I'm looking to buy some BC Racing BR coilovers and drop my SC about an inch. What kind of spring rate should I be running if I'm looking to preserve ride quality?

 

Hmm.... are the springs on those coilovers progressive-rate or linear-rate? My guess would be the latter.

It is probably apples to oranges but with my old Gixxer-Drew coilovers which use Supra-spec Bilstein AK shocks and Hypercoil linear-rate springs I have been running a 600lb-in front & 325lb-in rear combination for over a decade now with good success. I have driven it all over.

They are just a little bit harsh on absolutely terribly maintained roads (which is not the car's fault at all) but absolutely perfect on all other roads. Virtually no body roll at all with the 600/325 springs.

Alternatively I have had some Hypercoil linear-rate 500lb-in front & 250lb-in rear springs waiting to be installed for years. I might do this just to split the difference and keep a slightly softer setup than I have had with a very slight amount of body roll being reintroduced. Both rate combinations will handle well with those shocks as documented on the big Gixxer thread on SupraForums.

However with the BC Racing coilovers the difference in shock valving will probably influence how the same rates may feel different compared to my setup.

 

Yep, they're linear. I went and found a few threads with members all mentioning that 14kg in the front and 10kg in the rear was the best combination of comfortability and performance. Also found a few YouTube videos saying the same thing. I ordered them yesterday. Super excited for the delivery!

 

I have no clue how people can say that with a straight face. I have 10k front 7k rear and thats still a bit too stiff for my taste. The stock rates are around 6k front 3k rear for reference.
The setup Kahn is mentioning is what I was going for but unfortunately the AK shocks are no longer made. It would be cool to know if there are alternatives, preferably with compression and damping adjustment.