raceland coil overs,

So, raceland finally came out with an e30 coil over kit. I emailed them over a year ago and asked when they would be ready.

anyway. 369 bucks.

what do you think?

You have already bought them, so it's a little late to be asking.
I would not install them on any of my E 30s for any reason as my attitude is that you get what you pay for.
I'm of a minority ownership who believes that a supple suspension with sufficient travel is best for realistic, real world handling.
Having said that, I have no experience with them, but am interested in your post installation impressions and Racelands' customer service.

m

Originally Posted by E30 hobby car

what do you think?

i think you shouldn't cheap out and pay for the worst e30 coilovers on the net. you get what you pay for, quality costs money.

Just where did he say he bought them? All he said was (1) Raceland finally offers them, and (2) the price. Not a word about having actually purchased a set. Maybe he did and I missed it.

Originally Posted by hornhospital

Maybe he did and I missed it.

doesnt say he bought them. i read 7pilots post and assumed i missed it as well considering i didnt really read the first post, just skimmed through it.

haha, I did not buy them.

but, I think there is something to these. Why cant a decent set of coil overs come in at less than a grand?

I have quite a bit of reading on this brand and people seem to like them.

thats why i asked you guys.

you can have decent coilovers for under a grand. Bilstein Sports with the GC coilover conversion. you cannot have decent or even remotely "decent" coilovers for under $400.

98% of the reviews on Racelands products are irrelevant. why ? because they are made by people who have never owned quality parts to compare to. they go from blown out stock suspensions to this junk and instantly its "OMG GREAT COILOVERS !!!". No, that's not how it works. find someone who has gone from brand new stock suspension to this RL junk, then find someone who has gone from this RL junk to real quality coilovers .. they are not going to promote RL products like the young broke kids do.

Originally Posted by E30 hobby car

haha, I did not buy them.

but, I think there is something to these. Why cant a decent set of coil overs come in at less than a grand?

I have quite a bit of reading on this brand and people seem to like them.

thats why i asked you guys.

Praise the lord.

m

I may pick them up, eeps. Not looking for ANY type of performance here, just want non blown shocks and non 4x4 status.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Bimmer App

All of the above except for bender.

Trust your life, or even more importantly, the innocent guy in the lane next to you, to a cheap "coil over"???

As many people I know who use them on E36s without failure, I believe they'll be just fine.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Bimmer App

Im with matt, as many e36's that run them they probably arent going to cause a bus full of nuns and puppies to explode. None the less they are pretty low quality

There is no doubt in my mind that they have pulled a few tricks in order to cut costs. But who is to say they are not just running at low margins and have committed to a high volume of production?

how widely can the quality of an entry level coil over range? are we worried that it would simply break under load?

here are my assumptions:
quality bilstein or H&R coil overs are: $1000.00
acceptable coilovers are: 600-700.00

why can't an entry level coil over work for 370.00? US currency.

I am willing to bet that the mid range coil overs less than a grand are very similar to the entry level raceland.

I am interested to hear from some one who has them and has had $1000.00 coilovers. I want to see the difference. I guess that will have to wait a few years to really see the quality tho... bah

Originally Posted by E30 hobby car

why can't an entry level coil over work for 370.00? US currency.

I am willing to bet that the mid range coil overs less than a grand are very similar to the entry level raceland.

because quality costs money.

you'd lose that bet.

I could only assume, that like many many many other parts out there, that most of these coilover sets come down the same assembly line, just painted different colors. Snap-on-- Bluepoint, Gm-- Ac/delco, Beck Arnley-- just about any european oem. Many many companies out there do this. They buy it from a general manufacturer, then put their sticker on it and call it a better part with a name. Im sure the 6-700 dollar coilovers are the same as the 400. Either way, I don't care, Good springs and good Struts and Shocks with a proper alignment will be just as good with what 99% of the people on here will drive.

btw, I've sold aftermarket parts for going on 10 years now. First aftermarket performance and installs, now Oem and general aftermarket oem parts. I see it all day long.

the cheap 600-700 chinese coilover kits ARE pretty much all made in the same place/way and are all junk. none of them are quality parts.

Originally Posted by fcsteve

the cheap 600-700 chinese coilover kits ARE pretty much all made in the same place/way and are all junk. none of them are quality parts.

Prolly the same as the 400 dollar ones. So paying $700 bucks for something you can get for 400 is silly. Now yes, the +$1000 pairs prolly have more R&D in them but doesn't technically make them better. Like I said before, I don't mess with coilovers because I DRIVE my car, coilovers on the street not practical especially here in Ohio where we'll have random craters all over the road.

My advice is get a good set of springs (eibachs, H&R's etc..) and good set of bilstein performance struts and shocks with a proper alignment.

A good alignment with coilovers will be much more costly.

Originally Posted by Newman271

Prolly the same as the 400 dollar ones. So paying $700 bucks for something you can get for 400 is silly. Now yes, the +$1000 pairs prolly have more R&D in them but doesn't technically make them better. Like I said before, I don't mess with coilovers because I DRIVE my car, coilovers on the street not practical especially here in Ohio where we'll have random craters all over the road.

My advice is get a good set of springs (eibachs, H&R's etc..) and good set of bilstein performance struts and shocks with a proper alignment.

A good alignment with coilovers will be much more costly.

that's what i just said. the $600-$700 ones are the same as the cheap $400 ones. but none of them are near the quality of bilsteins or koni's or the real coilover kits out there.

coilovers are perfectly fine for daily driving , even here in PA where we have some of the worst roads in the country.

I've had too many friends with coilover set ups on Honda's and 240's with too many bent wheels, broken ball joints, and broken tie rods. I, personally, don't see them practical everyday. In two years when my bimmer is ready for the track only, I'll put some on, till then I'll enjoy my car without too many broken parts

i've never broken a single part or damaged a wheel. and i've run thin, stretched tires most people would never run as well as coilovers stiffer than most people would be comfortable with on a street/track car.

those are some interesting takes on coilovers vs. struts and springs.

here in Ontario we have a mix of brand new roads and roads that look like war zones.
I definitely want a setup that will work well on all manner of roads. and I am not going super low anyway.

that being said, I wrote raceland today asking them for their argument. Hopefully they fill me in on the secret. I will of course share their feedback with the forum.

here is their response:

"We know the price scares people and we could very easily sell these for much more. We are able to sell our coilovers at such an affordable price because we sell direct and do not have a dealer base. Also, with this kit, we have road tested it over the course of a year to make sure that the fitment as well as spring and damping rates are spot on for those that want an increase in handling while still keeping a ride that is not overly stiff for daily driven use. Since we understand the hesitancy for some people, we offer a 30 day return policy so if you’re not satisfied with your purchase; send them back for a refund. Also, the kit comes with a 2 year warranty that covers any manufacturing defect. This warranty will also cover the dampers for two years. If you have any other questions, let us know."

Sounds legit to me. Its atleast worth checking out and if they suck send them back.

even the lowest, crappy ebay shocks last more than a month. in that 2 year period you will probably replace your shocks 2 or more times.

as is the case with most people who want to get things cheap .. you seem dead set on buying them, regardless of what people tell you.

buy them, some people are better off learning the hard way.

Fcsteve, if you were going to purchase a new setup for your car, Daily driver, no track. upgrading from stock stuff.

what would u use?



as for me:

I am not looking for the cheapest deal, i am by no means cheaping out on my car. I am just wondering how bad/good these really are?

I usually do have to learn the hard way.. :s