BC Coilovers, how to tell the difference.

[Jrichards20]

It appears my last post as gone missing, I think due to the outage, so will post again.

How can you tell the difference between BC coilovers sprint rate? 4/6 and 5/7

Also, how can you tell the difference between the RA and the RH. Pillowball top mount and ball joint mount.

Then need to look into which bloody ones I have bought and whether I need to exchange them for a different ones, if the different spring rates/mounts cause a big difference.

[shnazzle]

check the text on the springs. ends in 00x where x is the kg rate. So 006 = 6kg, etc.

RH and RA and just rear pillowball or rubber mount respectively. The rubber mount has a rubber ring that#s visible at the top of the rear mounts. Otherwise it just looks like a metal cap on a bearing

[1979scotte]

4/6 hurt your back 5/7 have your fillings out  s;) s;)

[shnazzle]

I wouldn't want 5/7 for a road car tbh. Having said that I drove around with mine at setting 15 for ages.

[Jrichards20]

hmmmmmm. surely adjusting the settings a bit softer should sort that out? and then on the track and on well paved roads, I can adjust the setting to make them harder and then they work again  s:) s:)  

I ove this idea of being able to make is faster on the road by softening up, and then faster on the track by hardening, all by the twist of a nob  s:) s:)

[shnazzle]

Not 100% true. I've written a lengthy post on here somewhere about suspension setup but essentially the damping and the springs need to match to a certain degree.
Logically if you think about it, if the springs are harder (5/7) then they will also recoil less. So you don't need as much damping. So it's very well possible that damping setting 2 or 3 is actually more pleasant on 5/7 springs than on 4/6.
On the 4/6 springs I found that anything from 0-5 basically turns the car into a pogo stick.
Whereas higher settings in a 4/6 mean you're essentially riding the dampers, which can't be too healthy. But a higher setting on 5/7 may lead to a more pleasant ride.
Balancing act.
All I can say (again) is find member's cars with the different setups and go for rides

[Jrichards20]

Rates are 5/7.... Oh dear... In terms of fast road performance, are these too hard? I know on previous car adjustable suspension was very hard. And so hard that it slowed me down on most corners because it was jumping over bumps in the road not soaking them up to grip

I'm not bothered about comfort, I can soften the damping when I have a bad back, it's road performance that I'm worried about.

Pretty sure the rear is pillowball. It has the same adjustment knob like the fronts, apart from no adjustable screws on the side of it. Can't see a rubber ring lol. Hope it's pillowball anyway  s:) s:)

[Jrichards20]

[shnazzle]

Could be wrong but that looks like it might be rubber top mount.
Does it say BR-RA on the silver sticker?
Nothing wrong with it. Rubber top would be my preference, adds extra comfort and noise/vibration reduction in the rear

Sounds like previously you suffered from damping issues, not so much spring firmness.
As I said above, if the two aren't balanced, the car can feel very very unsettled over slightly rougher roads like farmer's B-roads. They look perfectly smooth but they're not.

5/7 would still be fine with the right damping, but I honestly think with the corner weighting of the mr2, you're better off with 4/6. Bear in mind springs can be had for 30 quid each brand new from BC. You can even keep the 5/7s for track days if you want to go all out. Or sell them to people who are buying the BCs for track use.

[1979scotte]

Coil overs are hard enough without having pillow ball top mounts.
If the 4/6 springs are cheap enough from bc I would get a set.

[Jrichards20]

Could be wrong but that looks like it might be rubber top mount.
Does it say BR-RA on the silver sticker?
Nothing wrong with it. Rubber top would be my preference, adds extra comfort and noise/vibration reduction in the rear

Sounds like previously you suffered from damping issues, not so much spring firmness.
As I said above, if the two aren't balanced, the car can feel very very unsettled over slightly rougher roads like farmer's B-roads. They look perfectly smooth but they're not.

5/7 would still be fine with the right damping, but I honestly think with the corner weighting of the mr2, you're better off with 4/6. Bear in mind springs can be had for 30 quid each brand new from BC. You can even keep the 5/7s for track days if you want to go all out. Or sell them to people who are buying the BCs for track use.

Ha, I'l check the sticker! Could of done that in the first place!

I didn't realise the springs were that cheap, how easy is it to swap them over? I guess also need some sort of Spring compressor thingy? For 30quid no point selling them.

Coil overs are hard enough without having pillow ball top mounts.
If the 4/6 springs are cheap enough from bc I would get a set.

Ok I got the correct mounts then  s:) s:)

[shnazzle]

Could be wrong but that looks like it might be rubber top mount.
Does it say BR-RA on the silver sticker?
Nothing wrong with it. Rubber top would be my preference, adds extra comfort and noise/vibration reduction in the rear

Sounds like previously you suffered from damping issues, not so much spring firmness.
As I said above, if the two aren't balanced, the car can feel very very unsettled over slightly rougher roads like farmer's B-roads. They look perfectly smooth but they're not.

5/7 would still be fine with the right damping, but I honestly think with the corner weighting of the mr2, you're better off with 4/6. Bear in mind springs can be had for 30 quid each brand new from BC. You can even keep the 5/7s for track days if you want to go all out. Or sell them to people who are buying the BCs for track use.

Ha, I'l check the sticker! Could of done that in the first place!

I didn't realise the springs were that cheap, how easy is it to swap them over? I guess also need some sort of Spring compressor thingy? For 30quid no point selling them.

Coil overs are hard enough without having pillow ball top mounts.
If the 4/6 springs are cheap enough from bc I would get a set.

Ok I got the correct mounts then  s:) s:)

30 quid per spring mind... so 120 for all 4  s:) s:)  But still... That's not bad for brand new springs.

BC advise no pre-load on the springs, so I'm not even sure you need spring compressors at all. They're not like stock springs in any way other than being springs.

[Jrichards20]

That's more expensive then! Hmmm, maybe I will try them out, see if they are too harsh, and if so buy the new springs after.

Do you know anyone that has 5/7 springs on a road car, that would be willing to share their experiences? In terms of performance on roads, not so much comfort.

[shnazzle]

Most people on MeisterR coilovers have the 5/7 (or is it 5/8?) setup. Anecdotal evidence suggests the MeisterR's damping is a bit more compliant, but I have my suspicions about any difference at all between the two.

Sooo... try someone with Meisters  s:) s:)  
Bear in mind that if you've recently swapped the struts, it's really easy to do it again. So if the 5/7s don't suit, just whip them off, shove some 4/6 springs on and pop them back in. I reckon the second time around (after going through rear drop-link hell), I could have all the struts off and replaced within 45 minutes tops

EDIT: Remember that if you do try someone's car to play with different damping settings! For 5/7 I'm guessing about 8-10 would be best. But also remember that it will be a lot firmer than you're used to

[Jrichards20]

Right who's got some meisters  s:) s:)  I know Scott has them on the way!!  s:) s:)  

Wonderful, just need to get through the first pain. I'm just worried about doing it. But im sure it will be fine.

It's not to difficult to change the settings so can play around with them. Still got a couple of more bits on the shopping list before I can change everything over. Also want to get new wheels and tyres. So might have to just bite the bullet and get the engine put in before hand.

[shnazzle]

Right who's got some meisters  s:) s:)  I know Scott has them on the way!!  s:) s:)  

Wonderful, just need to get through the first pain. I'm just worried about doing it. But I'm sure it will be fine.

It's not to difficult to change the settings so can play around with them. Still got a couple of more bits on the shopping list before I can change everything over. Also want to get new wheels and tyres. So might have to just bite the bullet and get the engine put in before hand.

Ah! I forgot about the engine!
It's going to be v6 right? Bear in mind that it's a lot heavier than the 1zz. So in that case, the 5/7 setup might be better!
Variables variables variables  s:D s:D    s:D s:D   Change one...the towers falls over.

[andyroo104]

Have a chat with ayresyboy as he has tried all types of suspension options on his 2gr.

[ayresyboy]

I have the meisters.  Prefer them to bc's. Seem to be more comfy on the roads.

[Jrichards20]

cheers andy. Did you have the BC's in 5/7? And what setting did you have it on? Annnnddddd what was the performance like on the roads?

Sorry for questions  s:( s:(

[ayresyboy]

had bc's with the softer 4/6. they were fine with fl wheels and toyo's, but then i changed to SP 17's with falken's and i didn't like it.  Went back to stock shockers and lowering springs but with a heavier than standard engine in the back i really need adjustable suspension.  bought the meister's and had them professionally set up with corner weighting and they are great.  would still prefer standard shockers and lowering springs if i could get away with it

[shnazzle]

had bc's with the softer 4/6. they were fine with fl wheels and toyo's, but then i changed to SP 17's with falken's and i didn't like it.  Went back to stock shockers and lowering springs but with a heavier than standard engine in the back i really need adjustable suspension.  bought the meister's and had them professionally set up with corner weighting and they are great.  would still prefer standard shockers and lowering springs if i could get away with it

Ah, fine point there I forgot about. My ride on 4/6 is harsher than most due to running AD08s. Makes a significant difference over the mushy Toyo T1-Rs. Another factor to take into consideration hehe.
Guessing you're going with 17" wheels on the rear with the 1mz in?

[Jrichards20]

yeah I will be running Ad08rs most likely. Bloody factors, becoming a nuisance!

I'm hoping to go 15'' rotas all round, but haven't looked at 15' rota rim width yet so don't know if they will be big enough. If I can fit 225s on the 15's then yes, if not. 15s front and 16s back with the 1mz.

17s look nice, but comfort is reduced, and weight is increased.

[shnazzle]

All that torque through 15s  s:) s:)   Nice. In that case the AD08s might be alright haha

[ayresyboy]

just check how low your engine will be sitting.  I've actually increased my ride height from stock so i can get over speed bumps without issues

[Jrichards20]

All that torque through 15s  s:) s:)   Nice. In that case the AD08s might be alright haha

I'm guess with the LSD it should be able to put he power down, with sticky tyres, wide width and a bit of profile, I'm hoping that the acceleration will be improved even more  s:) s:)  

just check how low your engine will be sitting.  I've actually increased my ride height from stock so i can get over speed bumps without issues

Is that because of the engine or the skirts that you have? I know the 2gr sits a little lower than the 1mz. I will weight to buy the wheels after installation now anyway, thanks for the reminder! That way, I know how much lower I can go with the wheels.