Is it time to replace your race suit? Let’s get you track-ready. Which BC Racing Coilover Series Do You Need?
Thirty makes. Seven series. Up to six configurations on the same product listing. This is the part of the BC Racing range that trips people up.
The series is not a trim level or a naming quirk. It is the damper specification, and for popular platforms like the GR86, the Subaru WRX and the Honda Civic Type-R, picking the wrong one is a real decision with a price difference and a meaningful performance difference attached.
Eighty-eight per cent of our 1,415 BC Racing fitments are available in the BR series, which is BC Racing’s volume configuration and the right starting point for most road cars and track-day use. The other 12 per cent is where the questions come in. Here is the breakdown.
The seven series at a glance
| Series | What the damper does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| BR | 30-way rebound adjustment, pillowball front / rubber rear top mount | Road use, track days, club sport where setup stays fixed for the session |
| RM | Inverted monotube, reduced unsprung mass, better heat management | Sustained track use, heavier platforms, cars running competitive lap sessions |
| V1 | 10-way adjustment, no top mounts (VN), softer comfort-biased valving | MPVs, kei cars and everyday vehicles where ride quality is the priority |
| ER | External reservoirs, consistent damping under sustained load | Track cars being used hard repeatedly, buyers who want more than 30-way |
| ZR | Three-way adjustment (low-speed rebound, low-speed and high-speed compression) | Competition builds being set up with data and corner weights |
| HM | Higher-travel damper for variable surfaces | Cars used where the road surface is inconsistent or unmade |
| ZX | Raised ride height configuration | Soft-road and overland use where extra ground clearance is needed |
BR: the volume series
This is where most people end up, and for good reason. The BR runs 30-way rebound adjustment with a pillowball top mount at the front and rubber at the rear. Height adjusts on a separate lower bracket, which keeps ride quality from worsening as the car goes lower. For road use, track days, and club sport where setup stays fixed for the session, it is the correct choice.
It covers 88 per cent of our fitments. The majority of makes in the range list it for almost everything: Toyota, Honda, Volkswagen, BMW, Ford, Mercedes and beyond. If your car is in the range and you have not decided otherwise, start with the BR. That is not a shortcut, it is the correct conclusion for road-focused cars and track-day use where you are not actively tuning the damping balance between sessions.
RM: inverted strut
The RM uses an inverted monotube configuration. The damper body sits at the top of the strut rather than the bottom, which reduces unsprung mass and handles heat better under sustained track use. It appears on platforms that justify it: the BMW 3 Series F30, the Ford Focus MK4, the Subaru WRX and the more serious naturally aspirated platforms like the Honda Civic (10th gen).
For a road car it is hard to justify over the BR. If the car is running consistent lap sessions and heat management matters, RM is worth the step. It is available alongside BR on most of the performance makes in the range.
V1: everyday comfort
V1 is 10-way rather than 30-way. It uses no top mounts (VN configuration), runs comfort-biased valving, and is aimed at cars where ride quality takes priority over handling. The Honda N-Box, Honda Step Wagon, Suzuki Jimny, and Toyota Sienta are the typical candidates.
Most customers in the performance and sports car market will not need V1. If your car is a performance model, check whether it even appears in the V1 range before assuming it is available. V1 is a JDM market-heavy series and most performance fitments carry BR as the base option.
ER: external reservoir
The ER adds external reservoirs alongside 30-way adjustment. The reservoir separates the gas charge from the oil, which keeps damper temperature more consistent under sustained load. It is the series that makes sense when the car is being used hard repeatedly, or when the buyer wants more consistency beyond what the standard 30-way gives.
Available on the BMW 3 Series, Honda Civic Type-R, Toyota GR86, and a number of other performance platforms. For most road drivers it is not necessary. For a properly prepared track car that sees regular competitive use, it is the right choice over the BR.
ZR: three-way adjustable
The ZR splits damper adjustment three ways: low-speed rebound, low-speed compression, and high-speed compression. This level of control only makes sense when someone is actively working through a setup with data, not adjusting by feel. It is available on the GR86, the Subaru WRX VB and VAB, the Nissan Silvia and the Honda Civic (10th gen).
If you are not planning to corner-weight and set the car up with an engineer or a setup sheet, ZR is more adjustment than most setups will use. It sits at the top of the range and is priced to match.
HM: higher travel for rougher surfaces
The HM is built for more suspension travel on variable surfaces. It shares the platform list with ZR on the cars where it appears: GR86, WRX, Civic FK, Silvia. The overlap is notable but the purpose is not the same. ZR is for track precision. HM is for cars being used where the road or course surface is inconsistent.
ZX: raised ride height
This one surprises people who see it listed on sports cars. ZX is the raised ride height configuration for soft-road and overland use. It appears alongside ER across a number of platforms and is aimed at cars being used on unmade surfaces or where extra clearance is needed.
For circuit or track-day use it is not the right configuration. If you see ZX listed for your car and were considering it for performance reasons, BR or ER is the series to look at.
Browse the full range
The full BC Racing range on GSM Performance covers 1,415 fitments across 50 makes, all available to order. Individual make guides are being published through this programme, covering every significant make in the range with fitment tables, series breakdowns and setup notes.
In the meantime, search or browse the BC Racing category to find the listing for your car. Each product page lists the series available for that fitment and describes what each one does.
Below is a cross-section from the range showing platforms where the series choice is a real decision, not a given.
Final thoughts
The series choice is the question we get most often about BC Racing. For nine drivers out of ten, BR is the right answer. For the tenth, the question is usually about inverted strut (RM), sustained track use (ER), or serious competition work (ZR). HM and ZX address specific surface and height requirements and are worth considering only when that is what the car is actually being used for.
If you are not sure which series suits your car and how it is being used, give us a call or drop us a message and we will point you in the right direction before you order.
Cameron, GSM Performance