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OOps I'm an idiot. You are supposed to unbolt the axles from the splines on the front diff and I pulled mine out. My front diff leaks so I am going to pull it out and replace the seals. It might be a few weeks before I test the suspension.
I've run the FEAL coilovers for 4 years on my car on the street and have run it once at a track day at Willow Springs on Advan A08R tires, and they work great. Nothing has broken, or loosened in 4 years of driving, and the roads here are close to intolerable due to pot holes, cracked concrete, dead skunks, etc. I think my install might have been the first since I helped them adjust the sway bar mount to a better location and orientation than it was originally at, and helped them better tune the dampening since it was under dampened at first. These allow you to run it at stock height, higher than stock height, or a lot lower than stock height. I run mine at about RoW height since the roads here really stink and it's mostly street driven. They also work fine with stock sway bar linkages.
Good to hear. Do you know what spring rates you got? Mine came with front sway links and my rear links are working fine currently after I cut down the bolt a little so it would fit.
I got them in and went for a spin. I'll have to play with the settings some more but they ride pretty well considering I'm on 12k/15k springs and AD08 tires at the moment. I knew I was signing up for a firm ride when I got them. They feel about right somewhere near the middle settings of the adjustment ****. At full soft there is too much rebound but it settles out as I go higher. Currently at 15 clicks but I need to try firmer at maybe 20. Too cold out to really test the handling and I need an alignment but first impression is positive.
I had Chinese coilovers. The were okay. All the adjustments seemed a little gimmicky as it didn't seem to do much throughout the range. Pulled wheels and in less than two years found some weird inner tire wear indicative of failed front struts. Replaced with KWv3 and have been much happier. The FEAL definitely look better than the others, still sucks most use a janky universal top mount.
I've run the feals for 2 DE seasons (well 1.5 with covid) and I'm very pleased. They aren't Ohlins TTX or multimatic DSVs, but for even experienced track drivers, they provide a good, customizable package for a reasonable price. I don't see anything that my buddies with KW, JRZs, or single adjustable motons are getting that I'm missing out on.
My bottom line, good product at a good price unless you are a brand snob or hurley haywood.
I'm glad you've already put these through their paces so I know I won't embarrass myself. As far as setup goes, I'm being told to set my spring preload levels so that when resting on the wheels I will have 60% rebound and 40% droop for best performance. What have you learned about tuning these?
Originally Posted by Quadcammer
I've run the feals for 2 DE seasons (well 1.5 with covid) and I'm very pleased. They aren't Ohlins TTX or multimatic DSVs, but for even experienced track drivers, they provide a good, customizable package for a reasonable price. I don't see anything that my buddies with KW, JRZs, or single adjustable motons are getting that I'm missing out on.
My bottom line, good product at a good price unless you are a brand snob or hurley haywood.
I've read good things about those too. They are probably similar to what I have, built from some good quality off the shelf parts but with custom valving to match the springs they choose.
Originally Posted by bigbooster
I have a set of BC Racing coilovers that were installed about 7,000 miles and 7 months ago and fully stand by them. For the price, they are extremely adjustable and give an excellent "road feel". It took a bit of fiddling to get the right ride height and rebound rate but it has enough flexibility to be tuned for light to moderate track use although I spend most of my time driving on the street at which it excels. It's smooth and stable on the highway and won't beat you up too much on rough roads although it is still considerably firmer than stock. Just make sure everything installed correctly and use Loctite on the bolts, I had what was considered to be a respectable indy shop install mine and they not only installed one of the top hats backward, but they didn't fully tighten down the lower connecting bolt, leading to a couple of unexpected failures over the following weeks and associated tow truck rides. I don't consider any of this to be at fault of the coilovers, but it's always good to double-check the installation of any aftermarket parts, even when it seems so hard to mess it up.
I only have about 700 miles on my BC's but so far they are proving to be a great coilover for the money.
I got mine dialed in and am really happy. I'm running 2.3 degrees front camber and 1.6 in the rear. Very slight toe in front and 1/16 rear. The car really turns in and grips. Very sharp handling and feel. The ride is decent considering my spring rate. It works best above 60mph. I opted for the rear extensions for the *****. I think they look cool back there. Maybe should cut them down.
Last edited by Bernard IV; 01-28-2021 at 03:48 AM.
LOL they do look a bit excessively high! Personally I would trim them a bit~ Good luck with the setup, sounds like a winner so far!
J
Originally Posted by Bernard IV
I got mine dialed in and am really happy. I'm running 2.3 degrees front camber and 1.6 in the rear. Very slight toe in front and 1/16 rear. The car really turns in and grips. Very sharp handling and feel. The ride is decent considering my spring rate. It works best above 60mph. I opted for the rear extensions for the *****. I think they look cool back there. Maybe should cut them down.
I'll have to get some pics in a week or two. The weather is bad and my garage is dark. I did get to drive for a bit more in 45 degree weather and the handling is just insane. I can't believe how good it is. I didn't know a car could be this good, it feels like a go kart really.
Last edited by Bernard IV; 02-20-2021 at 01:11 PM.