Mazdaspeed coil overs vs. bc vs. autoexe

which suspension upgrade?

  • BC Coil Overs

    Votes: 47 48.5%
  • Mazdaspeed Coil Overs

    Votes: 44 45.4%
  • Autoexe Tunable Suspension

    Votes: 6 6.2%

  • Total voters
    97
I'd like to know opinions on ride quality between the MS, BC, AX, as well as the KWs and Tein SS.
 
well from what i have seen BC coilovers are like the flex.They can do height adjustment without adjust the compression of the spring. i also had the tein flex on my mr2 and it was a pain in the ass to adjust. because you have to adjust the compression first then adjust the ride height and if you don't do it right your car will bounce. with standard coilovers once you adjust the height it auto adjust the compression on the springs to go with the height. Correct me if i am wrong. i personally like auto adjust of the compression since i don't really know how to adjust the compression of the springs to match perfectly with the height.
 
Why isnt H&R in there, any reason?

I have t narrowed down to BC and H&R. Calling Protege Garage tomorrow to get their opinion and place an order.
 
Keep the opinions coming please, I am need for some new shocks and been thinking about making the jump to coilovers.
 
did u guys see his sig...he went with the one he did have an option for...
Tein SS Coil Overs w/ upgraded 8kg front springs, Tein EDFC controller ....lol
i got my bc coilover installed....didnt really drive it yet....still waiting to have my top hat cut plus alignment/corner weight....
 

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how low can the bc drop the car... im looking to get rid of my cobbs and possibly go with coilovers but i really am looking for like 1 finger - 1 and a half, front and rear on the 225/40/18s

any one have pictures with that setup
 
Back from the dead...

Any body have more to say about the BC's? I read that BC actually dyno tests each set to match them within 5%. That is good news, matched shocks means a lot and most companies don't bother.

I'm just concerned with the unknown to me name. Do the shocks hold up well? What are the spring rates? Can you order different spring rates?

I don't care about lowering. The point of the adjustability is yes to lower a bit, but also to corner balance. I do track days.

Captain...I may be giving you a call for that magic price ;)
 
get the bc's! im always trying to push people to get them. i like my car slammed, so theyre perfect for me, and the handling is so much better, and it cuts down so much of the torque steer and squirliness. i cannot imagine them being any better than the competition, but thats just me. the price ken will give you will be much cheaper than buying springs, then having to get new stock struts later on.
 
Hey Ken,

Can you do any better on the MS coilovers. I want independent rebound adjustment and I don't want the car lowered much, so I think these would suit me best.
 
how low can the bc drop the car... im looking to get rid of my cobbs and possibly go with coilovers but i really am looking for like 1 finger - 1 and a half, front and rear on the 225/40/18s

any one have pictures with that setup

I have BC's and this is low as itll sit without scraping all the time. (sorry for the blurry pics, only ones i have with it this low) Its the red speed3 tucking the tires way up there. Great product all the way around
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I dont have it sitting this low anymore
 
I have heard nothing but good things about the BC's. The price is the best. The only thing I DONT like is the cutting involved, BUT it still gets my vote for overall value and price.
 
It depends on what your goals are as to which is best. If you want just a cheap lowering job with good valving for the springs, then BC's will work

If you're looking for something with more adjustability, the Mazdaspeed's give you independent compression/rebound adjustments. I'm personally going for these as i need that feature with my track car.
 
I've never heard/read anything bad about the HKS Hypermax IIs or IIIs for any car. The consensus with the HKS is that they're a great blend of performance and ride quality. Of course for the price, that's what's expected.

I actually seen them for as low as $1600 for Subarus. I wonder if they'd come down for the MS3.
 
Mazda ones are pretty much out of the question for me. $2510.31 from the dealer. Now, I do live in Canada- but sweet jeebus that's a big jump. (boom07)

Does the BC set come with complete installation instructions? I would naturally assume they would- I just want to make sure.
 
I have the mazdaspeed coilovers, and I love them. I have tracked them a couple of times, and they are absolutely worth it. Independant compression and rebound adjustment (16 ways +/- for both.) It does lower the car, but not as much as the BCs, that is too low. The mazdaspeed coilovers are the KW varant 2s, they are just rebadged as mazdaspeeds.

Basically for anyone doing research:
If you are into performance/racing, and auto-x, GET the mazdaspeeds!! There is a reason that club mazda uses them!

If you just want something to really lower your car, get the BC.

P.s. - If you call a vendor looking for advice on which set-up to go with, just keep in mind that their goal is to get you to buy something. Talk to someone that actually knows something about suspension for advice. = )
 
From a performance standpoint, there's no question the Mazdaspeed coilovers are better than the BCs. It all comes down to your priorities though as the MS coilovers don't really lower all that much as the BCs or even H&Rs for that matter. The BCs are what I would call vanilla coilovers - you get better looks due to the large height adjustment but really only rely on lowered CG for the "improved" handling part.
 
Have had the BC's for about 13k miles and 6 (or 8?) track days. They are a performance improvement. They are great on the road as well, with the only drawback being sharp bumps (like a 2x4 in the road) where they are harsh.

I've really been enjoying them. Much better than stock. Hard to beat for the $$$ IMO. At 13k miles on them I can't tell the difference from when they were new/broken in. The ride height I've kept close to stock. Just because they can go lower doesn't mean they have to be set lower ;)

I would have gone with the KW's (mazdaspeeds) but didn't think the extra price was justified, and 13k miles later I'm still glad I made the choice for BC.

H&R are very good coilovers, no damper adjustability but frankly that's not a bad thing. H&R uses custom bilstein which is an excellent shock. Matched to the springs you wind up with a very good ride and much improved handling. I had a set of H&R's on a previous Audi and they were very good for all around street and track use.

I don't think much of coilovers with damper adjustability unless you're talking about external resevoir ohlins, motons, penske, etc. And then geez who wants the headache? I'd rather set it and forget it.
 
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