Need advice on lowering springs

[Cel2kRacer]

Hi guys, I'm a newbie to the group. So pardon me if this is an old, stale topic. I've plus-sized my GT with 16" American Racing wheels with 225/50/R16 Pirellis. That's 30 cms more than the stock 195s, right? Now I want to lower my car (can't believe I haven't it done it so long!!) and I'm torn between going with the good Tein S-techs which will give me only 1.4" or going with some adjustable coilovers that might give me over 2".

I'd like to get as much drop as I can without sacrificing ride quality too much, but my real question is, how much CAN I drop given the fact that I've got wider tires now? Any of you running this setup?

[oONoGoAutoOo]

I guess u can always go with coilovers since u can adjust the ride to fit the way you want it to be.

[Blue Bomber]

Originally posted by Cel2kRacer
and I'm torn between going with the good Tein S-techs which will give me only 1.4" or going with some adjustable coilovers that might give me over 2". Which coilovers are you looking at? If they're from eBay, don't even think about it. They're just adjustable springs. True coilovers are springs with struts, and are tend to have adjustable height (not by compressing the spring), adjustable stiffness, and possibly some other adjustments. That's why the cost around $1k. Besides, lowering your car 2" will kill the stock struts pretty quick, then you'll be looking to spend another $300 on aftermarket struts.

[Cel2kRacer]

Thanks for the tip. Yes, I was looking at e-bay to get some coilovers... maybe Dropzones or MaxSpeeds, but I've heard mixed reports about these coilovers. I'm not sure if I want to spend 1k on springs just yet (saving up for the turbo ;-) ), so I might stick with the Teins.

Do you really feel the difference with a new pair of Teins with just 1.4" drop? I'm talking about the ride quality difference.

[gt300celi]

HELLO, i can help with this. i have the tein lowering springs on my car just as a temperary thing untill i can afford coils but id say that THEY SUCK. i intalled them myself and ive done suspension before and this time i can tell ya, i did them pretty darn perfect, however they make noise like a freakin elephant is running along side of you. whenever you hit a lil bump, it will sound like something is breaking in your car, its really loud, and embarrassing. i don't know if it was me doing the install and i messed something up, or if they are just crappy, but i would never recommend them. also if your going for ride quality, they are also very bouncy. not great ride quality. i would recommend eibach pro kit springs. i installed them onto my other car (civic) and they ride soo good, and they really slam the car out. my 2 cents.

[Cel2kRacer]

Too bad those springs didn't work out for you. But the general concensus about these springs is that these are one of the best in the market. Sure, Eibachs are the top of the line, but at 100 bucks cheaper... the Teins sure are popular.

I just ordered them last night... let me see how it works out on mine. I'm gonna try and install them myself too; maybe I'll be more careful and make sure they aren't rubbing against anything and maybe even lubricate them well. Will let you know how it works out.

Thanks dude!
- Fred.

[ShadyMilkman]

Originally posted by Cel2kRacer
Too bad those springs didn't work out for you. But the general concensus about these springs is that these are one of the best in the market. Sure, Eibachs are the top of the line, but at 100 bucks cheaper... the Teins sure are popular.

I just ordered them last night... let me see how it works out on mine. I'm gonna try and install them myself too; maybe I'll be more careful and make sure they aren't rubbing against anything and maybe even lubricate them well. Will let you know how it works out.

Thanks dude!
- Fred.

apre you going to use your stock struts with these? I was going to get them, but figured it would be better just to get the SS coils (even though they're like 800 more). tell me how it turns out and if it's good I might just go with those springs to save some cash.

[Cel2kRacer]

Hey ShadyMilkman...

Yeah, they are gonna go on my stock shocks. I'm thinking of getting some RM struts, but haven't ordered them yet. So I might ride for a while with the Teins with stock struts and then upgrade the struts too. Will keep you posted on how they go.

- Fred.

[AM03GT]

Originally posted by Cel2kRacer
Hey ShadyMilkman...

Yeah, they are gonna go on my stock shocks. I'm thinking of getting some RM struts, but haven't ordered them yet. So I might ride for a while with the Teins with stock struts and then upgrade the struts too. Will keep you posted on how they go.

- Fred.

are you going to do the install yourself? its best to go ahead and do both at once cause it'll save you an extra install...

if your paying a shop it save ya one full install cost, if you do it yourself it'll save ya the 3-5 hrs it'll take to take out and replace strut/springs...

[Blue Bomber]

Originally posted by gt300celi
HELLO, i can help with this. i have the tein lowering springs on my car just as a temperary thing untill i can afford coils but id say that THEY SUCK. i intalled them myself and ive done suspension before and this time i can tell ya, i did them pretty darn perfect, however they make noise like a freakin elephant is running along side of you. whenever you hit a lil bump, it will sound like something is breaking in your car, its really loud, and embarrassing. i don't know if it was me doing the install and i messed something up, or if they are just crappy, but i would never recommend them. also if your going for ride quality, they are also very bouncy. not great ride quality. i would recommend eibach pro kit springs. i installed them onto my other car (civic) and they ride soo good, and they really slam the car out. my 2 cents. You definitely did something wrong. There isn't any extra noise when installed right. As for bouncy, yes, it's a bit more bouncy, but any spring will do that without a shorter shock to control it.

What condition are your struts in? I know my friend installed springs on his car, and the struts started clunking. Turns out they were already worn out, and when he got new ones (KYB AGX), the noise was gone.Originally posted by AM03GT
are you going to do the install yourself? its best to go ahead and do both at once cause it'll save you an extra install...

if your paying a shop it save ya one full install cost, if you do it yourself it'll save ya the 3-5 hrs it'll take to take out and replace strut/springs... If you've got air tools, it should take 3 hours max. I installed my friend's struts this weekend, and it took 2.5 hours including figuring out what stiffness settings he wanted and how to adjust them.