Coilover Dampers for the Slowtra - The Taiwanese Part 1 (BC Racing and STD)

Once upon a time in a land far far away the Taiwanese started off manufacturing coilovers for the Japs. The fable is that a many popular Japanese performance part and coilover manufacturers such as Greddy, Blitz, Tein, JIC, etc were and are still having their shocks made in Taiwan. After a while the Taiwanese got smarter and then started marketing and selling these coilovers and the technology acquired under their own brand names. Today visit many a popular performance car forum in the US, Oz and the UK and you will hear the brand "BC Racing" being mentioned a lot so let's start here.

BC Racing
BC or "Bor Chuann" Racing is arguably the most popular and well known Taiwanese performance coilover damper manufacturer and oems for a certain popular Japanese performance brand that starts with a "G" or "T" (Not Tein) or "B".  BC Racing has three models for the N16. All are monotube. The lowest end model is the V1 Series followed by the BR Series and the RM Series.

The V1'Design Series features a 44mm diameter piston in a 50mm diameter damper body.

• Part Number: D-02
• Damping Adjustable: 30 way single adjustable - compression and rebound combined
• Ride height adjustable: Yes. Independent Ride height adjustable: Yes
• Rebuildable: Yes but I wouldn't bother too much as these coilovers are relatively affordable (~RM2.8K or less)
• Front Spring Rate: 6 kg/mm, Rear Spring Rate: 4 kg/mm. I believe you can order spring rates and valving to your specifications.
• Top Mounts: The V1'Design is available with a bewildering range on top mounts including both rubber or spherical bearinged top mounts or with no mounts for both the front and rear shocks. BC differentiates this with further with alphabetical prefixes or "series". For example V1'Design VS Series features front and rear top mounts. For this particular model there is "VS", "VT", "VL","VN","VH", "VA", "VM" and "VC" or "Very Confusing". I made the last one up but the rest are real.
• Other Notable Features: Looks like exactly this but probably costs ~40-50% less. You can compare and contrast the differences.
• Price is around RM2.8K. You can contact BC Racing Malaysia (email: bc.racing@hotmail.com) to buy. This is the only model offered by BC Racing Malaysia unless your name is Andrew Saw :)

The BR Series feature 46mm piston in a 53mm damper body.

• Part Number: Also D-02
• Damping Adjustable: 30 way single adjustable - compression and rebound combined
• Ride height adjustable: Yes. Independent Ride height adjustable: Yes
• Rebuildable: Yes
• Front Spring Rate: 6 kg/mm, Rear Spring Rate: 4 kg/mm. You can order spring rates and valving to your own specifications.
• Top Mounts: BR RA series feature front spherical bearing top mounts and rear rubber mounts while BR RH series are spherical bearing top mounts for both front and rear.
• Other Notable Features: Looks exactly like this but probably costs ~40-50% less. You can compare and contrast the differences. Each BR shock is individually tested and dynoed. Slotted bolt holes in the lower mount bracket for the front struts. This gives the option for an extra quarter or half degree of camber to be dialled in. This is god sent as you know the N16 cannot have front top camber plates unless you cut up the suspension turrets.
• Price is more or less than RM3.5K by a couple hundred bucks depending on the top mounts you specify and mentioning my name saying that you heard about this bargain of the century shocks from my blog :) You can contact BC Racing Malaysia (email: bc.racing@hotmail.com) to try and buy. You can also replace the springs with better specced  items from the likes of Swift but then the price will again increase substantially.

The RM or RAM Series is basically the BR series but features an inverse monotube strut in front and the regular BR Type damper for the rear. The inverse monotube strut functions just like a regular monotube set upside down and encased by another outer tube. The strength of outer shiny steel tube is not the piston but instead bears the brunt of bending forces acting upon the damper/strut under cornering instead of the piston rod itself. BC Racing claims less unsprung weight for the RM Series. Picture below which I nicked from the web very clearly explains the difference between a conventional vs inverse monotube.

Again you cannot buy the RM Series from BC Racing Malaysia and there is also no listing for the N16 in BC Racing Taiwan's website but BC Racing Malaysia will be able to special order the RM Series for you if you plead and bargain hard enough. Price is a couple hundred ringgit more than the BR Series.

Standard (STD)
STD or Sexually Transmitted Disease (just joking) is the brand name for Jihshyh International Co. Ltd. and have three (or is it four or five?) different coilover models for the Slowtra. For this article I will typically quote links from their USA subsidary as the Taiwanese home website is pure and utter crap. These are the R1, the R3/R5 and the R7. I believe all are monotube.

The R1 is the "lowest end" model.

• Part Number: NN-104
• Damping Adjustable: Apparently yes. Adjustment range is not stated 
• Ride height adjustable: Yes. Independent Ride height adjustable: Yes
• Rebuildable: Yes but you will have to send back to STD Taiwan or STD USA. Good luck!
• Front Spring Rate: Not Stated, Rear Spring Rate: Not Stated.
• Top Mounts: Front spherical bearing top mounts and rear rubber mounts
• Other Notable Features: Scale system for easier ride height adjustment. Aluminium lower mount/body for the rear I believe.
• Price is errr.. contact Standard USA. They will respond to your email. Standard Taiwan will not. Perhaps if you email in Chinese you might have better luck

The R3/R5 is next. R3 features front spherical bearing top mounts only. You use your stock mounts for the rear while the R5 is a R3 that features spherical bearing front and rear top mounts.

• Part Number: NN-104 for R3 and not stated for R5 but believe me they have for N16 as I emailed STD USA. Wouldn't be surprised if its NN-104 from R1 to R7 :P
• Damping Adjustable: 12 way single adjustable - compression and rebound combined
• Ride height adjustable: Yes. Independent Ride height adjustable: Yes
• Rebuildable: Yes but you will have to send back to STD Taiwan or STD USA. Good luck!
• Front Spring Rate: 6 kg/mm, Rear Spring Rate: 6 kg/mm (spring rates provided by STD USA)
• Top Mounts: As per above
• Other Notable Features: Scale system for easier ride height adjustment. Aluminium lower mount/body for the rear I believe.
• Price for the R5 is around RM4.2K depending on the USD to MYR exchange rate. Price includes shipping from STD USA but no tax. You will have to buy from the US methinks and pray you will not incur too high a tax. Order at your peril.

The R7 is basically a R5 with more aggresive valving (read really hard for full time kereta perangs) and is available with drift or time attack valving/specification. STD claims the increase damping force and racing suspension fluid means the R7 is less susceptible to overheating.

More to come as I blog about K-Sport, D2, Silver's, etc. next.