The BC Racing “DS Series” digressive coilovers for the rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Tesla Model 3 (PN: YG-03-DS-DS) looks great. I was very excited to try these coilover after experiencing BC Racing’s digressive valve in their 3-way coilover on a development car I was testing for a big OEM.
Digressive valves are not the norm for most coilovers on the market, let alone for an entry level coilover. I really like that BC offers the “DS Series” valve for virtually every application they make coilovers for.
By comparison, the stock Tesla Model 3 suspension with less than 60K miles on the clock were already tired and the right rear shock was completely blown and covered in shock oil and grime. The 3,805lb curb weight of our Long Range Rear-Wheel Drive (RWD) puts a lot more wear and tear on suspension components than a lighter sedan.
The BC Racing “DS Series” front coilover looks really nice compared to the factory shock.
I was very satisfied with the build quality and materials used in the BC Racing coilover.
The aluminum adjustable spring perch is nice and easy to adjust with the supplied spanner wrenches. BC Racing Coilovers almost always feature an adjustable threaded lower mount, allowing for ride height to be adjusted by either the spring perch or lower threaded body lock collar.
I was very happy to see BC specifying a measurement for the lower collar and having an inspection port/hole in the lower steel mount to see the location of the damper body. All too often, I see coilovers with adjustable lower perches set up incorrectly causing terrible ride quality and handling.
Many owners crank in a bunch of ‘preload’ by compressing the spring thinking that it increases the spring rate (which it does not) and then adjust the ride height solely off the lower perch. All this does is reduce droop travel of the suspension and results in a loss of grip over bumps, a harsh ride, and excessive compression travel that will allow the tire to contact the inner fender liner.
I was pleasantly surprised to see that BC specifies how to properly adjust the ride height of their coilovers, so the bump stops prevent the tire from crashing into the fender, and droop travel is maximized for comfort, control, and grip.
The damper adjuster for the front suspension is conveniently on top of the shock mount. The single-adjustable “DS Series” damper ties together the compression and rebound damping with a single adjustment knob, so increasing the stiffness will stiffen both compression and rebound at the same time.
Once bolting the BC Racing “DS Series” Coilover to the upper shock mount and bolting the MEYLE HD Forged Aluminum Upper Control Arm, we installed the assembly back into the front of our Model 3.
Once installed, the front damping adjuster is in easy reach.
5 comments
For some reason I cannot see any photos using multiple browsers.
Are the photo links broken?
Seems fine to me
BTW, is there no “tesla,” section under projects?
The stock upper control arm design is the real story here, and it is good to see it called out. A plastic and steel hybrid arm with a water-trapping ball joint is a failure waiting to happen, especially on a car that sees rain and road salt. Replacing it with a one-piece forged aluminum arm is the right fix, not just a performance upgrade. My tip for Model 3 owners hearing a clunk over bumps is to check that arm first and not let a shop replace the whole strut assembly when the arm alone is the problem, because the cost difference is large and the arm is a known weak point on these cars.
The new Tesla Y-L seems to have a magnetic damper in the rear. It would be interesting to see what the aftermarket brings out for that, that still works with the dash settings, but offers better valving or perhaps an aftermarket controller that offers even more settings than comfort and standard.