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View Full Version : Suspension Advice for stock EP3?



wh03lse
10-31-2010, 12:54 AM
Probably about hitting near the 88k mark on the mileage and the shocks/struts are basically blown my ride is completely way too rough -_- haha. so im not really a technical guy or anything like that, so any suggestions as to what i could do to make the ride better

i know that the HFP suspension is pretty much hard to find i remember calling a dealer one time and it was back then a special order i would think by now its completely like discontinued.

am i better served just going to the dealer and getting a suspension fully installed stock there or could i hit up a store and get a packaged strut and shock combo that would be comparable if not better than stock?

im not trying to slam my car or even lowering it but i mean if i have to buy aftermarket i would prefer to not really drop it as much something drive-able

money wise id obviously like to spend as little as possible but when it comes to maintenance we all know how that goes.

any suggestions will be appreciated thanks guys

BaLisTek
10-31-2010, 03:33 AM
i have a set oem suspension that i used for like 8k miles before i changed my suspension. The classified with me trying to sell it might still be on the site. Search posts created by me and you should find it. The suspension components are minty fresh


http://www.ephatch.com/forum/showthread.php?56545-FS-The-Rest-of-my-Parts&highlight=

Parts are at my parents house.. so I couldn't immediately get them out to you, but I'm just giving you more options. Good luck on your suspension endeavors

Drew1d
11-02-2010, 12:05 PM
There are lots of differing routes to go. But lets narrow down a few things.
EP3's have coilovers, that just means the spring coil-overs the shock. Many companies sell matched springs and dampers as a combo. If you are planning on changing to grippy tires, and different springs this is probably the easiest and most cost effective way to go. But you're probably looking at a grand just for the parts.

If you suspect your dampers are busted, it probably is making a clunking noise, or perhaps super bouncy. Find out which ones need to be replaced. If you jack up the wheel you may even see that it's leaking oil.

If it's the fronts, replace both fronts, L AND R, if it's rears replace both rears L AND R. If it's one of each you should replace all 4.

If you're going to do the work, you can look for some deals online and there are many different brands. If you are going to have a garage do it, they may want to get the parts, because they'll get a deal on it, I mean, you won't, but part of their profit is on markup. So they may not be willing to get a brand you want. But hey, you can shop around at different places. Call them up and see what each place will quote you.

As for dampers, Monroe are ok, just ok. KYB are also ok. Tokico sell non-adjustables and adjustables, they are good, but if you get hard springs and set the adjustable to full hard, they may not ,last long. Koni's are good, but since they are inserts, they'll probably cost more to install because they have to reuse some of the old components. And they say, Bilstein are the best, and you can tell by the pricetag.

So if I had to guess all 4, KYB/Monroe would be close to $500 with install. (I'm also factoring in an alignment.) and it goes up from there. I mean, Bilsteins are like $300 for 1 front shock.

If you do it yourself, try and have a friend with you. Preferably a friend that has tools and did this before. I did it alone, without previous experience with careful following of instructions. But the fronts took me like 6 hours to do. And the rear took about 7. But I'm talking about from when I started moving all my tools out side until I put them all away after the job was complete. Next time since I know what to expect, I could probably shave 2 hours off each, and with a friend, even more.

Other advantages to doing it yourself, is that you can sand and spraypaint the springs. And also replace the bearing (which I feel most shops just reuse every part without even checking.), tophats, nuts and bolts, grease and inspect the LCAs, etc... If you mess up, expect to not only pay a shop for the work, but also a flatbed tow. (I've been skilled/lucky so far.)

Good luck to you in what ever you decide. :mcool: