BC Racing Coilover - Product Overview Thread

[socale39]

I know there's another thread but instead of highjacking that one I thought I'd start my own. Long story short I've been trying different suspension setups for the past couple years. I started with stock sport suspension then tried Eibach and lastly Vogtland. Eibach was very well balanced but lacked in overall drop and while Vogtland provided the drop I wanted the rear felt a little stiff. I was at a crossroads......go full air ride setup or try BC Racing's latest release, the BR Coilover setup for the E70 X5. Clearly if you are reading this you know which way I decided.

As I go through the installation process I'll be sure to post pics and do an in depth review after I've had some time to let things settle. Of course if you've seen my YouTube channel, "BimmerMarketplace" you guys are probably familiar with some of the DIY videos I have posted. I'll try to upload some videos during my installation process that may help those DIYers should they decide to tackle this on their own.

Anyways, let get to the good stuff. Here are some specs of the coilover setup:

• 30-way Adjustable Dampening

• Fully Adjustable Ride Height

• Custom Swift Spring Option

• Completely Rebuildable Assemblies

Of course there's a lot more but these are the features I really have come to appreciate. I will say this, I previously had BC Racing coilovers on my E60 M5 and call me crazy but I actually enjoyed them more so than the KW setup I had. That being said I'm really hoping I have the same experience with these as I did on my M5 as they were easy to tune and for a coilover setup, were very comfortable.

Installed pics on vehicle:







Rear Coilover Installation & Preload Setting:

So lets start off with some quick pics of the product...

[boostedjay]

Good to see some different options here, I'm a fan of BC's as a "budget" setup.. def saves $ from the KW if you can't swing it. Good luck with your test and looking forward to your results and DIY pics.

[socale39]

Rear Suspension Installation

Started tackling the rear today. Needless to say, doing the install in a single car garage in the TX summer isn't my idea of having a whole lot of fun but at least I purged some toxins from the body. Definitely looking forward to getting the new house built with plenty of garage space.

Overall installation was straight forward. Doing the work all myself makes it a bit challenging so here are some tips for the rear suspension removal/installation process:

1) Jack up vehicle and place jack stand under rear sway bar mount and lower car. Make sure car is secure and keep floor jack in position at all times

2) Remove wheel/tire

3) Remove brake line securing clip from rear shock

4) Compress suspension slightly with floor jack and remove rear lower shock bolt using a 21mm Socket and the rear sway bar nut with 18mm wrench and T40 Torx to keep threads from spinning




5) When removing the coil spring I find that using the jack tube or arm to extend the suspension works quite well. While sitting on the arm I remove the spring from its perch prying the bottom up from the control arm. WD-40 works well to help this process. See pic below:




6) Once spring is out you will need to remove the rubber spring insulator from the control arm. To do this you will remove the tip of the insulator using a standard screwdriver then work on prying the top up. The concept is very much like the standard plastic rivets. I used a combination of screwdrivers and an open end wrench to pry it out. You can also try pushing it out through the bottom side but you have limited room.




7) Next you will want to go in the trunk area and lift the floor panel up to reveal three plastic rivets on each side holding the carpeting in place. These are located on the side of the rails.




8) At this point you will need to remove the three 16mm nuts holding the top hat in place using a ratchet/short socket combination. Remove shock assembly from vehicle.




9) Now that you have the shock assembly out, we will need to swap out the top hat and dust shield. You will need an 18mm wrench and an allen wrench to remove the top nut and swap the parts.




10) At this point its time to install your new components using the reverse procedure as listed above. I have included a few photos showing everything installed for reference (specific to BC Racing Coilovers)

[socale39]

So for those wondering about spring rates:

Front - 14kg
Rear - 12kg

[socale39]

So I tackled the fronts today's and I think I have the perfect stance. Now I'm just fine tuning the suspension to figure out the best dampening setting. Of course I know that springs can settle so I figure I'd provide the preliminary measurements:

Front Left: 29.75"
Front Right: 29.75"
Rear Left: 30.00"
Rear Right: 30.00"

The thing I like about the stance right now is that I still have a slight rake with the front being slightly lower.

Here's a quick pic of the installed coilover

[Leonelm3-X5M]

Awesome!!!

i wonder if this kt will also fit the E70 X5 ///M ?

[socale39]

Pretty sure it would however you'd lose Adaptive Drive. May be a good alternative for those that prefer non-electronically controlled setups.

[hennessy_r24]

Any review on how the x5 handles and pictures. Waiting for review before buying

[socale39]

Review to come next week. X5 has been put in away in light of Hurricane Harvey hitting today.

[Leonelm3-X5M]

Originally Posted by socale39

Review to come next week. X5 has been put in away in light of Hurricane Harvey hitting today.

Hope you and your family are ok Socale39

[socale39]

Thanks for the concern, thankfully Harvey didn't hit San Antonio nearly as bad as they thought. Have a few friends in Houston that for the most part are fine but others I haven't heard from so keeping fingers crossed they are just having issues with cell service. I must say as a CA guy that just moved out here in January, Texans truly do come together like no other community I've ever experienced.

[FSociety]

Thanks for the review!

seen a few KW vendors bad mouthing BC racing "as chinese just like megan racing"
but if it was so bad, BC racing wouldn't be including Swift Springs as a Custom Add-On now would they ;-)

[E Durtysix]

Glad you guys are safe. Im also waiting for a review for the coilovers before i purchase them also. Lol. Thanks for the update and will be looking forward to be hearing from you about the coilovers.

[socale39]

Added rear installation video. Working on putting together front installation video then some more pics this time of the vehicle.

[socale39]

Vehicle pics added

[FSociety]

How are you liking it so far?
How easy/complicated it is to adjust height?

[socale39]

Adjustability is super easy. Fronts feel real good but I'm still working on finding the right setting for the rear. Right now it feels a little bouncy however after next weekend I should be getting some good loads and mileage done which should help with the settling of the springs. BC told me typically they are settled after 250mi so we'll go from there.

[E Durtysix]

Great write up and thank you keeping us updated. Im on the edge of about lowering my X5. I dont have the SLS in the rear. So should i go put a pair of lowering springs or should i just bite the bullet and go for a set of BC Racing coils? I want the low look but dont want to entirely mess up the ride.

[socale39]

Personally I can't make a recommendation to you other than to say if you want to reach a specific ride height, coilovers with adjustable dampening offers just that. I tried different spring setups and could never get just the right height I was looking for, now I can. It also depends on the size drop you are looking for. Too much and you'll need different shocks anyways so the coilover option takes care of that need.

[E Durtysix]

Originally Posted by socale39

Personally I can't make a recommendation to you other than to say if you want to reach a specific ride height, coilovers with adjustable dampening offers just that. I tried different spring setups and could never get just the right height I was looking for, now I can. It also depends on the size drop you are looking for. Too much and you'll need different shocks anyways so the coilover option takes care of that need.

Great thank you. I tried to make an order but they are trying to locate the part number. By any chance would you have the part number?

[socale39]

I'll have to look at my papers or box and get back to you.

[E Durtysix]

Originally Posted by socale39

I'll have to look at my papers or box and get back to you.

After almost an hour on the phone with them, they finally found it. Good & Bad news. Good news is, i placed an order. Bad news is, 4-5 weeks max because they dont have them in stock and will have to build me a set.

Really appreciate your help. Thanks man