Ultimate E28 Coilover Guide/DIY

[nickskater09]

Heritage Motorsports in Atlanta, we haven't started making any yet but it might be in the ballpark of $700ish dollars. I'll see what I can dig up when I go into work tomorrow.

[jrcanes55]

@Beware are you adjusting height or preload?

[Beware]

Preload? You mean clicking it towards soft or hard on the dampers? As for height, that's pretty self explanatory, so I guess both.

I've just spoken to the Aus. Distributor as they wanted me to confirm that they defnitely fit an E24, which obviously they do. They say I've got it too low(pfffft, as if), but also to give it a couple of weeks to bed in and settle and go for a few more "windy" drives and then have a fiddle with the damper adjustment a bit more and get back to them with the results. They have suggested maybe a heavier rear spring rate, but I guess I could just try clicking it towards harder first and stiffen it up a bit that way before going new springs.

[Fuel]

I'm finally getting mine tomorrow, but I believe someone at UPS was drunk because my package went from KY to AK ಠ_ಠ

[kibur]

Can you order custom spring rates for the BC coils?

[Beware]

Can you order custom spring rates for the BC coils?

^^^^yep, you sure can!

I'm finally getting mine tomorrow, but I believe someone at UPS was drunk because my package went from KY to AK ಠ_ಠ

I don't know about someone being drunk or more so that their tracking is useless. I had something come from Germany with UPS....via France, via China, back to Germany, via Phillipines through a few US states, Hawaii and finally to Australia once. That wasn't exactly it(but close)......it was the most random tracking route I'd ever seen!

I'm still a bit shocked that you guys have had to wait so long.....I ordered mine after you, but got them last week, super fast for some reason, not that I'm complaining!

I took the car for another drive yesterday and it seemed a little better, so I think they just need a little bedding in and some time to settle with a few more drives on them....which should have them right just in time for my wheels to be reassembled and then I can fiddle with heights and camber.

[jrcanes55]

Mine finally shipped today so I should have them by the end of next week at the latest. Just in time for my drift event

I'll be posting a full step by step write up and show you guys exactly what to do.

Also I got 9k and 8k springs so 500# front and 450# rear.

[Fuel]

Mine are being welded onto the struts right now and I should have them Monday. I'll post pictures of the install.

[Beware]

What spring rates did you go with Fuel? Also what's to the very left of your box, the BC logo'd thing in a bag?

Took mine for a semi-spirited mountain drive today....I was pleasantly surprised with how it went around the corners for a big old barge on stock balloons!

[Fuel]

Here ya go:

[Beware]

So you just went with the standard spring rates then.....I didn't get that badge/keyring(?), not that I saw in my box anyway, no biggie.

It'll be interesting to hear back from you 2 that are about to have yours fitted as your either 1kg up or down from what I went, so be sure to report back with how they feel when fitted as it'll be a good comparison for spring rates.

[jrcanes55]

So you just went with the standard spring rates then.....I didn't get that badge/keyring(?), not that I saw in my box anyway, no biggie.

It'll be interesting to hear back from you 2 that are about to have yours fitted as your either 1kg up or down from what I went, so be sure to report back with how they feel when fitted as it'll be a good comparison for spring rates.

Well mine are on and I'm going to go ahead and let you guys no I took zero pictures of the install. I've been dividing my time trying to get my car and a friends turbo m50 e30 ready for a drift event. I literally got them yesterday, welded them and installed them in about 3 hours I had no time for pictures because I was out on track all day today. I will however go back and see what I can document. I ca still show everyone how to do it. It really isn't hard.

Here's a review.
Yesterday the coilovers went from BNIB to on the car. When I got them I went ahead and jacked the springs up. My goal was to only adjust height and not touch preload. As stated before these coilovers don't really go very low in the rear. I maxed out the height adjustment and I was still higher then where I normally ride. In the end I had to drop about an inch down on the preload. It's not too bad. Cutting and welding was very easy. I got one of my friends to weld them because my welds suck dick. (go look at my exhaust in my build thread)

Install was very easy. and it didn't mess my alignment up to bad. I got it adjusted the next day at the track before I went out.

As far as the ride, It's phenomenal. I forgot how nice it is to ride on something other than cut springs and blown shocks. The car was much much firmer. I went with the 9k/8k setup. (or 500#/450#) Since I was drifting about 3 hours after I finished the install I didn't really have time to road test them. Just went to cookout and then to bed then straight to the track.

On the track they were awesome. I turned the rear up to full stiff and front to 1/3 stiff. I set the camber all the way negative for a little more front end grip and it worked amazingly. By the end off my first run group I was able to link the whole track a couple times and I only spun out about 8 times the whole day.

By the end I was throwing the car sideways with ease. It's amazing how advanced the front end of an e28 is. I get about the same steering angle on the stock box as my friends e30 with steering rack spacers and e46 arms.

To sum it up

Ride 10/10
Dampers 10/10
Spring rates 10/10
Height adjustment 8/10 (fronts will sit the oil pan on the ground and the rears are slightly limited.)

I would recommend these to anyone looking for a good street and track ride.

I'll post up again when I actually get some street driving in.

[los02]

Thanks for the update. Any suggestions on getting that rear lower with this setup? What is preventing them from going any lower?

[Beware]

Good review and it sounds like you chose well with your spring rates. Maybe I'm just not used to coilovers in the rear with a stiff(ish) spring rate.....I've never really had them before, but I'm getting used to them.

Can I ask what you mean by adjust the preload an inch lower? As I said, I'm new to the world of fully adjustable coilovers and I don't really get what you mean by that. When you previously asked me whether I'd adjusted height or preload I thought you meant the damper adjusment(hard to soft), obviously that's not right. I still need to put a few more k's on mine and then I'll fiddle a bit more with the damper adjustment I think.

[Beware]

Ok, so I finally decided to google how to adjust BC's(again, I'm a complete novice with coilovers) having always just assumed you adjust by the spring collars/perches as you do with the weld on sleeve style. Anyway, I didn't do the welding or fitting of them and so I called the guy that did and he has adjusted them the correct way. By the height first, winding the threaded section all the way down into the body and then also by adjusting the preload a bit too. The word 'preload' was what was confusing me, but the youtube video I found explained that part.

When you say you adjusted your preload about an inch, how far from the bottom do you still have to go in adjustment before you've maxed out your preload? Are your springs still captive with the car jacked up or not?

Any photo's of your car sitting on the BC's at it's current height and any photo's of them in the car, front and rear just as a comparison to where your settings are at?

Sorry for all the questions, but I'm learning as I go.