I got in my coilovers, and as anyone should do I took everything apart to check for imperfections in the materials and in the machining.
Design*: 10/10
Well thought out, and there had to be alot of forethought and R&D into the design of these coilovers. These completely eliminate the useable portion of the oem strut tube, and utilizes a design where ride height is adjustable independantly from the height of the spring perch. the strut cartridge threads into a shim that gets welded to the steering knuckle.
If you contact BC north america directly, you can order the coilovers with custom rates and revalved shocks for little to no extra charge.
*Note: they make two different kits. One for the early four cylinder with the 48mm strut housing, and for the "6 cyl" or any car with the 51 mm strut housing.
Finish 9/10
I found nothing wrong, except for a slight ripple in th powdercoating on the front passenger spring. The markings for the camber plates are precise and very legible, as are the markings whick indicate shock adjustment.
Fit: 8/10
Everything lined up perfectly, but as with most coilovers the accomodations for the brake sensors are less than adequate.
The studs for the shock mounts are elongated as if they were designed to be used in conjunction with strut bars, and it comes with new nuts.
In order for these to fit, you have to cut the strut tube so that only 50mm of the tube remains on the spindle. the shim centers over the oem tube and is them welded to the cast steel spindle.
Quality: 8-9/10
The anodizing is very well done, as is the powder coating. everything was very thickly coated, and a good portion of the welded shim stayed raw to ease the welding process. The directions could be more precise, but if you can decode pigeon english you'll be fine.
Pricing:
Well priced and easily affordable. 1050 is what they cost.
this includes:
Camber plates
Single Adjustable shocks
Solid Rsm's
Custom Rates
Custom Valving
its a real bargain when you compare.
H&R Race $330
Gc Plates $340
Bilstien Shocks $425
Rsm's $17.50
Total: 1112.50
(these were the prices that i found when i was looking to upgrade my car)
My First thoughts:
I was a skeptic. I thought that these were going to be total crap, nad upon recieving my coils my jaw dropped.
I am impressed with my investment. For 1100 dropped shipped from taiwan with my rates and valving, i am very happy.
the shocks have 31 settings, with one knob controlling both rebound and compression. the camber plates are a pillowball mount, and they allow for up to 4 degrees of camber adjustment. Aside from the wait for my welder, the install went very smoothly, taking me a total of one hour to install and tune the ride height and dampening.
The Drive:
I am by no means a professional race driver, but i do enjoy a good bit of mountainous roads and have adapted my driving style to suit the car's tendencies. The drive to my home in this rain has really kept me on my toes if you know that i mean
I ordered my spring rates at 10k/12k (roughly 550F/675R). I have the front shocks set to 21 and the rear at 24, and it feels very
smooth and controlled. the ride is not harsh, and the shocks do an excellent job of taming the springs. the car drives very predictably now even with oem sway bars. It corners flat, and rotates very well under power. You can even get away with braking post apex in tight corners and the car will follow and rotate with the gas.
there is a very very nominal understeer in higher speed situations like coming onto a ramp for the freeway(70+mph). i remedy this by:
rev match from 5th to 4th . in fourth let of the gas and lightly touch the brakes until you feel the car rotate . select fifth gear and power out.(TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK)
the car is also a hell of a lot easier to drift, and i feel like i have to work less to keep the rear end out. There is no wheel hop, and it does not snap oversteer or straighten out unless i make it.
When just cruising, the ride is so smooth and tolerable, granted that the roads dont look like the moon's surface. the car did not bounce around or scrape anything, and the shocks are far from bottoming out.
I feel like this setup accentuates the nimbleness and intimacy we e30 enthusiasts have come to appreciate from this classic RWD platform and i would reccomend it to someone ready to build a track ready e30.
NEW UPDATE:
My car has 75D poly rtabs, subframe and cabs and motor mounts. I drove my Classmate's father's 87 325ic, and the rear end on that car did not feel as nimble or responsive through the corners.
***The first thing anyone should do is get stiffer bushings, its really is like night and day with a proper suspension***
__________________
B.pinoy
Design*: 10/10
Well thought out, and there had to be alot of forethought and R&D into the design of these coilovers. These completely eliminate the useable portion of the oem strut tube, and utilizes a design where ride height is adjustable independantly from the height of the spring perch. the strut cartridge threads into a shim that gets welded to the steering knuckle.
If you contact BC north america directly, you can order the coilovers with custom rates and revalved shocks for little to no extra charge.
*Note: they make two different kits. One for the early four cylinder with the 48mm strut housing, and for the "6 cyl" or any car with the 51 mm strut housing.
Finish 9/10
I found nothing wrong, except for a slight ripple in th powdercoating on the front passenger spring. The markings for the camber plates are precise and very legible, as are the markings whick indicate shock adjustment.
Fit: 8/10
Everything lined up perfectly, but as with most coilovers the accomodations for the brake sensors are less than adequate.
The studs for the shock mounts are elongated as if they were designed to be used in conjunction with strut bars, and it comes with new nuts.
In order for these to fit, you have to cut the strut tube so that only 50mm of the tube remains on the spindle. the shim centers over the oem tube and is them welded to the cast steel spindle.
Quality: 8-9/10
The anodizing is very well done, as is the powder coating. everything was very thickly coated, and a good portion of the welded shim stayed raw to ease the welding process. The directions could be more precise, but if you can decode pigeon english you'll be fine.
Pricing:
Well priced and easily affordable. 1050 is what they cost.
this includes:
Camber plates
Single Adjustable shocks
Solid Rsm's
Custom Rates
Custom Valving
its a real bargain when you compare.
H&R Race $330
Gc Plates $340
Bilstien Shocks $425
Rsm's $17.50
Total: 1112.50
(these were the prices that i found when i was looking to upgrade my car)
My First thoughts:
I was a skeptic. I thought that these were going to be total crap, nad upon recieving my coils my jaw dropped.
I am impressed with my investment. For 1100 dropped shipped from taiwan with my rates and valving, i am very happy.
the shocks have 31 settings, with one knob controlling both rebound and compression. the camber plates are a pillowball mount, and they allow for up to 4 degrees of camber adjustment. Aside from the wait for my welder, the install went very smoothly, taking me a total of one hour to install and tune the ride height and dampening.
The Drive:
I am by no means a professional race driver, but i do enjoy a good bit of mountainous roads and have adapted my driving style to suit the car's tendencies. The drive to my home in this rain has really kept me on my toes if you know that i mean
I ordered my spring rates at 10k/12k (roughly 550F/675R). I have the front shocks set to 21 and the rear at 24, and it feels very
smooth and controlled. the ride is not harsh, and the shocks do an excellent job of taming the springs. the car drives very predictably now even with oem sway bars. It corners flat, and rotates very well under power. You can even get away with braking post apex in tight corners and the car will follow and rotate with the gas.
there is a very very nominal understeer in higher speed situations like coming onto a ramp for the freeway(70+mph). i remedy this by:
rev match from 5th to 4th . in fourth let of the gas and lightly touch the brakes until you feel the car rotate . select fifth gear and power out.(TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK)
the car is also a hell of a lot easier to drift, and i feel like i have to work less to keep the rear end out. There is no wheel hop, and it does not snap oversteer or straighten out unless i make it.
When just cruising, the ride is so smooth and tolerable, granted that the roads dont look like the moon's surface. the car did not bounce around or scrape anything, and the shocks are far from bottoming out.
I feel like this setup accentuates the nimbleness and intimacy we e30 enthusiasts have come to appreciate from this classic RWD platform and i would reccomend it to someone ready to build a track ready e30.
NEW UPDATE:
My car has 75D poly rtabs, subframe and cabs and motor mounts. I drove my Classmate's father's 87 325ic, and the rear end on that car did not feel as nimble or responsive through the corners.
***The first thing anyone should do is get stiffer bushings, its really is like night and day with a proper suspension***
__________________
B.pinoy
Comment