Review of BC Coilovers and staggered 20's on a '12
Review of BC Coilovers and staggered 20's on a '12
First step for my 2012 Max was a set of staggered 20x8.5 +38/20x10 +42 Giovanna Wheels. Got 245/35/20 and 275/30/20 Hankook Ventus V12 Tires for them. First impression of the ride was surprising. Very little, if any, loss in performance and no rub. Definitely handled better then the stock Goodyears. The biggest surprise, considering it was a much thinner tire, was how much "softer" the ride was. I obviously credit this to the quality of the Hankooks.
About a week later my BC Coilovers came. Got a good deal on them from circuitmotorsports.net (if anybody is interested). Tristan was an awesome dude to work with. Got them installed at Brad Fab Industries in Media, PA. Steve from Brad Fab is the man! Bends over backwords for you and really knows his stuff. BTW i'm not sponsored by anybody, I was just very pleased with my experiences with these guys and would like to guide you in the right direction if you are looking for sources/referrals!
At first the ride was horrible with the BCs. I picked my car up and had to drive an hour up I95. I felt like my seat was a trampoline. Steve from Brad Fab reassured me that the coilovers needed a couple days to settle and break in. He was right! Each day after got better and better. No issues with the ride quality at all now. Obviously it's a little stiffer but for as low as it is, it's great and the people that have been in my car have been impressed. The rear dropped down maybe another .25" from when it was installed so now my rears are tucking a little. The camber is a little nasty so I'm going in for an alignment this week. It also looks like I might have to get my rear fenders rolled or cut now if I want to do away with the camber completely (Will find out tomorrow).
Overall, I'm very happy with my purchases. I didn't go all out but I also didn't skimp on anything which I think makes a huge difference in the quality and performance of everything. If you are thinking about doing anything similar, take your time and save a few extra bucks for decent tires and coilovers. Especially if it's your DD. You don't want to be driving around on a skateboard!
Here are some pics. Sorry about the ****ty iPhone quality. It's hard to get the black wheels to show up so I had to mess with the color settings. Black wasn't my first choice for the wheels but I think they ended up looking really good! I'll try and get some better pics up soon.

Almost done with the BCs

Rear before settling

First day



About a week later my BC Coilovers came. Got a good deal on them from circuitmotorsports.net (if anybody is interested). Tristan was an awesome dude to work with. Got them installed at Brad Fab Industries in Media, PA. Steve from Brad Fab is the man! Bends over backwords for you and really knows his stuff. BTW i'm not sponsored by anybody, I was just very pleased with my experiences with these guys and would like to guide you in the right direction if you are looking for sources/referrals!
At first the ride was horrible with the BCs. I picked my car up and had to drive an hour up I95. I felt like my seat was a trampoline. Steve from Brad Fab reassured me that the coilovers needed a couple days to settle and break in. He was right! Each day after got better and better. No issues with the ride quality at all now. Obviously it's a little stiffer but for as low as it is, it's great and the people that have been in my car have been impressed. The rear dropped down maybe another .25" from when it was installed so now my rears are tucking a little. The camber is a little nasty so I'm going in for an alignment this week. It also looks like I might have to get my rear fenders rolled or cut now if I want to do away with the camber completely (Will find out tomorrow).
Overall, I'm very happy with my purchases. I didn't go all out but I also didn't skimp on anything which I think makes a huge difference in the quality and performance of everything. If you are thinking about doing anything similar, take your time and save a few extra bucks for decent tires and coilovers. Especially if it's your DD. You don't want to be driving around on a skateboard!
Here are some pics. Sorry about the ****ty iPhone quality. It's hard to get the black wheels to show up so I had to mess with the color settings. Black wasn't my first choice for the wheels but I think they ended up looking really good! I'll try and get some better pics up soon.

Almost done with the BCs

Rear before settling

First day



Last edited by Whitemaxx; Jun 18, 2012 at 09:40 PM.
Thanks man. It's actually pretty low. These pictures don't do it justice. I'm going tomorrow to get everything readjusted before I get it aligned. I would definitely go lower if I didn't have speed bumps in my development.
Before the drop they were flush and I was almost 100% sure I would have to cut my fenders once the BCs were on. At first the camber wasn't TOO bad but now that it's tucking I'm most likely getting them cut for a good alignment.
i have the same setup on my max.. I had the same experience with my BC coilovers at first but as they settled in they feel real nice i love them and i have the same exact rims size and dimensions as u. everyone says that my cars is a show stopper and i love hearing that because we put all this money so when we get the compliments its a nice feeling i have the same color bro luv tha pearl white. i slammed my max thou its in my Blood.. lol
Yes sir! I'm right outside the borough.
Thanks dude. I dropped the front down a little. Considering going down a little more all around.
Thanks dude. I dropped the front down a little. Considering going down a little more all around.
Very nice man maybe I'll see you around. Def love the look I've been debating getting Eibach's and than getting 19's to run in summer. Just never lowered a car b4 so wasn't sure if I should do it
Initially it was bad. Once they settled it was great. Now that my front two struts are blown it sucks! The springs that came with the coils are for an Altima. The Max is a heavier car so unknown to me the springs eventually compressed all the way and blew the struts. As of now I basically ride on the bump stops when I hit a bump. It hits the car hard. If you decide to get BCs ask for the 9k springs instead of the supplied 7ks.
that sucks. at least BC will help you to solve this problem. Mines are megans and you can kiss customer service goodbye with them.
I was always suspect of the front spring rates since they share with the altima. I had originally asked megan about the spring rate shortfall for the maxima 6 cyl engine and they basically had no response.
this is difference between these and genuine jdm japanese stuff. Tanabe would never put out a product that it was not engineered for. I've experienced tanabe first hand when I had my lexus LS430 vip'd out and they are a true quality company.
I was always suspect of the front spring rates since they share with the altima. I had originally asked megan about the spring rate shortfall for the maxima 6 cyl engine and they basically had no response.
this is difference between these and genuine jdm japanese stuff. Tanabe would never put out a product that it was not engineered for. I've experienced tanabe first hand when I had my lexus LS430 vip'd out and they are a true quality company.
Initially it was bad. Once they settled it was
great. Now that my front two struts are blown it sucks! The springs that came with the coils are for an Altima. The Max is a heavier car so unknown to me the springs eventually compressed all the way and blew the struts. As of now I basically ride on the bump stops when I hit a bump. It hits the car hard. If you decide to get BCs ask for the 9k springs instead of the supplied 7ks.
great. Now that my front two struts are blown it sucks! The springs that came with the coils are for an Altima. The Max is a heavier car so unknown to me the springs eventually compressed all the way and blew the struts. As of now I basically ride on the bump stops when I hit a bump. It hits the car hard. If you decide to get BCs ask for the 9k springs instead of the supplied 7ks.
that sucks. at least BC will help you to solve this problem. Mines are megans and you can kiss customer service goodbye with them.
I was always suspect of the front spring rates since they share with the altima. I had originally asked megan about the spring rate shortfall for the maxima 6 cyl engine and they basically had no response.
this is difference between these and genuine jdm japanese stuff. Tanabe would never put out a product that it was not engineered for. I've experienced tanabe first hand when I had my lexus LS430 vip'd out and they are a true quality company.
I was always suspect of the front spring rates since they share with the altima. I had originally asked megan about the spring rate shortfall for the maxima 6 cyl engine and they basically had no response.
this is difference between these and genuine jdm japanese stuff. Tanabe would never put out a product that it was not engineered for. I've experienced tanabe first hand when I had my lexus LS430 vip'd out and they are a true quality company.
Initially it was bad. Once they settled it was great. Now that my front two struts are blown it sucks! The springs that came with the coils are for an Altima. The Max is a heavier car so unknown to me the springs eventually compressed all the way and blew the struts. As of now I basically ride on the bump stops when I hit a bump. It hits the car hard. If you decide to get BCs ask for the 9k springs instead of the supplied 7ks.
Thanks for the heads up on the springs
Initially it was bad. Once they settled it was great. Now that my front two struts are blown it sucks! The springs that came with the coils are for an Altima. The Max is a heavier car so unknown to me the springs eventually compressed all the way and blew the struts. As of now I basically ride on the bump stops when I hit a bump. It hits the car hard. If you decide to get BCs ask for the 9k springs instead of the supplied 7ks.
That's crazy that they blew less than a month. I had the same setup from BC for a few months, 7kg front/rear and they rode nice without any issues. After everything was settled of course.
Did you get swift springs? I believe BC offers it but I think it cost extra.
whitemaxx just to clarify, are they actually blown or do they just hit the bump stops when driving over speed bumps at a not so safe speed ?
7k is definitely too weak for the maxima with 6cyl engine weight.
7k is definitely too weak for the maxima with 6cyl engine weight.
I have 6kg in the fronts and 8kg in the rears. I had this setup for more than a year without any issues and I live in NYC, bumpy roads EVERYWHERE.
My tint is 18%. Looks darker in the pics than it really is.
Lucky guy. I wasn't expecting to go through this so soon that's for sure.








