The Coilover Settings Thread
 

Alright,

So I thought it would be nice to get a thread going so those of us on coilovers can post up the settings we are using. This will help give folks a starting point for a new install as well as providing guidance for making adjustments to suit the owners preferences.

I'll start with My Setup:

2010 Ralliart Sportback
BC Racing RAM (inverted damper) Coilovers
8k front springs 8k rear springs
Single adjustable design bump and rebound are adjusted together

Front damper setting: 20 clicks in from full soft (10 clicks from full hard)
Rear damper setting: 15 clicks from full soft (15 clicks from full hard)

Ride Height:
Front -1.5"
Rear -1.25"

Alignment:
Front: -2* camber 0.02" toe in per side, 0.04" total toe
Rear: -1.5* camber 0.03" toe in per side, 0.06" total toe

Wheels and Tires:
Stock and Stock

Over all Impression:
Over all I'm very pleased with this setup. I do not feel like there is any need for an upgraded rear bar with the 8k rear springs. Dampers feel a little wonky to me and I wish bump and rebound were independently adjustable. The way the dampers are delivered it feels like the bump curve is a little stiffer than it needs to be while the rebound curve is a little softer than it needs to be. In general, the dampers feel like they were designed for a lower spring rate. In order to control the rebound I had to crank the fronts up to 20 clicks in from full soft... this results in a little too much bump damping imo but too much bump feels better than too little rebound. When the fronts were at 15 clicks it felt like the front end was bouncing all over the place after a bump. Given the price, the adjust ability, and performance I think I got exactly what I paid for. If I had to do it over again, I would call BC and discuss the damper curves before placing my order.

2010 RASB
BC Racing BR (entry level)
8K Front/ 7k Rear with Swift Springs
Also 27mm Front/ 24mm Rear Whiteline Sway Bars

Front damper: currently at 20 clicks from full soft (20 clicks from full hard)
Rear damper: currently at 10 clicks from full soft (20 clicks from full hard)

Alignment:
Front Camber: -1.5* (Camber Plates included)
Rear Camber: -1.2* (Whiteline Rear Camber Bolts)
Forget to ask what the toe settings are, but they said "it was all jacked up when I got there, and now its cleaned up"

Wheels: Stock
Tires:
Front- Continental DWS 215/45/18
Rear- Pirelli Nero 215/45/18

I went to West End Alignment in Gardena, HIGHLY RECOMMEND!! Darren and his son Chris are the most knowledgeable/professional/customer service oriented people I've ever dealt with (if only ever business were run this way).
Any who, I told him my specific intentions, which is entry level light tracking and DD, and he worked his magic. One thing to realize, the rear damper is "set and forget" because its such a PITA to get to (you have to literally take everything apart again just to click/adjust). But on the plus side my sway bar is 3-way adjustable, and I'm currently on max soft. So I'm going to change that to middle setting to stiffen it up a bit (which leaves full hard for actual track days).
Driving is amazing now; in stock form the prancer suspension is lacking A LOT, let alone getting tuned and having more power suddenly its boarder line unsafe. After 3 weight transfers it would become VERY difficult to maintain control. Now after having been corner balanced and aligned the car feels incredible neutral in handling. I can push her MUCH harder in the corners, and dont have to worry about "rebound" of the weight (we all know she's a big girl).

Did you guys get your BC coilovers from Import Image? Their site lists these coilovers in the Evo 8-9 section. So these are compatible?

And thanks for the post - it's mostly convinced me out of lowering springs. There are so many factors that go into handling other than a lower height, springs just don't seem like a real upgrade as far as performance

And it's nice that Mad_SB thinks a good coilover setup is enough without a rear-sway (scared at the labor cost of the rear sway since you have to drop the diff)

Rear Sways dont cost much to install, its fronts that are the major PITA!!

Honestly man, the main reason i got these coils is because the price is only a little higher than springs, bars, camber kit etc. Especially when you consider what a PITA swapping coil springs is. The BC's include the top hats so you literally just unbolt the stock stuff and bolt in the BC's.. The only tricky part of a DIY install is getting the corner heights setup so you don't screw with corner weights.

I got mine from Adam @ MAP. By the way, they did not need to revalve the rear shocks for the 8k springs... it's right on the limit but they say that you can go up 2k without needing to re valve. It would be easy and cheap to swap out rear springs in the future if you wanted to start with the default 6k rear.

Will see how things shape up with some decent rubber under my little dump truck (gave it that nick name when i first got it cause it pushed like a freaking dump truck). With some good grippy 235's i may decide that sways are needed... time will tell.

I was even thinking of doing my first track day with stock suspension and tires just so I have a feel of the limits of handling, and where I should upgrade from there. It's still vague on how good/bad the RA's suspension is when we're plagued by such bad stock tires. Definitely post updates, as I'm anxious to read them

hell when I test drove a base Audi A4 recently with my father, it had less body roll than my RA - like 80% less body roll - my father mostly thinks its just the better tires

and thanks for mentioning MAP. Google searches just didn't turn up the BC RAMs on anybody's website

whats the difference between the inverted BC and non inverted? and how do you know what spring rate and valving to get?

i'm currently debating on the BC's vs Tein flex with EDFC

Taken from BC's web site:

BR Type
Our BR model is perfect for street driving and occasional road course duty. With easily accessible adjustment knobs for fine tuning your compression/rebound and separately adjustable ride height, having a performance coilover system couldn’t be any easier. You choose how low or high you want your vehicle, no preset ride height here, and our patented concave lower locking ring keeps it locked in. All of our systems come with pillowball mounts to provide the most feedback possible from your suspension and to sharpen your steering response. BC’s available front and rear camber plates also allow you to get the perfect alignment setup without compromise. All this while providing a strong, attractive looking coilover system.

• Mono-tube shock design
• 30 levels of damping force adjustment, adjust compression/rebound
• Pillowball mounts and adjustable camber plates included (where applicable)
• Adjustable rear camber plates available
• Separate full length height adjustable
• One year warranty
• Rebuildable

RAM Type
BC Racings inverted RAM model includes all of the great BR features and then takes it a notch higher. By using an inverted coilover system we move the vital damper fluid away from the detrimental heat sources to avoid overheating the fluid and causing damper fatigue under extreme conditions. The inverted setup also handles high-g loads better and is much more durable under stress situations, such as a race track. Another advantage is reducing unsprung weight by moving the heavy parts to the chassis mounting points. This is a great coilover for those looking to attack a race track, hill climb or tarmac rally.

Basically the Inverted damper is designed to keep the fluid stable under rougher conditions. The Evo VIII, IX, X all came iwth inverted dampers from the factory... well, i know for a fact the 8 & 9 did anyway... not 100% sure on the X.

I bought mine from Adam @ MAPerformance, he informed me that they downgraded the spring rates on the BR coilovers for the Lancer to 6k front and 4k rear, so that's what I have on my Ralliart. I looked at BC's website and it says the default for the Lancer is 8k front 6k rear... The ride is smoother than the OEM suspension and you can definitely feel the difference going over a bump with the front and rear dampening levels at 18/30. But I feel it's a bit too smooth. Kind of wish I told him to install the 8k front and 6k rear.

I just recieved my set 2 days ago and when i ordered through adam at map he said they were still 8k and 6k. They were OOS or backordered so i placed the order and waited a month to get them. Now the question is how would i tell if i got the 8k/6k or the newer ones 6k/4k?

One more question i got quoted $220 for the install and adjustment is that a deal or should i go out and buy all the neccesary tools and jack stands for the install my self? thanks

My set up has the BC Racing BR series coilovers, 8kg front and 6kg rear. Settings are 12 clicks from soft for both front and back. I find that a good compromise on performance vs comfort especially on some of our bumpier roads. You can really feel the difference with just a few clicks. One thing worth noting is I can easily adjust the rear after adding a small extender that slots through the sides of the trunk. Very very easy to get to and doesn't get in the way of trunk space. Small holes were drilled in order to slot them through but very worth it.
I'm also running Whiteline sways, 26mm front and 24mm rear both on the hardest setting. 18x9 wheels with 245/40/18 rubber.
Overall, the car handles much more like when I test drove the Evo X now so I'm much happier with the set up.

I have Tein Flex, installed about a week ago.

9K front, 7K rear
ride height is set to Tein recommended setting; about -2.0 f / -1.0 r, and they say there's another inch of travel f and r, but it looks like 2 inches more front and 1.5 more rear judging by threads on the coilover.

13/20 clicks to full hard front
15/20 clicks to full hard rear

i tried lighter dampening in the front around 10/20 and it was too soft. 15/20 was a little too hard for our roads, lots of road gaps, pot holes and rippled sections. 13/20 was just right for me and ride frequency is good.

can't remember the camber correction right now, but the front plates are like -2 degrees i think.
rear no camber correction yet.

my mudflaps scrape speed bumps and driveways on exit. i might only use them for winter and leave them off in summer, but i am worried about stone chips on the sides.

car handles superbly in corners and very stable on high speed dips. been over many railway crossings and its handled them fantastically.

after a full week of trying to get an alignment done between incompetent shops and working around my work schedule, finally got it done

didn't take before measurements on height, but they're pretty similar to what's posted here; same with camber. -2.0 front, -1.5 rear. I was worried about such aggressive camber, but after reading around, it really doesn't ruin tires that badly - having aggressive toe does. Toe is 0 on all 4 wheels. Spring rates are 8k/8k

if anyone is considering or about to install coilovers, have an alignment scheduled ahead of time. my car wouldn't even drive in a straight line after install - they really do mess up your alignment THAT much

anyway:
Front: 10 clicks from full Hard
Rear: 15 clicks middle Hard/Soft
24mm Whiteline Rear Sway Bar at medium setting

Comments:
- Handling and turn-in is much more neutral. I don't have any safe back roads to push the car on, but corner-exit has much less understeer
- Handling feels better than a stock X (which I drive plenty of at work). The Ralliart feels a bit lighter than an X, and without AYC, it has a much more neutral and predictable handling feel


I wish turn-in was a little bit sharper. I think I'll try putting the rear sway to stiffest setting first, because I already find the ride quality a bit stiff on some roads. I agree with Mad_SB about the dampers on the BC coilovers - they aren't perfect. But realistically, the quality of these are more than expected for the price. Either get these or go all-out with KW v3's or equivalent imo, anything inbetween is a wash (I was really considering KW v2's before this purchase, but it just didn't seem worth the higher price to get second-level quality)

Right now I'm just trying to find the right setting for my comfort tolerance. some roads make the car absorb the bumps so firmly, it jumps the car up and down. Since rear is at mid-way, I guess this means front could use some softening. Open to any input from other owners! :)

i'd suggest driving them about 2-3000km's then adjust your damper settings accordingly. mine were pretty stiff breaking in and now after lots of km's, i've actually turned mine harder.

if you want sharper turn-in, i'd suggest hard tie rods. they make a world of difference in turning response.