BC Racing BR Series VS Tein Flex Z Coilovers
If you are looking to buy coilovers, no doubt you’re looking at either the BC Racing BR Series or the TEIN Flex Z, or more likely, both.
These two are some of the most popular coilover kits on the market today, with each having their selling points.
In this blog, I will compare these two coilovers together and let you know which you should buy for your car.
BC Racing BR Series Overview
The BC Racing BR Series coilovers are an affordable performance oriented coilover designed for street use.
They offer a high degree of customization and have proven to perform both on and off the track, making them one of the best value for money coilovers on the market today.
They offer a wide range of height adjustment, monotube dampers with dampening adjustment, as well as custom spring rates and damping, Swift Spring upgrade, camber adjustable top mounts and more. They are also fully rebuildable and come with a 2 year warranty.
These coilovers are an extremely popular choice for street cars looking to go lower and improve handling performance.
TEIN Flex Z Overview
While the BC Racing coilovers are a popular choice for performance, the TEIN Flex Z coilovers have earned their reputation for comfort and reliability. This is largely due to their twin-tube damper design, which increases comfort for road use, providing a smoother ride.
TEIN Flex Zs are designed with a focus on comfort without sacrificing handling performance. The twin tube dampers give you 16 stages of damping adjustment, allowing you to fine-tune your ride according to your needs and preferences, though not quite as much as the BC’s.
Made in Japan, the TEIN Flex Zs are praised for their high-quality construction and performance capabilities, though they don’t offer the same customization that the BR Series coilovers do.
Height Adjustment Comparison
Both coilovers offer height adjustment by the shock body and give you a large range of adjustment.
BC Racing coilovers advertise 1-3 inches of lowering for most models, with their Extreme Low coilovers going as low as 4 inches.
TEIN, on the other hand, offer adjustment ranges dependent on the car, which can be anywhere from 2 inches lower all the way to 5 inches lower or more on some models.
It’s safe to say that both coilovers will get you very low, so unless you intend on riding on your frame rails, should be more than enough range.
Damper Comparison
When it comes to dampers, there’s a significant difference between TEIN Flex Z and BC Racing BR coilovers.
The BC Racing coilovers use a monotube damper with linear damping curve. This provides more responsive damping (though not quite as much as digressive dampers), making them more suitable for track use and spirited driving while still retaining comfort for the street.
On the other hand, the TEIN Flex Z coilovers feature a twin-tube damper. This design offers a softer ride, prioritizing comfort over performance, making these coilovers more suitable for street use where comfort is a priority. Now, with that said, TEIN have also made these dampers able to withstand track use, so they will do fine for the occasional track day or spirited driving run. They just won’t be as good as monotube dampers.
Dampening Adjustment Comparison
Both coilovers offer a decent range of dampening adjustment so you can fine tune the ride and settings of your dampers.
The TEIN Flex Z offers 16 stages of damping adjustment, facilitated by needle valves, giving you precise adjustments to go from soft to hard.
The BC Racing BR Series give you 30 levels of damping adjustment, which, in theory, gives you more choices over the exact setting of your dampers.
Realistically, it won’t make too much of a difference whether you have 16 or 30 levels of adjustment, and it’s debatable how much dampening adjustment you really need. Let’s just say both allow you to adjust the damper settings for softer or harder damping.
Top Mount Comparison
Both coilover kits come with top mounts, the configuration of which depends on the specific model the kit is for.
On the TEIN Flex Z’s, the top mounts are either pillowball mounts with camber adjustment for MacPherson strut cars, or reinforced rubber mounts on double A-arm cars.
The BC Racings also come with similar top mounts – either pillowball mounts with camber adjustment on MacPherson strut cars, or rubber mounts on double A-arm cars.
So for both kits, the top mounts for your car are likely to be the same.
Spring Rate Comparison
The spring rates are another factor that is different between the BC Racing BR and Tein Flex Z coilovers.
BC Racing BR Series coilovers typically come with stiffer default spring rates. This performance-oriented design is ideal for aggressive driving and track use, providing you with better response and handling. If you are planning on using your car on the track or regular spirited driving, this is more suitable.
On the other hand, if you prioritize comfort over performance, Tein Flex Z coilovers usually come with softer spring rates to match the more comfort oriented dampers.
It’s also worth nothing that BC Racing offer custom spring rates and matching damper valving, as well as Swift Springs as an upgrade (which are known for being more comfortable), meaning you can customize them to your liking, whether that’s softer or harder.
Warranty Comparison
Both these brands provide a warranty, safeguarding you against manufacturer defects. However, the coverage duration and terms might differ.
BC Racing offers a 2 year warranty against manufacturing defects.
TEIN also offers a limited warranty for their Flex Z Coilovers, however it is only for 1 year.
Servicing & Rebuilding Comparison
When it comes to servicing and rebuilding, both kits offer options so you don’t have to replace your entire setup.
The BC Racing BR Series coilovers are completely rebuildable and all the parts can be purchased from BC Racing, allowing you to either have them rebuilt or rebuild them yourself.
The TEIN Flex Z coilovers, on the other hand, cannot be rebuilt due to having a sealed damper. However, TEIN sell individual replacement dampers, allowing you to just replace the damper if it is blow. This means you won’t have to replace your whole kit, and the damper replacement process is relatively quick and easy.
Corrosion Resistance Comparison
Both coilover kits are designed with corrosion resistance in mind so you won’t have to worry about rust being an issue.
With the BC Racing kit, the damper units are made of black chromed steel designed to give high corrosion resistance in even the toughest conditions. All aluminium components such as the top mounts and locking collars are anodised, and the lower steel mounts go through an electrophoretic disposition process, after which they are powder coated.
BC Racing also put a random selection of steel components through a salt spray test once a month to check the quality of the protective processes and ensure that the corrosion resistant properties are kept to the highest standard.
On the TEIN kit, they use their own patented power coat for the damper bodies and mounting brackets, and a special ZT coating on the adjustment threads which TEIN themselves developed to be able to withstand the harshest winters and not seize the adjusters.
In both cases, corrosion should not be a problem.
Conclusion: Which Should You Choose?
The reality is that both of these coilover kits are excellent low priced options, and the decision will come down to how you intend to use the car.
If you are after a performance oriented kit to improve handing, handle track use and give you a decent ride on the street, the BC Racing BR Series coilovers are some of the best coilovers you will find in this price range.
You can buy the BC Racing BC Series coilovers here.
However, if your priority is ride comfort, and you are willing to sacrifice a bit of performance, than the TEIN Flex Zs are basically the best sub $1000 coilover kit you are going to get.
You can get the TEIN Flex Z coilovers here.
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
- BC Racing BR Series VS Tein Flex Z Coilovers - April 15, 2024
- The Pros and Cons of Shock Body Vs Spring Perch Coilover Height Adjustment - April 13, 2024
- Monotube Vs Twin Tube Shocks: The Ultimate Guide - April 11, 2024
