BC Coilovers - How stiff is stiff?
 

Searched the suspension thread a bit just to make sure I wasn't repeating a topic already discussed, but wondering those that have the BC's, how stiff are ya'll running? Please no, "you get what you paid for" posts, or "BC coils suck", just want owner's feedback on this. I just installed mine last Saturday and have both set at FULL soft with 3 clicks to hard and these suckers STILL don't move an inch even when being on top of the car.... Worries me a little, but at the same time the handling is out of this world.. Is this normal for the pre-load to be that stiff? Just wanted to get some input.

what spring rates did you get on your set? sounds like theyre probably one of those eleventy million pound spring rates often found with BC coils

Nothing special, just the stock 8k/8k they come with.. And that's EXACTLY what they feel like...

Adjust them all the way down to soft, front and rear. Go 8 clicks towards hard, adjust from there :)

Will try that! I'm just surprised having them 3 clicks from soft is still stiff as a rock.. But then again, I've never had coils, so i'm just not sure what to expect from them as far as ride-ability is concerned.

Unless you order some custom springs with softer spring rates they will never be soft. You didn't adjust the collars that make contact with the springs at all did you?

Naw.. i kept the pre-load factory cuz i didnt want them to be any harder or softer.. should i adjust them?

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

Is this your first modded car? first set of coilovers? What else have you had?
Stiff is relative.
Stiff can be anything.
Stiff and controlled.
Stiff and bouncy.
Did you go clockwise or counter clockwise for full soft?
How much preload did you use? You are using the word preload wrong.
What do you mean by "STILL don't move an inch even when being on top of the car.... " ?
How low are you?

8k/8k is on the firm side on a street car.
2.3k/3.8k is stock. You DOUBLED++ your spring rates. So expect it to be firm.

not all springs are created equal.
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=408367
http://www.northamericanmotoring.com...gs-dynoed.html
I would say the BC springs are more similar to the megan springs than the swift springs.

No do not touch them. The collars come adjusted so they are just snug to the spring and thats all they should be, no tighter.

Whoa, coilover god came to pay me a visit.... first modded car? I guess? Lol.. idk if thats relavent to my thread... first set of coils.. stiff as in, my cars springs dont feel like theyre moving and compensating for the drive of my vehicle.. i didnt touch the pre-load of the coils.. and pre load i speak of is the rate of the spring load on the coil.. how else is it used in automotive talk? Sorry if im confusing things.. On the coils theres 2 locking nuts that hold the springs "pre load" and thats what i was referring to... let me know if im mis communicating anything else to help answer my initial question.

Sent from my SM-N910P using Tapatalk

The nature of coilovers compared to stock is going to be more stiff no matter what. The shocks are more aggressively built. So what you are experiencing is riding on coilovers compared to stock shocks.

Thanks coilover noob. :thumbsup:
It IS relevant because you have never experienced it.
You have your definition of preload wrong slightly. Look it up.
I am not sure if BC coils are setup from the factory. STV3 says not to touch them so I assume they are already setup.
Have someone who has experience with coilovers go for a ride in the car, I am pretty sure you got what you paid for! :)
Did you go clockwise or counter clockwise for full soft?
8k/8k is a firm street setup. Not many companies sell street setups with rates that high.

Appreciate the input, really. will do my homework and research on the forums to learn more on suspension. Again, I never adjusted the coil itself to change the compression of the springs, only the damper. So when I explain me changing from soft to hard, i'm speaking of the damper. Which I believe a majority of those who posted understood.. But again, thanks for the info and that link from before!

Much like I'm doing in-house for Penske for other reasons, this forum could take this "relative" subject and make it real and quantitative.

If someone took a small amount of time to calculate the wheel rate/frequency at each standard spring rate front and rear for this chassis then anyone wondering how "stiff" there setup was could reference that data. You could say the OEM setup felt this way which is 1.25hz and my new spring set felt this much stiffer and its at 1.9hz. Now you have something to compare to get a feel for how stiff any other set of springs would be.

Wheel frequencies can be compared to any other car's wheels frequencies as well so you can relate your other car/future car and make educated decisions on future setups. I believe all the data one would need is available in the suspension model sticky.