Ordered the BC Raging Stage 3 kit from Auto Agenda on the 23rd of May, they let me know it would be about 2-3 weeks for them to ship. No problem, I am doing a complete build on another GTO so I wasn't in much hurry. I received them right at the 3 week mark and HOLY CRAP I wanted the other car out of my garage as fast as possible to get these on mine.
Full Stage 3 package included:
Front and Rear Coilovers
Front End links
Whiteline RR Bushings
Whiteline Strut Mount bushings
Here are some suspension porn pictures
Installation:
Installation was a breeze, but before you start you might want to look over the instructions...... and laugh. They are all sorts of bad engrish. Pretty funny but for the most part they are un-needed as long as you are familiar with hand tools and basic suspension knowledge.
Pointers for the DIY'er:
1. Use a impact to remove the top strut nuts this will save you time and frustration(DO NOT REINSTALL THEM WITH ONE!)
2. If you are installing new strut mount bushings then there is no need for a strut spring compressor so you can save yourself from a trip to Autozone.
3. Disconnect the end links on both sides to make make it easier to move the sway bar when installing the new end links. it just makes it easier to deal with.
4. Don't forget to adjust the pre-load of the spring. Factory settings might be ok some times, but on mine there was not enough pre-load with the stock settings.
5. When adjusting the front ride height, lock the spring retainers tight and use them to turn the shaft. make sure to use the ring that will be turning in the locking direction. (ie if you want to raise the car you need to turn the shaft counter clockwise, the bottom ring for the spring retainer locks when turned counter clock wise, use this ring)
6. You can install the rears without removing the back tires, this will give your helper something to grab on to when you need to lower the rear assembly to get the sring out and the new one in.
Ride height:
Stock settings on the coilovers was way too low for my tastes. It looked like I was smuggling tires. These measurements were without me in the car
Original Ride height (Sagging front stock springs, Eibach Rear 1" drop Springs):
Front Driver: 610
Front Passenger: 605
Rear Driver:580
Rear Passenger: 575
Stock settings on BC's:
Front Driver: 565
Front Passenger: 570
Rear Driver:590
Rear Passenger: 595
Final Ride Height:
Front Driver: 615
Front Passenger: 610
Rear Driver:635
Rear Passenger: 630
Driver's side was raised slightly to deal with my 200 pounds
The car has not been corner balanced which i admit it should to be setup correctly.
Before and after pictures
To give you an idea of how great my stock setup was, check out my old struts
and here are the shocks
This was after 83k miles. So keep in mind my suspension was complete crap before installing these and I am comparing these to my old worn out suspension.
Impressions:
Build quality: I have seen better built coilovers before, not for the GTO mind you but on EVO's and STI's. For what we drive though, these are fantastic. Camber adjustment plates would have been nice but the way our suspension is designed with the strut mount, it isn't possible. The keys for the rear dampeners screw onto the top of the shock. I would have liked the front ones to do the same. Overall though they feel solid. The whiteline bushings are a nessisary upgrade when putting these in, the stock pieces are kinda crap.
Ride:
This is where it is at! My car feels great. Everything I was starting to loath about my car is gone. There is no squat off the line, just a pure solid launch, braking before was like a joke. The car has 0 nose dive now. Corner roll... hah what corner roll? I went to an AutoX weekend before last and it was like driving a new car. I had no trouble keeping the back end inline. The tires stayed planted and didn't want to break loose in every corner. I have to re-learn to drive my car again because a lot of the limitations that it had before in an Auto-X are gone. before you blame my LS1 on it's lack of breaking the tires loose, while not monsterous, I am putting 385/375 to the wheels.
Overall:
This was a very wise investment for my car. The dampening adjustment at the track was fantastic as it let me try new things on each of my runs at the track. Every day driving has never been better. Installation was easy, it took 3 hours to put them in and I spent another 2 hours adjusting the ride height I wanted. I would recommend them to anyone.
Full disclosure: Autoagenda offered me a discount on my package for doing a one paragraph review on the package. The review did not have to be a good review, just a reflection of my opinion of the package.
On another note, AutoAgenda was fantastic through the entire process. They kept me informed through the entire process and I was impressed with their professionalism. unfortunately you never get to see what a company is truely made of until something goes wrong, but it is always appreciated to have everything go as smoothly as it did.
Full Stage 3 package included:
Front and Rear Coilovers
Front End links
Whiteline RR Bushings
Whiteline Strut Mount bushings
Here are some suspension porn pictures
Installation:
Installation was a breeze, but before you start you might want to look over the instructions...... and laugh. They are all sorts of bad engrish. Pretty funny but for the most part they are un-needed as long as you are familiar with hand tools and basic suspension knowledge.
Pointers for the DIY'er:
1. Use a impact to remove the top strut nuts this will save you time and frustration(DO NOT REINSTALL THEM WITH ONE!)
2. If you are installing new strut mount bushings then there is no need for a strut spring compressor so you can save yourself from a trip to Autozone.
3. Disconnect the end links on both sides to make make it easier to move the sway bar when installing the new end links. it just makes it easier to deal with.
4. Don't forget to adjust the pre-load of the spring. Factory settings might be ok some times, but on mine there was not enough pre-load with the stock settings.
5. When adjusting the front ride height, lock the spring retainers tight and use them to turn the shaft. make sure to use the ring that will be turning in the locking direction. (ie if you want to raise the car you need to turn the shaft counter clockwise, the bottom ring for the spring retainer locks when turned counter clock wise, use this ring)
6. You can install the rears without removing the back tires, this will give your helper something to grab on to when you need to lower the rear assembly to get the sring out and the new one in.
Ride height:
Stock settings on the coilovers was way too low for my tastes. It looked like I was smuggling tires. These measurements were without me in the car
Original Ride height (Sagging front stock springs, Eibach Rear 1" drop Springs):
Front Driver: 610
Front Passenger: 605
Rear Driver:580
Rear Passenger: 575
Stock settings on BC's:
Front Driver: 565
Front Passenger: 570
Rear Driver:590
Rear Passenger: 595
Final Ride Height:
Front Driver: 615
Front Passenger: 610
Rear Driver:635
Rear Passenger: 630
Driver's side was raised slightly to deal with my 200 pounds
The car has not been corner balanced which i admit it should to be setup correctly.
Before and after pictures
To give you an idea of how great my stock setup was, check out my old struts
and here are the shocks
This was after 83k miles. So keep in mind my suspension was complete crap before installing these and I am comparing these to my old worn out suspension.
Impressions:
Build quality: I have seen better built coilovers before, not for the GTO mind you but on EVO's and STI's. For what we drive though, these are fantastic. Camber adjustment plates would have been nice but the way our suspension is designed with the strut mount, it isn't possible. The keys for the rear dampeners screw onto the top of the shock. I would have liked the front ones to do the same. Overall though they feel solid. The whiteline bushings are a nessisary upgrade when putting these in, the stock pieces are kinda crap.
Ride:
This is where it is at! My car feels great. Everything I was starting to loath about my car is gone. There is no squat off the line, just a pure solid launch, braking before was like a joke. The car has 0 nose dive now. Corner roll... hah what corner roll? I went to an AutoX weekend before last and it was like driving a new car. I had no trouble keeping the back end inline. The tires stayed planted and didn't want to break loose in every corner. I have to re-learn to drive my car again because a lot of the limitations that it had before in an Auto-X are gone. before you blame my LS1 on it's lack of breaking the tires loose, while not monsterous, I am putting 385/375 to the wheels.
Overall:
This was a very wise investment for my car. The dampening adjustment at the track was fantastic as it let me try new things on each of my runs at the track. Every day driving has never been better. Installation was easy, it took 3 hours to put them in and I spent another 2 hours adjusting the ride height I wanted. I would recommend them to anyone.
Full disclosure: Autoagenda offered me a discount on my package for doing a one paragraph review on the package. The review did not have to be a good review, just a reflection of my opinion of the package.
On another note, AutoAgenda was fantastic through the entire process. They kept me informed through the entire process and I was impressed with their professionalism. unfortunately you never get to see what a company is truely made of until something goes wrong, but it is always appreciated to have everything go as smoothly as it did.