2G BC ZR coilovers

[Benjamin1997GSX]

Hey, guys so I bought my current 99 GSX with some crappy rev 9 coilovers that have a truly unbearable ride, don't perform well, and make all sorts of noise.

I'm looking at upgrading the suspension and I really want this car done right. I don't expect to be tracking this car super often mostly weekend mountain runs and the occasional track day. I'm really looking into the BC ZR Coilovers as they're the only ones I've found with 3 way adjustability other than the Feal coilovers which are 6k and I can't seem to find a reason they're 3k more than the ZR coils.

They both have custom spring rates and valving available, they both have swift springs, they're both 3-way coils. I was also looking at fortune auto but they don't seem to offer any with 3-way adjustability. Yes 3 way is probably overkill for a car that is mostly a fun weekend toy but it's my car and I want all the gadgets.

Do any of you have experience with BC ZR line coils and advice on what to look out for, if they're worth it, what is an ideal spring rate? etc etc. Any info you can give is appreciated. Cheers

 

[pauleyman]

Welcome to DSM. This site has a ton of info to help guide you in repairs, maintenance and modification.

I'm pretty opinionated so here goes....

"and I want all the gadgets"

In my opinion that is the number one way to mod a car incorrectly. At the end of the day you have things you want the car to do. You MUST decide what those things are and select parts that do that.
Again this is just my opinion but it appears you want the car to "corner well" so you can do mountain runs, occasional track day etc but let me pose these questions.
Have you ever tracked the car? Or do you just want the car to be fun and not beat you silly when driving it? I've tracked my cars and I've learned that the two most important mods to improve and have fun are tires and the driver.
Most of us probably fall into the latter category and we are not actively seeking faster lap times. If you are seeking to be competitive and not just goof off at the track then that opens a whole giant can of worms.
Try this out.

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/project-management-and-building-a-dsm.421705/

Plan the car first THEN select parts. I only have simple Eibach pro kit springs but I paired them with quality Koni struts and urethane bushings. Could I have selected some coilovers? Sure but I'm not sure the car would perform any better within my ability to drive it and within the tire selection, I have chosen. I would have the benefit of selecting spring rate but for sure there will be a compromise between my comfort in a street-driven car and the ability to be neutral in a corner. If I selected the same spring rate as the Eibach pro then I have a similar comfort level but no advantage for the car other than the ability to select ride height. This might be beneficial if you wanted to stay stock ride height. I am actually considering this as I don't care for tires hitting my fenders. There is more to look at in my case. The car is maintained well and most importantly it has good summer tires on it. If I wanted more cornering performance than I have now I would get different tires first then talk about suspension. If you truly want coilovers that's fine. I can't speak for BC, Feal, etc but I can say the following. None of the suspension will be worth crap if you don't also have good quality tires suitable for the conditions you will be driving. If you daily drive the car 365 I would not select a dry weather tire, but be aware the car will not perform as well in summer. There are still some really good all-season tires out there but no tire will do everything well. This goes back to figuring out what you want the car to do first. If it's a fair-weather car you can make compromises that are so inconvenient in winter if you're not driving it. For instance, I've chosen tires that do well in dry and wet. The car is now retired and will not see rain or snow ever. That being said I am free to choose a softer tire that will provide more traction and not worry about it being unsafe as I will not drive in rain or snow nor will I accumulate much mileage. When I did drive the car 365 I had a good summer tire and a good all-season tire in the winter.

Lastly, maintenance before mods. ALWAYS. If you aren't certain is good then you should plan a replacement. At a minimum on any new purchase is a timing belt and water pump, especially a dsm. Another common failure is a harmonic balancer. Those items are probably the most drastic and potentially catastrophic. Anything else is common to any car, seals, gaskets, cv joints, brakes etc.

Hope this helps point you in the right direction.

 

[Ludachris]

If you're dead set on coilovers and don't want to keep things simple with Konis and lowering springs, many have had good things to say about the Feals in recent years. They have the correct upper spherical bearing needed for a 2g. If you do a search for Feal coilovers in the Handling forum (use the "search titles only" checkbox) you'll get a lot of good feedback on those. You can try the same for the BC ZR coilovers which some people like too.

There's also another company that worked with our members and developed some coilovers for the 2g here:

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/2g-flatout-suspension-cs-dampers.533596/

Check them out.

One thing to keep in mind about coilovers - the more adjustments you have available to you, the more potential you have for getting the settings wrong and the car not handling well. The guys who do road racing will always tell you that. The key is to find the best quality shock available in your budget. That will usually make you happier than having extra settings to tweak. The best shocks will be more compliant and suck up the rough roads far better than the cheap ones, keeping more of the contact patch on the road, which is what you want.

 

[Vegas Smith]

My Feals were like $1200 at the time. Keep in mind they offer many different levels of coilover.

 

[Benjamin1997GSX]

Plan the car first THEN select parts. I only have simple Eibach pro kit springs but I paired them with quality Koni struts and urethane bushings. Could I have selected some coilovers? Sure but I'm not sure the car would perform any better within my ability to drive it and within the tire selection, I have chosen.

You're correct, I'm a pretty decent driver and I've done some autox, etc but I'm going to fail as a driver FAR before a good set of fortune auto 500s will.

As for tires, this is a fun weekend toy I'm not daily driving so I'll have it sitting pretty on a set of Toyo r888r's that are imo the best tires you can buy for performance on the street.

I do want a little drop from stock but I'm certainly not looking to slam it on its nuts. I'm not looking for the roughest ride in the world but I don't mind it being a little rough but these rev9 coils are actually stiff to the point where they are hindering performance and grip and causing the back end to hop around in hard cornering. The adjustments seem to make no actual difference.

I'm hoping that a good set of coils would allow me to adjust the compression so that I could have the compromise between performance and comfort and always adjust it for the track. I'm not a time attack nut that needs the extra .002 seconds off a lap but adjustability is a nice feature.

 

[Benjamin1997GSX]

My Feals were like $1200 at the time. Keep in mind they offer many different levels of coilover.

I was looking at the 443s which are the only ones with 3 way adjustments

 

[Benjamin1997GSX]

If you're dead set on coilovers and don't want to keep things simple with Konis and lowering springs, many have had good things to say about the Feals in recent years. They have the correct upper spherical bearing needed for a 2g. If you do a search for Feal coilovers in the Handling forum (use the "search titles only" checkbox) you'll get a lot of good feedback on those. You can try the same for the BC ZR coilovers which some people like too.

There's also another company that worked with our members and developed some coilovers for the 2g here:

https://www.dsmtuners.com/threads/2g-flatout-suspension-cs-dampers.533596/

Check them out.

One thing to keep in mind about coilovers - the more adjustments you have available to you, the more potential you have for getting the settings wrong and the car not handling well. The guys who do road racing will always tell you that. The key is to find the best quality shock available in your budget. That will usually make you happier than having extra settings to tweak. The best shocks will be more compliant and suck up the rough roads far better than the cheap ones, keeping more of the contact patch on the road, which is what you want.

I'll be installing the coils but talking with a suspension specialist at high tech suspension in Atlanta to have them dial in all the settings for what I'm looking for. My last gsx had springs and shocks but I'm really looking for the best of the best parts on this car since I'm planning on taking it to my grave. I have sort of looked into flatout suspension I just haven't been able to find too much information about them and their reputation for quality.

 

[pauleyman]

You're correct, I'm a pretty decent driver and I've done some autox, etc but I'm going to fail as a driver FAR before a good set of fortune auto 500s will. As for tires, this is a fun weekend toy I'm not daily driving so I'll have it sitting pretty on a set of Toyo r888r's that are imo the best tires you can buy for performance on the street. I do want a little drop from stock but I'm certainly not looking to slam it on its nuts. I'm not looking for the roughest ride in the world but I don't mind it being a little rough but these rev9 coils are actually stiff to the point where they are hindering performance and grip and causing the back end to hop around in hard cornering. the adjustments seem to make no actual difference. I'm hoping that a good set of coils would allow me to adjust the compression so that I could have the compromise between performance and comfort and always adjust it for the track. I'm not a time attack nut that needs the extra .002 seconds off a lap but adjustability is a nice feature.

You're correct, I'm a pretty decent driver and I've done some autox, etc but I'm going to fail as a driver FAR before a good set of fortune auto 500s will. As for tires, this is a fun weekend toy I'm not daily driving so I'll have it sitting pretty on a set of Toyo r888r's that are imo the best tires you can buy for performance on the street. I do want a little drop from stock but I'm certainly not looking to slam it on its nuts. I'm not looking for the roughest ride in the world but I don't mind it being a little rough but these rev9 coils are actually stiff to the point where they are hindering performance and grip and causing the back end to hop around in hard cornering. the adjustments seem to make no actual difference. I'm hoping that a good set of coils would allow me to adjust the compression so that I could have the compromise between performance and comfort and always adjust it for the track. I'm not a time attack nut that needs the extra .002 seconds off a lap but adjustability is a nice feature.

That is a lot more objective.
Personally I've never understood the mass appeal of coilovers for adjustability. The majority of adjustments are on the strut. The coils are just ride height. I am fully on board that coilovers allow the user many different spring rates and the mounting points may be more solid if that is necessary for what you're doing. Looks as if you've already started your homework. Sorry I couldn't provide specifics on bc etc I simply don't have any personal experience.

 

[jed344]

I have found the spring adjustment works well when used in a drag application, I have only ever played with D2s set up for drag applications. My personal car has some old tokicko struts and springs. I plan to go to feal coilovers as many have had good results with them in street applications.

 

[Mello]

These Flatout Suspension coilovers look really good, especially because they are monotube dampers.