Review 40,000 mile long-term review of BC BR Coilovers
01-24-2013, 09:25 AM
#1
40,000 mile long-term review of BC BR Coilovers
It works, it works well. That is all. 
Seriously though. The BC BR’s, as we all know, is one of the most affordable CO’s for the V36. When BC first got these out, they had issues with the top mounts that caused rattling and other things. By the time I got my set, these issues have already been addressed.
Needless to say, I never had any problems with the BC’s. They’ve been quiet, reliable and offered the performance I expected from it.
My set had 12k/(extended)8k springs, which works rather well especially on track, however for daily it can get quite taxing -- especially in Houston moon-crater roads. After all this time I finally bit the bullet and swapped those springs with Swift’s at 10k/6k (more on that in a later post) -- i am getting old and would like a more comfortable ride. BC allows customization of spring rates as well as length. On a new order, they'll match the dampers to those rates. For spring swaps, if you're within 2-3k of the original damper valving, you're good to go. Otherwise, they recommend re-valving the dampers to match.
I never had the dampers dyno-tested, but they work fairly well for both these spring rates IMHO, and each damper does get tested at BC’s facility (if you pull up the sleeves, there’s a sticker with the results right on the housing itself.) At full-stiff, they ride like on rails and really is suited for smooth roads, otherwise it’s bumps galore. At full-soft, it’s as soft as you’ll ever want to the point of being slightly bouncy. Chances are you’ll never have it both ways, but it’s good to have the adjustability. 2 clicks at a time offer noticeable changes in dampening, which IMHO makes it realistically a 15-way adjustable set-up. Then again, my butt dyno is not that well calibrated.
I typically have it at 1/3 towards the soft side to allow for some suspension movement, even on the track (which isn’t entirely smooth either.)
Another advantage of the BC’s, especially for the price, is that height and preload adjustments are independent of each other. You can go as high or low as the set-up can provide and still be able to dial-in preload all around. This is not only useful for daily driving, but also to tweak corner weighting and performance.
Customer service is also quite excellent. They’re always within reach either by phone or e-mail. E-mails are always answered within 24 hours, usually much sooner. I experienced this pre-sales, post-install and just recently again in the process of swapping the BC springs with Swifts.
Overall, I’m quite happy with the BC Racing Br-Type coils for our G’s. Some people may swear by 2-3x more expensive set-ups, and I’m sure those are great set-ups as well, but for my budget and type of use, these have proved to be a good buy. The quality is also certainly not 2-3x lesser.
p.s. Some of you may note I recently posted about front-end suspension noise, I do not believe it to be related to these coilovers as the noise started exactly right after I swapped the springs, which could mean I didn’t put things back together properly, twisted some bushing or something else is amiss (for sure, apparently, my endlinks need replacement, and it sounds like my leaking steering rack and/or control arm is also acting up.)
Seriously though. The BC BR’s, as we all know, is one of the most affordable CO’s for the V36. When BC first got these out, they had issues with the top mounts that caused rattling and other things. By the time I got my set, these issues have already been addressed.
Needless to say, I never had any problems with the BC’s. They’ve been quiet, reliable and offered the performance I expected from it.
My set had 12k/(extended)8k springs, which works rather well especially on track, however for daily it can get quite taxing -- especially in Houston moon-crater roads. After all this time I finally bit the bullet and swapped those springs with Swift’s at 10k/6k (more on that in a later post) -- i am getting old and would like a more comfortable ride. BC allows customization of spring rates as well as length. On a new order, they'll match the dampers to those rates. For spring swaps, if you're within 2-3k of the original damper valving, you're good to go. Otherwise, they recommend re-valving the dampers to match.
I never had the dampers dyno-tested, but they work fairly well for both these spring rates IMHO, and each damper does get tested at BC’s facility (if you pull up the sleeves, there’s a sticker with the results right on the housing itself.) At full-stiff, they ride like on rails and really is suited for smooth roads, otherwise it’s bumps galore. At full-soft, it’s as soft as you’ll ever want to the point of being slightly bouncy. Chances are you’ll never have it both ways, but it’s good to have the adjustability. 2 clicks at a time offer noticeable changes in dampening, which IMHO makes it realistically a 15-way adjustable set-up. Then again, my butt dyno is not that well calibrated.
I typically have it at 1/3 towards the soft side to allow for some suspension movement, even on the track (which isn’t entirely smooth either.)
Another advantage of the BC’s, especially for the price, is that height and preload adjustments are independent of each other. You can go as high or low as the set-up can provide and still be able to dial-in preload all around. This is not only useful for daily driving, but also to tweak corner weighting and performance.
Customer service is also quite excellent. They’re always within reach either by phone or e-mail. E-mails are always answered within 24 hours, usually much sooner. I experienced this pre-sales, post-install and just recently again in the process of swapping the BC springs with Swifts.
Overall, I’m quite happy with the BC Racing Br-Type coils for our G’s. Some people may swear by 2-3x more expensive set-ups, and I’m sure those are great set-ups as well, but for my budget and type of use, these have proved to be a good buy. The quality is also certainly not 2-3x lesser.
p.s. Some of you may note I recently posted about front-end suspension noise, I do not believe it to be related to these coilovers as the noise started exactly right after I swapped the springs, which could mean I didn’t put things back together properly, twisted some bushing or something else is amiss (for sure, apparently, my endlinks need replacement, and it sounds like my leaking steering rack and/or control arm is also acting up.)
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NightMarauder (06-12-2016)
01-24-2013, 04:39 PM
#4
Registered User
Thanks for the review, Mike! I just purchased a set a few weeks ago (haven't had a chance to install yet) and this is a very re-assuring read for me. Appreciate it!
01-24-2013, 04:45 PM
#5
Registered User
I've had my BC coils for quite a long time too, fronts were on my 05 awd sedan to my 09 awd sedan. Not sure on the miles, but really no complaints. Had to get new rears for the 09, but same thing. No issues. Did multiple cross country trips on them, and no complaints
01-27-2013, 05:57 PM
#6
Thanks guys. For those following, i think i also solved the noise issue. Hopefully it helps anyone who goes for the Swift upgrade and experiences the same squeaks.
https://www.myg37.com/forums/3580424-post19.html
https://www.myg37.com/forums/3580424-post19.html
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02-07-2013, 08:30 AM
#13
Yep, i went through BC directly to help determine what rates i should switch to. I was looking to soften the springs up as i don't hit the track as often these days -- and i'm getting old, i want a comfier ride. The -2k change all around made a noticeable difference, but now i want more.
Thing is, it'll be a little trickier to go down further... say, 7k/5k, since i'd have to get new shocks/struts (it's suggested you don't deviate more than 2k from what your dampers were originally valved for, in my case 12k/8k.)
At that rate, it's like getting a whole new set of coilovers (i.e. 7k/5k springs, new front struts and rear shocks valved for it.)
p.s. You can also go directly to Swift to purchase the springs, but they aren't very responsive, in fact i have yet to receive a response via e-mail or phone from them. Going through BC was quick, easy and painless. Take note, custom Swifts will take about 2 weeks turnaround.
Thing is, it'll be a little trickier to go down further... say, 7k/5k, since i'd have to get new shocks/struts (it's suggested you don't deviate more than 2k from what your dampers were originally valved for, in my case 12k/8k.)
At that rate, it's like getting a whole new set of coilovers (i.e. 7k/5k springs, new front struts and rear shocks valved for it.)
p.s. You can also go directly to Swift to purchase the springs, but they aren't very responsive, in fact i have yet to receive a response via e-mail or phone from them. Going through BC was quick, easy and painless. Take note, custom Swifts will take about 2 weeks turnaround.
02-13-2013, 07:00 PM
#14
Your message indicates that the set you received had the corrections in place to address the rattling noise - when did you buy the set? I bought mine June 2011 and they were rattling pretty badly within 5,000km. They are now sitting in a box in my garage as BC Racing seemed to have non-existant support.
02-13-2013, 07:09 PM
#15
^ Around May of 2010, IIRC. That put me at about 50k miles, the same time i put them on.
I'm sorry to hear and surprised you haven't had much luck contacting them. They pick up the phone fairly quick, and respond to nearly all my e-mails within 2 business days, others within a few hours.
I'm sorry to hear and surprised you haven't had much luck contacting them. They pick up the phone fairly quick, and respond to nearly all my e-mails within 2 business days, others within a few hours.