BC Racing Coilovers Review – Are They Any Good?
If you are looking into coilover kits, you can’t miss the name BC Racing. Since being founded in 1999, they have risen to massive popularity and have become the go to brand for coilovers for many car enthusiasts.
The question is, are they actually any good?
In this blog post we will look at BC Racing in detail, both the company and the coilovers, to find out.
About BC Racing
BC Racing was founded 1999 in Taiwan as Bor-Chaunn Enterprise Ltd. In 2003, they debuted their first “BC Racing” coilover kit. About a year later, BC Racing coilovers started to be sold in USA, and that’s where things started to really take off. They started buying out warehouses, shipping and exporting companies to be able to distribute their products.
By 2008 they were winning awards for their coilover products, and in 2010 they actually launched their own wheel company called “BC Forged” which makes forged monoblock as well as 2 and 3 piece wheels.
Controversies About BC Racing Coilovers
If you’ve been researching coilovers you’ve no doubt seen that many people have an issue with BC.
A lot of this comes from the fact that BC sells “white-label” coilovers, which basically means that another company can buy the coilovers, put their brand name on them and sell them as their own. Obviously, this is beneficial for a new company who don’t have to invest in R&D, manufacturing and all the expense that comes with making your own coilover kit.
However, end users are not a fan of this because it means they don’t know where the parts are made, so it’s harder for them to trust the quality and establish how well they are made.
Now, while there is some basis to this, it doesn’t actually mean that the products are bad, and as usually most things on the internet get blown out of proportion by people who’ve never actually used the product, so you have to keep that in mind as well.
Another issue that people have with BC Racing is that their coilovers are made in Taiwan, which is often used as a cheap product manufacturer for China. But again, this doesn’t necessarily guarantee bad quality parts, and in the case of BC Racing, good products come out of Taiwan as well.
So, Are BC Racing Coilovers Actually Good?
The short answer is yes, BC Racing make good coilovers. They have done a good job of keeping the price point low, the quality high and give users a lot of customization options to put together the perfect coilover kit for their car.
They offer a wide selection of coilovers to suit all needs and are commonly used in both motorsport and on the street by many car enthusiasts worldwide.
There is a reason they have grown to be so popular and have been around for 20 years, with the vast majority of people who use their products being very happy with them. That just doesn’t happen if you produce a rubbish product, no matter how good your marketing is.
Now, let’s take a closer look at each of their coilover models.
BC Racing BR Series Coilovers
By far the most popular BC Racing coilover is the BR series. The BR series is the entry-level BC Racing coilover which is the most affordable, but that doesn’t mean that it’s short on features. The BR series coilovers are available for a huge range of vehicles and come with the following features:
- Monotube shocks with linear piston and damping curve (which evenly increases stiffness as the piston speed increases but doesn’t cause dramatic changes at higher speeds)
- Height adjustable by the shock body, independent of the spring – so you retain full suspension travel at all ride heights and can set the spring pre-load
- Up to 3 inches of ride height adjustment lower than stock on most models (1inch lower than stock set to maximum height)
- 30-level dampening adjustable
- Front camber adjustable strut mounts come on most models
- Rear camber adjustable strut mounts are available (sold separately)
- Custom spring rates and Swift Springs are available as an optional extra
- Custom valving for the shocks is also available
- 1 year warranty
- Fully rebuildable
That’s a lot of features for an entry-level coilover kit. The BR Series coilovers are perfect for street driving with the occasional track day or autocross event. You can customize them to ride exactly how you like, and dampening adjustment is quick and easy with the turn of the knob at the top of the shock.
They also offer an Extreme Low version which gives you an extra 2 inches of lowering over the regular BR series, meaning 4-5 inches in total lower ride height than stock.
If you are looking for a street coilover with the ability to handle some performance driving, you can’t go wrong with the BC Racing BR Series coilovers.
BC Racing DS Series Coilovers
The DS Series coilovers are similar to the BR Series coilovers with a different dampening system. They feature digressive dampening through use of a digressive piston design, which means higher damping force at low piston speeds while maintaining a linear damper feeling at higher piston speeds.
The biggest advantage of this is the feedback given to the driver through roll, pitch and dive and quick weight transmissions such as when going through chicanes and technical autocross courses. If you are looking for increased driver feel, these are the coilovers for you.
The DS Series coilovers are a great choice for drivers that want track suitable coilovers for the occasional track day and autocross event.
The full list of DS Series features includes:
- Monotube shocks with digressive piston and damping curve (which gives greater driver feel in technical situations while retaining linear feel at higher shock piston speeds)
- Height adjustable by the shock body, independent of the spring – so you retain full suspension travel at all ride heights and can set the spring pre-load
- 30-level dampening adjustable
- Front camber adjustable strut mounts come on most models
- Rear camber adjustable strut mounts are available (sold separately)
- Custom spring rates and Swift Springs are available as an optional extra
- Custom valving for the shocks is also available
- Satin chrome finish on the shock body
- 1 year warranty
- Fully rebuildable
BC Racing RM Series Coilovers
The RM Series coilovers are the next step up and their main additional feature is an inverted monotube damper (on McPherson strut vehicles) which has a much larger piston shaft that can handle higher lateral loads for longer periods of time.
The main benefit of this is moving the damper fluid away from major heat sources (brakes and wheels) which helps to prevent shock fluid from overheating and causing damper fade.
Another advantage is the reduction of unsprung weight by moving the weight of the coilover up to the chassis, where weight can more easily be removed from the car.
NOTE: On vehicles that use separate shock and coil on the rear, the inverted RM dampers only come for the fronts and BR series for the rear. This is because on vehicles with double A-arm suspension the inverted damper design is not necessary.
These coilovers are a good choice for people who want to use the car for track days, hill climbs and tarmac rallies.
The full list of features for the RM Series coilovers include:
- Inverted monotube shocks with linear piston and damping curve (which evenly increases stiffness as the piston speed increases but doesn’t cause dramatic changes at higher speeds)
- Height adjustable by the shock body, independent of the spring – so you retain full suspension travel at all ride heights and can set the spring pre-load
- 30-level dampening adjustable
- Front camber adjustable strut mounts come on most models
- Rear camber adjustable strut mounts are available (sold separately)
- Custom spring rates and Swift Springs are available as an optional extra
- Custom valving for the shocks is also available
- 1 year warranty
- Fully rebuildable
BC Racing ER Series Coilovers
The ER Series coilovers are the next level up and have several additional features over the previous coilovers.
The most notable upgrade with the ER Series coilovers are the large external reservoirs both front and rear, which allow for 30-level independent rebound and compression adjustment on the dampers. The external reservoirs allow for a higher oil capacity which allows heat to dissipate faster during extended intensive driving sessions.
The dampers themselves are a monotube, twin piston design, with the second piston in the reservoir which allows for the independent compression adjustment.
The ER Series coilovers are for drivers who want to be able to dial in their suspension setup independently on the compression and rebound to fit their specific driving style and performance requirements.
The full list of features on the ER Series coilovers includes:
- Monotube damper with linear, twin piston system and external reservoirs front and rear
- 30-level independent compression and rebound adjustment
- Ride height adjustment done at shock body, allowing for full suspension travel and the ability to set spring pre-load
- Front and rear camber adjustable strut mounts on all applicable cars (front and rear pillow-ball strut mounts when camber adjustment mounts are not applicable)
- Custom spring rates and Swift Springs available
- Custom valved to match the chosen spring rates
- 1 year warranty
- Fully rebuildable
BC Racing HM Series Coilovers
The HM Series coilovers feature the same inverted monotube shock design with linear valving system as the RM Series, combined with the external reservoir dampening system of the ER Series, giving you independent compression and rebound adjustment.
The external reservoirs use braided steel lines from the shock to the reservoir and allow for a bigger oil capacity, which helps to disperse heat and prevent the dampers from getting too hot causing damper fade.
They also use the inverted monotube shocks which reduce unsprung weight as well as additionally help to keep the dampers cool by placing them further away from major heat sources such as the brakes.
The HM Series coilovers are perfect for McPherson strut vehicles that are regularly used on the track.
The full list of features for the HM Series coilovers includes:
- Swift Springs come standard on HM Series coilovers
- Inverted monotube damper with linear twin piston system
- Ride height adjustment done at shock body, allowing for full suspension travel and the ability to set spring pre-load
- 30-level independent adjustment of compression and rebound
- Front and rear camber adjustable strut mounts are standard on applicable vehicles (other vehicles come with pillow-ball mounts)
- Custom valved to match specified spring rates
- 1 year warranty
- Fully rebuildable
BC Racing ZR Series Coilovers
The ZR Series coilovers are the top spec coilovers offered by BC Racing and feature pretty much everything you could want from a performance coilover.
The main new feature the ZR Series coilovers bring is 3-way adjustable dampening, with individual settings for rebound, low speed compression and high speed compression.
On vehicles with McPherson struts, the ZR Series coilovers use inverted monotube dampers with a linear twin piston system. Each damper has a steel-braided, Teflon coated line connected to the top of the damper and to the reservoir. The reservoirs can be mounted to the chassis of the car where suitable to allow for easy access and adjustment
On vehicles with double A-arm suspension, the ZR Series coilovers come with regular, upright dampers. They use the same steel braided, Teflon coated line, or solid stems, that connect to the bottom of the damper and the external reservoir that can be mounted to the chassis or shock body.
These are full track spec coilovers for drivers that want full customizability and the ability to dial in the perfect setup with no compromises.
The full list of features for the ZR Series coilovers:
- Swift Springs come standard on the ZR Series coilovers
- Inverted monotube damper with linear twin piston system
- Ride height adjustment done at shock body, allowing for full suspension travel and the ability to set spring pre-load
- 30-level independently adjustable rebound
- 15-level independently adjustable low speed compression
- 12-level independently adjustable high speed compression
- Front and rear camber adjustable strut mounts are standard on applicable vehicles (other vehicles come with pillow-ball mounts)
- Custom valving for specified spring rates
- 1 year warranty
- Fully rebuildable
Conclusion
BC Racing make a wide range of quality coilovers to suit many applications from daily driving to full race use. They are also extremely customizable and come with many different options so you can build the perfect set of coilovers for your particular requirements.
And for the price, there are not many other coilover companies out there that can provide this level of service, quality, customizability and features for anywhere near the price.
So if you are looking to get coilovers for your car, you really can’t go wrong with a set of BCs.
Cars owned: Mk2 Golf with 1.8T swap, BMW E28 with M30B35 swap, BMW E36 328I Mtech, BMW 750IL, Nissan 300ZX, Honda Civic EF
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