St Coilovers vs BC Racing Coilovers?

[Captain Snooze]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

Im not going for low, 1.5" or so is fine.

You are saying that removing 1.5 inches of travel is not low? That's 1.5 inches of wheel travel you have lost and you still want a "comfortable" ride costing $1000?

[cdrazic93]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

You are saying that removing 1.5 inches of travel is not low? That's 1.5 inches of wheel travel you have lost and you still want a "comfortable" ride costing $1000?

I think he means no wheel gap, which is not 1.5 inches lol

[NLSP]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

Thought about those, but I think they only go down 1"

They actually go pretty low; my friend runs them. See the photos below for reference. He's not even maxed out yet, and we can barely squeeze a jack under there as is. I'm also willing to bet money that the Bilsteins outperform the BC's in everything you're looking for: rustproof, comfort, and performance. Not to mention quality and reliability, especially if your car is a daily driver. There's a reason why Bilstein is chosen as an OEM supplier for many car manufacturers.

Like other members mentioned above, BC's are pretty much all about going low. They seem to mostly cater to the hella-flush crowd, not the hella-functional. I'd rather stay stock than buy BC's.

[B-R-Z]

Originally Posted by Captain Snooze

You are saying that removing 1.5 inches of travel is not low? That's 1.5 inches of wheel travel you have lost and you still want a "comfortable" ride costing $1000?

Yes I am. 1.5 is not low dude, low is IMO when you have no gap between your tire and fender. Yes, I want a comfortable ride. That does not mean I want it to feel like I'm riding in a luxury vehicle, I just do not want to be bouncing like crazy when I hit bumps. I'm pretty sure ST\Bilstein can accomplish this.

Originally Posted by NLSP

They actually go pretty low; my friend runs them. See the photos below for reference. He's not even maxed out yet, and we can barely squeeze a jack under there as is. I'm also willing to bet money that the Bilsteins outperform the BC's in everything you're looking for: rustproof, comfort, and performance. Not to mention quality and reliability, especially if your car is a daily driver. There's a reason why Bilstein is chosen as an OEM supplier for many car manufacturers.

Like other members mentioned above, BC's are pretty much all about going low. They seem to mostly cater to the hella-flush crowd, not the hella-functional. I'd rather stay stock than buy BC's.

Thanks for your input, this is exactly what I was looking for. The Bilsteins were actually my original choice above the ST's but based on pictures I saw I didn't think they went any lower than the pro kit does. My buddy had them on his S2000 and they were great. I'll take BC off of my list and will look into the Bilsteins.

[Shankenstein]

I recommend ST's for OP given their location (no corrosion requirements). Longer stroke, better comfort and control. For B-R-Z, the Bilstein road is a great choice.

Neither setup will be bad, though.

There's plenty of hate for BC Racing coilovers, but I respect their business model. They have a modular parts approach that's very cost-effective and works for most people. Build quality and durability seem to be a step above the numerous "tuner" options.

The 4" stroke and high-force damper is great for reducing body motions, while still keeping decent control (check the shock dyno graph below). This tighter range of motion means that you can get low without worrying about scraping and shock bottoming. There are plenty of people to take them to the track, and they do OK. Most reviews indicate that they're a bit ham-fisted on the track... and there are better off-the-shelf options if that's a major goal for your car.

As I mentioned in the "Modifying Bilstein Shocks" thread, a number of people have rebuilt and tweaked these shocks, since they accommodate a wide range of pistons and parts, if that's something you're into.

[wparsons]

Originally Posted by B-R-Z

Yes I am. 1.5 is not low dude, low is IMO when you have no gap between your tire and fender. Yes, I want a comfortable ride. That does not mean I want it to feel like I'm riding in a luxury vehicle, I just do not want to be bouncing like crazy when I hit bumps. I'm pretty sure ST\Bilstein can accomplish this.

When there's only ~2.5" of bump travel stock, going 1.5" lower is a huge amount of lowering. It isn't just about wheel gap when you're looking at functional suspension and lowering.

There's very minimal gap at 1" lower. I haven't measured, but I would eyeball it at about half an inch at most.

[B-R-Z]

Originally Posted by wparsons

When there's only ~2.5" of bump travel stock, going 1.5" lower is a huge amount of lowering. It isn't just about wheel gap when you're looking at functional suspension and lowering.

There's very minimal gap at 1" lower. I haven't measured, but I would eyeball it at about half an inch at most.

I have pro kit now which is 1", I want about another .5".

I'm torn, on one hand the height is nice because I very rarely scrape on anything and my ride is nice. But I want to eliminate some wheel gap. Maybe I'll keep my current setup and get bigger tires when my PSS's need replacement. Fat tires on 18"S make the wheels look smaller though.

[wootwoot]

I will add that aftermarket coil-overs will often have different (shorter) lengths and different amounts of bump travel than stock. The travel you are left with after lowering a car 1" on stock suspention isn't necessarily the travel you are left with after lowing 1" on coil-overs.

BC if you want to go low. ST for everything else (performance, comfort, etc).

[fx35s]

If you live in north eastern states you NEED to have something that won't rust over years, and that's one of the reasons why I went with KW-V3 instead of ST.

If I lived in Florida or California there's no doubt of going with ST but man..snow and salts and all the nasty stuff in NE you might as well just stay stock or get some springs rather than getting ST.. yes, ST does have I believe 5 years of limited warranty and you can probably get your set replaced under warranty if it rusts within that time frame but I don't know man.

You have to make a decision.

[B-R-Z]

KW-V3's are in a total different price range. I think bilstein b14s are a great alternative for ST's that have rust/corrosion concerns.

[HATED1]

I have had BC BR coilovers for about 45,000 miles so far. Daily driven through rain and snow. I have used them for a number of track events. I like the adjustability and the ability to adjust stiffness/dampening. At first you may hate them. It takes a little persistence and effort in adjusting the dampening so that you can find your preference in comfortability while daily driving. But once you find it, I don't think you will look back.

Bottom line, I like them for the price I paid. If i decide to switch rim/wheel set-ups, no problem, I can adjust if needed. The ride is 8.5 out of 10. If you have a lot of bumpy roads and surfaces you may want to look else where. But for high way driving/city driving it shouldn't be an issue.

[AlexWood]

I have no experience with the ST's but my BC's have given me no problems. The adjustability is great and needed when installing wide wheels.