BC Coilovers, Hotchkis Sways and MS Camkit Kit installed

[SHAGwagn]

Took half day off an friday and finished at around 4pm saturday. Car is on rails and is FULLY adjustable...almost too much. Leveling was a bitch but well worth the wait. No funky tools or allens needed, the BCs have a knob that you can reach through both stock openings in the MS3 trunk, just open the removable hatches, stick your hand in and rotate the knob...i love them.

The quality is on par with the TEINS I had on my p5....really solid build quality even thought they are from Taiwan. I am very pleased. The camber bolts in the front can not be adjusted unless you remove the top hats that our cars have. SU had mentioned that people had plasma cut them out however being that i dont own a plasma cutter lol...i just bought a 3" hole saw, slapped it on to cordless drill and went at it...once the hat was removed we hit it up with some black rustoleum to prevent rusting...the end result...looks like factory...couldnt be more pleased. There is about a 1/4" left in the front and rear...more in the rear, the sways are set to the maximum setting and everything is nicceeeeee...went out last night, it was me and my brother in the front and 4 people in the back (girls so they fit)...the car was at the height u see now and we didnt rub, bump or scrub once...and that over speed bumps too...the setup is wicked.

On a side note for u guys doin the hotckis sways soon....u DO NOT need adjustable end links...the prob Rotus was talkin about with the front sway touchin the chassis can be avoided by simply dropping the weight of the car on the front suspension before tightening the end links...what this does is move the sway bar further away from the chassis...mine hasnt hit once...hasnt made any noise...and feels damn good!

anyway heres a few pics i snapped this evenin after i washed it...hope you likes...def recommend the BCs!

[ForceFed]

Looks good...Nice Drop.

[SHAGwagn]

o ya...i also installed a Autometer ES Series boost gauge, CS MM inserts, TWM shifter bushings, SU Boost tubes/T-Bolts and Neo Prolink...but the gauge is all you can see...here it is.

[ForceFed]

Ew....Me no like the Gauge location..Looks great..but obviously not even close to an ideal location for ease of viewing.

[SPEED305]

nice work! looks lovely! dropped some good $ huh.

[SHAGwagn]

Ew....Me no like the Gauge location..Looks great..but obviously not even close to an ideal location for ease of viewing.


Thanks...not for viewing. Its ideal for monitoring boost on a dyno...not showing the world that my car is turbo by puttin it on the pillar where everyone can see it ;)

[SHAGwagn]

nice work! looks lovely! dropped some good $ huh.

Thanks ;) yeah it didnt come cheap...my wheels are on hold cuz i need to get some more flow for the tires and lug nuts....soon ;)

[edrive73]

Looks really good man.

[jscspeed]

On a side note for u guys doin the hotckis sways soon....u DO NOT need adjustable end links...the prob Rotus was talkin about with the front sway touchin the chassis can be avoided by simply dropping the weight of the car on the front suspension before tightening the end links...what this does is move the sway bar further away from the chassis...mine hasnt hit once...hasnt made any noise...and feels damn good!


Great information on this kit- thanks for sharing this info.

[MTV]

Wow, cleanest MS3 to date!

[SHAGwagn]

Wow, cleanest MS3 to date!

thanks homie ;)

[mrlilguy157]

looks hawt. i'm anxious to hear how those BC's hold up. i think suspension is my next purchase - probably in the late summertime. i gotta get the new turbo paid off first :D

[haberdashery]

that looks reallyyyyy nice man. im thinking about lowering the ms3 on some sportlines, but i want to pair them up with something else to further reduce body roll, so i don't rub or anything, would the hotchkins sways be a good choice? i haven't heard much on the subject of sway bars, what exactly do they do and are they worth it? thank you.

[Albone]

Very nice. I have Cobb springs but want CO really bad. I love the fact that the BC come with camber plats. Other then Sways do you have any other suspension mods? Is that the lowest setting or can they go lower not that you need to! HEHE Did you have any issues during the install or did they go in without issues? Sorry for all the questions.

Thanks

[jam_asian85]

and dawg you couldnt even call me !!!

[udontknowjack]

did you get the car alignment yet?

[jbiird317]

looks like you had a very busy weekend. I am interested to hear your review of the BC's after a few months of driving and compare that with the H&R reviews. Looks really good tho!

[SHAGwagn]

that looks reallyyyyy nice man. im thinking about lowering the ms3 on some sportlines, but i want to pair them up with something else to further reduce body roll, so i don't rub or anything, would the hotchkins sways be a good choice? i haven't heard much on the subject of sway bars, what exactly do they do and are they worth it? thank you.

The sways will def reduce body roll and i highly recommend them. I was scared at first when i heard of all the noise and contact some people were talkin about, just do what i suggestion in the first post of the thread and ull be fine ;)

[SHAGwagn]

Very nice. I have Cobb springs but want CO really bad. I love the fact that the BC come with camber plats. Other then Sways do you have any other suspension mods? Is that the lowest setting or can they go lower not that you need to! HEHE Did you have any issues during the install or did they go in without issues? Sorry for all the questions.

Thanks

As far as suspenison goes it the sways, the coilovers and the rear camber kit. The car has adjustable camber in the front as you already know and fixed camber in the rear. The sways are also adjustable in the rear and i have it set at the stiffer setting. They are just about bottomed out in the front, i have a couple rings left and they have about 1/2" left in the rear...i wanted to go for a raked look. I might end up raising the front to make the whole car level...havnt decided yet. The only issue i had, and u will have too, are the top hats that need to be removed...however like i said...get your self a good hole saw, a steady hand..then just drill that sucker out. You can see from the pics how clean it came out ;) Dont worry about the questions, i wish i someone to ask this stuff before i jumped in the deep end with the BCs...im glad i got em though ;)

[SHAGwagn]

and dawg you couldnt even call me !!!

Lol...i was plannin on doin a saturday thing and woulda hail u but changed my mind friday morning and took the half day...i told u i wanted to hit up bigfish! The suspension was done by around 11pm friday night...not sure if u wanted to see me install a boost gauge and ipod adapter on saturday lol...wha link?

[SHAGwagn]

did you get the car alignment yet?

I brought it in to get done but they didnt want to touch it cuz it was so low, they recommended me to their performance oriented branhc that has the machine flush with the ground...prob gonna go tomorrow after i adjust the height tonight. This is tire kingdom by the ay...$119 3 year alignment...cant beat that.

[SHAGwagn]

looks like you had a very busy weekend. I am interested to hear your review of the BC's after a few months of driving and compare that with the H&R reviews. Looks really good tho!

Thanks ill let you guys know for sure as i am also interested lol...my first impression is wow...great quality, easy install...as for time, it went faster than i thought it would...the instructions BLOW! Bad taiwanese to english translation but nothting too hard to figure out...my cousin and i knocked out the front and back with all the extra susp mods in about 10-11 hrs.

[bmman93]

yea i did mine in 8 hours with a lift! and lunch and some goofing off inbetween! the hard thing i thought was seperating the stut in the front!

how did u do the back did u drop the sub frame?

[SHAGwagn]

yea i did mine in 8 hours with a lift! and lunch and some goofing off inbetween! the hard thing i thought was seperating the stut in the front!

how did u do the back did u drop the sub frame?

you have the BCs??? Didnt really drop it...unbolted it with a floor jack underneath and raised and lowered as necessary to get everything in and aligned to be re-tightened

[bmman93]

i have d2 coil overs but i didnt drop mine. jsut from what i learned u can drop the shock and there is a nut that holds the mount on! if u have an impact u can jsut buzz it off! then it will fall out the bottem hole thats what saved me all that time! jsut a thought

[chronus377]

Whoa.... great pictures. Seams like a hell of an upgrade.

[ericrapp]

thas nice!

[CnoTataymo]

Nice! Where'd you get the coilovers from and how much? Do you still happen to get that "float" like the stock suspension?

[SHAGwagn]

Nice! Where'd you get the coilovers from and how much? Do you still happen to get that "float" like the stock suspension?

Thanks ;) i got them at Street Unit...price is between you and them...it floats if you want and not if you dont...it has 32way adjustable dampers front and rear..im currentyl at 13 front 15 rear and it feels like stock...just a tad firmer.

[ericrapp]

Thanks...not for viewing. Its ideal for monitoring boost on a dyno...not showing the world that my car is turbo by puttin it on the pillar where everyone can see it ;)

yes I like the location. i would like to put a set of mini gauges in replacing the ashtray location angled towards drivers eye, just some oil and air temps All I need to see when doing ahem focused driving is a tach and a speedo .

[udontknowjack]

alignment yet? im dying to see how much camber u can get in the front.... the damn k-mac front camber plate i got it still sitting at home cuz IT STILL RUB......(hand)

[SHAGwagn]

still havnt gone..sorry yute...been busy, I'm prob gonna set it at negative 1 in the front and leave it there. You can get crazy camber with these if you want though. When I first dropped down the car an drove it off the ramps I heard a horrible scrape noise...turns out the top of the wheels leaned in so much the inner part of the rim scraped the bracket that has the abs sensor wire attached to it. I ended up taking off the wheel and bending the bracket back with a vice grip...it just holds the wire in place so it really doesn't matter...then I loosened the top of the strut and pulled it towards me as far as I could by hand and tightened it up...viola! No more rubbing. Now I just need to get the camber adjusted the right way with the camber plate... I WILL do it this week, I'll let you know.

[udontknowjack]

still havnt gone..sorry yute...been busy, I'm prob gonna set it at negative 1 in the front and leave it there. You can get crazy camber with these if you want though. When I first dropped down the car an drove it off the ramps I heard a horrible scrape noise...turns out the top of the wheels leaned in so much the inner part of the rim scraped the bracket that has the abs sensor wire attached to it. I ended up taking off the wheel and bending the bracket back with a vice grip...it just holds the wire in place so it really doesn't matter...then I loosened the top of the strut and pulled it towards me as far as I could by hand and tightened it up...viola! No more rubbing. Now I just need to get the camber adjusted the right way with the camber plate... I WILL do it this week, I'll let you know.

negative 1 ???(notcool) i can get -1.6 stock....the whole point of getting the adjustable front camber plates are getting more than stock....for autox u want as much as u can without rubbing....-2.5 to -3 is what im shooting for... my k-mac camber plates right now can get that but like what u said i rub the inner part of the body....if thats the case than this coilover is not for me.....that sux...

[hectik1]

Man...that looks REAL nice!(2thumbs)

[SHAGwagn]

negative 1 ???(notcool) i can get -1.6 stock....the whole point of getting the adjustable front camber plates are getting more than stock....for autox u want as much as u can without rubbing....-2.5 to -3 is what im shooting for... my k-mac camber plates right now can get that but like what u said i rub the inner part of the body....if thats the case than this coilover is not for me.....that sux...

it rubbed a bracket, not the body. The bracket just holds the abs line and can be bent without even breaking a sweat. Nothing to do with the coilover.

[el_Don]

Did you put the gauge in yourself? Looks awesome

[SHAGwagn]

Did you put the gauge in yourself? Looks awesome

yes sir I did...thanks!

[thanotosq]

Man that is great. I was about to...in a month or so...do the same thing, hotchkis and BC's. Its awesome to hear that you like them.

BC, from what i hear, makes the Meagan CO set up for the RX8 and people seemed to like those, so i figured that i would give them a shot.

Anyway, thanks for the pics and review!!

[NYSP33D3]

I too just installed my BC Coilovers.. i went to align it today not knowing this thread existed and I couldnt adjust the camber. so Im going to hole saw it out as well. I dont know about the rear camber adjustments though..its a little tough but well worth the time and money. tommorow everything should be done and its off to my rims.

[jam_asian85]

Seems like everyone here in Florida getting the BC's :P LOL

[ericrapp]

Yes NYSP##D# I was checking these out in it says no camber adjustment. They do look like they are a good product though at a nice price. Let us know how the ride dials in. Shopping also. thanks and congrats

[SHAGwagn]

Seems like everyone here in Florida getting the BC's :P LOL

Thats cuz theyre the bomb James! lol

[ericrapp]

I too just installed my BC Coilovers.. i went to align it today not knowing this thread existed and I couldnt adjust the camber. so Im going to hole saw it out as well. I dont know about the rear camber adjustments though..its a little tough but well worth the time and money. tommorow everything should be done and its off to my rims.

Post it .

[ericrapp]

The whole Saw experience and of course the driving

[AGM130]

Just put my order in for some BC's. Just wondering, I'm planning to get the Ultraleggera 18x8's in a month or so, will I have any problems with these coilovers and those wheels? Going to use stock tires for now.

Any install tips that haven't been mentioned are welcome.

[ericrapp]

not for nuthin' but why did you decide BC. I am in the suspension section of my purchase list and have not been able to say ' that is it' yet. Just wondering. Good choice I hear! best luck.

[haberdashery]

mine should be here tomorrow, now i need to find someone to install!

[AGM130]

I went with them because they are fully adjustable and the SU guys recommended them over the MS Coilovers.

[ericrapp]

I went with them because they are fully adjustable and the SU guys recommended them over the MS Coilovers.

Huge price difference I noticed also! i believe the BC are the least expensive at this level of adjustment, and have a good rep.

[mrlilguy157]

what rear camber plates are/were used? my BC's are on the way. I hate to bump an old thread.

[AGM130]

I used the SPC adjustable ones

[SHAGwagn]

If i could do it over again i would do the SPCs also...just cuz they are adjustable where as the mazdaspeed ones are not.

[thanotosq]

Hey SHAGwagn....

I just ordered my BC's, my COBB sways, and the SPC camber adjustment arms...

Question is this: Would you suggest installing everything at once?

Here is why: I have the SPC arms in hand right now and the BC's will be here tomorrow (gotta love buying from Florida sellers and living in Florida!); however, the COBB sways will not be here until the middle of next week...and knowing myself, i will not want to wait.

Just wondering what your advice would be.

Also, did you order any end links?

[SHAGwagn]

I did not order endlinks and u prob wont need them either.

I would wait and do it all at once if you got the front sway bar becuase its a bitch and you will have to remove the front suspension again to some degree anyway.

If you only got the rear then yo can start as soon as you get the coilovers because the rear is cake.

Dont forget the hole saw. Did you get one with the camber plates up front?

[mazdaspeedster3]

Just the bushings? Not the short shifter?

[SHAGwagn]

yeah just the bushings, all my previous cars had SS and im kinda just tired of them. The stock shifter is a nice height, it allows my elbow to sit on the center console, it was just too slushy and the bushings fixed that right up ;)

[thanotosq]

That is what i was thinking, but i am going to have tons of parts just sitting around the house though...PG Exhuast Mani, CS DP, Forge BOV (i guess that i could put that on), ATP boost cut killer, ATP 3" MAF, Goodridge Brake lines (i've been putting them off because bleeding brakes sucks!!), BC coilovers, COBB sways (front and back), and AWR endlinks (i had to buy them)... I may get restless and have to install something....(crazy)


Anyway, thanks for the advice... hopefully i will have the patience...(drive)



yeah just the bushings, all my previous cars had SS and im kinda just tired of them. The stock shifter is a nice height, it allows my elbow to sit on the center console, it was just too slushy and the bushings fixed that right up ;)

....and i am totally the opposite... love the shorter throw and the shorter height...

[thanotosq]

Dont forget the hole saw. Did you get one with the camber plates up front?

What size did you use... 3"... if you could do it again would you change the size of the hole?

[SHAGwagn]

What size did you use... 3"... if you could do it again would you change the size of the hole?

yes 3" and no, never. Its the perfect size, the stupid top hats are 3" diameter, thas why i got the 3 incher.

[DK8]

is that the lowest you can adjust the coilover?

[SHAGwagn]

is that the lowest you can adjust the coilover?


Just about, there are a few more rings available in the front and rear but I like it like this as I amstill able to go to allthe places I usually go without scrubbing the front even with the car loaded. My garage at work is sub terrain with a steep ramp so I was initally worried about that. Its at a good height now and looks even lower when its rolling

[IMPORTIMAGE]

wow, car looks great!

[lamp3]

after the hole saw is used, will i ever be able to install the factory struts again?

[IMPORTIMAGE]

no camber plates= no saw needed

[SHAGwagn]

import image is correct, however if you get the plates yes you will be able to go back to stock. Its just a stupid little hat on the top of each tower that should not even have been there in the first place.

I highly recommend getting the plates. When i installed my coil overs i dropped them down to the height you see now and thought it was all dandy. After taking it off the stands and trying to drive I noticed that the rims where hitting the struts. A few simple turns of the camber plate allens straightened it out and got me on the road. I am not sure if this will be an issue with the non camber plated version but for some reason after dropping mine the wheels leaned wayyyyyy in.

Good Luck, I never wrote a review but i am still loving mine and would not change them.

[thanotosq]

wait... i thought that all of the BC's were front camber adjustable?!

[SHAGwagn]

not anymore

[IMPORTIMAGE]

alex, let me send you a pm...

[IMPORTIMAGE]

hello, its Thursday morning! We are open weekends! WE’VE GOT GIMMICK MOTORSPORTS TURBO INLETS BACK IN STOCK!!!! Mishimoto Radiator combos!! Import Image Racing NOW SELLS BLOUCH TURBOS!!! check out the site! available for most tuner vehicles, we are now a distributor and will not be beat! GIMMICK MOTORSPORTS Radiator hoses in stock!! Great combos added to the site, new deals on the front page! BC RACING PRICE INCREASE JULY 1st!!!! Get them before they go up! Major additions to the website over 450 parts in just May have been added! all subaru sections have more items, the entire bc racing line is available on our site now! tons of whiteline available for all subarus now on the site! ZENESIS ALARM SYSTEMS NOW CARRIED! 08 sti parts added to website! Check out our site for great combo deals! FIC injectors top feed added to the site for wrx/sti top feed! Always click the new products tab to see the latest additions on our site! We have special deals on our front page geared to the majority of our customers, click refresh on the homepage to see all the deals as there are too many to list at once! The 2008+ wrx Section is up and running! STRI gauges added to website. BC RACING evo 10 coilovers in stock now!!! Evo parts added as well as 02-07 wrx/04-07 sti, and Legacy GT exhaust section updated! Check out the new Subaru Turbochargers section! Some ENKEI WHEELS ADDED we have many more specials! great deals to be had! More turbo kits, Spec Twin plate clutches! more suby goodies added! look at our new front page for added special deals! we are now selling mazda performance parts as well! the gauge section at the bottom of our main page has the most amount of gauges, I'll work on adding them throughout all of the sections

www.importimageonline.com

239 540 6385 visa.mc

AIM= importimagerace

Email- Sales@importimageonline.com

paypal to whtezmbej@aol.com

Hours today are 10am to 10pm ET

Friday June 6th we will be taking a half day and leaving about 2pm, we will be able to answer pm's and voicemails at night and the entire weekend, thanks so much for selecting us!

if we miss your call leave a message if whether its after hours or on the weekends and we'll call you back asap! we are generally here weekdays from 10am to 10pm!

[P2K]

Thanks SHAGwagn

I just placed my order for Teins this morning and called back to change my order after reading this thread, and I got a better deal by doing it. For $20 less than what I was going to pay for just the Teins, I got the BC coilovers, front camber plates, and SPC rear camber arms.

Your pics are what really sold me. That's the exact drop I'm looking for. I might even get them for the 5, but my wife would probably kick my ass. If she like the ride quality in my car, she might be sold. We'll see.

[SHAGwagn]

Glad the thread helped, hope you enjoy :) The teins u were lookin at, are those MS3 specific?

[P2K]

No, but I ordered them anyways and was gonna deal with them. I'm glad I changed for the better.

[Supermex]

It's a long thread and a lot of read :) but I have to say this MS3 is one of the best I seen so far.

[SHAGwagn]

Thanks :)

[udontknowjack]

so what u end up with in the front camber alignment?

[SHAGwagn]

not sure i understand your question

[P2K]

He probably meant since installing the front camber plates, what adjustments have you done to them? I'm not sure but that's what I understood.

I got my BC coilovers not too long ago and installed them myself. They're awesome! I didn't make any adjustments to the front camber plates. I left them at the stock setting. I didn't even install the rear camber arms. I was too tired after finishing the whole install. I'll do it eventually and get an alignment, but it rides fine. It doesn't pull to either side. Whenever I get my wheels, I'll make the nessessary camber adjustments.

[udontknowjack]

not sure i understand your question

did u ever got the alignment done? whats your front camber with those bc coilover

[SHAGwagn]

-1

[udontknowjack]

-1

wait a min....thats not max - camber right? with the bc coilover and front camber plates....is it possible to get -2 camber??

[SHAGwagn]

yes its possible but thats not what u asked.

Originally Posted by SHAGwagn
not sure i understand your question

Originally Posted by udontknowjac
did u ever got the alignment done? whats your front camber with those bc coilover.

My front camber is -1.

[GhostMercury]

well even though I REALLY dont like taking a hole saw to the car, I really want fron camber adjustment so you pretty much sold me on the BCs. I just wish I had friends that could help me install them.

[IMPORTIMAGE]

you do bossman, do you know how many suby customers in mn i have up there? you should checkout mnsubaru.com they have some guys with MS3's as well the install is similar...minus the saw

[RADAR THIS]

sub...

[RADAR THIS]

Thanks...not for viewing. Its ideal for monitoring boost on a dyno...not showing the world that my car is turbo by puttin it on the pillar where everyone can see it ;)

did you think about putting it in your ash tray location...kept the door...tah dah...totally stealth...

[GhostMercury]

I saw someone do that before, its was pretty sweet

[SHAGwagn]

did you think about putting it in your ash tray location...kept the door...tah dah...totally stealth...

huh?

[RADAR THIS]

when i do my turbo timer i am mounting it down inside my ash tray/change holder...pull out the cubby...make a trim plate...flush mount it in...door still closes...

[SHAGwagn]

boost gauge wont fit in the ash tray and thats a little more stealth than i need lol

[udontknowjack]

when i do my turbo timer i am mounting it down inside my ash tray/change holder...pull out the cubby...make a trim plate...flush mount it in...door still closes...

we need to figure something out when flux come out...need a good spot to mount my iphone...

[RADAR THIS]

i am gonna just do a cradle for that...and i cannot wait...the FLUX is going to be SICK!!!!