BC Racing BR series coilovers

Since there are not a lot of folks with these coilovers, I wanted to write up a quick initial impression after bolting them up last night.

History:

I have never owned coilovers and I have never rode in a car with coilovers. I had always believed that the ride would be too harsh for daily driving. So, being that I work in Manhattan and my Spec B is really just a weekend car, I decided to take the plunge and I purchased a set of BC racing coilovers.

My previous setup was USDM Bilstein struts with Htech springs. I loved the combination for daily driving but it was just a bit soft for my tastes and I wanted the ability to change the ride height if I needed to.

Now to the review:

The coilovers have 30 way adjustable shocks; more info here: http://www.legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61787

When I got the coilover’s I was shocked (in a good way) about the quality of these things. Great powder coated finish, and everything felt very solid…nothing felt flimsy or cheap, it was truly a quality piece; I was very impressed. Besides the finish, I was surprised by the weight difference for the coilover’s vs stock. The 4 stock shocks and springs weigh in at about 80-90lbs (maybe more), the coilovers were 60lbs total…another benefit I was not expecting

Install was actually a lot easier than installing the stock shocks and springs. Since the coilovers are shorter and lighter overall, it was very easy to maneuver these things into place. Total install time was about 2.5 hours start to finish. This is with plain ole hand tools and working by myself with my 3 year old son interrupting and occasionally stealing my tools. I ran into one slight hiccup during install, one of the brake line brackets did not want t bolt up to the shock fully. It was as if the threads were not lining u; not a big deal, but I thought it was important to note.

After I got everything bolted up I took the car out for a ride down some local and bumpy streets (shocks set to 5 clicks from the softest setting)….wow! I was completely taken back by how wonderful these coilovers ride, no bounciness and no large bangs when hitting potholes. With the pillow ball amounts, I expected a much harsher ride; the ride turned out to be about 10%-15% harder than my Htech setup and the HTech setup was VERY close to a stock like ride. This is exactly what I was hoping for. There is a very, very slight increase in road noise, but overall these coilovers are definitely not what I would consider harsh. There was one negative about the ride, over a small series of bumps the suspension squeaks. It is not loud at all but is noticeable driving down local streets with windows down..it sounds like a very low rubber ducky squeak over small bumps. With the windows up, this cannot be heard at all. I will try to diagnose and correct the squeak in the rear, but it is really a non issue for me.

Since I only went for a short ride on local streets my impression on handling is not very detailed. Car feels like it responds a lot quicker than with my old setup, I attribute that the lack of rubber in the top hats. It is hard to explain, but the car just feels more planted around tight bends with less body roll. I did not get a chance to take it on to some twisties or on the highway, so this is all I have to report right now.

Enjoy the new setup. It's good to hear the comparison to the Bilstein/HTech setup for ride quality. I'm thinking of coilovers myself in a year but I was thinking of the Megans from BoostJunkie since I've seen a lot of positive feedback on his customer support. What made you go for the BCs over the Megans? Are they both made by the same company?

I'm currently running Swifts on stock struts with hollow Cobb sways front and rear (with stock links).

great write up!...you must pass my dad in his LGT (white one) on his way to work every morning in Manhattan as he's in NJ too. glad to hear your happy with them...if you have any problems or need some advice on getting rid of the squeak, call up BC, pete will be happy to diagnose and help you fix ANYTHING

ps...he went with these because they are beefier 53mm (externally measured) shocks, locking collars/fixed cup design. Overall a higher quality product with better performance. driving the other brand is like comparing a legacy 2.5i to a legacy gt turbo...get in a car with each...and the results will blow you away.

ps...he went with these because they are beefier 53mm (externally measured) shocks, locking collars/fixed cup design. Overall a higher quality product with better performance. driving the other brand is like comparing a legacy 2.5i to a legacy gt turbo...get in a car with each...and the results will blow you away.

Let the happy camper speak for himself. Bigger isn't always better. I want an OBJECTIVE point of view, not that of the man making the profit.

Let the happy camper speak for himself. Bigger isn't always better. I want an OBJECTIVE point of view, not that of the man making the profit.

I was on the fence between the Megan coils and the BC Racing ones. And although the megans had great feedback and a long track record, not to mention boostjunkies great customer service I decided to go with the BC racing coils for the following reasons:

1- The BC coils had gotten incredible feedback on the WRX sites..specifically regarding ride quality. This was the most important thing for me. The few folks who had them installed on their LGT's loved the ride. The Megans had a few who thought the ride was a little harsh...no such feedback (yet) on the BC coils.

2- BC I believe is the OEM for Megan, I knew the quality would be there.

3. The numbers...I know very little about coilovers so all that info on shock beefiness and locking collars and stuff made the BC's seem to me like a more advanced design.

4. The warantee is I believe slightly better with the BC racing coils.

At the end of the day, it was a very close, but I thought I would take the chance with the newer product that has worked great for the WRX guys...

I have never rode in a megan coil equiped car, so I probably will never know if I made the right choice! But right now I am very happy with my decision.

cool, here are 14 pages of people who dont make profits

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1085379&page=14

i am just the person who took them from being unheard of to a house hold name in the Subaru community.

great write up!...you must pass my dad in his LGT (white one) on his way to work every morning in Manhattan as he's in NJ too. glad to hear your happy with them...if you have any problems or need some advice on getting rid of the squeak, call up BC, pete will be happy to diagnose and help you fix ANYTHING

 

ps...he went with these because they are beefier 53mm (externally measured) shocks, locking collars/fixed cup design. Overall a higher quality product with better performance. driving the other brand is like comparing a legacy 2.5i to a legacy gt turbo...get in a car with each...and the results will blow you away.

Thanks! Squeak is barely noticable and I think it has gotten better after I drove today. I take the train to NYC..I commute 1.2 miles to the train station..I don;t think I will see your dad!

Thanks again for the great service and great product!

cool, here are 14 pages of people who dont make profits

 

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1085379&page=14

 

i am just the person who took them from being unheard of to a house hold name in the Subaru community.

Thanks for the link.

anytime...i have nothing to hide on these...the reason i push them is because of the high quality of the item + low cost (as they perform as well as coilovers $600 more expensive)...also we will have an inverted option for $100 more if anyone else wants them, they are made to order and take a few weeks to come in from overseas.

im doing my best to provide unbiased reviews, like you said, you don't want to hear it from me...thats why i posted that link...any issues that have ever come up, bc racing has fixed with the customer...they have great customer support, so they are with you the entire time you own these.

driving the other brand is like comparing a legacy 2.5i to a legacy gt turbo

I would be absolutely shocked if you have actually ridden in an LGT with the BC coilovers and another LGT with MR's. The MR's are a very nice product, so are the BC's. I'm glad that people are happy with their choices be it with one brand or the other. I never feel the need to promote the products I sell by knocking a competing product.

As for customer service, I always serve as the point of contact for my customers to handle all their warranty issues (which are few and far between) and do not tell them to take it up with the manufacturer.

Just curious spec B, But did you get the milder spring rates? I know IMPORT IMAGE could do custom on those specs. I might need to save up for these bad boys

Let us know when you hit the twisties.

I went with the 6/8K springs...and I am very happy I did. I think a softer spring would have caused some squat under acceleration.

I took it out yesterday for some limited fun since I need to get it aligned. I pushed it hard through some long sweepers and the car felt solid. Before I installed the coils I would get some body roll and then finally the tires would start growling as I reached the limit. With the coils..the car stays very flat..so flat that when the tires started to lose grip at the limit I was surprised...it was like I was waiting for the body roll...it never came. I will try to get the the twisties soon!

On the highway the noise is about the same...the only noise that is a more pronounced is expansion joints. Before with the bilstein/Htech setup I would not even notice them..now with the coils there is a muted small thump on everyone..not loud but it is noticble.

More info to come as I put more miles on these. I love them so far!

So what's the advantage of an inverted coilover, he asked naively?

There may be other advantages but the primary one is reduction in unsprung weight. The shock body doesn't move up and down w/ the wheel like a 'normal' shock/strut so the portion of the wheel and its associated moving components can respond better/faster. Possibly allows for softer damping providing a more comfortable ride?

Just got mine on and went for a short test ride. Holy $%#^@&* I'm VERY picky when it comes to the ride/handling balance of my cars and this setup is as good as any aftermarket setup I've ever driven, period. Ride is comfortable on the smoother bumps, a little harsh on the sharp ones but very few suspensions can handle both. The handling is AMAZING! I took them out on my favorite test road - fairly long and straight w/ some very big dips, then a nice constant radius corner. The rebound damping was superb. On previous setups the biggest of the dips would literally pitch the rear off the ground. Not the BCs - down on the dip, back up on the way out, NO float, NO extra movement. I must have been going a lot faster thru the turn because my front tires were shrieking in protest. That probably due to a number of factors:

1) Haven't quite got the ride height dialed in yet - too high in the front and maybe a tad low in the rear

2) Damping set to 10 clicks from full soft fr. and rr - maybe a little ess in the front and/or a little more in the rear would help.

3) Needs an alignment.

4) Rotated my tires and forgot to adjust pressures so running more in the rr than in the fr.

Final note - this is on an `05 LGT 5MT wagon w/ 5k/7k spring setup.

great! glad your happy with the slightly softer spring setup

(for the reference of others 5k/7k are the softest springs you can install in the legacy gt application for bc...hal9e3 ordered a softer setup, bc had a little miscommunication but of course we took care of it )

Just got mine on and went for a short test ride. Holy $%#^@&* I'm VERY picky when it comes to the ride/handling balance of my cars and this setup is as good as any aftermarket setup I've ever driven, period. Ride is comfortable on the smoother bumps, a little harsh on the sharp ones but very few suspensions can handle both. The handling is AMAZING! I took them out on my favorite test road - fairly long and straight w/ some very big dips, then a nice constant radius corner. The rebound damping was superb. On previous setups the biggest of the dips would literally pitch the rear off the ground. Not the BCs - down on the dip, back up on the way out, NO float, NO extra movement. I must have been going a lot faster thru the turn because my front tires were shrieking in protest. That probably due to a number of factors:

 

1) Haven't quite got the ride height dialed in yet - too high in the front and maybe a tad low in the rear

2) Damping set to 10 clicks from full soft fr. and rr - maybe a little ess in the front and/or a little more in the rear would help.

3) Needs an alignment.

4) Rotated my tires and forgot to adjust pressures so running more in the rr than in the fr.

 

Final note - this is on an `05 LGT 5MT wagon w/ 5k/7k spring setup.

Nice...although I am happy with my current 6 click from softest settings, I think I will try 10 tomorrow.

No need to remove the the shock to adjust rde hight right?? Just the wheel? Mine is sitting a tad too low in the rear.

Just got mine on and went for a short test ride. Holy $%#^@&* I'm VERY picky when it comes to the ride/handling balance of my cars and this setup is as good as any aftermarket setup I've ever driven, period. Ride is comfortable on the smoother bumps, a little harsh on the sharp ones but very few suspensions can handle both. The handling is AMAZING! I took them out on my favorite test road - fairly long and straight w/ some very big dips, then a nice constant radius corner. The rebound damping was superb. On previous setups the biggest of the dips would literally pitch the rear off the ground. Not the BCs - down on the dip, back up on the way out, NO float, NO extra movement. I must have been going a lot faster thru the turn because my front tires were shrieking in protest. That probably due to a number of factors:

 

1) Haven't quite got the ride height dialed in yet - too high in the front and maybe a tad low in the rear

2) Damping set to 10 clicks from full soft fr. and rr - maybe a little ess in the front and/or a little more in the rear would help.

3) Needs an alignment.

4) Rotated my tires and forgot to adjust pressures so running more in the rr than in the fr.

 

Final note - this is on an `05 LGT 5MT wagon w/ 5k/7k spring setup.

What are the drawbacks on having the softest spring setup?

Nice...although I am happy with my current 6 click from softest settings, I think I will try 10 tomorrow.

 

No need to remove the the shock to adjust rde hight right?? Just the wheel? Mine is sitting a tad too low in the rear.

No need to remove the entire coilover to adjust height. You can get to all the collars once the wheel is removed.

FYI: as per hal9e3's research regarding minimum insertion depth into the lower mounts,

"25mm for the shocks (rear), 80mm for struts (front)."

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1244170#post1244170