BC vs Megan vs Pedders XA coil overs, vendors chime in

[flht99b]

I've been thinking of adjustable coil overs for some time now and have narrowed the choices to BC, Megan or Pedders XA's due to their method of suspension height adjustment, cost and reputation. Down side of all three is the rears require holes in the trunk for adjustment so I'm still on the fence about that requirement. Primary use of my car is spirited street driving with a yearly road course event put on by MTI Racing ( and any other local road course event that might come up ) and maybe a local autocross event or two. I am not a die hard racer, just like to have fun. Car is not a daily driver as I am a full time telecommuter. My other suspension mods are listed in my signature. Vendors please chime in or send me a PM with your thoughts. I've read over and over all the threads I could find on all three companies coil overs and in fact they all seem to be the same unless I'm missing something, thus the request for more information. Thanks in advance for everyone's input.
Ed M.

[Bruce@raymondsperformance]

The Pedders do not require drilling a hole in your trunk floor,the dampner adjustment is behind the rear wheel and under the hood for the front.We use and sell Pedders because they offer great products and great service before and after the sale,not to mention they are a GMPP certified part.If you would like some prices let me know we keep them in stock.

[Li0nel1234]

Here is my Pedders Track II equipped camaro... I took 5th out of 31 novice drivers today.

I promise you won't be disappointed you went with Pedders...

[caverman]

You're probably going to get answers all over the place on this one. Everyone is going to tell you to get the brand they have and all the vendors are going to tell you to buy the product they sell.

The best feedback would be from a member that is a non-vendor and preferably one that has tried the different brands. Reality is almost all members have only tried the brand they initially bought and can't really tell you that brand x is better than y because they've only had x installed on their car.

All of them will have their pros and cons. You'll just need to weigh out the cost vs warranty vs customer service and purchase the brand you're most comfortable with.

Money was a fairly big deciding factor for me and so far I've been happy with my choice. I've only tried the brand I bought so I have no comparison with it against the other brands. All I can tell you is that I haven't had any issues with mine so far and I've been happy with what I got.

As for cutting the whole in the trunk for the rear knobs, I bet non of them "require" a whole but I can tell you it would be a PITA to have to crawl up under your car and reach up high on the coilover to twist the knobs. Cutting the wholes just makes the adjustments a breeze. I ran my first AutoX event yesterday with the coilovers and it was awesome to be able to ajust all 4 corners in about 2 mins. Then when the event was over another 2 mins put me back to street settings. I don't see how you'll be able to do that without cutting the access wholes.

To me cutting the 2" wholes was nothing but I know there are several out there who do not want to cut anything. That's just a decision you'll have to make. I think if you saw it in person you would have no issues doing it.

I'm not going to tell you that you need to buy the brand I got versus any other brand. I was scrapping my mod fund for everything I could find to get what I got but I gave up some warranty in return. All I can say is that I recommend a good coilover. You'll love having coilovers on your car.

[Merc]

I have coilovers on the mod list. Top on my list Pfadt.

[mhog]

I don't hear much about Megan coilovers. Anyone have them, and what do you think?

[PfadtRacing]

Don't overlook Pfadt Race Engineering coilovers as well. Our coilovers are developed specifically for the Camaro and only the Camaro, there is no part sharing or private labeling between our coilovers and any other product on the market. That attention to detail has allowed us to bring you a system that not only performs better than stock, but whose adjustments are simple and reliable.

Our coilovers feature spring rates, upper mounts, and damper curves that have been specifically designed to bring the most out of your Camaro. No drilling or modifications to the chassis are necessary when installing our coilovers. Whether you're daily driving your car on the street or tracking the car hard, our Pfadt Coilovers will help you take your Camaro to the next level of performance.

[Whiteside Customs]

I sell the BC Racing coilovers so I'm obviously biased towards BC. But I also believe in being completely honest with customers. We choose to use BC Racing because of our personal experience with them. We have been installing BC coilovers for over 3 years now and have yet to have a single failure. On average we see our customers gain 2/10's in the quarter mile just from the BC's. Also on the road coarse our customers report to us that the vehicle is much more controlled and brake dive is reduced considerably. Not only that but we choose to daily drive on BC coilovers as well. I personally run the BR series on my 2ss/rs daily driver and chose the ER series for our Twin Turbo V6 project car.

The simple fact is, when you're buying coilovers, chances are you're buying a rebranded BC Racing coilover. We Chose to use BC as they are the direct manufacturer for the MAJORITY of coilovers sold on the market. If I was going to choose any other brand at all it would be Pfadt racing coilovers. Pfadt is the only other affordable uniquely designed coilover system on the market. Both the BCR system and Pfadt are truly wonderful products. What you have to decide is simply what your budget allows and choose accordingly.

[caverman]

Originally Posted by Whiteside Customs

I sell the BC Racing coilovers so I'm obviously biased towards BC. But I also believe in being completely honest with customers. We choose to use BC Racing because of our personal experience with them. We have been installing BC coilovers for over 3 years now and have yet to have a single failure. On average we see our customers gain 2/10's in the quarter mile just from the BC's. Also on the road coarse our customers report to us that the vehicle is much more controlled and brake dive is reduced considerably. Not only that but we choose to daily drive on BC coilovers as well. I personally run the BR series on my 2ss/rs daily driver and chose the ER series for our Twin Turbo V6 project car.

The simple fact is, when you're buying coilovers, chances are you're buying a rebranded BC Racing coilover. We Chose to use BC as they are the direct manufacturer for the MAJORITY of coilovers sold on the market. If I was going to choose any other brand at all it would be Pfadt racing coilovers. Pfadt is the only other affordable uniquely designed coilover system on the market. Both the BCR system and Pfadt are truly wonderful products. What you have to decide is simply what your budget allows and choose accordingly.

This is why I chose BC coilovers and why I chose Whiteside to install them. The car sits perfect now and rides much better than the 1" drop springs I had prior. Again, can't comment on the other brands because I haven't used them....but I can tell you I'm happy with my BC coilovers and I would (and do) recommend them to others.

I can also say that the last time I went to the drag strip I was able to pick up the 2/10s faster times than I did with the 1" drop springs. There may have been other factors as to why I got a better time (weather, track prep, lower tire psi) but ultimately I got a 1.98 60' with the drop springs and ran a best of 8.45 compared to the same 1.98 60' with a 8.24 using the coilovers. I have the timeslips to prove it. My guess is that Pfadt or Pedders would do the same....so then it becomes a "what fits your budget" issue IMO.

I chose BC coilovers.....