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What spring/strut combo works the best?

1K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  squal282 
#1 ·
Ive finally saved up enough money to lower my car with which ever spring/strut combo i want.. which would be the best way to go?? intrax and tokico? eibach and kyb? what have you guys tried that works well and looks damn good? are there any other products out there that i dont know of? help me please
 
#2 ·
What is most important to you when it comes to suspension? Is it performance, appearance, ride quality, or adjustability? I went with the eibach and tokico setup (shipment went out on thursday 6-21 anyway). I wanted better performance and I don't need adjustability. I plan on plus sizing wheels and tires later so I didn't go with the intrax just to be safe. Springs are cheap and I might get the intrax anyway. I've heard you don't have to worry about camber kits with these cars.

Intrax will lower 1.75 inches
Eibach will lower 1.30 inches
Gab and Suspension Techniques will lower 1.00 inch
H&R might do springs too

Tokicos get my vote
KYB - adjustable I think but cheap... makes you wonder. I think anarchyx has KYB and says they are soft.
Koni should be good adjustable choice

I will surely post my impression of the new suspension after I've had it a while.
 
#3 ·
KYB isn't adjustable for our cars. They do make an adjustable model called AGX, but not for us.

I'm very pleased with my Eibachs - the lowering is enough to look nice, but you still have enough travel so you don't bottom out without doing something dumb. I'm thinking of buying another set just in case they stop making them.
 
#4 ·
ok, so far thanks for all the info. Now another ? is with springs is it the lower you go the better the handling or does it really depend on how well the spring is made? I think that no matter what lowering spring i go with it will look just fine so im more worried about performance i guess. I think that i am sold on the tokico struts but now im just wondering whether to go intrax or eibach. So basically which of these springs are going to improve handling the most? One other question is did i read on here that ground control makes coil overs for our cars? if so what are the advantages of coil overs?
 
#5 ·
With springs the handling advantage come from a number of factors.
1. The car is lower. A lower center of gravity reduces roll in corners. Less roll in corners means the tires stay straight up and down relative to the road, so grip is good. Also lower means better weight transfer in corners.
2. Number of coils. More coils = softer springs, all else being the same.
3. Thickness of spring wire. Obviously a thicker spring wire makes a stiffer spring.
4. Progressive springs. These springs are either wound tighter as they go up, or coils are spaced closer together as they go up. This way the spring is soft at first and gets stiff as it compresses.

All these variables can vary (duh) and it can get crazy. Basically you don't want a spring that is too stiff because your car won't absorb the bumps. It will bounce across the ground (as if it had no suspension) and loose grip around corners. At the same time you want to spring to be stiff enough to support the cars weight + not bottom out on bumps. Bottoming out will make your car skip across bumps too and again that makes for no grip/control.
Some people say get the softest spring possible that prevents the car from bottoming, so it will absorb bumps good. Others say stiffer springs (without going overboard) are better because of better weight transfer.

There are all kinds of philosophies. The new Morgan Aero 8 has no anti-roll bars, but it's low enough and stiff enough so it doesn't roll so much. While other cars have soft suspensions, but stiff anti-roll bars to reduce roll.

The coil-overs allow you to change the ride height of your car by roataing an adjustable threaded spring perch. Those Ground Control ones come with Eibach springs I believe.
 
G
#6 ·
I have the Tokico and 3" intraxs but that made my car slammed so i took off the springs and put back on the stock springs i am getting the 1" suspension techniques which actually drops the car about 1 3/4".
 
#7 ·
I love my H&R springs, but good luck finding them :).

If you want a big drop with a stiff ride, go with the intrax. If you want less of a drop (1.25" or so) and a less aggresive ride, get the Eibachs.

As far as struts, the tokico blues get my vote. DONT get the KYB's, as they're way to soft to keep up with high spring rates. Believe me, I'm suffering right now because I was cheap when I did mine. Oh and the GR2's which are the $55/ea ones, arent adjustable. Only the AGX ones are and they're not available for our cars.
 
G
#8 ·
I think you should go with Tokico and the Ground Control coil-over suspension. The tokico shock/struts provide better damping. I have kyb with ebach. The kyb tend to bounce after some time of driving. I was told that they heat up and bonce.
 
#9 ·
It all depends on how stif you want. I have probably the mildest upgrade available. The suspension techniques springs are only 10-15% stiffer then stock, according to their web site, and my KYB struts aren't that much stiffer than stock. However, when copared to my stock suspension with completely blown sruts, the difference is tremendous. Body roll is very well controlled, and the cr is a lot more confidence inspiring through winding roads, and especially while cruising on the freeway. The suspension tecniques don't "slam" the car, looks-wise, or ride wise. It is still fairly comfortable. If you aren't looking for attention of a super lowered car, and want a nice ride-quality, then the S/T springs and KYB struts are a great cmbination.
 
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