BC Racing Type BR - FD3S Review
07-12-14, 12:59 PM
#1
BC Racing Type BR - FD3S Review
Review of BC Racing Type BR coilovers
I've had these on my car for the last couple of days, they replaced a set of GAB Super R coilovers with 8k / 6k springs on them. I opted for the same spring rates on the BC units as well.
The first thing I noticed is that the first 20 clicks (out of 30) basically do nothing... super duper soft. The next 10 clicks is where all the magic is at.
I'm going to use 0 clicks to mean 20/30 from this point on.
At 0 clicks, the BC gear is great for highway driving and even residential stuffs. Manhole covers aren't as jarring, road turtles (lane divider bumps) don't really cause much of an event. However the compression damping is kind of weak at this point... for example going down a hill that flattens out at an intersection puts a ton of compression load on your suspension, and even at a cautious speed (25mph instead of 30mph) this action bottoms out the rear of the BC gear. (I'll have to try this again at a higher setting)
Next test is the mid turn suspension event... This means you're already in a turn, perhaps at 80mph or so and the suspension is set. There is already a load on one side of the car and some level of compression/roll. At this point you hit a bump... there are 2 versions of this:
1) A really fast jarring bump. The compression damping overall for this situation seems kind of soft.. the result is the wheels get shot up into the wheel well and the car rolls even more (it's just slightly unsettling) If the rear compression / rebount ratio could be biased more toward compression by about 20%, this would keep it planted and prevent a "initiate countersteer maneuvers" reaction.
2) A rolly polly dip in the road. This means the shock can react slower and is more in the wheelhouse of the BC gear...the compression/rebound ratio could use about 20% more compression, but it's not scary.
On the street, 5 clicks (25/30) is about as far as I would go. The way the car vibrates on the highway reminds me of a patient in an insane asylum, just twitching. The car becomes really reactive actually and you need to be paying attention, body roll is reduced a bunch and your tire sidewalls start taking more of the load. Compression damping is still low... I may have to consider adding some preload in order to address the rear bottoming out in really heavy bumps.
Above 25 clicks isn't really tested yet. It's super high strung and requires smoother roads than we have on washington streets... I'll hit a track day as soon as I figure out why my cooling system isn't doing it's job.
Hope this helps anyone that was considering.
Last thing... I ordered from BC directly on a Thursday and it arrived exactly 1 week later. The change to 8k/6k increased the advertised price by $65 to $1055
Happy FD'ing
I've had these on my car for the last couple of days, they replaced a set of GAB Super R coilovers with 8k / 6k springs on them. I opted for the same spring rates on the BC units as well.
The first thing I noticed is that the first 20 clicks (out of 30) basically do nothing... super duper soft. The next 10 clicks is where all the magic is at.
I'm going to use 0 clicks to mean 20/30 from this point on.
At 0 clicks, the BC gear is great for highway driving and even residential stuffs. Manhole covers aren't as jarring, road turtles (lane divider bumps) don't really cause much of an event. However the compression damping is kind of weak at this point... for example going down a hill that flattens out at an intersection puts a ton of compression load on your suspension, and even at a cautious speed (25mph instead of 30mph) this action bottoms out the rear of the BC gear. (I'll have to try this again at a higher setting)
Next test is the mid turn suspension event... This means you're already in a turn, perhaps at 80mph or so and the suspension is set. There is already a load on one side of the car and some level of compression/roll. At this point you hit a bump... there are 2 versions of this:
1) A really fast jarring bump. The compression damping overall for this situation seems kind of soft.. the result is the wheels get shot up into the wheel well and the car rolls even more (it's just slightly unsettling) If the rear compression / rebount ratio could be biased more toward compression by about 20%, this would keep it planted and prevent a "initiate countersteer maneuvers" reaction.
2) A rolly polly dip in the road. This means the shock can react slower and is more in the wheelhouse of the BC gear...the compression/rebound ratio could use about 20% more compression, but it's not scary.
On the street, 5 clicks (25/30) is about as far as I would go. The way the car vibrates on the highway reminds me of a patient in an insane asylum, just twitching. The car becomes really reactive actually and you need to be paying attention, body roll is reduced a bunch and your tire sidewalls start taking more of the load. Compression damping is still low... I may have to consider adding some preload in order to address the rear bottoming out in really heavy bumps.
Above 25 clicks isn't really tested yet. It's super high strung and requires smoother roads than we have on washington streets... I'll hit a track day as soon as I figure out why my cooling system isn't doing it's job.
Hope this helps anyone that was considering.
Last thing... I ordered from BC directly on a Thursday and it arrived exactly 1 week later. The change to 8k/6k increased the advertised price by $65 to $1055
Happy FD'ing
07-12-14, 06:06 PM
#2
It sounds like you need stiffer springs and are trying to keep the car planted via damping instead of spring rate. You got softer springs than BCs typically come with for FDs. The standard 10k/8k springs may yield better handling.
I have them on my FC and they have been great for what they are, even on the track, and ride very well on the street. I keep them on the soft side of the damping adjustment, even after going up 50 lbs all around on my spring rates.
Build quality is very good.
I have them on my FC and they have been great for what they are, even on the track, and ride very well on the street. I keep them on the soft side of the damping adjustment, even after going up 50 lbs all around on my spring rates.
Build quality is very good.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
4sfeedit
Canadian Forum
1
09-07-15 10:55 AM
4sfeedit
3rd Generation Specific (1993-2002)
10
08-16-15 01:42 PM
rx8volks
Canadian Forum
0
08-13-15 04:55 AM
4sfeedit
Race Car Tech
0
08-11-15 04:11 PM