KW vs BC vs Other coilovers - BMW 130i

[(steven)]

I use my BMW 130 for the occasional track day and I'm looking for some adjustable coil overs which I can adjust between comfort (probably more so than the standard setup) and track while on the car.

The 1 series has a fairly narrow range of options available compared to other BMW's.

Can anybody recommend a good option? BC's are highly rated on the BMW forums but KW are stainless steel rather than chrome plated so will probably last better on an everyday car.

Thanks

[Evoluzione]

The BC stuff isn't chrome plated.

Check how the height is adjustable, I can't vouch for that particular model, but the BC stuff is generally superior in this department as the spring tension and height adjustment are totally separate.

If you want a good deal on the BC give me a shout, i'm an outlet for them.

[The Wookie]

We used KW's for most of the season on the Golf last year, they were generally robust enough although not particularly easy to tune and difficult to get low speed damping in which left a bit to be desired in terms of body control, which you might need as I'd imagine a 1-series to be quite pitch sensitive.

We switched to ProFlex which seemed equally solid and being more conventional in design were much easier to get better damping characteristics with.

You might find that it's worth contacting the smaller companies to see if they are interested in developing a kit for your car, particularly where it might be similar to a kit they already produce (e.g. 3-series) as generally they will wait for a car to come along that they can use.

Not encountered the BC's.

[(steven)]

Thanks for the response.

BC’s might be the way to go, although they seem to come with solid top mounts which might be a bit much for a predominately road car.

What are the BC’s made off? It refers to chrome steel, but not stainless steel, which if my limited knowledge on the subject is correct, is just chromium mixed with steel anyway.
Therefore I was a bit wary of something I hadn’t really heard of.

[chris7676]

I had the BCs on my E36, they were very good for the price.
I never found the hard mounts a problem in any car, the springs & shocks should have the major effect on the how hard/soft it feels as they do the major work.

[Evoluzione]

[quote=(steven)]Thanks for the response.

BC’s might be the way to go, although they seem to come with solid top mounts which might be a bit much for a predominately road car.

What are the BC’s made off? It refers to chrome steel, but not stainless steel, which if my limited knowledge on the subject is correct, is just chromium mixed with steel anyway.
Therefore I was a bit wary of something I hadn’t really heard of.

[/quote]

I don't think it matters what they are made of, they are coated in some kind of hi-tech plastic coating stuff which prevents them from rusting - it works really well, i've had some on my car for a couple of years now.