by the fact that you can retain all your bump and still be very low but in all reality droop is so important to your ride quality not to mention rebound valving curves. With that said on the Teslas the shock lengths should be set to a specific measurement and if further ride height adjustments need to be made it should be done at the spring. The way the spring rates appear on the BC's you might need helper springs up there to obtain some droop. All this will be accounted for when I begin custom spec'ing some BC's to help those who need a real budget monotube single adjustable coilover.

Currently on MPP. But I'm open to testing these custom BC Racing if you make them for SR+ RWD models.

 

[P3D-R]

Currently on MPP. But I'm open to testing these custom BC Racing if you make them for SR+ RWD models.

You have MPP comforts? That's a great product for the price. Why would you switch?

 

[MODEL+]

You have MPP comforts? That's a great product for the price. Why would you switch?

Correct I am currently on MPP comforts. Due to the lack of options available on the market right now for this platform, I want to test out and gain perspective on whats out there and maybe throw in my input or two. I'm working on curating a well informed knowledge base for the Tesla aftermarket. Are you suggesting that these BC may already be an inferior product compared to MPPs? lol

 

[P3D-R]

Correct I am currently on MPP comforts. Due to the lack of options available on the market right now for this platform, I want to test out and gain perspective on whats out there and maybe throw in my input or two. I'm working on curating a well informed knowledge base for the Tesla aftermarket. Are you suggesting that these BC may already be an inferior product compared to MPPs? lol

That is not what I'm implying. I just didn't understand why you would remove the non adjustable MPP comforts. The only way to build a custom suspension is to understand your needs and build them accordingly. With that said I'd have you fill out a "questionaire" so we can spec something for your purposes. LMK if you have a shop or something and I'll work on getting you all dialed in.

 

[MODEL+]

That is not what I'm implying. I just didn't understand why you would remove the non adjustable MPP comforts. The only way to build a custom suspension is to understand your needs and build them accordingly. With that said I'd have you fill out a "questionaire" so we can spec something for your purposes. LMK if you have a shop or something and I'll work on getting you all dialed in.

Understood, it's going down in the DMs

 

[Payjack]

Thanks all for the advice. After all this I think I’m just going to go with the eibachs. The whole pro kit is on sale for $500 right now and includes front and rear sway bars. I really haven’t found any bad reviews except people who don’t like the low rear look. Since I’m mostly looking for looks and a little weekend performance at the canyons I think they will be fine.

 

[cdub715]

If anyone wants my moderate springs from Eibach, I'm willing to let them go for cheap. Located in Orange County.

 

[racing2learn]

I've been distributing BC for California over the past 10 years to fill a void for affordable suspension that's well supported for our dealer network. While they won't have the same valving technology of say KW or Ohlins they definitely can be an improvement over the stock suspension setup because we can customize the shocks unloaded/free length as well as bump. I've already taken apart the oem spec'd BC's so that I can have them custom spec'd to suit our calculations for wheel rate, stroke, etc.... BC is a massive company and many of the other "affordable" coilovers you find on the market from Taiwan are private labeled BC's and will still come through their pipeline but is from a lower end series, V1, hence the reduced pricing. Many of the others are the 50mm shock bodies whereas the BR series is a 52mm shock body. BC does make the DR series as well which will give you the digressive valving that so many talk about. I am looking for someone to test out my custom spec BC's but ideally need someone local to Fremont, CA. If interested lmk. It takes about 4-6 weeks to get them spec'd and to the states.

In regards to installation, there is something technical you need to know when installing a suspension similar in configuration to BC Racing or many other types of similar coilovers that have an independent lower bracket. KW/Bilstein are great in that they make the installation very user friendly because they remove all the guesswork for you by producing a fixed "damper length". I won't go into too much detail but there's a fine balance between droop/rebound and bump/compression travel in relation to the overall "critical shock length". Most consumers are unwilling to pay the costs of setting up a "JDM style" coilover properly and resort to adjusting all the ride height at the lower bracket which is technically incorrect. There's a very good reason why the european brands, Ohlins aside because it's a Yamaha damper, do not believe in these independent lower brackets. It's all about threaded fixed damper lengths and longer strokes. I don't question the europeans when it comes to dampers and other things alike.

If I were to install a BC racing, RSR, etc... type of coilover onto a car it would be a multistep process if I haven't done one before. I would remove the spring, disconnect all the sway bar end links, then install the damper, adjust the length such that under full compression there is no contact with anything including control arms, sway bars, tire to fender liner, etc.... Once that damper length is setup then the spring can go back in and adjustment can be done at the spring just like KW/Bilstein/Eibach/H&R. Many times we will add in a helper spring to maintain spring position if needed. The Model 3 is a bit unique due to the amount of preload and spring rate we run on them for street cars so we have not needed a helper/tender spring as yet up front. Now with Tesla we have another metric to consider which is battery pack contact so add that variable into your damper length adjustments. Ideally we want the bumpstop to be fully engaged before any of these areas can make contact with anything we do not want it to. That's a real short dirty version of some of the basics to consider.

Are you still looking for someone to test out your custom spec BC's?

 

[Schnitz]

That is not what I'm implying. I just didn't understand why you would remove the non adjustable MPP comforts. The only way to build a custom suspension is to understand your needs and build them accordingly. With that said I'd have you fill out a "questionaire" so we can spec something for your purposes. LMK if you have a shop or something and I'll work on getting you all dialed in.

I'm looking for a set of BC's for my Model Y. I've had BC's on 4 different cars - Lexus Ls400, '06 STi, 2000 Mustang GT and a '16 KIA Optima Turbo. Never any issues. I rode them ridiculously low on 2 of them and autoX and road raced 2 of them. Winter & summer. I've had air suspension on many other cars. No issue with the coilover ride quality. Tire profile has always had the greatest effect on ride quality in my experience.