[Fig]

BC racing coilovers for the F just got them

RETAIL $1250

Here are the pics. I may be able to install them in a week depending on what this next storm does.

Fig

 

[Fig]

Looking good Fig! Where did you get them from if you don't mind me asking? I didn't know there was another company other then JIC that made coilovers for the F.

I am working on making the application with BC...so this is the first stab at spring rates etc. I will give feedback once they on installed.

 

[Fig]

They were purchaed directly from BC, hopefully my discretionary spring rate choices will work out well on the first shot, otherwise I may need another round of spring choices. As always I offer things with very low margin. My overhead is minimal and I do not believe in charging or paying retail for anything

In the insterest of teh experiment intially I will be running the car at stock height for comparison. Then I will probably lower and inch after that, it depends on my wheel choices down the road.

Fig

 

[Fig]

Champ, here is there site. They have been around since 1999 and heavily involved in the nissan and subi markets. Here is there site http://www.bcracing-na.com/index.html

I am pretty impressed with their product and price point and they had my attention at SEMA. No one else seemed to want to do anything for the F, so I have cooked up my own solution with their building blocks.

Fig

 

[Fig]

It will be interesting to see how it goes. It would be really cool if front and rear camber adjustment plates, mounts, etc were available with this set up! Keep us posted. Thanks.

yeah unfortunately the F is just like the IS300 and it cannot use camber plates. Its a double wishbone, not a macpherson setup ( a good thing) I will see how the pillow ball uppers fair in rough road conditions and of course the stiffer spring rates.

Fig

 

[Fig]

Well guys I thing my calculations have been rewarded. I just got done with the install yesterday. PITA trunk covers and plastic! The front took about 30 mins per side. The rear took about 2Hrs...lots of paneling to remove and I had to leave the wheel well covers off so I can play with the damping adjustment.

First impressions:
-Lexus must have used the same spring rate as the 350 but just cranked up the compression and rebound damping because the new stiffer springs offer tremendous control but no jarring impacts on small bumps.
-You feel a lot more of the road but the pillowball uppers also transmit slightly more high frequency noise from the road.
-While cracks in the road are still felt, the damping makes them less of an impact and more of a blip.
-My favorite canyon run was pretty exciting, even with snow tires. Previously I felt like I had no grip and was washing about, attributing it to the snow tire characteristics. But now I think it was more a combo between the snows and the soft springs.
-I am on somewhat stiff settings, 9 clicks from full hard, and pretty happy with the ride quality.

- I may want to make my own damping gasket for the interface between the chassis and the crown of the coilover just to filter some of that high freq noise, but other than that I am pretty stoked.

I will take some measurements and video for you guys. I have a vid from last night, but my canyon runs I ran out of mem space.

Full install DIY to come also.

Fig

 

[Fig]

the pics

comparo between Is300 KW coilover and the ISF factory and the BC racing

IS300 rear KW and stock ISF rear

The result about .75" in the front, .5" rear.

 

[Fig]

I will be testing the next few weeks, I am working on pricing and delivery time. I want to make sure things are fully chracterized prior to release.

Fig

 

[Fig]

Update from today. Damping settings now taken to 9 clicks out in front and 14 in the back. Overall the high frequency noise seems much lower and the ride more forgiving yet. This could be due to the pillow balls seating a bit, or the damping settings, it is not clear until I go back to the original settings. The increased control is also still present with these damping settings, body roll is still minimal. Still pleasant to drive although I now need to take an approach angle to enter the driveway.

I also confirmed the drop to be 1" front and .75 rear on a flat surface.

More updates to come as I walk through the settings.

 

[Fig]

I just found out that BC also has a rubber bushing option vs. the pillow ball upper mounts. This should help some of the high freq noise I have seen as lower speeds and I will be testing them as soon as I have received them. Still trying to get some good vids, so stay tuned. I had a busy wekk last week and the snow storms did not help much But its nice out today, so should be good.

Fig

 

[Fig]

Joe, the intial rates are 14K front and 10K rear and if I go past 20 clicks its pretty soft.

In the 6-15 clicks front you get a good range of performance, I would like to have more of a damping range since there are 30 clicks after all.

The pillow balls I have found on colder days will make noise, but nearly no noise on a warmer day over 60 degrees. I think people would appreciate the setup I have now with the rubber upper mounts.

So I will most likely offer two configs, one for track and one for supersport if you will.

Here is a Vid from yesterday for you to gauge the ride and handling. A lot of traffic in the canyon, but still fun. I extended the vid to show regular road ride performance, its a little tough to perceive with the fisheye, but you get an idea. The camera is mounted right over the front wheel on the fender.


http://vimeo.com/3250046

Fig

 

[Fig]

Awsome vid! That looks like a fun place to drive. Is there a significant difference from stock?...

I would say night an day on the stiffer settings. Even on the softer settings the car seems more comfy...so an EDFC would be great with this setup.

Fig