[Faredo]

I'm a bit torn between the two (ST-X vs BC BR) and looking for a little experience. Or other suggestions in the ~$1000 range
Car sees maybe 200 miles a month with auto x once a month or less. I currently run an OEM sport suspension that I actually turn good times in until I blew a front, so I'm not interested anything extreme.

I believe the ST's will have the upper hand in comfort as they are not monotube, but the BC's offer more adjustment.

Comfort is top priority. A little firmer than OEM Sport is fine but hopping around is annoying.
That said, I'm looking for a conservative drop but don't know if I need camber adjustment, for fitment. I like a flush look but not stanced.
Tire/wheel 255/35/18 on 18x9 ET30

Thanks!

[9krpmrx8]

BC's are made to fit only Taiwan crap with zero platform R&D.

ST's are engineered by KW (ST are galvanized instead of stainless bodies) and I have installed a set on a 2011 xdrive E92 335i and they drive great (he is not that low).

I have Bilstein PSS on my 2011 E90 335i and after almost two years, I love them.

[Faredo]

Thanks for the input.
Not to be argumentative, but I refuse to believe BC has zero R&D. I also dont understand what you mean by only fitting Taiwan crap.
I'm just looking for good input and that statement pretty much discredits your entire post.

https://www.bcracing-na.com/articles...ech-spotlight-

[9krpmrx8]

BC coilovers are made in China to fit platforms and that is it, they are not designed in house in a proper R&D center like Bilstein, KW, Ohlins, etc.

I know BC does custom valving and such but none of that is done on the platform with any actual data other than what their people think. I had a buddy who worked out a deal with them for his track RX-8, they fluffed him up and sent him a set of custom valved dampers and they were junk, valving was all over the place and after some back and forth he just dumped them and installed some Ohlins and went on tracking.

But if you can show me where BC manufactures their stuff then I would be interested in seeing it. But generally if you can't find any detailed info on the manufacturing process then that is all you really need to know.

Of course for the price you can't really complain but at this price point there are definitely better options with actual racing heritage and serious money in R&D facilities.




And I can't recall (I'll search) the other popular cheap coilover company that was touted here but I recall having some back and forth and then doing some research and found out that the company was started by two marketing guys who left other brands, neither of them were engineers yet they "designed" a coilover setup for this platform. Basically they just did like most and rebranded some shit, made it look pretty, used some swift springs, and people went nuts over them.

And I get it, low priced options are good but that doesn't mean people should make them out to be something they are not by fancy marketing like "assembled in the USA", or BS about being founded in a Garage, etc. And yes they make higher end stuff that can probably be made to work really well but they still have zero heritage and that is something.

[Faredo]

Well put. BC does have strong marketing and obviously it works, but the flow chart above is enough to keep me walking. I've been watching YouTube reviews over the last couple days and the clientele was my first red flag. Nothing against a student wanting to have a little fun but when seeking information always consider the source.

[9krpmrx8]

Yeah I mean for most I am sure they are fine for who they are selling too, but when people say they are just as good as KW, etc. it's just ridiculous.

[N54th]

If comfort is your top priority then get the ST if you don't live where it snows much otherwise I'd suggest KW v1. Anyway, they have progressive springs whereas BC are linear spring rates. I just installed BC on my e90 XI and difference is night and day compared to the stock suspension. Definitely, more firm even on the softest setting but should be somewhat better once the springs settle. I bought BC over KW for the custom spring rates, dampening and camber adjustment and I didn't have to reuse the mounts which were worn.

[9krpmrx8]

Right but messing with spring rates on shocks that are already valved is silly, just like the all over the place adjustments that are being made when you adjust most of these cheap dampers. You surely are not getting a matched set. But again for $1000.00 you can't expect much.

This is an old article, but there is some good info on this site. I also suggest watching a channel called "suspension truth" with the owner of Fat Cat suspension.

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html

[N54th]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

Right but messing with spring rates on shocks that are already valved is silly, just like the all over the place adjustments that are being made when you adjust most of these cheap dampers. You surely are not getting a matched set. But again for $1000.00 you can't expect much.

This is an old article, but there is some good info on this site. I also suggest watching a channel called "suspension truth" with the owner of Fat Cat suspension.

http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets18.html

I understand but they are valved for the spring rates I requested. Most suspension companies these days offer bespoke suspension and if it is within 2k it does not need revalving. In my case, I had to. They can't offer bespoke suspension without valving the shocks for those specified rates. That's just bad business. Aftermarket suspension has come a long way since that last article.

Here is one opinion:

https://www.redline360.com/garage/ch...ey-good-or-bad

[9krpmrx8]

Okay so how do you pick that valving, spring rates, etc. without data? And I have seen plenty of these companies do revalves if people pay for them.

As for that article, well they sell cheap coilovers so what else would they say?

But of course, most people who buy this level of coilover don't really care as long as the ride is decent (to them anyway) and they get low, and that is fine.

[N54th]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

Okay so how do you pick that valving, spring rates, etc. without data? And I have seen plenty of these companies do revalves if people pay for them.

As for that article, well they sell cheap coilovers so what else would they say?

But of course, most people who buy this level of coilover don't really care as long as the ride is decent (to them anyway) and they get low, and that is fine.

Great question, I've done my homework figuring out what spring rates would be stiffer and firmer than stock suspension and still be great for street driving. Generally, you want to stay under 500 lb/in (which = 8.9 kg/mm) per corner to maintain comfort level for a daily. Anything over that is meant more for track duty. Stock suspension for the XI is 2.5k/8k; converted into standard that is 140/448 lb/in. So to maintain the 1:3 ratio of the XI I upgraded to 6k/18k after I did some simple math. I wanted it stiffer than stock and I kept it under the 500 lb/in threshold for a daily.

Also, that article I linked was just about the topic of cheap coilovers, redline360 has many other options to choose from to fit your budget for coilovers. If you've been shopping for coilovers lately, you'll notice they are mostly priced in the $1,000-$1500 range. As I've stated in my last post, coilovers have come a long way since that article was published. I've had TEIN Super Streets on my previous car and it rode better than stock and was under a grand.

[9krpmrx8]

Originally Posted by N54th

Great question, I've done my homework figuring out what spring rates would be stiffer and firmer than stock suspension and still be great for street driving. Generally, you want to stay under 500 lb/in (which = 8.9 kg/mm) per corner to maintain comfort level for a daily. Anything over that is meant more for track duty. Stock suspension for the XI is 2.5k/8k; converted into standard that is 140/448 lb/in. So to maintain the 1:3 ratio of the XI I upgraded to 6k/18k after I did some simple math. I wanted it stiffer than stock and I kept it under the 500 lb/in threshold for a daily.

Also, that article I linked was just about the topic of cheap coilovers, redline360 has many other options to choose from to fit your budget for coilovers. If you've been shopping for coilovers lately, you'll notice they are mostly priced in the $1,000-$1500 range. As I've stated in my last post, coilovers have come a long way since that article was published. I've had TEIN Super Streets on my previous car and it rode better than stock and was under a grand.

I don't know where you got your info about spring rates but there is a lot more to suspension tuning. Just changing spring rates is just like guys who swap on stiffer sways bars thinking it's better. And coilovers have not come a long way but yes I agree there are a lot of cheap options out there. But the truly nice stuff starts at $2200+ at least typically.

[N54th]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

I don't know where you got your info about spring rates but there is a lot more to suspension tuning. Just changing spring rates is just like guys who swap on stiffer sways bars thinking it's better. And coilovers have not come a long way but yes I agree there are a lot of cheap options out there. But the truly nice stuff starts at $2200+ at least typically.

Google, google, google. Spring rates are not hard to understand. Please let me know my discrepancies on spring rates.

[ShaneN55]

I picked up BC's about 4 months ago. I came from M-Sport suspension and these BC's honestly feel 100x better. My friend has ST coils and even thinks my BC's feel better while cornering and just general driving.

[9krpmrx8]

Anything will feel better than worn out stock Sport suspension (same as M sport). But yeah it is definitely subjective and opinions based on many things. It's like tires, people will buy summer tires that are $80.00 each and swear that they are better than Pilot Sports. They just don't know what they are talking about.

[N54th]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

Anything will feel better than worn out stock Sport suspension (same as M sport). But yeah it is definitely subjective and opinions based on many things. It's like tires, people will buy summer tires that are $80.00 each and swear that they are better than Pilot Sports. They just don't know what they are talking about.

You missed the part where he states his buddy has ST and thinks the BC rides better lol. Anyhow, BC offers a lot more features for the money than ST can and that's why I bought them instead. My verdict is still out on BC but just because a set of coilovers are "cheap" doesn't mean the quality is either. Too many choices now when it comes to quality coilovers; it used to be a handful of brands but not anymore these days. You don't need to spend $2200+ for set of coilovers for a daily. Those are really meant for track use or just purely on bling factor.

[9krpmrx8]

I mean if you don't think higher priced and better engineered parts last longer and are better in the long run then I don't know man. But he asked for opinions.

I never would have thought $2200.00 would be considered a lot for a full adjustable (with adjustments that actually change things in a useful way) suspension setup on a bimmer,

[N54th]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

I mean if you don't think higher priced and better engineered parts last longer and are better in the long run then I don't know man. But he asked for opinions.

I never would have thought $2200.00 would be considered a lot for a full adjustable (with adjustments that actually change things in a useful way) suspension setup on a bimmer,

I hope you are joking about these coilovers not making actual adjustments. These companies would not be in business for long if it didn't actually do what they claim it to and vendors would not be selling them either. And I hope you also realize (BC for instance) makes single, double, and triple adjustable coilovers. All in different price range from $1000 for their entry level single adjustable (what I have) to $3000 for their triple adjustable coilovers. So you are correct in a sense for higher priced and better engineered parts (that are specifically built for the track) but you are wrong thinking $1000 coilovers is not on par or better than a KW V1 entry level coilover. You really need to get out of the bubble bro.

[9krpmrx8]

I am not joking, put four dampers from a set on a shock dyno and you will see four different graphs. Yes adjusting them does something, just not anything beneficial.

And they are in business because people want the cheapest thing they can find. As long as they look pretty and get the car low, that is all that really matters to them.

and while they may make abagillion adjustable setups, they are not being used on any serious fashion by any race teams. But gain, it's just opinions, if you think BC's are worth a shit, then cool.

[Faredo]

For the past two weeks ive been looking up reviews on both setups. Google is my only means to compare these so first person experience is something i have to rely on strangers for.
In my own research I've found that the STs overwhelmingly have positive reviews, normally from older owners (35+).
The BC's however are VERY hit and miss. Owners complain of bouncy rides, clunking, and stiff rears, and the youtube reviews leave much to be desired. Its a little hard to take a review serious when you cant hear the speaker over the rap music and foul mouth. I can link the videos if you like, the one below was actually the last straw for me.
While BC may make higher end setups, im shopping for the ~$1000 range. I realize this is not a lot compared to some suspension snobs setup but that's where I'm at. I have 2 children and a wife that wants at least one new pair of LV's a year.

[N54th]

I don't think they are the cheapest; I think they add a lot of value for the money. Similar to other comparable coilover kits today that all fall in the same price range. I'm defending any particular brand; only trying to make a point that they are all not junk just because they are new(er) to the market. KW was once new (1995).

[9krpmrx8]

KW has motorsport heritage, yes they were new but built that heritage. BC has been around 20 years, they are not new and still have no heritage.

My point is that if you are going to spend $1000 or so then why waste it on BC's when you can get ST's (KW's) KW V1's, or Bilsteins? Again all the extra features on those cheaper coilovers are shit anyway where as Bilsteins and KW will be valved correctly out of the box.