BC Coilovers Query - What preload and height do you have?
- Thread starter Stevearcade
- Start date
Yeah... I'm going to take to a garage who are comfortable to install and tweak the setup once it's on.
Goodluckmonkey
TA Friends
You'd really need to have it cornerweighted for a proper static setup.
Wether or not the damping setup's anywhere near right will take experimentation in the real world however.
Probably best to start in the middle and go from there. Try going 4 clicks out each way first to work out which direction you want to take your adjustments in, then try 2 clicks at a time using the same bit of road till you find something you're happy with.
(It- get to the point it starts to get worse, then go back 2 to where you previously were)
If it has both comp and rebound adjustment, you'll want to do rebound first, then compression afterwards, as the circuits do influence each other.
A slower rebound will increase traction for low speed suspension travel events, and more for high speed events (sharper bumps / bigger hits)
The more rebound damping, the slower the wheel returns, and vice-versa, so less damping pushes the wheel back into the ground faster.
Wether or not the damping setup's anywhere near right will take experimentation in the real world however.
Probably best to start in the middle and go from there. Try going 4 clicks out each way first to work out which direction you want to take your adjustments in, then try 2 clicks at a time using the same bit of road till you find something you're happy with.
(It- get to the point it starts to get worse, then go back 2 to where you previously were)
If it has both comp and rebound adjustment, you'll want to do rebound first, then compression afterwards, as the circuits do influence each other.
A slower rebound will increase traction for low speed suspension travel events, and more for high speed events (sharper bumps / bigger hits)
The more rebound damping, the slower the wheel returns, and vice-versa, so less damping pushes the wheel back into the ground faster.
Most people dont bother coner weighting.but its a must really. When i first had my buddyclub coilovers they car just wanted to pull left all the time.i had it corner weighted and it sorted the issue.but iirc cost me 60 to 80 pounds. Another reason i used koni shocks and eibach springs
My usual, local indie wasn't willing to install coilies. He's a really nice old chap and has sorted me out many times with good work. We talked it through and he concluded that he thinks I'd be better off finding a garage more experienced with modified cars as he doesn't have a geometry machine and hasn't done a coil over install for a very long time. He wasn't confident he'd get me the best balance and setup.
So off I went to google and I found a small garage here in Eastbourne that specialises in modified cars. Interestingly on their website gallery I see cars that I often see around Eastbourne. Nice looking vehicles. Spoke to the guy there, really nice, helpful chap. Familiar with coil overs, familiar with BC Racing coil overs. We discussed ways to make sure the self levelling headlamp system could be adapted to work with the coil overs too (the level/angle sensor for the self levelling system is attached to the shock absorber). He seems like the pragmatic, slightly imaginative mechanic I need. He also does cool builds and is very familiar with working on Civics and S2Ks, so I'm confident he's going to do a good job. I'm all booked in for Wednesday for the install and a four wheel geometry setup. Am very excited!
So off I went to google and I found a small garage here in Eastbourne that specialises in modified cars. Interestingly on their website gallery I see cars that I often see around Eastbourne. Nice looking vehicles. Spoke to the guy there, really nice, helpful chap. Familiar with coil overs, familiar with BC Racing coil overs. We discussed ways to make sure the self levelling headlamp system could be adapted to work with the coil overs too (the level/angle sensor for the self levelling system is attached to the shock absorber). He seems like the pragmatic, slightly imaginative mechanic I need. He also does cool builds and is very familiar with working on Civics and S2Ks, so I'm confident he's going to do a good job. I'm all booked in for Wednesday for the install and a four wheel geometry setup. Am very excited!
Good luck with the suspension, looks like you've done homework on who to do your install.
I went with a reputable company in Scotland that build and set up rally cars for the last 30 odd years......
....they messed up my car as he couldnt get his head around the word 'stanced'
I went with a reputable company in Scotland that build and set up rally cars for the last 30 odd years......
....they messed up my car as he couldnt get his head around the word 'stanced'
That's frustrating. This chap is about my age (early 30s), works on mostly Japanese and German performance cars, organises road trips for his customers to all go to Nurburgring together in the cars that he's worked on and seems very in tune with the modified car scene judging by the way he talks and the type of work he does.Burbleboy said:Good luck with the suspension, looks like you've done homework on who to do your install.
I went with a reputable company in Scotland that build and set up rally cars for the last 30 odd years......
....they messed up my car as he couldnt get his head around the word 'stanced'
Does sound like he knows what he is doing.
Well i have learned the expensive way as my car has been to 3 different companies for arch work and suspension setups! At least next time, i will know who to take it too.
Look forward to the pics of it after
Well i have learned the expensive way as my car has been to 3 different companies for arch work and suspension setups! At least next time, i will know who to take it too.
Look forward to the pics of it after
Car went in this morning, but I've already got it back without them fitted . The bolts that run through the end of the control arm and bushes were seized to the bushes corroded. The first bolt snapped so they didn't touch the other. They managed to weld it locked in place so I can drive the car, and I've ordered replacement parts, hopefully should have them by Friday, so it's looking like next week now. Hey ho... this is life, keeping an older car on the road I guess. Bolts will seize, bushes will corrode.
. The bolts that run through the end of the control arm and bushes were seized to the bushes corroded. The first bolt snapped so they didn't touch the other. They managed to weld it locked in place so I can drive the car, and I've ordered replacement parts, hopefully should have them by Friday, so it's looking like next week now. Hey ho... this is life, keeping an older car on the road I guess. Bolts will seize, bushes will corrode.Goodluckmonkey
TA Friends
Yep, control arm inner bolts were a pig to remove in my accord. Got one out by using enough heat to shift it, but not so much I torched the bush. The other i had to resort to cutting out. Total nightmare.
I have one free and one seized in the rear too. If it needs rear LCAs at any point I'll be on for another few hours of inventing new curse words.
I have one free and one seized in the rear too. If it needs rear LCAs at any point I'll be on for another few hours of inventing new curse words.
Car's been in garage today, still there, being finished in the morning. I went to see it. Fronts are on and looking good. But it's taken them most of the day to get the seized bushes and their metal housing out. They showed me the aftermath of one and were still cutting the other one out. Really badly seized. The mechanic was knackered. He'd been cutting, drilling and using a thermal tool of sorts all afternoon. The bolts were only half the problem. The outer steel sleeves for the bushes have completely mated and bonded to the control arm. You could clearly see on the one he was still working on. They called me at 6 this evening to tell me the replacement bushes were now ready to go in, so it would just be a case of putting the rear coil overs on, letting it sit for a few hours to bed in and then setting the ride height. All done by the afternoon, ***uming nothing else crops us. So fingers crossed, get the car back tomorrow.
Got the car back yesterday after lunch. The car drives very nicely indeed. I'll do a separate review thread in a few days once I've done more driving but my initial impressions are very positive. Very stable, very planted. My lowering springs gave a nice ride height, but my stock shocks were knackered (now they're off I can compress them by hand with ease and they take a lifetime to return to their uncompressed position). With the new setup the ride feels like a new car. Not bouncy, not crashy. It's lovely.
Gonna do some miles this weekend and talk more about them in a few days.
Gonna do some miles this weekend and talk more about them in a few days.
Andyjdmteg
Members
Get some pics up steve !
I've just posted a review of them (so far) in the modification review section, having spent a while today doing twisty country roads and stuff. I'll get some pics up tomorrow.
Do you actually have touch any control arms at the rear?Stevearcade said:Car went in this morning, but I've already got it back without them fitted
I was pretty sure that to replace strut only stabiliser link need to be disconnected.
freddofrog
won 16.4k on Euro lottery :)
Steve's car is 7th gen Tourer (CM2) which has trailing-arm suspension on the rearkrisdee said:
Goodluckmonkey
TA Friends
It can be done without.
I removed the lower arm on one side, but didn't bother on the other because I'd have needed to cut it off and replace it due to a seized bolt.
Spring compresses with old tie downs, pull it out the hole, and new one fitted the same way.
I removed the lower arm on one side, but didn't bother on the other because I'd have needed to cut it off and replace it due to a seized bolt.
Spring compresses with old tie downs, pull it out the hole, and new one fitted the same way.
Going to the effort of replacing suspension with coil overs, I felt it was worth the extra effort to replace seized and corroded bushes. When I had lowering springs fitted, they just used spring compressors to squeeze things in, but better replace knackered parts than work around them.
Goodluckmonkey
TA Friends
Of course, im not doubting that.
The bush is fine on my car, would just need destroying to get the seized bolt out.
The bush is fine on my car, would just need destroying to get the seized bolt out.