I have the same sound coming from the right side. It started happening after I hit a real harsh bridge joint that blew out my engine mount. I called BC and they said it was likely the pillow ball/bearing assembly. The shipped me a new one for $60 but I don't have it in yet. No other abnormalities other than the sound just as you describe, when I turn the wheel pulling out of the driveway.

 

Is it still safe to drive? I don't know why I just didn't ask them earlier when I had them on the phone. Do you know if it's difficult to replace the pillow ball/bearing you're mentioning? I've installed the coilovers myself, but I'm just unsure exactly what I'd be replacing. Thanks for chiming in!

 

They said it was fine to drive. I checked both springs, camber adjustment screws and mounting bolts to be sure. Other than the noise I haven't noticed anything wrong. No pulling, no abnormal tire wear, etc..I did an AutoX since first hearing the noise everything was fine.

You'll have to remove the coilover to install the part but it doesn't look like it will be hard to install.

 

"D Unit"
First off I am sorry for not returning your message ... Was on an Adventure Motorcycle Trek in Africa (I do have several sets of spanners, glad you found them at BC)
The Booooing sound may also be "spring bind"
What front springs do you have ? could you take a photo for me.
The 1st version were NOT "Bee Hive" springs ...

 

Okay, I'll take a picture for you Brian since I don't know what "spring bind" means... lol. I called BC directly, and they said it's a good chance it's the pillow ball/bearing from the likes of my description to them. Even better, it will be covered under their 1 yr warranty as well. Thanks for getting back to me.

 

AKA "coil bind"

A spring that is the same diameter top to bottom ... lets call that a Standard spring ... like a spring in a ball point pen to a spring on maybe an "older' car.

Other dynmic events occur but what may be happening is ...

If it is compressed to the point where the coils touch eachother ... or even a bit more the coils clamp down on eachother and when released have a harsh release or your BOOOOOOING factor. that would indicate a spring that is being worked past its effictive length, perhaps to soft, saged, or on a coilover set up wrong.
Often found on 4 wheelers (that is another passion of mine) where travel is increased to the point where the coils touch eachother.
the "bee hive spring allows a softer initial load as well as not allowing the coils to bind if they touch.

 

Hey Brian,

Can you help me out with warranty? I had no problem calling BC last week for spanner wrenches, but this entire week, NO ONE has answered their phone. I even emailed them twice with proof of purchase and left 2 voicemails.

Darren

 

Has anyone been in contact with BC? I've been calling and emailing for the last 2 weeks and haven't got a response yet. Last week, I called every single day and no one answers the phone! What the hell????

I may be wrong, but I think they may be using their caller ID not to pick up my calls to avoid warranty? Has anyone been in contact with them recently?

[FONT=arial]Phone: 1.407.637.2941
sales@bcracing-na.com
[/FONT]

 

D Unit

I'll PM you a contact #

I know the decision makers were at Sebring

let me know if you need my help.


I wouldn't ASSUME the worst ....

 

has anybody got any ideas of the best spring rate for mini cooper with bc coilovers . I am looking for a comfortable ride well not any worse than stock with non run flts .
\
what the best coilovers to go for kv1 or bc ?

 

The boing sound you're hearing is caused by the springs catching and then releasing. The spring isolators that are between the springs are made of plastic and when they start to get dirty they'll catch and then release. There's no real way to alleviate the problem other than greasing them up a bit every now and then. It'll start to happen after a few months and there's really no way to get around it. The pillowball mounts from BC aren't Teflon Injected, they have a Copper-Weave lining on the inside that will start to fail and catch dust after awhile. Hopefully they'll keep you with a fresh supply of pillowballs. Other than the Coil-Bind and the Pillowballs failing, the only other gripe I've had with the BC/Megan coils is the spring rate and lack of suspension travel.

 

I was just wandering if the extra expense of fitting swift springs is worth it

I was also wondering what the best spring for comfort is to go with koni fsd ,i have eibach and i dont think they are that great , i probably need a linner spring ,but they seem hard to find for just lowring springs all seem to be progressive which according to swift website is not that great for all round performance including comfort which is illustrated in their video

 

I just switched the bc springs with swift ones. The difference is big and the car become a lot more comfortable. The swift springs I got are 7k/6k f/r. Maybe with 5k at the rears the ride would be more comfortable since at the moment it is a bit bouncy in speed bumps but I don't know if it is a good idea. The only difference that I have noticed now is that the front since the spring is softer sometimes touches the ground but this might be because when I changed them I lowered it a bit more. Overall, I would say if you got the bc coilovers go for the swift springs.

 

I know this is a BC thread, and I'm hoping you all can help me. I have Megan coilovers and want to switch to Swift spring in the front. Can someone please direct me to a thread with details on spring configuration recommendations or share your thoughts with me? I've done a couple of searches and haven't easily found this info. Really looking for springs that will allow me to drop the front more without sacrificing ride/performance. Thanks.

 

If you are "bouncy in speed bumps" try 1 or 2 clicks stiffer / slower rebound.

 

Thank you Bryan. I'll give it a try. At the moment I have the springs preloaded with two turns all around and the fronts at 8 clicks from soft and rears at 0 clicks softer setting. I would be happy to hear if you have any better advice.

 

That is 1 turn more than my STD set up on the preload but that is very close.

0 (Zero as soft?)
There is no spring that wont bounce with the compression / rebound set at 0 (zero) ! There is nothing (not nothing but the least it can be ) slowing down the comp or rebound at 0. you are riding on spring only, your shocks arn't doing a thing.

My STD set up . just for a place to start is 12 from soft front and rear.

 

Yes it is one turn more than STD but with the Swift springs. I thought that since Swifts are softer to give them a little more preload. I'll give it try with your settings and see how it goes. Thank you, anyway.

 

finally had the time to have the rear damper ***** & extenders installed a while ago. one thing i noticed is that if the MINI is NOT jacked up on the rear, it takes so much effort to try & turn the extenders to dial up/down the damping but it just doesn't move. is it the same with you guys?

oh, can someone please explain (in general) the damping/rebound curve of the BC coilovers? i'm quite confused!

 

Are your rear struts the ones with the top mounts or did you use the oem top mounts?

 

i remember how they look like, just not sure if they're the OEM or BC top mounts

 

If you are using BCs that require you to use the OEM rear top hats you have OLD units.
Or some actually sell without the rear Pillow ***** (even for the same price as with to make a buck) I will not do that all come with rear Pillow *****.
If they are the old ones. Not the same spring manufacture, not the same ride height lock system,
I haven't shipped those for well over 24 months for a MINI.

The force to adjust should make NO difference if on the ground with the vehicle weight or jacked up..

That I can think of, the only way that would happen is if your hole through the top of the frame rail is to small or not centered.
The top of the coilover (and more pronounced when the external adjusters are on) actually move in an arc ... thats why the hole needs to be a min of 1.75" AND centered to that movement.
In your case when on the ground the adjuster may be touching the edge of that hole and kinking the cable. It is a bit of a pain but if you could look or feel how closse the cable is to the edge of the hole while on the ground you may answer the question. If it is touching, the extender will eventually get rubbed through and you run the risk of bending the adjuster rod.

In a nut shell... the adjuster works by opening or closing a valve in the body of the shock. softer allows oil to pass through a larger orifice than when in the stiffer setting.
On compression the oil is being pushed through the valve from bottom to the top of the piston / valve.
On rebound the oil is forced back through the valve from above the piston / valve to the bottom.

Softer setting easier "flow", stiffer setting more restricted "flow"

 

Is anyone getting a clunking from the rear upper pillowball mounts on the BC's? Mine have been clunking over bumpers. I've triple checked that they're tight and I checked out the spherical bearing which looked good.

Anyone experiencing the same noise from the BC rear upper mounts? Has anyone found any tricks to cure this?

 

i will look into the hole drilled through the frame rail & keep you guys posted. it mostly is the culprit because on the rear right the adjuster turns fine, the rear left is the one that's a pain to turn.

do you have a pic of the BC vs OEM top hat for reference?

 

The rear OEM top mounts are stamped steel have a lip around the edge.
The BCs are flat gold alum.
Take a look WAY back in this thread ,,, there are photos of both.