Another "What Coilovers Should I Buy?" Thread

[CMBusch]

So I'm starting to wrap up my two and a half year E30 project and I'm looking into getting the suspension sorted. The intention of the car was to be a track car without any NVH taken into consideration.

Some Background:
1985 318IA Sedan with stroker M50 swap and manual conversion
Re-enforced subframes/trailing arms
All bushings replaced with solid delrin
Disc brake conversion
51mm strut housing conversion
Z4 manual steering rack
etc.

I'm considering the following options:
Fortune Auto
GC/IE coilover kit with Koni Race struts
AST 2000 series with adjustable camber plates
BC (I get a good discount through our drifter support program)

I'm well read on the GC/IE coilover kit and BC coilovers. However, I don't find too much on the other two options. I would greatly appreciate any info on people's experiences, especially regarding a track focused setup.

[Reichart12]

I have nothing to add in terms of quality, but I can say GC has typically has a sale on coilovers for Black Friday if you want to wait and save a bit.

[Metallated]

BC was the perfect match of quality and affordability for me, plus they get super low.

[CMBusch]

Thanks for the input! Both GC and BC are tempting options due to the number of people running them.

[Jb325is]

BC's are basically street only IMO. They are not going to offer you much control, or setup feedback/consistency on track. I have them on my x5 m and they are complete garbage, can't control the springs that they were spec'd/sold with anywhere in the adjustment range. I have heard good things about them on e30's, maybe they're better with a lighter car or maybe the people that own them just don't know any better. Either way, not an option for a track car if you're looking to develop the car at all or progress with the setup.

Fortune Auto, I feel that they're the same as BC's. People get angry about that, but the hardware is certainly the same and I have yet to see any objective evidence to tell me otherwise. You do see some actual race cars with Fortune Auto's installed but it's almost always some obscure series like Time Attack and I get the feeling they're on the car because they were free.

GC makes a good full kit, but not sure what GC/IE parts you're talking about here. Konis are proven and a great dual purpose street/track setup. I would have concerns about longevity with Koni yellows on a heavily used track car, rebuilds can be expensive as well.

AST's are a legitimate damper manufacturer. Not familiar with 2000's though.

What's your budget?

[SkiFree]

Fortune=BC private label w/maybe some extra Worchester sauce.

Your other options are fine, just depends on your budget at that point.

[CMBusch]

Thanks for the help!

Yeah sounds about right from what I've heard about BC. They're on the good end of cheap, not the cheap end of good. My reason for considering them is the driver support program I get through BC because of the drift events I work/volunteer at(I don't plan to drift my E30, that's what E36s are for). It's 25% off the whole set with an extra set of Swift springs with custom spring rates.

Now that you mention it, I think you're right about Fortune Auto being the same as BC. I get why people get mad about it though, they spent an extra couple hundred dollars for the same stuff. They do come available with custom spring rates and have a better warranty, but the similar list of upgrades seems suspicious.

Regarding the GC/IE setup, I would be piecing it all together with the coilover conversion, rather than buying the whole spindle/coilover. It's starting to seem that CG is the best option, although I'm not too sure about what benefit there is to buying the dampers through CG instead of just the spring/adjuster conversion.

On further inspection, the AST 2000s aren't even recommended for track use and only have a height adjustment. The next level up is the 5100, which is $3800 and has height and dampening adjustment, but not camber/caster plates. Ideally, the 5200 is what I'm looking for in terms of features, but it's $5000.

As a college student without a steady income, my original budget was around $1500. I have a feeling I should be expecting to spend around $2000 or more. I'm fine with saving up for a proper setup, but I'd rather not wait over two years to get the AST 5200s. Looks like GC is my best option. Would it be worth the extra money to get the complete setup instead of the conversion kit?

[SkiFree]

Would it be worth the extra money to get the complete setup instead of the conversion kit?

In your case, no. The GC or IE parts kits will deliver %80-%90 what the big dollar setups will, just on a DIY basis (perfect for college student). Plus you'll already be loads ahead of the BC stuff.

[CMBusch]

Thanks for the help everyone! It seems like GC is the best option for me. Thankfully I can piece it together as funds allow.