Help me with my suspension worries/questions!!!

[wacboyjulian]

OK, to start off...
i drive a 2000 stock Celica with 43K miles...
i just bought a set of 17-inch Enkei's DM5 wrapped in Kumho's Ecstas 711. (Graduation present from my dad.... sorta... side story: i hit a curb, 2 weeks later i got a flat tire...then me and my dad visited Discount Tire they came to me... i had such ****ty tires b4.. shiny hubcaps,my friends made fun of me all the time...i love my rims now......)* no more driving anymore... i LOVE stoplights..*

anyways, i love the rims but i don't like the wheel gap so im thinking of buying lowering springs to make it look better, so not neccesarily for performance... I want it too look good but not shoveling pavement on somewhat rough roads...

i looked into 220$ Eibach Pro-Line springs that would lower it 1.0 inch. The only other one i considered were 200$ Eibach Sport Springs that would lower it 1.7 inches...

I could get the proline ones for $220 and then labor would be $150 (the tire dicount auto guy would do it for me) and then i would have to take it somewhere else to get it aligned for 50 bucks...

the guy said i wouldn't really need the camber kits or upgraded shocks if i didn't push it too hard and rotated the tires daily since it was only 1 inch... for the sport springs he said he would recommend the shocks/camber stuff though.....

so generally i could be expected around 450 bucks for the Pro "package" and God-knows-what for the Sport "package"...
so thus... i have several questions....

QUESTIONS:

1) Will i HAVE to get camber/upgraded shocks for the Proline kit?? i need more expert opinions....

2) Will 1 inch really be that noticeable with a glance? Sounds like it wont... 1 measly inch.... i wanna knoe what people drop it too... average?

3) Why is the Eibach Sport Springs (1.7 inch drop) cheaper than the (1.0 inch drop) Proline Springs???

4) Whats an alignment kit? if i get an "alignment" job doesn't that mean i don't need an alignment kit?


5) Will i have to worry about anything else? (Price wise, technically difficulty wise, anything, etc....?)

6) Will my ride be terribly/moderately (bumpy) worse with lowering springs and stock shocks?

7) Do you knoe of any good websites or buddies that could "hook' me up" or got any good deals for springs... like reaallll good deals???

8) I found some site selling "Gold Line" springs for like 79 bucks... is Gold line any good? How about H&R?

9) Can you recommend any other lowering springs that are relatively cheap but are quality springs?

10) what are coilovers?


thanks for responding... i'll probably be back to ask some more questions...

[futureceli]

1) prolly not because it is a minimal drop

2) couldnt really tell ya, mine is slammed...but im sure 1inch will be noticible...

3) Clueless...

4) No such thing as an alignment kit....just get it aligned...a camber kit is another story...camber link is part of the alignment and it will all be adjusted....unless of course u slam your car, which is no concern to u since u are looking at eibachs(note: we have stock camber links, but they do not adjust past a certain point)

5) ummm...with such a minimal drop, u should not have to worry about anything...price is cheap, tech diff. is easy-moderate depending on u....otherwise nothing else...

6) No u should not have to worry much about ride quality....once again, it is a minmal drop and u are only swapping springs....

7) nope, but u could check in the group buy forum on this site....or just visit often and u will know people on this board with connections....

8) cancel goldline springs...h&r if u want them... they are a quality company...h&r that is...but stick to Hotchkis, TRD, or Eibach springs...all the 3 above are exceptional quality and have various drops...

9) oops....#9 just answered....

10) coilovers are shocks/struts combined with springs....most are adjustable...some are "fake" coilovers...like Ground Control they are fake coiloevers...they adjust and replace springs and adjust, but they are not true coilovers....Hotchkis makes exellent coilovers, but they are not adjsutable....JIC, Tein, H&R, and many other companies make true coilovers that are agjustable....

any more q's just ask.....

[shagica00]

ooh ooh i know what the answer to #3 is. the drop on the sportline is lower so it takes less actual amterial hence the lower price..

i really have no idea why it is less, but it sounded good didnt it

[draygo]

#3 more than likely the demand for the sportlines is more so they can drop the price because production costs drop.

[hellr]

Originally posted by futureceli

10) coilovers are shocks/struts combined with springs....most are adjustable...some are "fake" coilovers...like Ground Control they are fake coiloevers...they adjust and replace springs and adjust, but they are not true coilovers....Hotchkis makes exellent coilovers, but they are not adjsutable....JIC, Tein, H&R, and many other companies make true coilovers that are agjustable....

any more q's just ask.....

Ground controls aren't fake coil overs, the just don't come with new shocks/struts like other kits do.

[hellr]

Actually if you were to get Ground Controls with a custom spring rate and Koni Sport adjustable shocks you would have a custom setup better than tein and other suspension kits for a cheaper price. A lot of the AutoX members on this board that don't race in stock classes go this route, but it is more expensive than just getting new springs. In the end the ride would be more comfortable and less bouncy than just springs + stock shocks. If you were go to with the 1.0-1.3" drop from TRD you should be fine for a while with stock shocks. Most people complain that the TRD springs don't make enough of a difference in looks from stock so they don't go with them and get H&Rs or Hotchkis for the perfect drop instead.

[chameleon]

I don't know hellr, I think that you would out perform the factory suspention, but Tien and Hotchkiss setups should still definately have an edge. The struts included with the Tein and Hotchkis setups are short shocks, which are designed for a lower ride height. The Koini's are just regular length shocks that people stiffen to try and compensate for their lower ride height.

I have heard that the GC/Koni setup can make the car handle pretty sweet though. ;)