Raceland? To be or not to be.

[Chris.A]

So I have a BMW 3 series (e36) and I want to slam my car, except I'm 17 working part time and I can't afford Ground Controls or something good like that. I know a lot of you guys on here do ride on Race lands. My driving is just about 2 miles to school a day. And like 12 miles to work. There basically gonna be used as daily driving no hard driving here. Would you recommend them? Or would just you just tell me to not waste my time. People keep telling me that buying $300 coils is going to kill me. I'm open to all input so let me know what you guys think.

[Jedidiah]

save up... buy right the first time. 300 dollar coilovers will kill someone... Suspension is a key part of the vehicle. Please buy something quasi reputable. I don't care if they have superb customer service, and no one on this board has had an issue.... they are still $300 coilovers from a for-profit company = utter crap for products. My humble .02

[CSBolger]

Cheap as they are, and shady as the premise is, many people have run them for quite a while without trouble.

From what I understand they accept standard-sized springs and better shocks, so you can upgrade them later to perform better.

[cabezzz]

Will buy soon for some cheap slammage

[Tuck&Poke]

i dont see a problem with them, its better than stock height i guess. You do get what you pay for so i'd keep your stock suspension around. I dont know what your budget is but i'd try looking for some used coils before buying racelands.

[matt752]

Just my 2 cents, I'm running Racelands at the moment and I've been pleasantly suprised by them.

Easy to fit, easy to adjust, firm but comfortable ride, TUV approved and have a two year warranty. Even if they only last two years they're still excellent value for money.

[00bmw323]

ive been running them for a while an not 1 problem with them so far...

[sethum]

i love my racelands!
my .02

[Bimmerteck]

I post pics later of a BMW that ended up in the wall at barber b/c of a cheap suspension failure. I didn't get to talk to the driver b/c the medical staff carted him off in a jiffy. (he was ok they were just being careful). I was photographing and ended helping the corner workers pick up all the broken pieces of aluminum that were littering the track. Will I ever buy questionable suspension parts after watching that? NOPE, it's not worth the potential heartache should one fail at an in-opportune moment.

[Stephen]

If it passes Tüv its more than likely able to keep the car off the ground. I wouldnt expect stellar dampening or rates, but i wouldnt say that a catastrophic failure is likely given the amount of people running them.

[mksu19]

Does anyone know what offset to run with Racelands and 19"x8.5" with 235 tyres for an e46? Slammed and tucked is the plan, just waiting for answers so that I can start ordering my parts. Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Sorry for the hijack OP! ;)

[Kielan]

Does anyone know what offset to run with Racelands and 19"x8.5" with 235 tyres for an e46? Slammed and tucked is the plan, just waiting for answers so that I can start ordering my parts. Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Sorry for the hijack OP! ;)
I am confused by your question.. Offset has nothing to do with Racelands. Racelands are coilovers not wheels.

[dfreshx00]

for the price, wellllll worth it. i have them and theyre great. not too bouncy of a ride and they go more low than youll ever need. i sya go for it, you wont be dissapointed.

[wheelfetish]

I got racelands for christmas. Installed them over spring break. The ride sucks. So bouncy due to soft spring rates. So far no problems, other then the bouncy-ness of them. I was told you could upgrade the springs to ground controls to make it stiffer (your going to really want to do this).

[Kielan]

GC springs are actually Eibach springs.

[mksu19]

I am confused by your question.. Offset has nothing to do with Racelands. Racelands are coilovers not wheels.

I want to order a set of Raceland Coilover Kit for my e46 and a set of VMR VB3's in 19x8.5 wrapped in 235 tyres. My question is, in order for me to clear (avoid hitting the coilover kit) the suspension, I was told that I would need to run the new wheels with an offset of +35et. When I contacted Raceland, the agent says that "he thinks" +30et would be needed. I just got further confused as I thought running an aggressive offset (+30et) would make my wheels stick out like 1/4" past the front fender arches. I am trying to achieve a "tucked" look hence the query about which wheel offset to order for my new wheels. Sorry, I didn't mean to confuse anyone! ;)

[ThatEF9kid]

true that^

GroundControl's are great coilovers, you should look into them because i know they make coilover sleeves for 430$ for the e36 which is a bit more then the racelands but the quality is much better.

[Stephen]

^ Difference is that 430$ only gets you springs and adjusters. You'll still need shocks/struts of some sort

[Kielan]

Which is why people buy Racelands, because its the complete package.

[LuckyBoyOne3]

I bought racelands in september, and have put 22,000 yes twentytwothousand miles on my car since and have had ZERO problem, the ride is stock like and the price is more then right.

[schroedin]

I have them, they are not anything like I'd expect from some higher end companies, but what I use my car for they are great.

[slocar]

10,000 miles on mine so far, and I love them. They go stupid low (well in the front anyhow, back ... not so much), the ride is alright, and honestly, the only way to go low cheaper is to cut springs or drive around with 4 fat chicks in the car ... I'd buy them again if I needed to, no doubt about that.

[Average_Jerk]

imo i wouldnt buy them. when it comes to spending money are car parts the most important places to not cut corners are suspension, brakes and tires. thats what keeps you connected to the road and in control of your vehicle

[loneStar22]

you get what you pay for is not always the case. with most coilover companies im sure you get LESS than what you pay for. and pay the premium just for the name. racelands are basic, so you get basic pricing

[Chris.A]

I was going to order these already but I had to help parents with some bills. So now its time to save again.

[Alex@GMS]

I have Installed them on 2 MK4 GTi's and they are great. The ride was also great. Its been 6 months and no complaints. Both GTI's are slammed on them.

Like its been said before you can change shock inserts later on and springs. For the price they are great.

I have oned JIC , Tein, Ksport, KW v2 & V3, HKS, Weitech, Eibach and Vogland coilovers. So its not like this was my first Coilovers set install and ride. lol

[carpetmouth]

not to be. I just got a blown front right strut. and I've been on mine for 3 months.

[chev_chelios]

i bought a nicer more costly set of coils the first time around and don't regret them at all. the performance & ride is unbelievable and i will be buying the same ones for the next ride as well.

[Effin' Euro]

what's your next ride gonna be, flava flave?

[RobbDizzle]

I've had mine for the better part of 10K miles and they're great for what you pay. Ride is slightly firm, no bounce, and they go reasonably low on my application. I've heard that the BMW and older VW apps go much much lower.

FWIW, FK just released the "street" series that's pretty much identical in content to these, at a sreet price of $500 plus shipping. IMO if they weren't badged FK they would be a good bit cheaper...people would be all over a $350 or $400 FK system. Cheap does not in this case = crap.

[Skar]

I just got mine today :D
But i have some qustions, i'm going to slam my E36, but i heard that the fronts bounce and the rears doesnt go that low
Should I take off the helpersprings?
Cut the bumpstops i half?
Remove something in the rear adjuster?

[wheelfetish]

I just got mine today :D
But i have some qustions, i'm going to slam my E36, but i heard that the fronts bounce and the rears doesnt go that low
Should I take off the helpersprings?
Cut the bumpstops i half?
Remove something in the rear adjuster?

The fronts suck. I drove with the rears only installed and loved it, when I put the fronts on and drove, I ***** life. So bouncy.

For the rear, I took the adjuster out so its just the spring. Its low enough for me.

I cut the bumpstops in half for the front, apparently it helps with the bounce. I have yet to drive with the bumpstops cut yet.

[FreshLikeSushi]

the guys on clubroadster are rocking these things
guys have placed in teh top 3 in autox against must more expensive suspension at equal experience supposedly. i cant say go for it, but the data is somewaht tehre that they dont suck completely

[RobbDizzle]

A few guys on GolfmkV are using these for auto-X duty and they're holding up great.

[Skar]

Should I remove the helperspring?!

[Tuck&Poke]

Should I remove the helperspring?!

if you wanna go lower yea... .. why not?

[Skar]

I havent but them on the car yet, but would the car ride better if remove the helperspring is more the question

[RobbDizzle]

No, it'll ride worse. But that's the price you pay for moar low :D

[slocar]

The fronts suck. I drove with the rears only installed and loved it, when I put the fronts on and drove, I ***** life. So bouncy.

For the rear, I took the adjuster out so its just the spring. Its low enough for me.

I cut the bumpstops in half for the front, apparently it helps with the bounce. I have yet to drive with the bumpstops cut yet.
I'm literally sitting on the bumpstops on mine and it's not that bad (only over certain surfaces/series of dips) .., but I'm scared if I cut them, I'm gonna destroy the fenders the first time I go over a bump while turning because there is literally a couple mm between my tire and fender.

[dfreshx00]

Should I remove the helperspring?!

NO. if you have them for the e36, i can vouch you WONT need to do that. dont even put them in zeroed(fronts) if you do you will be sittign frame on ground.

[dfreshx00]

http://www.stanceworks.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6449

(im not home so i cant post pics) but thats with around 1" of thread left on the front. the front looks higher than it is. my subframe is almost on the ground.

[Skar]

NO. if you have them for the e36, i can vouch you WONT need to do that. dont even put them in zeroed(fronts) if you do you will be sittign frame on ground.

Yes, it's for my E36... I mounted them yesterday, they are turned all the way down and I just tuck the tire a little bittle :confused How much will they drop once the springs settles?

The rear are very low tho :alright

[slocar]

Say what now? O_o It's the exact opposite for me.

Look at my sig: the front can go down another inch and the rear is maxed out (and not really low).

[Effin' Euro]

^ you have helper springs in the front still?

[RobbDizzle]

Racelands settle quite a bit...almost .5" There are some "freak" sets out there that settle like 1.5"-2"...I think dfresh has one of them. They just inexplicably go lower than other Racelands...but most are like yours. Pull the front helpers, and the rear adjusters too if you can.

[slocar]

Say what now? O_o It's the exact opposite for me.

Look at my sig: the front can go down another inch and the rear is maxed out (and not really low).

Yes, still running the helpers in the front ... if I wound them all the way down, I would almost have the frame laying on the ground (given I had tires skinny enough to still be able to turn) ... with no helper, they could go so low I'd actually have the frame sticking out on the other side of the world. :devillook

[RLB]

I just installed a set of Rokkors on my Mk1 GLI. No issues here at all. Not bouncy at all either. These are in a 1900lb car as well. Rokkors are the same as Racelands except they are supposed to have a stiffer spring rate. Also at $289 shipped i didn't even think twice about buying them for a $1700 car.

Rokkor is also producing coils for BMW's as well.

[Mike S]

It looks like the RL coilovers are on par with F&F, K Sport, D2 etc... Which gives you an idea of what kind of profit margin these companies are making on their products.

I really had no idea BMW guys used these inexpensive parts. Thought that was only a Honda thing.

[PraiseTheLowered]

they will lower your car but the spring rates are crazy stiff compared to the valving of the shocks, you will basically bounce around a bit and the ride wont give you any performance increases

is it better than stock height? probably

should you buy it? sure

[ZX88]

i have them for my mkIV i havent installed them yet. There just generic coils.

[Skar]

What am I doing wrong?! The fronts are all compressed, but its not low enough. the fender is just above the tire..

Do I need camberplates?

Help me out here please :)

[RobbDizzle]

What am I doing wrong?! The fronts are all compressed, but its not low enough. the fender is just above the tire..

Do I need camberplates?

Help me out here please :)

Are your helper springs still in? If so, yank 'em.

[NegativeCamber]

What am I doing wrong?! The fronts are all compressed, but its not low enough. the fender is just above the tire..

Do I need camberplates?

Help me out here please :)

trim the bumpstop. removing the helper springs wont do anything at this point. you are sitting on the bumpstops way before you even turn the adjuster all the way down.

[Majend]

just put a set on my e36 about a week ago and two things:

1. you can go really really really low, i can tuck 17"x8.5" et 13 with 205 tires all the way around

2. they are a bit bouncy but not bad at all, i daily the car and it has been much better then what it was stock

[Skar]

trim the bumpstop. removing the helper springs wont do anything at this point. you are sitting on the bumpstops way before you even turn the adjuster all the way down.

I've cut the bumpstops in half and as your saying removing the helpers wont help me at all..
This is how its sits
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4682927279_e2576faf75_b.jpg

(It's TA techniks coilovers, but it must be the same shit??)

[NegativeCamber]

I've cut the bumpstops in half and as your saying removing the helpers wont help me at all..
This is how its sits

(It's TA techniks coilovers, but it must be the same shit??)

i said that removing the helpers before cutting the bumpstops wouldnt help because the car is sitting on bumpstop even before turning the coils all the way down. now, if you already trimmed the bumpstop and removed the helpers, the only thing left is to use a shorter spring. i personally wouldnt do it on racelands. there isnt much travel left when you are threaded all the way down, so going with a shorter spring would probably give you zero travel. lol.
if those are racelands and they are correctly installed, there is something wrong with them.

edit: i just read that they are ta techniks coilovers. i wouldnt assume that these are the same coilover just by the external looks. racelands may have a shorter strut housing or an insert that allows for more travel. ive never heard of them but if you have done all you have said, the shock may be bottomed out internally, resulting in not being able to go any lower.

[Skar]

They look exacly the same if you ask me..

Ta Technix
http://fc01.deviantart.com/fs48/f/2009/161/6/3/BMW_E30_new_coilover_kit_by_besmusk.jpg

Raceland
http://h.imagehost.org/0217/upakov_i_raspak_amor_800.jpg

[Hinman]

I ordered a set of these today for my e46. I have 2 questions that i'm sure most of you can answer for me.

1.) Do I need spacers? My friend that has a mk4 gti installed some on his car and he had some after market wheels, and the wheels hit the coil. I'm running stock wheels right now, and he told me I probably wouldn't need the spacers.

2.) Are there any weird tools I need to install these? I helped with the install on my friends mk4, but I'm just trying to make sure there isn't anything different with the install for my e46

[firelizard]

I'd like to add that Racelands have a super shitty ride, and if you think they're decent, you're deluding yourself.

[da_joint]

What about TRD suspension?

[firelizard]

What about it?

[LuckyBoyOne3]

I ordered a set of these today for my e46. I have 2 questions that i'm sure most of you can answer for me.

1.) Do I need spacers? My friend that has a mk4 gti installed some on his car and he had some after market wheels, and the wheels hit the coil. I'm running stock wheels right now, and he told me I probably wouldn't need the spacers.

2.) Are there any weird tools I need to install these? I helped with the install on my friends mk4, but I'm just trying to make sure there isn't anything different with the install for my e46

No and No.

[302ci Of Stance]

I've cut the bumpstops in half and as your saying removing the helpers wont help me at all..
This is how its sits
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4026/4682927279_e2576faf75_b.jpg

(It's TA techniks coilovers, but it must be the same shit??)


Dude I lovez yer car.

[Cleanneon98]

Have em on my Mazdaspeed Miata, 15k miles so far with no issues. I also hear they are "rebuildable", mine apparently take any 50mm shock body to slip into the body, and any 2.5" spring...not bad for $276.

[Geee_Arrr]

i know people that have Racelands on multiple different cars (VW, BMW, Miatas) and not one of them have complained. I was just browsing their website and saw that they make them for my car now. Interesting...

[junternaher]

i put racelands on the jetta last summer and i have never came across any problems yet. two thumbs up from me on their products!

*of course i don't autox my car or anything... i wanted to go low and they do that well. why pay 1K for the same thing you can get by spending 400? ;)

[jawnsense]

i bought racelands for my mk4 when they came out at 276 shipped. ive had them on for 13k and have had 0 issues, as long as you paint the strut bodies and use anti seize you're golden. i have the helpers out with 2 inches of thread left and the entire rear perch out, i might try and source some shorter and stiffer rear springs because i want to pull my fenders slightly and drop it another 1/4-1/2 inch. i could lay frame easily with the fronts though.

http://i814.photobucket.com/albums/zz62/challenger357/new%20pics/IMG_1383.jpg

[da_joint]

What about it?

Nevermind,i bought racelands in the end.:D

[eamc420]

I ordered a set of these today for my e46. I have 2 questions that i'm sure most of you can answer for me.

1.) Do I need spacers? My friend that has a mk4 gti installed some on his car and he had some after market wheels, and the wheels hit the coil. I'm running stock wheels right now, and he told me I probably wouldn't need the spacers.

2.) Are there any weird tools I need to install these? I helped with the install on my friends mk4, but I'm just trying to make sure there isn't anything different with the install for my e46


if your running a plus 35 offset in the front you would need 5 mm spacers to clear from what my buddy told me when he installed it on his e46 just my 2 cents

[FABEL]

I post pics later of a BMW that ended up in the wall at barber b/c of a cheap suspension failure. I didn't get to talk to the driver b/c the medical staff carted him off in a jiffy. (he was ok they were just being careful). I was photographing and ended helping the corner workers pick up all the broken pieces of aluminum that were littering the track. Will I ever buy questionable suspension parts after watching that? NOPE, it's not worth the potential heartache should one fail at an in-opportune moment.

I don't understand what you're saying?

you are unaware of this person's track mods?, but you are sure they were cheap?

does cheap mean track failure?,

or cars only see catastrophies if they run cheap mods?

& who determines what setup is cheap?

motons run up to $15,000.00,

if I run their street dampners, am I running cheap suspension to where pieces of aluminum will be littered all over the track?

I'm not trying to be ignorant here,

but come on . . . explain a bit.

thanks.

[BboyS1]

i like mine mine.

[Split]

i would save up for a good set

[Mkv Flipp]

if you're not trying to drop money on nicer coilovers, go on w/ that or streetlines fk's.

[rs04]

i run on raceland, have done for 2 year now, no problems at all on the mk4. i cut the bump stops so i dont get bouncy. adjusters out in the rear.

i sprayed them with electrical care spray once fitted so they are coated and protected and after a year i adjusted them for more lows and they weren't seized at all.

for the chedder you cant go wrong... IMO

[Stephen]

this thread makes me wanna buy them for the ladies mk4 :stickoutt

[iEatRicerz]

@ OP crazy. im siting on 18's @ 2inches above the lowest setting and still lower than you! Are your running aftermarket strut mounts?

[alexcruz]

i have them on my e46 and i will be upgrading soon. its a litte too bouncy and my front passenger side has a clunk. im pretty sure its because the swaybar endlink is loose. other than that they're worth the price and do the job though

[Eriks]

Im planing to use them for my e30 5lug swap,hope they will be ok at least for some time!!

[Stephen]

Im planing to use them for my e30 5lug swap,hope they will be ok at least for some time!!

Please take some photos during the install. Ive contemplated this before, but went a diffrent ( made my own coils) route. It should work, i know of one e30 on them

[vin diesel]

so i got my racelands today, tried to install the fronts but got held up because my sway bar links are too long. im considering purschaing adjustable links, or is there links from another bmw that are shorter that i can use? its on a 99 328i w/ oem sport suspension

[Sn00ty]

Like others have said, you guys considering racelands I would strongly recommend checking out FK coils. They make some entry level coils with the same price range as racelands, but IMO better build/ride quality. I am running FK silverlines on my e36 and love them. You can slam the car pretty much as low as you want, and the ride quality is great.

[vin diesel]

well i got my coilovers on kinda. i ended up getting rear end links from a 08 chevy impala ss to use as my sway bar link ends. but now the collars wont clear my rims. so fml. i ran into every problem possible. but i did find out that the raceland customer support is pretty good. nice guys.

[bsosteezy25]

does anyone have pics of their raceland's on an e46?
i heard you would need to change your front camber plates, rear camber control arms, and endlinks to make the ride feel like "real" coilovers

[DCJodon]

I believe you can use OEM Hyundai Tib endlinks on E46s?

[votex29]

i've had mine on my mk2 jetta for a year now, they have seen about 10 auto x's, a full maine winter of driving, i managed to jump my car on a back road, and they are still holding together. i recommend them to any one who wants basic coils.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs214.snc1/8133_1259052796070_1222140022_30825679_7307254_n.j pg

and thats with another 2+ inches of threads left ;)

[nitrosobmw]

I've had racelands for 5000 miles now, I want to know the dimensions of the front springs because Im gonna swap them up for GC/eiback, does anyone knows if they are 2.5" or 2.25" ? I know they are 6.5"tall

[ChrisVRsix]

i've had mine on my mk2 jetta for a year now, they have seen about 10 auto x's, a full maine winter of driving, i managed to jump my car on a back road, and they are still holding together. i recommend them to any one who wants basic coils.
http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs214.snc1/8133_1259052796070_1222140022_30825679_7307254_n.j pg

and thats with another 2+ inches of threads left ;)
.... this sounds pretty convincing

[iheartmymk2]

i have racelands also on a mk2 jetta for about 2 years now havent had a problem ever with them
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/cc406/popwar0032/59850_1472519179674_1434480318_31539010_6288060_n. jpg
i have somewhere around 2in on threads left also i bought wheels with tyres already on them so once its time for new tires it'll be stretch/camber/lowerd again