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lowering springs vs bc coilovers

11K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  Weedwaka 
#1 ·
I want to lower my wk. I have non srt eibach springs and want to buy srt bilstein shocks/struts. Justforjeeps sell the srt shocks for $750. I found bc coilovers for $700, the guy said he bought them brand new and never installed. They are still wrapped up and in the box. I am not looking for a crazy drop, 1.5 or 2 max. What do you guys think is more practical or durable? How do you install coilovers? Do you just replace your shocks with coilovers and leave the stock springs?
Need some advice from fellow jeepers.
Thanks in advance :)
 
#2 · (Edited)
I know nothing about BC or the street scene to be honest but a coilover refers to coil around a shock. You hear about Fox Racing or King coilovers a lot- same idea (obviously off road oriented though). So it should actually be easier to install because you won't have to take your old springs off and put them on the Bilsteins. You should be able to just take out your old strut assembly, take the strut fork off, put it on the new coilover and put the whole unit it back in without having to mess with your old coils or anything which means you probably don't even need a spring compressor. Like I said, though, I know nothing about BC or their performance/durability so I can't comment on which would be the better overall option.
 
#3 ·
here's the thread on them : http://www.jeepgarage.org/f7/bc-coilovers-installed-40140.html

your not supposed to use "stock" type springs with them, but you CAN on the rear. the srt style stuff has to be durable, I don't think anyone's put enough miles on the BC's for a longevity comparison yet though.

I myself have wk eibachs, but on wk bilsteins- wish I went the srt's
 
#4 ·
I've been waiting to see this jeep lowered! $700 for bc coilovers is a great price, but if you want proven reliability the srt bilsteins are tried and true. I'll tell you this, when I installed my OEM srt coils, I dropped 1/4" in front and 3/4" in the rear. So if you want more of a drop, srt eibach may be better choice. Read the thread on the bc coilovers first, lots of good info there.
 
#5 ·
Never did lowering springs but have had both brands of coil overs (K Sport and BC). This review is based on me setting my ride height at 31" from ground to center of wheel well

The K sport were way too soft in the front and bottomed out more than the BCs even though they were set to full firm. They even did this on the road course I usually run at. The rears of the K Sport were fine but to adjust the shock you had to take it out and measure the shaft with a load on it and take it out and screw it in or out to set properly.

Same height on the BCs. The fronts are better but not perfect. I still bottom out but not as often and still have 3-4 more adjustments on the damper setting. The springs haven't sagged at all. The ride is firm so if you plan on going lower you will more than likely have to firm it up even more. The rears are almost the opposite. They are on the opposite side of the spectrum and are almost set to full soft. I believe I have about 3-4 more adjustments to full soft. The rear springs did sag about 1/4" or so.

Install is as easy as changing out the originals. On the fronts the whole assembly is removed and replaced and the rears is actually the same setup as stock but with an extra piece added. Make sure you pull the bump stop and the bump stop tower for the rears.

Good luck in your decision.
 
#7 ·
This review is based on me setting my ride height at 31" from ground to center of wheel well
any chance you can get me the measurement from the axle/wheel center to the center of the wheel well please? I'd really like to know the actual suspension height for comparison. TIA :D
 
#6 ·
Thanks guys for you advice/opinion. I am just not sure how long the coilovers will survice. I live in Brooklyn, NYC and we have a lot of messed up roads (bumps, cracks and potholes) you name it, our roads got it. I try to avoid them as much as I can, but you cant always notice those holes.
 
#9 ·
I had the SRT eibach's with non-srt bilstein's on my old 05 V-6. I replaced that with the BC system, so i've had both setups you're looking at.

The SRT setup was great, gives a little more drop than the non-srt springs (maybe 1/2 to 3/4") but i found they rode great and had no problems with bottoming out or anything.

The BC system is much more race orientated, meaning much stiffer and requires some messing around on your part to work with your roads. The ride is ok in front but very rough in the rear. It will allow you to go lower than the srt eibachs, but there's a big trade off in ride quality.
 
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