BC Racing DR Series Coilover Review

[PharmDZ]

Hello everyone - I just stopped in today to my tuner to swap out my coilovers to the new DR Series coilover from BC to find out that I believe these were the first set in the country for our car. Figured since I use the car for plenty of daily driving, autocross, and some HPDE I could do a write-up just in case anyone else was considering them. I am coming from KW V3 coilovers, which were fantastic for the street but as my tires got bigger and stickier they were just not quite stiff enough.

I ended up doing some research and found BC's new DR series coilover, which is similar to the BR series but features a digressive dampening curve. The dampening on this shock is supposed to enhance handling for more technical tracks and therefore would be beneficial for something like autocross. Add to that the custom spring rates and shock valving that BC offers, pillowball top mounts, and rebuilding to your liking and it was a no brainer for me. I am also limited by the autocross class I compete in (A street prepared) - I need to maintain the OEM rear separate spring/shock setup. I ended up ordering the DR's with Swift Springs 18K front 14K rear.

Some pics from the initial unboxing/install at R/T Tuning in Montegomeryville, PA...







Upon initial impression the shocks looked like they were quality pieces. There were no issues with installation, and I also had purchased the rear extenders which were a nice addition for easy dampening adjustment (pics to come later). After the install I had an alignment and corner balance done. Alignment specs are Front: camber -2.8 toe 0 Rear: camber -1.8 toe 0.08

My biggest fear with driving my car nearly every day it's not snowing is that the ride would suffer dramatically with the extremely stiff springs. I drove home from R/T Tuning in PA with a sigh of relief as even on the PA Turnpike (which is an absolute NIGHTMARE for potholes/dips/bumps/etc) the ride wasn't nearly as bad as I thought. Over nasty bumps I of course felt the difference in stiffness some more, but I'm talking bumps/holes I should have probably avoided regardless of suspension! Hah I am very happy so far with the feel of the BC's and ease of adjustment. I have my first autocross event of the season tomorrow morning and will report back with how it felt on smoother pavement at Metlife Stadium parking lot. My next event is 2 weeks later at a bit rougher surface at Bader Field in Atlantic City. Can't wait to test them out!!