bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

UPDATE WED 23RD FEB

WE ARE REOPENING A SPECIAL OFFER FOR EXISTING STOCK OF THE APEX BRANDED KITS. ONCE THE STOCK HAS RUN DOWN THEN THE OFFER WILL FINISH. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PLANS TO ORDER IN ANY MORE APEX BRANDED COILOVERS TO OFFER AT DISCOUNTED PRICES

WE HAVE THE FOLLOWING IN STOCK AND READY FOR IMMEDIATE DISPATCH

4x GC8 5/4kg.mm
1x GC8 5/4kg.mm
6x GDB 2000-2007 (excluding 2005-2007 STi) 6/5kg.mm
1x GDB 2000-2007 (excluding 2005-2007 STi) 5/4kg.mm
8x GDF 2005-2007 STi 5x114.3 6/5kg.mm

I can do these on 20% discount from 2011 prices. Retail is now £699 so the kits will come in at just £559.20.

01274 683633

UPDATE 1: The boat is due to dock around the 15th October, unload 19th to be with us around the 23rd.

Unless there is a delay with the shipment we will be taking full payment on the Monday 12th of October.

You guys should recieve the kits week starting Monday 26th October.

Do NOT go booking your car in on the above info. If customs want to do a full inspection then there will be a delay. If there is an issue with the docking date for the boat then there will be a delay. If there is an issue with our final payment there will be a delay. If there is an issue with the freight company delivery to us then there will be a delat. You get the idea, dont moan at me if youve booked your car in and the shipments late!

Black = all paid up and sorted
Red = payment not yet finalised

1: wrx kenny - GDB BR Series 6/5
2: Shiver - GDB BR Series camber 6/5
4: Riktee - GDB BR Series 6/5
5: SteveCMY97 - GC8 BR Series camber 4/3 extenders
6. Scooby Artur - GDF BR series 5/4
7. N_Scooby - GC8 BR Series 5/4
8. Brownface - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
9: C-R-A-Y - GC8 BR Series 6/5
10: C-R-A-Y - GC8 BR Series 6/5
11: C-R-A-Y - GC8 BR Series 6/5
12: C-R-A-Y - GC8 BR Series 6/5
13: scoobymoz - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
15: mr flipstone - GC8 BR Series 6/5
16: dazzlers82 - GC8 BR Series 5/4 extenders
17: mrmarc - GDB BR Series camber 6/5 extenders
18: Bomag - GC8 BR Series 6/5
19: lemonaid5 - GDF BR Series camber 6/5 extenders
20: graeme0109 - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
21: boboskins - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
22: rbroy - GC8 BR Series 4/3
23: stonejedi - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
24: SCOOBY A - GC8 BR Series 5/4
25: Wolfie28 - GDF BR Series 5/4 extenders
26: AH1 - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
27: Steve Whitehorn - GC8 BR Series 5/4
28: jdel - GC8 BR Series 6/5 Camber
29: Scooby Jonni - GC8 BR Series 5/4
30: chris_bobuk - GDB BR Series camber 6/5 extenders
31: skydiver - GC8 BR Series 5/4 extenders Paypal invoice sent
32: RobWRX - GDB BR series 6/5 extenders
33: cptcaveman - GDF BR Series 6/5 extenders
34: DUNK5 - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
35: Scoleys - GDB RM Series 8/6 Waiting for call to authorise payment
36: Paulmogs - GC8 BR Series 5/4
37: Dark - GDB BR Series camber 6/5 extenders
38: KelvSTI - GDB RM Series camber 6/5
39: Peter VR6 - GDB BR Series 5/4
40: Scooby Lydia - GDB BR Series 6/5 extenders
41: scoobRA - GC8 BR Series camber 6/5
42: mazda - RX7 BR Series 8/7 Please contact us re payment - 01274 683633
43: bobby - GDF BR Series camber 6/4 extenders
44: sadhu - GDB BR Series 6/5
45: turboturner - GDF RM Series camber 6/5
46: Rustyloom - GC8 BR Series camber 6/5
47: RATracker - GC8 BR Series 6/5
48: br12rlw - GDB BR Series camber 6/5 extender
49: Welshy1979 - GDB BR Series 6/5 camber bolts
50: M&J Pickles - GDF BR Series 5/4 extenders
51: ScoobyTypeR - GC8 BR Series 5/4
52: S1F4 - GDB BR Series 6/5
53: Richie856 - GDB BR Series 5/4 camber bolts
54: Joe_Will - GC8 BR Series 6/5
55: ben02 - GDB BR Series 5/4 camber bolts extenders
56: raven187 - FSTI BR Series 6/8 ( thanks louise )
57. wildfire - GC8 BR Series 5/4 extenders and camber bolts

The kits

The kits retail at £699 for BR Series, £949 for RM Series (inverted) and £1299 for ER Series (2 way damping adjustable external reservoir). Adjuster extenders are £24.50 and camber adjustable rear top mount upgrade is £60. All these prices are retail, discounted prices are below.

More info on the specifics of each coilover type can be found here:

BC Racing

Carriage charges per kit

UK and NI
£10

Channel Islands
Republic of Ireland
Belgium
Netherlands
Luxembourg
France
Germany
Denmark
£20

Italy
Spain
Portugal
Greece
£30

Rest of Europe
£45

Picking the right kit to meet your needs

Below are suggested spring rates:

Standard WRX ride quality: GC8 = 4/3, New Age 5/4. We can also do 4/3 for New Age if you want ultra comfy (all relative, its still not going to be like a boat). 4/3 feature the softest damping of all with a longer stroke to accomodate the extra travel the softer set up allows.

Fast road with some track work (default road going spec, eets most peoples needs): GC8 5/4, New Age 6/5

Harder core fast road with track work using stickier track rubber: GC8 6/5, New Age 6/5

More track focused cars or really hardcore road car driven only on smooth roads: GC8 8/6, New Age 8/6

You can also fully customise the kits to meet your needs. If you want anything outside the above then no problem. Want above standard ride height dirt spec with assister springs and ultra long travel to dial in a load of droop for your rally car, no problem. You want ultra low short stroke with a really stiff spring and damper set up to run wings and slicks, no problem. You tell us what you want, we will build it.

Assister springs are an additional £92 per set per kit. No addiitonal costs if you want custom ride height, longer travel etc.

When will the kits be here?

I will place the order Friday 21st August. There will be around an 8 week lead time from time of ordering. I will order some spare kits over and above the specific orders placed but if you want something specific then you need to get in touch before the orders placed with the factory. Obviously whats left will be pot luck, I will order a small spread of extras but theres no guarentee Ill have what you require so best to get in touch before Friday 21st so we can definately meet your requirements.

How do I get involved?

Just give us a ring to confirm your order. 01274 683633 NO BODY WILL BE CONSIDERED CONFIRMED UNTIL THE PHYSICAL ORDER HAS BEEN PLACED. We will take all your details at time of ordering, a proforma will be generated and we will take card payment details. The payment will not be taken until 1 week before the boat is due to dock. Payment will be taken without further notice being given unless you specifically request us to do so.

We will NOT require deposits unless the order is for something really specialised in which case we will require 25% up front. By specialised Im talking something really different from the mainstream so either a really high or low set up with custom dampers etc.

I think that covers everything. If youve any questions then fire away

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

Theres loads of reviews on these coilovers on here but heres one I just spotted:

Allan Simonsen is one of our latest customers, bought a set for his road going daily driver Evo with his own money. His choice and hes more than happy with it

Have a look at what he drives for a living, he knows what suspension works and doesnt so if hes happy......

:: ALLAN SIMONSEN 2009 ::

I asked Allan for an honest appraisal of the kit fitted to his car:

"Can I ask for you an honest appraisal of the coilovers. I dont want a quote that sounds like its following the company line, just an honest line from you on the performance of the units."

He replied with:

"My honest appraisal of the coilovers is that I loved the fact that you can buy fully adjustable dampers at a very low price but still get good quality. I mounted them myself and found it extremely easy and was very happy that brake lines and everything else fitted straight on. The ride is very good. I only use my car for the road and I stick to the road rules so I dont take the dampers to what they are capable of, but the ride is great and the car sits beautiful at the ride height I want."

Another review, just been posted on a Nissan forum. The Apex branded Gen 2 units for the Nissans are the same as the BC Racing units.

If it helps anyone to asses the validity of my comments I want to give a little background to what I do for a living. I’m a senior mechanical development engineer by trade with a masters degree in engineering and over 5 years experience in the automotive industry. I get paid to deliberately break things, analyse faults and make suggestions as to how parts can be improved.

As far as I can tell the Apex gen 2 coilovers are top quality bits of kit. The fit and finish on the units is excellent. All the welds look good. They have no obvious shortcomings.

Ride quality is good. I still have a lot of adjustment to try on the dampers. For a start I set them ten clicks from soft all round. I the spent some time deliberately running my car over every pot hole, drain and manhole cover that I could find and the composure of the ride over these has been impressive. In fact it’s been so good that I’ve been wondering if I’ve made too soft a choice on the spring rates.

I’ve had no signs of excessive bouncing from the units that other people have commented on. No bangs or knocks either. No intrusive road noise.

For a second opinion I set them to 6 clicks from fully soft before taking a guy that I lift share to work for his first passenger ride since installing the coilovers. At the end of the trip (25 miles – mainly A-roads) I asked him what he thought of the ride. His response was that he thought that I had been driving more slowly than usual as he felt as though he hadn’t been bounced and thrown around in his seat as much as had previously been the case. I can definitely say that I was not driving more slowly than I had been before.

I was surprised by the difference that I found with the units 6 clicks from soft compared to 10 clicks from soft. The units have 32 steps of adjustment available to the rebound damping so was expecting a drop of 4 clicks to be barely noticeable – I was wrong. 6 clicks from fully soft gives a lovely smooth ride with ample composure. I would be happy to put my two daughters in child seats in the back with the damping set like this – I doubt that they’d notice the ride being any harsher than it was with the standard suspension fitted.

I’ve spent way too much time looking at the damper dyno results that Bren posted for the Apex coilovers on a previous post (before and after damping rate reduction for the comfys). It is my opinion that some of the people who have given a negative evaluation of them coilovers have been running them too soft. The measured damping characteristics show very little low speed rebound damping when the units are set fully soft. Low speed damping is responsible for reducing free oscillations of the body (if you’ve ever seen what happens when you push down and then let go of a car with blown shocks you’ll know what I’m on about – the car will slowly oscillate up and down roughly once every couple of seconds with the size of the oscillation only slowly reducing). The result would be that the car feels bouncy.

So fully soft = little low speed rebound damping = bouncy.

On the other hand if you want a smooth ride over a bumpy road surface you actively want less high speed rebound damping. In order to do this you set the damper soft. You end up with a very smooth ride over poor road surfaces but with the trade off being a sort of bouncy/floaty ride due to the corresponding low speed rebound damping.

Fully soft = little low speed rebound damping = less high speed rebound damping = bouncy but good ride over rough road surfaces.

Purely from looking at the data I wouldn’t recommend running the dampers fully soft. This is why I started from 10 clicks from soft – here the damping curve for the Apex units should be close to linear and I don’t get this trade off between low and high speed damping.

I set all the springs with 5mm of pre-load (as recommended). I’m not interested in having may car ‘totally slammed’ and with softer springs (compared to the other available spring rates) you need more clearance in the arches to allow for the wheel travel.

Before fitting the coilovers I’d decided that I was only after a small reduction in the ride height, -12mm from stock at the rear, - 25mm from stock at the front (same as the NISMO S-tunes I believe).

I have been able to do this with the comfy’s – but only just at the rear. I don’t think that there is any way that I could have safely maintained stock ride height (there would not have been enough thread engagement on the height adjustment to do this). I believe that this is down to the spring rates.

If you start off with 2 sets of coilovers (with all spacings set the same prior to fitting) then an S14 on 8/6 coilovers will sit 22.5mm higher at the front and 25mm higher at the rear than one on 5/4 coilovers (these are approximate values based on 300kg of load on each wheel). This is due to the greater spring compression with the softer springs.

Not a big problem I know – most people will want to go lower than stock (and there is enough adjustment available to go very, very low). I imagine what has happened is that the adjustment lengths for the coilovers were designed around the stiffer springs (they appear perfect for them – allowing you to start from a little above stock ride height and then go significantly lower if desired).

I can’t find any other way to fault them. The brackets for the brake pipes and wheel speed sensors at the front were in exactly the right place. I even like the colours. I suppose the only other downside is that now I’ve fitted them to my car that they are hidden away where no one can see them.

To give you some idea as to how much I like them – the first roundabout that I came to since having the 4 wheel alignment done I hit the rev limiter in 2nd gear on my way off it and I haven’t done that for years.

Spring rates
I measured these at work. For the front apex units I measured 4.9635 kg/mm, for the rear I measured 3.9414 kg/mm. These figures are a very close match to the 5/4 rates that the coilovers were advertised as.

I also measured the old stock parts from my car – keep in mind here that they had covered 60,000 miles and that they were not in what I would call showroom condition any more.

Old stock front: 2.08 kg/mm
Old stock rear: 2.41 kg/mm

The old stock springs were linear and there is nothing special about them (they had stood the test of time very well though and there was very little in the way of corrosion on them).

Weights
Apex front: 5.5225 kg each Old stock front: 8.0215 kg each
Apex rear: 4.2025 kg each Old stock rear: 5.0400 kg each

The weights for the old stock parts include a few grams worth of road grime and dirt

So fitting the Apex Gen 2 coilovers gives a total weight saving of 6.7kg on the car compared to the stock parts.

Just for completeness the old stock parts had the following pre-load on the springs:
Front: 66mm (equal to 137kg)
Rear: 20mm (equal to 48kg)

When I fitted the coilovers I also did the following:
Fitted bushed rear adjustable camber arms (bushed rear adjustable toe arms had already been fitted).
Fitted a sub frame locking kit.
Fitted an Apex rear anti roll bar (a Whiteline front ARB had been fitted previously)
Fitted new rear pads.

Due to this I can’t say in isolation which mod is responsible for the changes that I have experienced. What I can say with some certainty is that this work has given a very positive improvement to the handling.

Initial turn in is far more positive.
Body roll is greatly reduced.
The car holds its line much better once it has settled into a corner.
The front/rear balance is much improved. The car was prone to understeer previously and this appears to have been rectified.
Breakaway is much more progressive – you can feel when you are approaching the limits of grip.
Higher cornering speeds in low speed corners (the reduced understeer really helps here).

In all the car just feels ‘right’.

The downside to all these positives are:
Slightly more road noise – barely noticeable.
Harsher ride at low speeds over bumps/potholls, road imperfections and speed bumps (at high speeds it’s just as good as it ever was).
More intrusion of engine noise/vibrations into the cab.
An audible ‘clunk’ from the drivetrain every time a new gear is engaged under load.
I can now hear the rear discs rubbing against the brake pads so I know that there is a greater level of noise transmission into the cab.

It is the sub frame locking kit that is responsible for the ‘clunk’ when engaging each gear. The drivetrain lash that had previously been taken up via movements of the rear subframe on its bushes are now being transmitted into the cab. This noise isn’t pleasant but it’s not too intrusive (it’s certainly not unbearable). The greater intrusion of engine noise is also a result of what I expect to be increased transmission of vibrations from the engine and drivetrain into the rear of the car via the subframe. Its most noticeable with the engine at low revs (e.g. 30mph in 4th with the engine not quite labouring but not far off). I’d originally mistaken this as the additional road noise via the coilovers but it pretty much disappears when the clutch is pressed or when you lift off the throttle and it gets worse when you start accelerating. Once the revs rise a bit it pretty much disappears (maybe because other sources of noise start to become dominant). I’ve probably only picked up on it because I’m actively listening for it (it’s amazing what you find when you actually start looking for things).

This means is that the additional road noise into the cab via the coilovers is even less than I had initially thought – impressive stuff.

My experience would suggest that the harder rubber subframe mounts are the right way to go rather than fitting the locking collars. Thing is, even accepting that fact, I don’t know if I’d fit them by choice given the comparative ease of fitting of the collars. Replacing the bushes in the rear subframe is a time consuming job, fitting the locking collars was one of the easiest mods that I have done. You end up with a choice between the reduced transmission of noise and vibrations for the rubber vs. lower cost and easier fitting for the collars – take your pick.

In summary the Apex Gen 2 units have pretty much made the all of the positive changes that I had been expecting without any nasty shortcomings. I know that it is early days yet – I still have a lot of adjustments to try on the damper settings and a lot of miles to do before I can assess their durability. What I can say with certainty is that in my (subjective) opinion is that I made a good move when I purchased the Apex comfys.

Neil..

iTrader: (35)

Interested

Are you sure those discounted prices are correct Bren..?

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

I am now. Too much haste...... My mum had dropped our little daughter off at work just as I started the above and being just over two year old its difficult to get work done whe shes in the office. Even more so when her mums badgering me that we need to leave to get ready for an engagement do in Lthyam St Anns, 90 mins from here!

shifty83

Hi bren, can you put me down for a set of the BR series with 6/5 spring rate and rear adjustable top mounts for a classix please

Will phone monday to confirm order and pass on all relavent details

1. Shifty83 : BR series, 6/5 Spring Rate, Rear Tops (classic)

Ved

Out of interest, what's the average fitting cost at a specialist for these? Zen for example.

stuart148

iTrader: (12)

hi bren is there any extra discount if we phone up and make full payment ?

stu

Bomag

Im interested, just got to have a chat with few of the Surrey boys about what theyve got fitted.

Scooby Arthur

iTrader: (2)

Are these the same for the wagon as for the saloon?

If so and we can get more than 11 people count me in.

BR Series 5/4 for a Hawkeye WRX Wagon please.

wrx kenny

iTrader: (1)

hi bren ill take a set of br for a 2002 wrx with 6/5 set up ill bell you tue with details thanks.

kenny

Bomag

1. Shifty83 : BR series, 6/5 Spring Rate, Rear Tops (classic)
2. Bomag BR series GC8 6/5 (classic)

dazzlers82

iTrader: (3)

if we get at the low price ill have a set for a classic br series fast road with rear extenders

RikTee

iTrader: (12)

I'm definately up for these as rear shocks are knocking

will phone up monday to find out which are best and confirm etc.

Cheers
Rich

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

Cool

I cant see that we wont get to the lowest prices.

Ok, speak to you soon

No, Im trying my best on these already.

Okadokay

Yep, same for wagon and saloon.

I know our local Scooby guys will fit and align a car for under £200 but I dont know what other companies charge.

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

As mentioned, we can provide custom kits to meet your needs. These are our gravel/mud spec BR Series kits with longer damper travel, custom valving, assister springs and relevent spring rates:

http://www.apexperformance.co.uk/cat...IMG_3452sm.jpg

dazzlers82

iTrader: (3)

bren do you mean you can see we wont get to the lowest price or we will ???
an i think i no someone else who is interested to

shifty83

Just phoned and confirmed order

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

Id be very suprised if we didnt get to the lowest price

garetgax

iTrader: (3)

damn missed the first one and couldnt wait mine got fitted yesterday and there spot on. Bren am I right in saying the extenders allow me to adjust the rears without taking the seats out? If so can I order some please. I assume they arent the funny curved tools.

thanks

Graham.

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

Yeah they do allow adjustment without taking the seats out.

http://www.apexperformance.co.uk/catalog/images/web.jpg

Give us a ring to order, 01274 683633

MaDaSS

I am thinking about this as well. I need time to think! LOL.
I need to get back in touch with Carnetix for a fitting quote.
But i would be after the newage in standard spring strength of 5/4.
As regards height settings, what is actually adjustable? By this, is it purely height, or rebound, etc, etc whereby i do not know what i am on about! LOL.
Sorry, i know nothing about them.
I would want be happier with a more standard ride height due to my life spent going over bloody speed humps and such! Unless of course they are so good the lower ride height still gives the ride i want.

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

The ride height itself wont effect the ride quality as the height is set through the bottom mount and allows you to retain full damper travel. If you want to run standard ride height then say so when you order and we will specify slightly longer dampers to allow this, the kits run from near standard height down to a silly drop but if you want bang on stock or above stock then you need a custom kit. No problem and no extra charge

Adjustable:

Damping - Set to near full soft for supple day to day use. Wind up from soft for more hardcore driving or track work. The front and rear adjustment also allows you to tweak the handling, a little softer on the front to pull out some understeer.

Spring preload- Just set 3-5mm of spring preload to prevent there main spring from disclocating and minimise noise.

Bottom mount - This is what you use to set ride height.

Adjustable front top mount and optional rear mount - Allows camber adjustment

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

We have a number of confirmed people now, Ill update on Thursday

SteveCMY97

iTrader: (1)

1. Shifty83 : BR series, 6/5 Spring Rate, Rear Tops (classic)
2. Bomag BR series GC8 6/5 (classic)
3. SteveCMY97 BR series 4/3 spring rate + Extenders (Classic)

wrx kenny

iTrader: (1)

confirmed today

kenny

chris_bobuk

iTrader: (1)

With a set of the BR what sort of drop are you looking at on a 2003 sti?
I'm guessing you have a few mounting holes on the bottom mount to adjust the height but what height do you roughly get from them?

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

You set ride height through the bottom mount which screws up and down the damper body. This gives very precise adjustment of ride height so you set it exactly to meet your needs.

You can have the car sat at near standard ride height to so low it would be undrivable. If you go for a custom option then we can get at or way above standard ride height should you so wish

If you want any info, if youve any question no matter how simple they may be, if you need any advice or input then just give us a ring. Thats what we are here for, to help where and when we can. Id much rather you give us a ring and spend time discussing your needs than you buy blind and potentially get the wrong kit. Thats no good for you and no good for us as the coilovers sell based on word of mouth. Id rather us take the time to discuss whats right for you and you get the right kit than you not be absolutely 100% satisfied with your choice

Im in and out of work tommorrow, got to take one of my cars to have a custom track based ultra quiet exhaust made but Kev will be in, hes very well versed on coilovers. Im back on Thursday if you prefer to speak to me

01274 683633

chris_bobuk

iTrader: (1)

Cheers Bren,

I'm on nights for another 8 days so I'll phone you after that to confirm an order and my needs.
Only looking at about 20mm drop due to a steep drive and the stupid speed bumps

bren@apex

iTrader: (20)

No problem, 20mm is ok with the default kit

You can send us your details with this blank order form if its difficult to get to a phone:

Apex Performance Parts Ltd | Nissan 200SX parts specialists | Innovate Motorsport Dealers

chris_bobuk

iTrader: (1)

Cheers Bren, I'll wait till I'm home then give you a call too sort it out.
Plenty of time to go before the offer closes.