trackpig Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Hi I have been looking at a set of coilovers- BC's in particular due to good reviews and a good price. I am confused at the spring rates that are supplied standard with the BC kit. BC provide 10kg/mm front springs and 8kg/mm rears- a stiffer front spring. This goes against what Nissan fit as standard and what most of the after market conventional spring makers supply ( mostly supplying stiffer rear springs compared to front). I then looked at what springs BC supply for different cars of similar power and weight to the Z. For an E46 M3- similar weight, power and drivetrain layout, BC supply 7kg front and 8kg rears. Can anyone explain why cars of similar weight and power have such different coilover spring rates and why BC have changed the spring balance to the front on the Z ( a setup which I have read will increase understeer) Thanks for any info Anyone who has fitted BC's to their car and has an opinion on them, please do share your comments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Not too sure on spring rates, but I have had BC's fitted (along with front camber kits and rear toe arms) to my Zed, she handles incredibely well. I can chuck it into bends even with the weather as it is now viewtopic.php?f=100&t=37595&hilit=+coilover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RisingPower Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Urm, the M3 isn't really a similar car to the zed, at all. I found mine rather wallowy to be fair, it's more aimed at refinement imho than the zed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Not too sure on spring rates, but I have had BC's fitted (along with front camber kits and rear toe arms) to my Zed, she handles incredibely well. I can chuck it into bends even with the weather as it is now viewtopic.php?f=100&t=37595&hilit=+coilover Great write up, thanks. When you ordered the coilovers, did you spec your own spring rates? If not, it sounds like you have the 10kg fronts and 8kg rears. I cant decide if I want 10 and 8kg or spec something like 9kg front and 9kg rear to keep the ride comfortable and to try and dial out some of the understeer that nissan dialed in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Urm, the M3 isn't really a similar car to the zed, at all. I found mine rather wallowy to be fair, it's more aimed at refinement imho than the zed. Its similar in power, weight and drivetrain layout yet has very different spring rates and front to back balance recommended by BC. I found my M3 to be a little wallowy untill I changed the suspension. I also find the Z a little soft as standard when used on track. Suspension setup can transform a refined cruiser into a real track piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RisingPower Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Its similar in power, weight and drivetrain layout yet has very different spring rates and front to back balance recommended by BC. I found my M3 to be a little wallowy untill I changed the suspension. I also find the Z a little soft as standard when used on track. Suspension setup can transform a refined cruiser into a real track piece. It's also german and a 4 seater coupe imho more aimed at comfort and refinement than as a track tool. I can't honestly see most people who would be buying an M3 ask for the kind of ride that harder springs would give? I probably should have changed the suspension on the M3, but brakes were rubbish also, it really wasn't meant to be a track car imho. The proper track coilovers for the m3 and the zed have nearly the same spring rates, so surely it must come down to comfort for daily use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trackpig Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Its similar in power, weight and drivetrain layout yet has very different spring rates and front to back balance recommended by BC. I found my M3 to be a little wallowy untill I changed the suspension. I also find the Z a little soft as standard when used on track. Suspension setup can transform a refined cruiser into a real track piece. It's also german and a 4 seater coupe imho more aimed at comfort and refinement than as a track tool. I can't honestly see most people who would be buying an M3 ask for the kind of ride that harder springs would give? I probably should have changed the suspension on the M3, but brakes were rubbish also, it really wasn't meant to be a track car imho. The proper track coilovers for the m3 and the zed have nearly the same spring rates, so surely it must come down to comfort for daily use? I didnt pick up on the M3 to have an M3 vs Zed debate. I simply want to tailor my Z into a slighty more track happy car. To do this, I want to understand spring rates and spring balance. The M3 was just used as an example of different spring rates for different cars All cars like M3's and Zeds are a compromise. The M3 was not designed as a track tool and neither was the Z. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dblock Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I would imagine nissan and bc both put in understeer so that people arent like OMG i went round a roundabout at 70 and the back end came out. Is there a certain price range you are after? Im sure driftworks have some good coil overs and if not they might want to make some and you could maybe be the ginea pig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Neilp Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 kw's FTW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Not too sure on spring rates, but I have had BC's fitted (along with front camber kits and rear toe arms) to my Zed, she handles incredibely well. I can chuck it into bends even with the weather as it is now viewtopic.php?f=100&t=37595&hilit=+coilover Great write up, thanks. When you ordered the coilovers, did you spec your own spring rates? If not, it sounds like you have the 10kg fronts and 8kg rears. I cant decide if I want 10 and 8kg or spec something like 9kg front and 9kg rear to keep the ride comfortable and to try and dial out some of the understeer that nissan dialed in. I got mine from CS trader on here, I would assume they're the 10kg/8kg. My zed is a daily driver so I average 130-150 miles per week. It's comfortable on a steady cruise and no body roll when cornering harshly. I can also say I have found no understeer (after trying out a few roundabouts to test ). Please take note though, I am dropped 30mm with 20/25mm spacers and full camber setup front and rear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMR Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 Do you have any pictures of your car side on Ruddles or from the the gap between arch and wheel at the rear?, reason I ask is that I had BC Coilovers on a previous car and the rears wouldnt drop as much as the front due to the perch design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Do you have any pictures of your car side on Ruddles or from the the gap between arch and wheel at the rear?, reason I ask is that I had BC Coilovers on a previous car and the rears wouldnt drop as much as the front due to the perch design. Watch this space, I'll try and get some pics up this week for ya! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMR Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 Much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bodyboarder Posted January 22, 2011 Share Posted January 22, 2011 I have some bc coilovers that i have decided to sell, they are brand new never fitted bought from chilly red a few months back. Thought i would let you know Will be putting them in the for sale section soon. Pm me for more info. Sorry for the hijack Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruddles Posted January 27, 2011 Share Posted January 27, 2011 Not the best photos I've taken, just before work. Is this sort of what you're after? The rear's have a larger gap between wheel and arch, but obviously can be easily remedied if that's what you're after. Hope this helps somewhat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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