MrConflicted
Passed Driver's Ed
- Location
- Salt Lake City, UT
UPDATED: July 21st, 2017
Before I start the review, I want to give a huge shoutout to Autrey McVicker at DWS Parts. He was very patient with me during the purchase process, and not once pressured me. If you decide to purchase some BC Coilovers in the future,
definitely go through him! Without further ado, let me begin.
When my search for coilovers began, I had things I really wanted to get the car dialed:
1. Adjustable Dampening
2. Adjustable Camber
3. Custom Spring Rates
The first two are pretty straight forward. Depending on the type of driving you're doing, it's great to be able to tailor the car toward that. My goal was a streetable track car, so I'd want the dampening to be modest on the streets, while being able to crank it up and get it dialed on the track.
Camber adjustment, more than for just fit wheels, is a must on a Mk7 track car. Having tracked before with only -1.2* up front, I knew that at least -2* would be required without scrubbing sidewalls all day.
Lastly was custom spring rates. I am a total nerd, and did all the math to calculate out the motion ratios, suspension frequency, and spring rates. If you're interested in this type of thing, this website provides a great starting point: http://eibach.com/america/en/motorsport/products/suspension-worksheet
Skip this paragraph if you don't want the technical details of the custom spring rates. Essentially, a car is basically a mass on a spring. If you remember back from high school physics, a mass on a spring oscillates at a certain frequency, the "natural frequency". Despite being a much more complex system, our cars have this same tendency. Typicaly factory sports cars are tuned to about ~1 Hz for comfort. Most race cars are in the ~1.5-2.5Hz (more if more areo), and formula one cars are tuned to about ~5Hz. For my car I shot for rates of 1.7Hz front, 1.85Hz rear. This rear bias was chosen for two reasons. Firstly, the car is front wheel drive, a stiff rear will prevent weight transfer to the rear of the vehicle, resulting in more front grip. It will also make the rear more "loose" and help prevent understeer, and promotes lift-off oversteer. In addition to this rational, a higher rear frequency means that that as the car goes over a bump, eventual the rear and front will "line up" and the car will settle as a whole, rather than the front and rear suspension continuing a harmonic motion. Enough of the nerdy stuff, let's get on with it.
I ordered the BC coils as there were the most cost effective option to get all three of my requirements fulfilled. I chose custom Swift Spring rates of 8K front, and 9K rear. (Yes, you read that right, stiffer rear springs). The installation was straight forward, and I think getting the old stuff out was 10x harder than getting the new stuff in. Because of the small strut hole mk7's, I set my camber before installation.
Street Impressions:
The coils were *firm* on street. But, that's what I was after. Despite this, with the dampening set to 22/30 both front and rear, the car felt better than my worn factory struts on H&R springs. Even my roommate agreed, while it was firm, it wasn't terribly uncomfortable. Bumps are felt but they aren't "jarring". While I could feel nearly every bump in the road, this is merely a result of my choice of dampening and high spring rates. The impacts are not "harsh" or "punishing" in anyway. It's just that you feel them. You are very one with car in a sense, haha. I also think it's worth mentioning here that the swift springs are MAJOR improvement over the standard BC springs. The standard BC springs give that "harsh" feel. My guess is that the high spring mass coupled with the non-linear rate (they claim it's linear but evidence points otherwise). If you get these, definitely get the swift springs. 100% worth it.
Adjustment Range:
For camber, I chose 3 small ticks from maxed. This netted -2.1 degrees camber up front. I'd assume maxed ticks (depending on ride height) would get you around -2.7. Meaning the adjustment range is likely (0 to -2.7 deg). For dampening, the adjustments work very well. When I moved the rear dampening 3 clicks stiffer (22/30 -> 25/30) -- wow! 3 clicks makes a massive difference, seriously. The car would lift-off oversteer like no one's business. A freaking hoot. Overall, the adjustments are satisfactory. Lowering it down to ~12/30 clicks is a great canyon-carver setup. Soft enough to not punish you on the pavement, but keep the car planted.
Track Impression:
I had the luxury of spending 4 session at UMC East Track with NASA HPDE 2/3 group. The coils did pretty well here. Previously, the car suffered a lot in S-turns as it would get upset easily. With the relatively stiff dampers and springs, the car could change directions very quickly without a lot of fuss. However, the dampers lack a "knee" in their curve. Most higher-end dampers, such as Fortune Auto, will brag about a "digressive curve" or "ultra-digressive" curve. Ohlin calls it a DFV - dual flow valve. The idea is that the shock can react differently to a sudden impact than it does to body roll. This is where the BC's really start to show their weaknesses. UMC has a lot of wide, usable rumble strips. While they are raised 2-3", they are fully usable. The lack of a digressive curve results in a relatively harsh impact from these, even on the inside wheels. While the loaded side of the car didn't get overly upset, it was clear that the suspension was not reacting nearly as well as it could have been. It was little disheartening to an overall excellent day.
EDIT: After softening the coils more, it's my belief that the car would have done better at a softer setting. That being said, the "digressive" comment remains.
Getting the Most out of your set:
I should also note that setting up coilovers is not trivial. Preload, dampening, and camber should all be taken into careful consideration and make a big difference. I've gone through too many changes to note them all, but at the high level, I think ~2 degrees of negative camber is necessary up front, about ~100-200 lbs of preload. For dampening, it seems like 17-22/30 is the ideal range, and for street use (including canyon runs) ~12/30 dampening range is ideal. From there it's up to the driver and road.
Conclusion:
Bang for the buck, the BC coils are hard to beat for track performance. But, to be completely honesty, I don't think they are the right choice for 99% of people, potentially including myself. Here's why. Most of you will (and me) will spend 99% of the time driving our cars on the street. For this, a twin-tube damper will be much more reactive to bumps in the road (as well as rumble strips on track). Twin-tube dampers naturally have that "digressive" curve effect. To stay in the same price point, ST-XTA coilovers offer camber adjustment, dampening adjustment and a modest spring rate. I've been in a Golf R with these and I can speak from experience, they keep the car planted and feel amazing. For those of us that want maximum performance, I equally feel that the lack of a responsive damper is again the Achille's heel of performance with these. I had to buy these to really understand what my friend meant by this (an owner of Koni Double 8611 race shocks), and now I understand. If you really want the peak performance, you can't get there with half the cost. I will say, the car still performed excellent and consistently on track, and I was able to keep pace with an 360whp Ralliart X, Mustang 5.0's, CTS-V's, M Coupe's, and even was hanging with a 991 body 911 Turbo for a bit
Final Remark:
For the price point, BC offers the most of any company as of now for what you get. The performance, build quality and adjustments are excellent. Be patient with dialing them in, as the setup that nets you the most might not be what you expect. Start on the soft end, and work up from there!
UPDATE [ JULY 21 2017 ]
I've had the coilover on the car now for about 3 months and 3K miles. I figure I can give a brief update. Mainly, I can speak more on the dampening since I've tried quite a number of settings. Going to a much lower setting (say 12), gives you nice comfort on the street, but the car simply feels uncontrollable. 18 seems to be a really nice compromise for all around, still dampened enough but not beat-you-up bad. As you up the dampening, the bias towards oversteer increases (this is likely due to my spring rates). At 12-18, the car is understeer biased pretty significantly. in the 18-22 range the car is relatively neutral, and above 25 there's significant oversteer bias. I have another track day coming up, this time on some 235 Maxxis RC-1 slicks, so I should get a better idea of how they perform. My main beef with these though is the amount of noise they make. There's always klunking and stuff. I've check torques on everything 3 times now, so it's not that, just, apparently how the coilovers sound. Kind of disappointing. I guess you get what you pay for, lol.
The Test Car:
2015 Mk7 GTI nonPP
BC Coilovers w/ Swift 8K/9K Spring Rates
235/45-17 Bridgestone RE11 on 17x8et35 Enkei PF01 / 235/45-17 PSS / 235/40-17 Maxxis RC-1
WaveTrac Limited Slip Differential
ST Rearsway Bar
034 Dogbone Insert
IS38 Turbo
Turboback Exhaust
ED IS38 Adjustable - 90 octane / 28 psi settings (True peak 19psi)
Southbend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch
Full PP Brake Upgrade
Carbotech XP12 Pads
Before I start the review, I want to give a huge shoutout to Autrey McVicker at DWS Parts. He was very patient with me during the purchase process, and not once pressured me. If you decide to purchase some BC Coilovers in the future,
definitely go through him! Without further ado, let me begin.
When my search for coilovers began, I had things I really wanted to get the car dialed:
1. Adjustable Dampening
2. Adjustable Camber
3. Custom Spring Rates
The first two are pretty straight forward. Depending on the type of driving you're doing, it's great to be able to tailor the car toward that. My goal was a streetable track car, so I'd want the dampening to be modest on the streets, while being able to crank it up and get it dialed on the track.
Camber adjustment, more than for just fit wheels, is a must on a Mk7 track car. Having tracked before with only -1.2* up front, I knew that at least -2* would be required without scrubbing sidewalls all day.
Lastly was custom spring rates. I am a total nerd, and did all the math to calculate out the motion ratios, suspension frequency, and spring rates. If you're interested in this type of thing, this website provides a great starting point: http://eibach.com/america/en/motorsport/products/suspension-worksheet
Skip this paragraph if you don't want the technical details of the custom spring rates. Essentially, a car is basically a mass on a spring. If you remember back from high school physics, a mass on a spring oscillates at a certain frequency, the "natural frequency". Despite being a much more complex system, our cars have this same tendency. Typicaly factory sports cars are tuned to about ~1 Hz for comfort. Most race cars are in the ~1.5-2.5Hz (more if more areo), and formula one cars are tuned to about ~5Hz. For my car I shot for rates of 1.7Hz front, 1.85Hz rear. This rear bias was chosen for two reasons. Firstly, the car is front wheel drive, a stiff rear will prevent weight transfer to the rear of the vehicle, resulting in more front grip. It will also make the rear more "loose" and help prevent understeer, and promotes lift-off oversteer. In addition to this rational, a higher rear frequency means that that as the car goes over a bump, eventual the rear and front will "line up" and the car will settle as a whole, rather than the front and rear suspension continuing a harmonic motion. Enough of the nerdy stuff, let's get on with it.
I ordered the BC coils as there were the most cost effective option to get all three of my requirements fulfilled. I chose custom Swift Spring rates of 8K front, and 9K rear. (Yes, you read that right, stiffer rear springs). The installation was straight forward, and I think getting the old stuff out was 10x harder than getting the new stuff in. Because of the small strut hole mk7's, I set my camber before installation.
Street Impressions:
The coils were *firm* on street. But, that's what I was after. Despite this, with the dampening set to 22/30 both front and rear, the car felt better than my worn factory struts on H&R springs. Even my roommate agreed, while it was firm, it wasn't terribly uncomfortable. Bumps are felt but they aren't "jarring". While I could feel nearly every bump in the road, this is merely a result of my choice of dampening and high spring rates. The impacts are not "harsh" or "punishing" in anyway. It's just that you feel them. You are very one with car in a sense, haha. I also think it's worth mentioning here that the swift springs are MAJOR improvement over the standard BC springs. The standard BC springs give that "harsh" feel. My guess is that the high spring mass coupled with the non-linear rate (they claim it's linear but evidence points otherwise). If you get these, definitely get the swift springs. 100% worth it.
Adjustment Range:
For camber, I chose 3 small ticks from maxed. This netted -2.1 degrees camber up front. I'd assume maxed ticks (depending on ride height) would get you around -2.7. Meaning the adjustment range is likely (0 to -2.7 deg). For dampening, the adjustments work very well. When I moved the rear dampening 3 clicks stiffer (22/30 -> 25/30) -- wow! 3 clicks makes a massive difference, seriously. The car would lift-off oversteer like no one's business. A freaking hoot. Overall, the adjustments are satisfactory. Lowering it down to ~12/30 clicks is a great canyon-carver setup. Soft enough to not punish you on the pavement, but keep the car planted.
Track Impression:
I had the luxury of spending 4 session at UMC East Track with NASA HPDE 2/3 group. The coils did pretty well here. Previously, the car suffered a lot in S-turns as it would get upset easily. With the relatively stiff dampers and springs, the car could change directions very quickly without a lot of fuss. However, the dampers lack a "knee" in their curve. Most higher-end dampers, such as Fortune Auto, will brag about a "digressive curve" or "ultra-digressive" curve. Ohlin calls it a DFV - dual flow valve. The idea is that the shock can react differently to a sudden impact than it does to body roll. This is where the BC's really start to show their weaknesses. UMC has a lot of wide, usable rumble strips. While they are raised 2-3", they are fully usable. The lack of a digressive curve results in a relatively harsh impact from these, even on the inside wheels. While the loaded side of the car didn't get overly upset, it was clear that the suspension was not reacting nearly as well as it could have been. It was little disheartening to an overall excellent day.
EDIT: After softening the coils more, it's my belief that the car would have done better at a softer setting. That being said, the "digressive" comment remains.
Getting the Most out of your set:
I should also note that setting up coilovers is not trivial. Preload, dampening, and camber should all be taken into careful consideration and make a big difference. I've gone through too many changes to note them all, but at the high level, I think ~2 degrees of negative camber is necessary up front, about ~100-200 lbs of preload. For dampening, it seems like 17-22/30 is the ideal range, and for street use (including canyon runs) ~12/30 dampening range is ideal. From there it's up to the driver and road.
Conclusion:
Bang for the buck, the BC coils are hard to beat for track performance. But, to be completely honesty, I don't think they are the right choice for 99% of people, potentially including myself. Here's why. Most of you will (and me) will spend 99% of the time driving our cars on the street. For this, a twin-tube damper will be much more reactive to bumps in the road (as well as rumble strips on track). Twin-tube dampers naturally have that "digressive" curve effect. To stay in the same price point, ST-XTA coilovers offer camber adjustment, dampening adjustment and a modest spring rate. I've been in a Golf R with these and I can speak from experience, they keep the car planted and feel amazing. For those of us that want maximum performance, I equally feel that the lack of a responsive damper is again the Achille's heel of performance with these. I had to buy these to really understand what my friend meant by this (an owner of Koni Double 8611 race shocks), and now I understand. If you really want the peak performance, you can't get there with half the cost. I will say, the car still performed excellent and consistently on track, and I was able to keep pace with an 360whp Ralliart X, Mustang 5.0's, CTS-V's, M Coupe's, and even was hanging with a 991 body 911 Turbo for a bit
Final Remark:
For the price point, BC offers the most of any company as of now for what you get. The performance, build quality and adjustments are excellent. Be patient with dialing them in, as the setup that nets you the most might not be what you expect. Start on the soft end, and work up from there!
UPDATE [ JULY 21 2017 ]
I've had the coilover on the car now for about 3 months and 3K miles. I figure I can give a brief update. Mainly, I can speak more on the dampening since I've tried quite a number of settings. Going to a much lower setting (say 12), gives you nice comfort on the street, but the car simply feels uncontrollable. 18 seems to be a really nice compromise for all around, still dampened enough but not beat-you-up bad. As you up the dampening, the bias towards oversteer increases (this is likely due to my spring rates). At 12-18, the car is understeer biased pretty significantly. in the 18-22 range the car is relatively neutral, and above 25 there's significant oversteer bias. I have another track day coming up, this time on some 235 Maxxis RC-1 slicks, so I should get a better idea of how they perform. My main beef with these though is the amount of noise they make. There's always klunking and stuff. I've check torques on everything 3 times now, so it's not that, just, apparently how the coilovers sound. Kind of disappointing. I guess you get what you pay for, lol.
The Test Car:
2015 Mk7 GTI nonPP
BC Coilovers w/ Swift 8K/9K Spring Rates
235/45-17 Bridgestone RE11 on 17x8et35 Enkei PF01 / 235/45-17 PSS / 235/40-17 Maxxis RC-1
WaveTrac Limited Slip Differential
ST Rearsway Bar
034 Dogbone Insert
IS38 Turbo
Turboback Exhaust
ED IS38 Adjustable - 90 octane / 28 psi settings (True peak 19psi)
Southbend Stage 2 Endurance Clutch
Full PP Brake Upgrade
Carbotech XP12 Pads
Last edited:
