View Full Version : 1.5" or 2"
I don't know if this has been talked about.....but, I have always wanted to lower my car, and I am doing it soon.....
I was thinking of a 2" drop, so there will be no gap between the tires and the fender, but I heard my friends say that it might be too low, and when I go over speed bumps, i might have a hard time and scratch my car. And he suggested the 1.5" drop. I know lots people have done the 1.5" drop, but, I don't see alot of 2" drop.....well.... I've seen some, but they never commented about their ride......so, I just want some opinions, thanks!!
Pics are always good too..... :D
tsx on dubs
02-03-2005, 06:03 AM
i have a 2.5 in the front and 2 in the rear of mine its rides fine to me and i have modified springs
it depends on 3 things
1 How you drive
2 where you drive(what tp of roads you must drive throught to go to work or home)
3 how much convienece are you willing to sacarfice?
for me i have no choice of lowering if i want to make it home. i might even have to raise my suspension.. until I get a praxis racing suspension.. :jump:
CCColtsicehockey
02-03-2005, 12:04 PM
what is the praxis racing suspension
SAZABI
02-03-2005, 01:05 PM
I say 0.5" if available...
JT2k4TSX
02-03-2005, 01:52 PM
Well it also depends on what you want man? How low, etc just like Cyde said. In my opinion I love the Eibach Pro Kit springs. They drop the car about 1.3-1.5" and look great with the stock 17's. I have pics of my TSX with the Eibachs in the TSX appearance/cosmetic section! These springs will lower the car but you dont sacrifice the harshness of the ride b/c the car still rides smooth. If you go 2" -3" then you are going to have to worry with your alignment, getting a camber kit and dealing with the wear and tear of the tires you are running on the car!
AlterZgo
02-04-2005, 03:51 AM
I don't know if this has been talked about.....but, I have always wanted to lower my car, and I am doing it soon.....
I was thinking of a 2" drop, so there will be no gap between the tires and the fender, but I heard my friends say that it might be too low, and when I go over speed bumps, i might have a hard time and scratch my car. And he suggested the 1.5" drop. I know lots people have done the 1.5" drop, but, I don't see alot of 2" drop.....well.... I've seen some, but they never commented about their ride......so, I just want some opinions, thanks!!
Pics are always good too..... :D
Sounds like you need coilovers. Try the H&Rs. They're reasonably priced, most likely not as overly stiff as the Teins and are height adjustable so you can adjust the height to your heart's content.
I had coilovers on my G20. It was really nice to be able to drop it for that slammed look, then raise it back to a 1" drop when I got tired of having to be careful going up driveways, etc.
Drunkenbuda
02-04-2005, 03:59 AM
How is the H&R sport springs? I been wanting to get that.
what is the praxis racing suspension
www.praxissuspension.com
on the fly height, dampining, camber etc.. adjustment
eg. BMW
touring mode on a BMW 3series would be stock 3 series suspension feel and responce
sport mode on a bmw 3series would be M3 setting
then track mode, camber will be more agresive, and car even lower, equal to that of GT spec
plus computer constantly adjusting for brake neel and acceleration larch, and even body roll
Thanks Cyde and others.....
Well, I was always looking for a 2" drop every since I got the car, but now, when I go to school, I have to go over those speed bumps, even like those in Lansdowne right. I heard if it's too low, you have to go over the bumps one side at a time, and I don't know if a 2" drop is too low for speed bumps. 1.5" drop is common, and I see it all the time. And besides, once I drop my car, I should be getting some new rims too....hahhaa...
And Coilovers, man......they are too expensive, I am just a kid, and I just want to fool around with the TSX, so for now, I am going with the cheapest option, SPRINGS!!
Eibach Prokit with OEM shocks. They'd last you a good while before you need an upgrade. A conservative 1¼ ~ 1½ inch drop all round. An acceptable budget option.
But I think I heard from someone that this kit ain't that comfortable to ride on.....
AlterZgo
02-05-2005, 12:26 AM
Many people who run Eibach on OEM shocks complain about the bouncey ride quality because the OEM shocks do not have enough rebound damping to control the stiffer spring. Over a short time, this problem is worsened as the stiffer Eibach spring wears out the shock faster contributing to a higher likelihood of bottoming out and more bounciness. This has led many of them to buy aftermarket shocks that can handle the stiffer Eibach springs (typically Konis at a cost of over $600 for a set). So, you're back to spending a bunch of dough.
The bottom line is, "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch." You will not be able to lower your car 2" AND have good ride quality, AND do it for the cost of springs alone.
In order to properly lower a car 2" and have a comfortable ride, you will need a double adjustable coil over system with softer than typical spring rates which allows you to lower your car AND maintain close to the stock amt of suspension travel. A compromise would be lowering springs plus stiffer shocks such as the Konis. This would not ride anywhere close to stock, but at least won't have a floaty, bouncey, super harsh bottoming out ride quality that running a set of agressive 2" lowering springs on OEM shocks would have.
Trust me. I went through the same thing with my last car. I lowered my car 2" with springs only. It rode like SHIT. I ended up buying several different suspension set ups trying various shocks and springs. I bought a brand new set of OEM shocks after I wore out my stock ones. THe new OEM ones wore out super fast too. I ended up getting a set of GAB shocks which, when combined with the 2" lowering springs made the ride nearly unbearable. I ultimately ended up with a coilover system which provided acceptable ride quality, easily adjustable ride height, and good all around handling. I spent somewhere around $2,500 in suspension components before I ended up with my final set up. I could have just went straight to the coil overs from the beginning for only about $1,000.
Thanks man, I also heard some bad comments about the Eibach springs with the OEM shocks. But the problem is, I don't want to spend too much right now, I am 17, hahahaa.... I just want to fool around with the car first. I saw many other brands that just make springs too....But I don't know the ride quailty on those. I know it will be the ride feel like shit....but once you lower your car, it bound to happen. So...I don't really mind, all I don't want is some decent springs that can lower 1.5 or 2" that the OEM shocks can handle
All aftermarket progressive springs run higher spring rates and is not exactly what the OEM shocks are designed for. There is no "decent" or "compatible" springs that lowers the car whilst retaining similar ride handling and still not put premature wear and tear on the OEM shocks.
AlterZgo's comments about matching Eibach springs with Koni shocks is a very good and economical option and will be the only one that comes close to OEM handling while still dropping some ride height comfortably.
There's no 2 ways of doing it if you want to take this path, you either spend less now and spend more later or spend more now, set and forget. I'd recommend your best bet is to use the OEM gear.
What do you mean using the OEM gear? As in getting the Sport suspension from the dealers?? Or the A-spec suspension?
Because I saw a lot of springs from many brands, like Tein, Goldline, Eibach, Sk??? and some other brands......but I don't know which one is good out of all those... Because springs are only around a few hundreds....while the whole suspension can cost up to $1200.......
AlterZgo
02-06-2005, 05:45 AM
In your situation, you should probably get the springs only. You're 17 and short on cash so you should be able to deal with the decreased ride quality and unoptimized handling. I'd go with Comptech (the newer ones which provide a greater drop as the old Comptechs only dropped the car about 1") or Eibach. I've never tired H&R, but the Tire Rack guy on another forum indicates the H&R springs are a bit stiffer than Eibachs. Since you're staying with the stock shocks, you don't want a spring that is overly stiff as they will wear out the shocks even faster.
What do you mean using the OEM gear
Don't change anything, leave it stock/factory. If you don't wish to compromise ride comfort for improved handling while putting premature wear on the factory suspension components. I wouldn't venture attempting something like this to begin with. It's creating headache on what is already a well tuned/built car.
Drunkenbuda
02-07-2005, 03:19 AM
With the mugen kit, a 1.5" drop will be good? On 18's or 19's?
AlterZgo
02-08-2005, 01:04 AM
With the mugen kit, a 1.5" drop will be good? On 18's or 19's?
Are you asking if the Mugen suspension with a 1.5" drop will look good with 18 or 19" rims? IMO, with Mugen's mild drop, I would stick with 18" rims. I would go with either 215-45-18 or 235-40-18 tires to maximize the sidewall thickness and keep the car from looking raised.
AlterZgo
02-08-2005, 01:09 AM
Don't change anything, leave it stock/factory. If you don't wish to compromise ride comfort for improved handling while putting premature wear on the factory suspension components. I wouldn't venture attempting something like this to begin with. It's creating headache on what is already a well tuned/built car.
Aww Noel. The dude's 17 yrs old. Let him slam the car and have some fun. I'm sure we all went through that phase where we wanted sporty looks, but only had a couple hundred to spend.
When I was young, I tried super low springs and also cut my stock springs (surprisingly effective compared to some aftermarket spring options) all to get my car that nice slammed look. After years of messing around with this stuff, at my age, I cannot tolerate the floaty, bottoming out ride quality that comes with running stiff and low springs on stock shocks. But when I was 17, I didn't mind it at all. :)
And because he is 17, I am putting emphasis on his safety and the safety of others around him as top priority.
Sure, we all did silly things when we were young. (Heck I'm still doing plenty of silly and crazy things.) But when you add peer pressure or speed along with a dis-sected handling package, fatality is only measured with probability.
My job is to "inform/educate/advise" people to the best of my ability, how they decide to process or digest that is entirely up to them. But if I didn't say it in the first place, I'd have let myself and the site down.
WOw Noel and AlterZgo.....thanks alot, I learned alot.... so what you guys are saying is that I should get a new shocks and springs instead ride? Because it can provide ride quailty and lower the car, and better handling. Well, I am planning to get new rims as well, so if I do the springs only, I can still do the rims, and maybe a little left for grill or kit.....hehe^^.......
But if I do full suspension kit, I don't think I have enough left on the rims, unless you guys can hook me up with deals? haha......but how long will the springs last? WHat I don't understand, cuz i am a noob, is that, when you only change springs, it only lowers the car right? Not the handling......
LannyMCS
02-08-2005, 10:31 AM
WOw Noel and AlterZgo.....thanks alot, I learned alot.... so what you guys are saying is that I should get a new shocks and springs instead ride? Because it can provide ride quailty and lower the car, and better handling. Well, I am planning to get new rims as well, so if I do the springs only, I can still do the rims, and maybe a little left for grill or kit.....hehe^^.......
But if I do full suspension kit, I don't think I have enough left on the rims, unless you guys can hook me up with deals? haha......but how long will the springs last? WHat I don't understand, cuz i am a noob, is that, when you only change springs, it only lowers the car right? Not the handling......
Let me tell you a story about a guy I work with (he's only 19). He bought a used 2003 RSX Type S last summer from the local Acura dealership. The previous owner had installed a set of H&R Race springs on the car. I have no idea how long they were on the car, but it only had 15K miles on it. When it was for sale at the dealership, he would drive by it every day and see it sitting out front, and I've got to admit, it looked damn good lowered on those springs. I told him, though, that the factory struts were probably shot already, and that he should make the dealer put on a fresh set of factory springs/struts, or at least give them to him. But, he thought he could live with the rough ride to have the cool look, so he took it the way it was.
Now fast forward six months later to this January, at which point he could no longer tolerate the dump truck ride quality, and he switched out the H&Rs for an RSX A-Spec setup. Granted, the car is no longer slammed, but it's got a great ride and - I know this is hard for some people to grasp- better handling. The previous setup was so stiff that the car would literally bounce offline during hard maneuvers. A stiff setup like that is good for track or autocross, but does not always handle well on real roads.
WHat I don't understand, cuz i am a noob, is that, when you only
change springs, it only lowers the car right? Not the handling......
When you change the springs, or any other suspension component, you are likely to change handling and ride. That's why it so important to put together a system that's designed/tuned for your car. There are no surprises with a setup like the A-spec suspension-it;'s thoroughly designed for the TSX.
Like Zgo said, most 17 year olds don't care that much about ride quality. I think you could live with the ProKit on factory shocks for a year or so while you save up more $, and then throw on a set of Koni's which will get rid of the bouncy ride and add a level of adjustability to the damping. But if possible, try to find someone in your area who's been running that setup and try it, that way you'll know for sure.
JT2k4TSX
02-08-2005, 11:15 AM
Hey Benz its good you are 17 and want to lower the car etc. I personally would say go with the Eibach Pro Kit springs. I have the Eibach Pro Kit springs with stock shocks for the time being and here is a photo of how it sits. It lowers the car around 1.3"-1.5". Here is some pics of my car. The ride on these springs is great. Just as good as factory and I have the factory tire size on the car so I dont have a harsh ride. Here are some pics and hope you make a good decision.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/Jayt4uofa/Tubbs.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/Jayt4uofa/TSX2.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/Jayt4uofa/TSX7.jpg
AlterZgo
02-08-2005, 02:03 PM
WOw Noel and AlterZgo.....thanks alot, I learned alot.... so what you guys are saying is that I should get a new shocks and springs instead ride? Because it can provide ride quailty and lower the car, and better handling. Well, I am planning to get new rims as well, so if I do the springs only, I can still do the rims, and maybe a little left for grill or kit.....hehe^^.......
But if I do full suspension kit, I don't think I have enough left on the rims, unless you guys can hook me up with deals? haha......but how long will the springs last? WHat I don't understand, cuz i am a noob, is that, when you only change springs, it only lowers the car right? Not the handling......
Well damn dude, if you have cash for rims/tires and springs, I say spend the money on new springs and shocks first. This way, you don't have to spend money to reinstall shocks once the springs completely wear out the stock shocks. You will easily save about $200+ in installation and alignment costs if you install springs/shocks at the same time. Then, save up some money and use up more of your stock tires. When the tires are worn, then consider getting rims and tires at that point and sell your stock rims for some cash back. That's what I would do with limited funds. But, then I'm not 17. :)
With respect to springs, as long as you stick w/ a name brand, ie. Comptech, H&R, Eibach, Tein, etc., they will not wear out. They may settle a little bit, but your car will not get lower and lower over time. The springs will easily last the life of the car. The things that do wear out are shocks. If your car gets progressively lower over the years, it's likely the shocks wearing out rather than the springs. No matter what brand you buy or what warranty they give (many give a lifetime warranty), shocks will wear out - just like tires. The thing is, most people have no problem driving on worn shocks so they never replace them.
As for whether installing lowering springs only will improve handling, it really depends on many factors. For instance, on my 300ZX TT, the stock shocks were very well damped and were adjustable. Therefore, when I installed Eibach springs only in that car, the handling improved and the car did not feel floaty at all and did not bottom out.
But, for most sedans, the stock shocks tend to not have enough rebound damping to control the stiffer and lower springs. This leads to poor handling and poor ride quality. Now, many people will disagree. But it depends on what parameters you are talking about. I think if you installed Eibach springs in a TSX with stock shocks, you can achieve better objective handling numbers (higher skidpad figure, higher slalom speed and maybe even faster lap times depending on the track). This is because the springs alone will lower your center of gravity and decrease the body roll.
However, in real world driving, as the stock shocks wear out, the ride quality will significantly deteriorate. The car will feel floaty and wallow alot at highway speeds. High speed handling will be severely compromised. If you excessively lower the car, it will bottom out and this will feel extremely harsh. Bottoming out the suspension also leads to unpredictable and unsafe handling. Imagine if you are rounding a curve, suspension compressed, then you hit a bump. B/c the suspension is already fully compressed, it cannot absorb the bump and the tire may actually lose contact from the ground.
Now, this sounds pretty extreme and I'm sure those who have Eibach shocks will say this never really happens to them. But, it depends on how hard you drive, how worn your stock shocks are and how low your car is. If you get Eibach sportlines for that 2" drop, you would definitely experience this. If you stick with the 1.5" drop of the regular Eibachs, this is less likely to happen. Still, if you are even driving moderately fast, this stuff can happen. I experienced it all the time on my Infiniti G20 when I had only Eibach lowering springs on stock shocks.
AlterZgo
02-08-2005, 02:06 PM
Dayam JT2k4TSX! That is one GREAT looking TSX. Those pictures tempt me to go with the Eibach/Koni combo instead of the A-spec suspension. Of course, the excellent photography skills likely contributed as much as the set up on the car itself.
AlterZgo
02-08-2005, 02:09 PM
And because he is 17, I am putting emphasis on his safety and the safety of others around him as top priority.
Sure, we all did silly things when we were young. (Heck I'm still doing plenty of silly and crazy things.) But when you add peer pressure or speed along with a dis-sected handling package, fatality is only measured with probability.
My job is to "inform/educate/advise" people to the best of my ability, how they decide to process or digest that is entirely up to them. But if I didn't say it in the first place, I'd have let myself and the site down.
Great points. I forgot about how I drove when I was 17. Hell, I was still driving like a maniac and street racing all the time when I was in my 20s. I think I got it all out of my system when I reached about 27 or 28 yrs old. I'm just glad that I never injured another person during the 10 or so years I drove like an idiot.
JT2k4TSX
02-08-2005, 06:49 PM
Hey Alterzgo thanks for the compliment man!! Yeah the Eibachs are great springs. The ride is great but I was wanting to go with the Aspec combo...but the Eibachs are a tad lower. They ride great, comfortable and nowhere near bouncy. I cant even tell a difference between those and stock ones. I really really enjoy them. In the future I will probably purchase some Koni shocks but for the meantime the stock ones will be fine. I will definatly go with Koni for sure. Also with the ride height is wonderful. It definatly looks lowered..but not slammed slammed. IMO lowered just right!! I also have some other pics if you would like to see. Just PM me and let me know or I can post them here. I am also going to do another photoshoot probably this weekend with my new OEM lip on the car!! I will keep ya updated.
AlterZgo
02-08-2005, 07:58 PM
Post them here! I'm sure we'd all like to see. Did you take the photos yourself? What equipment are you using? Any tips?
MemphisRheins
02-08-2005, 08:52 PM
Personally 1.5 Inches is the most Id go, if u still want the car to be good for daily driving purposes, Personally I have the Comptech 155's, which are Rated for a .75-1" Drop, The Comptech 165's are more a 1.0- 1.3" Drop, 2 Inches and ur gonna risk tapping the bottom on something, Esp Consitering the way you (hey im 18, I know) probibly Drive as everyone else has said....so Personally I went w/ Comptech Springs,
JT2k4TSX
02-08-2005, 09:52 PM
Hey Alter my friend did the photoshoot. He has a Canon 6.1 megapixel dig cam. He also has a $500 lens he used. The pics with alot of light were just used with the cam and the ones with the lights on and darker were with his other cam. I have a Sony DCS-W1 5.0 megapixel..so I am gonna test it out this weekend.
Here are more pics!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/Jayt4uofa/TSX1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/Jayt4uofa/TSX.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/Jayt4uofa/TSX4.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v646/Jayt4uofa/Pair.jpg
AlterZgo
02-09-2005, 02:41 AM
JT,
Your buddy is a great photographer. His pictures are easily magazine quality - even better. Great use of light and contrast. I like the very 1st side shot view you posted. It really shows off the silver really well. Typically silver cars don't look very shiney, but yours has the shiney look that typically only black and red cars can achieve.
JT2k4TSX
02-09-2005, 06:20 PM
Hey man thanks. Here is some of his other work. Go to www.sweetcarz.com then click on the gallery then click on Jason Brewer and look at his album with his other pics. There will be other photoshoots in the future...so I will gladly post them and let you check them out. Thanks again on the car.....we actually did the photoshoot in a mall parking lot and it was raining so its a good thing I had some quick detail and tire gel with me!
LannyMCS
02-09-2005, 08:41 PM
Learned something new tonight that was related to this thread.
The Comptech springs ARE progressive rate springs, and are made by Eibach. The 110-155 is the Accord/TL spring, and the 110-160 is the TSX ProKit spring. Comptech recently updated their site to reflect the actual drop of the 110-160 spring, which is 1.6" F AND 1.4" R.
Based upon numerous user reviews, my recommendation would be as follows: Eibach ProKit or Comptech 110-160 on stock struts IF you live somewhere where the roads are decent/smooth. People down south and in Cali seem happy with them. If you're in the snowbelt or somewhere where the roads suck, do yourself a favor and get the Konis right off the bat.......
MemphisRheins
02-09-2005, 10:32 PM
Lanny, I went w/ the 155's for that reason, there rated at 1.0- 1.3 tops... W/ is perfect for me, NY Roads aint that great lol... Go to school in PA w/ is a lot better attcually, but still, 1 inch drop all around, w/ a slight neg camber front and rear, should help me out handeling and apperance wise
LannyMCS
02-09-2005, 11:54 PM
Yeah, I knew it was a nice subtle drop, just didn't know they were progressive......
Thanks alot guys, nice pics man JT2K4TSX, you gotta keep us posted with more pics, and with your new OEM skirts too. A noob like me gotta learn more before spending some cash, because I ain't like some of my friends, who spend money modding their car and don't knopw what they did to it. All they did was put it in a shop and let them do all the work, they didn't even know what springs or shocks they used, all they know was just that the car was lowered. I really learned alot here, and special thanks to Noel and AlterZgo, you guys are like super experts, I am glad I came to this forum to meet great guys like all of y'all, helping me out
I hope I will be lowering, tinting and doing other things to my car soon, probably in spring break or so, and I will DEFINIATELY post some pics when I get it done.
justsomeboi
02-11-2005, 10:19 AM
While this thread is going in the direction i like it would I guess Ill post my questions here also...
<--- 17yrs old also
But Im looking for better performance in terms of handling since my friends take their WRX and integs to the circuit on the weekends and I want atleast to come there without being able to hit the turns.
I wouldnt mind a 1.5 drop nothing lower though (personally i hate the slammed look.)
As for ride quality I wouldnt mind having it a little stiffer but I also wish it wouldnt be much of a change from stock, especially since Id hate to have rattles coming in pretty soon... or have my mom stop my modding brigaid because she didnt expect a stiff ride.
Im thinking the H&R springs since their adjustable right?
in short:
Better handling
1.5 drop
small ride quality decrease
I know handling comes with a lower ride quality... but which coilovers provide a good compromise of both?
AlterZgo
02-11-2005, 05:24 PM
I ain't like some of my friends, who spend money modding their car and don't knopw what they did to it. All they did was put it in a shop and let them do all the work, they didn't even know what springs or shocks they used, all they know was just that the car was lowered.
Benz 05,
No problem. IMO, much of the fun in buying anything - be it a car, or performance parts for the car, or other stuff like TVs, stereo equipment, bikes, etc. is doing the research and checking stuff out. It is extremely satisfying to get something after doing the proper research and having the product meet all of your expectations.
AlterZgo
02-12-2005, 03:18 AM
While this thread is going in the direction i like it would I guess Ill post my questions here also...
<--- 17yrs old also
But Im looking for better performance in terms of handling since my friends take their WRX and integs to the circuit on the weekends and I want atleast to come there without being able to hit the turns.
I wouldnt mind a 1.5 drop nothing lower though (personally i hate the slammed look.)
As for ride quality I wouldnt mind having it a little stiffer but I also wish it wouldnt be much of a change from stock, especially since Id hate to have rattles coming in pretty soon... or have my mom stop my modding brigaid because she didnt expect a stiff ride.
Im thinking the H&R springs since their adjustable right?
in short:
Better handling
1.5 drop
small ride quality decrease
I know handling comes with a lower ride quality... but which coilovers provide a good compromise of both?
I don't know of anyone who has tried the H&R coilovers. I'm seriously considering getting them, but I don't want to spend $1,200 and not be satisfied. If H&R published their spring rates, or gave a hint at how much stiffer than stock they are, I'd probably try them out.
There are the various Tein coilovers which will improve handling, but ride quality will definitely feel firmer than stock as the softest spring rate they have are 2x stiffer than stock. This does not mean ride quality is poor, but your car will feel noticeably firmer.
For your needs, you could also consider Neuspeed sport springs paired with Neuspeed's version of Koni shocks. The springs drop the car 1.5" front and 1" rear. Neuspeed's Koni shocks have adjustable rebound damping and also extra spring perch adjustments so you have the ability to drop your car lower if you wish.
Wow.......... so what you are saying is that Koni is probably the best for this situation right, because I am kind of in the same boat as him, 1.5 drop, good ride comfort, better handling.....hahaa.......sounds pretty impossible....
I was considering the Tein, because I heard so much bad things about the Eibach springs, and Tein is like a major brand.....so....but that was before I asked you guys. Sounds like you, AlterZgo is really into the Koni shocks eh? You don't like Tein and the other brands?
LannyMCS
02-12-2005, 06:57 AM
I'm thinking about going Koni as well, and I agree that the Neuspeed version of the Koni strut is the best deal out there. There's a vendor on eBay who sells them for $550/set, which is the best price I've seen for any Koni.His user id is asw88. He doesn't have any listed as of today, but he puts them up on a regular basis, or you could email him. The Neuspeed set offers a 20mm shorter piston rod than the standard Kolni Sport, as well as addition grooves in the strut body so you get additional ride height adjustment, like Zgo said.
So you guys think that the best combo is like Koni with Eibach springs?
AlterZgo
02-13-2005, 12:46 AM
Wow.......... so what you are saying is that Koni is probably the best for this situation right, because I am kind of in the same boat as him, 1.5 drop, good ride comfort, better handling.....hahaa.......sounds pretty impossible....
I was considering the Tein, because I heard so much bad things about the Eibach springs, and Tein is like a major brand.....so....but that was before I asked you guys. Sounds like you, AlterZgo is really into the Koni shocks eh? You don't like Tein and the other brands?
If you can spring for springs AND shocks, Konis would be a good choice. I like Koni b/c I have always had great experience with them. I used to drive my brother's 280ZX all the time. He had Koni shocks, Suspension Tech springs and sway bars. Ride quality and handling were excellent. I then drove a custom Koni coilover set up on a G20. Again, despite stiff spring rates, the ride quality was near stock with handling that was off the charts. THis set up incorporated a tender spring that took the harshness off the initial inch or so of suspension travel.
In comparison to GAB, KYB AGX, Tokico adjustable and non-adjustable shocks, I find that I like Konis the best.
I don't have any bad feelings about Tein. I haven't driven a car equipped with a Tein suspension so I'm not really qualified to give a good solid opinion about them. But, remember that this thread mentions ride comfort over and over again. The only issue with the Teins are the fact that the softest springs listed for the TSX in any of their coilovers are 10 kg/mm F and 6 kg/mm R. This is pretty much double of what the stock spring rates are. This doesn't necessarily mean that the ride quality will be bad, but you will definitely notice it to be much firmer than stock. Remember that a firm suspension does not mean it has poor ride quality. As long as you are not bottoming out and there is sufficient rebound damping to control the much stiffer spring, the car won't feel bad. However, and this is just my conjecture, 10 kg/mm springs will not have "close to stock" ride quality.
AlterZgo
02-13-2005, 01:13 AM
I'm thinking about going Koni as well, and I agree that the Neuspeed version of the Koni strut is the best deal out there. There's a vendor on eBay who sells them for $550/set, which is the best price I've seen for any Koni.His user id is asw88. He doesn't have any listed as of today, but he puts them up on a regular basis, or you could email him. The Neuspeed set offers a 20mm shorter piston rod than the standard Koni Sport
Wow. I didn't know that the Neuspeed Konis were shortened. That's great.
FYI for Benz05 and those who don't know - shortened struts allow you to retain some suspension travel on a lowered car.
So how does this work? Let's say the stock TSX has 5" of suspension travel. When you lower your car with 1.5" lowering springs on stock shocks, the piston rod of the shock will already be compressed 1.5" into the shock body when the car is sitting still. This will leave you with only 3.5" of suspension travel to absorb bumps, etc. before the car bottoms out.
Now, with a 20mm (.78") shortened shock, when you install 1.5" lowering springs, the shock will not be compressed by the whole 1.5" as the shock is already sitting .78" shorter. Therefore, the 1.5" lower spring will only compress the shock piston .72" (1.5"-.78"). Since you have 5" of suspension travel stock, you would now still have 4.28" of suspension travel. You would only lose about .72" of suspension travel. This may not sound like much, but it substantially improves ride quality on a lowered car by keeping it from bottoming out as easily.
So what you saying is, if I want to lower the car AND get good ride comfort, I need some shortened shocks right?
LannyMCS
02-13-2005, 09:55 PM
So what you saying is, if I want to lower the car AND get good ride comfort, I need some shortened shocks right?
It will definitely help. Plus the Koni's are adjustable, so you can tune them to be a little more towards comfort.
I think we need a group buy on some Neuspeed Koni's :D........
AlterZgo
02-14-2005, 02:46 AM
I'm thinking about going Koni as well, and I agree that the Neuspeed version of the Koni strut is the best deal out there.
Lanny,
You're thinking about ditching your A-spec dampers in favor of the Konis? Is it because the A-specs are not well damped enough? Have they gotten noticeably less damped over time?
one more question.......if I buy the Eibach springs right now, the 1.5" ones.....and put them on the OEM shocks for awhile, but later, when I decided to buy the shortened Konis, I can still just buy the shortened shocks and switch on the EIbach springs right?? I don't need a new set of springs?
And Lanny....... I definitly think we need a group buy here.... once the weather is nicer, it's time to lower those TSXs......
AlterZgo
02-14-2005, 04:03 AM
one more question.......if I buy the Eibach springs right now, the 1.5" ones.....and put them on the OEM shocks for awhile, but later, when I decided to buy the shortened Konis, I can still just buy the shortened shocks and switch on the EIbach springs right?? I don't need a new set of springs?
Yup. The springs will not wear out. I've run Eibach springs on two of my 300ZXs, a 240SX, and an Infiniti G20. They won't wear out or sag.
LannyMCS
02-14-2005, 07:12 AM
Lanny,
You're thinking about ditching your A-spec dampers in favor of the Konis? Is it because the A-specs are not well damped enough? Have they gotten noticeably less damped over time?
I still love the A-Spec suspension; I feel that that's the way the car should come from the factory. I came from an S2000, and making the transition from that has been somewhat difficult. I was originally thinking that I was not going to "do" anything to this car, but the factory body roll was driving me nuts, and the A-Spec definitely helped in that regard.
But now, I've gotten kinda bored with it in general, need to do something to make it exciting again. Over the past year or so, I have found that my wife and I always use her Ody when we go out, so my daughter really doesn't ride in the TSX that much, so that concern is pretty much out the window. And my job has changed at work, so I'm not really out with clients any more, so I could pretty much do anything to the car now.
With that in mind, I'm thinking Koni's and *** spring. Stiffer, but not crazy stiff. The H&R coilovers concern me because of no damping adjustment. Everyone that's had Teins up here in CT has had corrosion problems. I heard that they've corrected that, but it's still in the back of my mind. So I''ve been doing a lot of thinking.
Like you said earlier, that may be the best part :D........
kyotousa
06-06-2005, 06:37 AM
So if i want to get the prokit spring...
which shock absorber should i get?
or should i just get Tein basic which is 675...
or wait for complete prokit set to be on sale at July?
I probably would want to drop 1.6 front 1.3 rear
do i need chamber for that?
robert_tg
06-06-2005, 02:09 PM
i have a 2.5 in the front and 2 in the rear of mine its rides fine to me and i have modified springs
yeah yours is really low.
Of all the locales I know of...FL is probly the only place I will have the nerve to go that low. soooooo flat everywhere.
loxllxol
06-07-2005, 01:11 AM
If you want to drop you car 1.9" (perfect for TSX) I'm selling my sportlines!
afici0nad0
06-08-2005, 01:02 AM
i've been thinking about a 1" drop, max.
i like the stock rims, so i don't think there would be any issues with ride height/comfort/scraping.
i like to keep my car as stock as possible, plus, i'm not really into making my car a target for both jackers and the police.
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