SharkTankL

iTrader: (3)

From what i've been many member are happy with the upgrade, I will also be doing the spring upgrade once i actually order them.

vudaddy

How are the coilovers after 1 year? Did you end up getting the swift upgrade?
Does anyone have the BC coilovers without the swift spring upgrade? If so, are you happy with it?
I also have an 08. Just want a little more comfy and little a bit lower. No tracking.

786

I'd like to know this as well. Due to the undetermined wait times on some oem suspension parts looks like ill be going the BC route as well.

I talked to Figs and was told for dd duty the regular springs are fine. Thinking of going 16/12. I want the same as this guy, a little more comfy, slightly lower in the front only, and a bit sharper in the corners. Car is 99% highway driven.

yjk1975

I have driven about 10k miles on BC Coil 16/12 swift upgrade. What I can say is that for me its too bouncy. I have messed with the settings. I regret not going the KW V3 route. I have driven on a set of KW's before and they were fantastic. I went with BC to save money and seemed like alot of people were happy with them.

786

well i ordered them, let's see what happens.

786

got my BC coils with 16/12 rates installed today. haven't had much seat time with them so far but they are definitely a significant improvement over my worn stock '08 setup. i wish i would have gone 18kg in the front though, it still seems soft. i also tried them (per Mike @ Figs recommendation) at 15 clicks from stiff front and 20 rear but those settings proved way too soft and bouncy. i adjusted to 10 clicks from full stiff front and rear and was able to quell most of the bounciness while improving the ride quality quite a bit. overall, would i buy these coils again? probably not, i should have just gotten new '08 OEM shocks until a better aftermarket solution was available.

if someone reading this is thinking about BC's, i would probably save your money for a better setup. on my last car i had ohlins r&t so i suppose im a bit spoiled in regards to suspension but i wasn't blown away by these BC's at all. i know i know, you get what you pay for etc. i was originally trying to buy the 2013 OEM setup but Sewell was backordered on several parts i needed and time was a factor so i just couldn't wait. the reason i didn't go with KW's is because i've had some friends who didn't have the best experiences with them and i've heard their spring rates for the IS-F application are too soft. anyway, just thought i'd share my experience. the BC's aren't terrible by any means and are an improvement over the stock '08 setup, they're just not a big enough improvement to merit their purchase (imo). ymmv.

NinjaSocks

iTrader: (3)

Just wondering, but did you put any preload on your springs?

786

Mike at Figs informed me preload was set before he shipped them to me but my mechanic also double checked when we got them.

im also thinking to set the front to maybe 5-7 clicks from full stiff, still seems 'floaty' in the front.

mattbeeezy

iTrader: (26)

you're on a pretty stiff setting. I just picked up some BC with swift springs 16/12 3 weeks ago I'm 15 clicks all around and IMO it feels almost as stiff as the OEM minus the "jarring" effect on uneven pavement. From a daily driving perspective I did feel the car sway a little more on corners so I bought an f-sport rear sway bar which made rear stiffer and turns are now more precise.

786

im at 10 clicks from full stiff all around right now and it still feels soft in the front. 15 clicks was way too wallowy and bouncy in the front for my taste. it just doesn't feel very stiff to me at all, even where im at now.

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

Read this. It will help you understand why it is foolish to believe the same number of clicks will have the same impact on shocks in this price range.

786

"Remember this list:

Bilstein
Penske
Koni
Ohlins
Sachs
Dynamic Suspension

Not on this list? Almost certainly crap."

i actually looked for Bilstein shocks to replace my worn OEM units and it looked like they did make HD's for the IS-F -> http://cart.bilsteinus.com/search/mm.../drivetype=RWD

the only reason i didn't go that route is that i had HD's on a previous car and i didn't really like them, they were very harsh for the street. Ohlins i would be interested in as i had a good experience with them in a past car.

Btw, OEM is Tokico which is not on your list, so 'almost certainly crap'? lol

lobuxracer

iTrader: (2)

He actually calls out Tokico aftermarket as crap if you read the full site. I doubt their OEM stuff is crap, but then again, the number of 2IS owners who have had shock failures in less than 10k miles is not small. The first one here was greyhound in 2006 when the rear shocks on his IS350 crapped out with 6k miles on the car.

The Bilsteins look pretty affordable, but most owners are not going to ensure they are properly tuned. It would be helpful to know which springs these shocks are expecting to have - OEM, aftermarket (what rate?), or something else. If you read the details about what the guy is saying, his argument in favor of Bilstein is their ease of tuning and ease of rebuilding even in the field. These features are really not what most owners (especially on this forum) want. They want a **** they can turn to change the damping. Period. I would be fine with rebuilding them, but there is a whole host of other things one needs to do before you can even consider this. So, the vast majority will want something they can turn a **** and test, not measure, calculate, rebuild, and test.

One man's steak is another man's dog food. Everything has a relative value depending on what you are willing to tolerate.

786

In my experience, Bilstein HD's are meant for stock springs, i.e. no lowering & stock spring rate. I believe they're meant to be a 'higher performance' OEM replacement shock. Previously though, I tried them and they were very harsh on the street so I wasn't compelled to make the same mistake twice.

I get what you're saying about the Bilstein being easily revalved because I've had a couple Miata's that I tracked, one with FCM suspension (essentially revalved Billies) and the other with Xida's which were an AST product.

In regards to your idea of most owners on here wanting a **** to turn, im a step below that. I don't want any bloody ***** to adjust. I want a set it and forget it setup. That's why I wanted to go 2013 OEM springs/shocks but Sewell just couldn't get them to me in time. In hindsight, rather than getting these coils I should have just gotten OEM '08 shocks (which were available through Sewell) as I don't really mind the ride quality at all. It's a bit jarring/harsh but it's really not that bad overall.

Sylvan

iTrader: (6)

I have a set of BCs coming I picked up used without the swift springs. From the research I have done for street driven cars with no track time the BC springs will be more that adequate. I agree on the no *****, I had Bilstiens on my last car once they were dialed in I never touched the ***** again.
I usually shy away from cheaper suspention setups but I might move on to a GSF later in the year so I don't want to drop the loot on Penskies but I can't live with the brutal '09 ride quality on my daily driver.