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Popeye
10-30-2011, 12:56 AM
So yesterday the wife and I went out to the Dragon and met up with Cody(from EPHatch) and his friend Burt. My car is completely stock, and Cody's car has BC coilovers. My wife has given me a hard time about wanting to do shit to my car, but after showing her how much better our cars handle with good suspension, she WANTS me to do shit to my car. lol
So, after thinking this out, I have decided that going with a spring/strut combo would suit me best. (I just want to be able to install the suspension, get an allignment, and be done with it.)
I know a bunch of ya'll that went with the spring/strut combos are running the Koni Yellows. But, after doing a search for KYX AGX's here on the site, there were no hits. I'm looking to do as little modifications as possible when installing my suspenion, so if anyone has any suggestions, or "reviews" of the different adjustable struts, that would be cool.
And who knows, I still may end up going with the Yellows. But for a DD with the occasional mountain road spirited drive, my car won't see much action other than that.

AKEP
10-30-2011, 12:23 PM
i've heard great things about both. the koni yellow and spring setup is hella common. people run it just to run it. they like it.

sippyyy
10-30-2011, 12:26 PM
I have Racelands, super easy to install and adjust, I've had no problems with them at all (2 years).

AKEP
10-30-2011, 12:43 PM
are the rear springs the same size as stock?

carrito
10-30-2011, 01:01 PM
I have Racelands, super easy to install and adjust, I've had no problems with them at all (2 years).

x 2 I have racelands too, so far so good...(4 months)

sippyyy
10-30-2011, 01:10 PM
are the rear springs the same size as stock?

they're coilovers so they're adjustable? I'm not sure what you mean by size otherwise. The spring rates on mine are 10k - front and 8k - rear.

Popeye
10-30-2011, 02:14 PM
Adjustable is just the ride height.

hyu
10-31-2011, 09:37 AM
they're coilovers so they're adjustable? I'm not sure what you mean by size otherwise. The spring rates on mine are 10k - front and 8k - rear.

How do you have racelands when their spring rates are close to stock? Also why do you have a backwards springrate?
I'm on BC with 8kf and 10kr

I have pillowball mounts that allows for more camber adjustment in the front and also I have 30way adjustable dampening. I might be setting up for -1.5 camber in the front and .07- neg in the rear. Nothing too aggressive but good enough for a couple of AutoX's a year

Zzyzx
10-31-2011, 11:26 AM
If all you are looking for is improved performance for daily driving & ocational spirited driving then you do not need any of that stuff.

#1 Buy the best set of summer tires you can afford.

#2 Buy camber kits for the front & rear; then get the car alligned to these spec's

-1.5 deg camber on the nose, -.75 deg camber on the rear. Keep toe within OEM spec.

Done, and done. Happy driving!

Popeye
10-31-2011, 08:23 PM
After having driven cars in the past with good suspension, and after having driven a car this weekend with a kick ass suspension, I want more than sticky tires. Not to mention I put too many miles on my tires to keep buying new ones at least once a year. Whatever I go with, it'll be with a good performance all-season tire.

hyu
10-31-2011, 10:20 PM
If all you are looking for is improved performance for daily driving & ocational spirited driving then you do not need any of that stuff.

#1 Buy the best set of summer tires you can afford.

#2 Buy camber kits for the front & rear; then get the car alligned to these spec's

-1.5 deg camber on the nose, -.75 deg camber on the rear. Keep toe within OEM spec.

Done, and done. Happy driving!
That's my next mod. I've looked into getting hankook ventus v12s as my daily tires and yokohama a048 for my autox/track tires. But for now I have a good amount of thread on my shit nexens. But then again I'm in FL and the only thing I need to worry about is puddles and hydroplaning.

Honestly the reason why I got my coilovers is because my front struts blew. If I'm paying more than 600ish for decent strutsI might as well go with full coilovers for a couple hundred more

Zzyzx
10-31-2011, 10:57 PM
Whatever I go with, it'll be with a good performance all-season tire.

Then your handling will be limited by the cohesion between the all season tires and the road. Tires are, after all, the only thing that can actually exert force upon the road to alter the cars trajectory... Furthermore summer tires do not necessarily wear out faster then all seasons, compare the UTQG ratings you may be surprised.

Regardless, what are you looking to improve, the cars handling balance or its maximum grip level? (they are two very different things)





If I'm paying more than 600ish for decent strutsI might as well go with full coilovers for a couple hundred more Be wary of inexpensive prebuilt coil overs, as not all dampers are equal. You may end up doing your self a disservice in the end.

If handling performance is, overall, the thing you are focusing on then you should avoid dampers that adjust both bump and rebound with the same knob at the same time. They may give you more leeway as far as ride quality, but they force you to make compromises when it comes to proper bump & rebound settings for your particular driving. Best to stick to single adjustable dampers that just tweak one or the other (bump or rebound).

Popeye
11-01-2011, 03:36 AM
In a perfect world, where my car was for more than driving it daily, and I didnt have to worry about the things you HAVE to worry about when encountering things like rain, snow, etc., here in the mountains, I would get a sticky tire. Sure, I think at this point everyone knows that the best overall suspension improvement for ANY car is a great set of tires. They help with handling AND braking. But, for the average Joe that doesnt have a lot of money, and has no choice but to drive his car in ALL conditions year round, he has to make a smart choice and get a tire that would suit ALL of his driving needs.
My goal is to have a daily driver that is fun. One that I can occasionally have MORE fun with. I live in the mountains, so there are TONS of places to "have fun." I don't mind a stiff ride. That part I'm not so worried about. Sure, there are times where I will hate having a stiffer ride. But 95% of the time, I will appreciate what my car can do. I am actually talking with Lucid, and I may even drive my car on Road Atlanta every once in awhile. If I have to sacrifice a little comfort to have some fun, then so be it. The tire issue....well, like I said above, I cant afford to buy two different sets of tires. (Summer and winter) I need to buy ONE set of tires that will suit ALL of my needs the best I can. Which means I need a tire that will last longer than 10-15k miles, and can get me through all of the conditions I see here in the mountains.
On coilovers...I cant afford the most expensive stuff out there. Like most others, my budget is limited. I also have to look at wheels and tires (see above), sway bar, brakes, etc. So, I need to make the best decision concerning ALL aspects of what I need my car to do, including meet my budget. I understand the need to have a set of coilvers that adjusts everything individually. But for someone that cant afford a set that CAN do that, is a set that can adjust dampening with one button better or worse than a set that can ONLY adjust ride height?
It's a hard decision to make on EVERY SINGLE PIECE of equipment that someone has to make. Sure, I wish price WASNT an issue. But it is. Fact is is I'm a 35 year-old college student that is using his GI Bill to do something with his life, and has no job. Hell, Im lucky I can do anything PERIOD with my car. Sure, Im sure I probably SHOULDNT use any money to do anything. But if THAT were the case, why would 75% of us be on this site?! lmao

Zzyzx
11-01-2011, 09:29 AM
A couple of things to help you on your way:

If you live where it can snow/ice over at any time in the year then allseason tires are a viable option. You'll be sacrificing Dry and wet traction vs summer tires but at least you'll be better off in those occations of snow or ice.

As far as "stiffness" goes... how stiff a cars springs should be for maximum performance is going to be determined by Tire choice, ride height choice & how rough the roads/tracks you drive on are. Softer grippier tires will require more roll resistance then Harder all season tires will; a lower ride height will require greater amounts of roll resistance to keep the suspension gemometry in check & rougher roads will require softer springs to keep the tires on the ground then smoother roads. It may sound counter intuitive but for best handling you want your suspension to be as soft as you can get away with. What you can get away with is the tricky tuning part. As increasing your suspensions stiffness past the minimum needed to keep things in check is just needlessly decreasing the amount of mechanical grip the car has.

With that being said, If I were to start all over and be in your shoes I'd be looking to do this.

1. Camber kits front and rear (absolutly paramount)
2. I would be torn between Bilstien dampers & a set of Progress "coilovers" (note that neither has adjustible dampning)
3. If I went with the Bilstien dampers (I probably would) I'd then mate them up to a spring with amild drop and a mild increase in stiffness Probably the progress springs.
4 from there I'd get the car aligned to around -1.5 deg camber on the nose and -.75 on the rear, being sure to keep toe within OEM spec.
and 5 I'd go drive the car to see if or what may need more tweaking. (suspension tuning is best done slowly and methodically)

6. Durring this testing period I'd chalk the tires to check for roll over and make adjustments with tire PSI (keep reasonable) and camber (camber is more usefull). I'd keep particular tabs on the cars handling balance, is it understeering too much? oversteering? ect ect ect..

7. If I had camber set on the high end of -1.5 & if I have not dumped the cars ride height, I'd be tempted to soften the front anti roll bar (probably the EM2's 15.9mm bar) As the front end is always going to be the weak link when it comes to grip on a FWD car. So anything I can do to increase its potential there is good (hence softer). If I cant get away with softening the front bar then stiffining the rear bar is the next best thing.

8 Once the anti-roll bars are sorted out, time for more "testing" and adjust camber Tire psi as needed.

StimulisRK
11-01-2011, 10:36 AM
I have a 1.5" drop with H&R springs that came with the car when I bought it used. I just put on Tokico HP front struts and I'm putting on Tokico HP rear shocks this saturday. I have an Ingalls camber kit in the rear.

So far I'm happy with everything and it cost me under $700 (shocks, struts, new upper mounts, and rear camber kit). I'm not racing or AutoX, so Tokico HP's are the way to go, in my opinion, if your gonna lower your car.

Popeye
11-01-2011, 12:08 PM
Arent the HP's the Blue ones?

StimulisRK
11-01-2011, 12:36 PM
Arent the HP's the Blue ones?

Yup, Tokico Blue's. Bought them off THMotorsports.com, they usually got a 5% off deal on everything '5offive'

Popeye
11-01-2011, 01:51 PM
I dunno. I have read that a ton of people on here have them blow, and Tokico gives them a hard time about it. I think I will prolly just end up going with coilovers. Seems to be the easiest option, and gives me more options.

Reaper27
11-01-2011, 02:28 PM
Idk, I've heard that you get longer life and better performance out of doing a strut spring combo. Like Koni yellows and ground control springs, upper mounts, etc then coilovers?

Popeye
11-01-2011, 03:11 PM
I wouldnt mind hearing the opinion of someone that knows that info. I always was just under the impression that you would get better quality with coilovers. (Well, other than ones like Racelands, etc.)

Popeye
11-01-2011, 04:36 PM
I just found a set of Tein Street Series coilovers for $700 on Ebay. Wonder if THEY'RE any good?

Zzyzx
11-01-2011, 04:36 PM
I wouldnt mind hearing the opinion of someone that knows that info. I always was just under the impression that you would get better quality with coilovers. (Well, other than ones like Racelands, etc.)

Thats the thing, the damper is by far the most expensive and difficult part to manufacture and arguably far more important then spring rates or the ability to adjust ride height. You have to wonder where are these coilover manufactureres cutting corners to make such inexpensive pre built setups when the dampers alone from one of their compeditors costs more then their complete set...

Note that Bilstien HD dampers utilize the same internal parts for their street dampers as whats found within their race dampers.

So, a piecemeal setup allows you to cherry pick the best part for each specific task. You loose convienence but you gain quality.

I'll refer you to someone who knows far more then I : http://farnorthracing.com/autocross_secrets6.html
To quote him (he builds exclusivly for compitition so his standards are quite high)

Remember this list:

•Bilstein
•Penske
•Koni
•Ohlins
•Sachs
•Dynamic Suspension
Not on this list? Almost certainly crap.


Also, I've been on koni's going on seven years now. Four of them were with a combination of daily driving, autocross & open track.

Popeye
11-01-2011, 05:41 PM
What do you mean "4 of them?" Is that 4 sets in 7 years?

And believe me, I understand everything you are saying. But again, price is another one of my prereq's. Sure, I'm asking for a lot for my money. What I REALLY am wanting is to spend a certain amount of money, or less, and get the best that I can get for that money. Sure, I would LOVE to spend oodles and oodles (yup, I damn sure DID just use the phrase "oodles and oodles!"), but I cant. Let's not forget, I still need to attack shit like sway bars, brakes, maintenance and unforseen little bullshit stuff. Not to mention wheels & tires. That right there is going to be a challenge in itself. I WANT Slipstreams, but with the price of JUST the wheels, I can get a set of cheaper wheels and tires. lol
No shit, I am seriously back and forth on whether I should say screw it and get coilovers, or go ahead and do a spring/strut set up and be done with it. How reliable are the Yellows. Honestly, not just ONE opinion on them, but an overall picture, you know? What would be possible is get my Slips and throw on some S Techs to start (because they seem to have an awesome spring rate), then within a year or less, try and throw on the Yellows. Because again, let's not forget all of that other stuff I need to get. Oh, and lets not mention exhaust. lol

powdbyrice
11-01-2011, 09:11 PM
all of the prebuilt coilover setups in the $1000 range is going to be the same. however, i'd pick progress over any of the rest. i've read nothing but good things about them. the only "bad" things i've read is 1) wait time (they build them in batches as orders come in. so if youre one of the first orders in the batch, you wait until they have enough orders) 2) they dont go low enough (hardly a negative for most people)

there was a mugen SS setup in the classifieds for $800. id take that over any strut/spring or coilover option.

powdbyrice
11-01-2011, 09:14 PM
What do you mean "4 of them?" Is that 4 sets in 7 years?

And believe me, I understand everything you are saying. But again, price is another one of my prereq's. Sure, I'm asking for a lot for my money. What I REALLY am wanting is to spend a certain amount of money, or less, and get the best that I can get for that money. Sure, I would LOVE to spend oodles and oodles (yup, I damn sure DID just use the phrase "oodles and oodles!"), but I cant. Let's not forget, I still need to attack shit like sway bars, brakes, maintenance and unforseen little bullshit stuff. Not to mention wheels & tires. That right there is going to be a challenge in itself. I WANT Slipstreams, but with the price of JUST the wheels, I can get a set of cheaper wheels and tires. lol
No shit, I am seriously back and forth on whether I should say screw it and get coilovers, or go ahead and do a spring/strut set up and be done with it. How reliable are the Yellows. Honestly, not just ONE opinion on them, but an overall picture, you know? What would be possible is get my Slips and throw on some S Techs to start (because they seem to have an awesome spring rate), then within a year or less, try and throw on the Yellows. Because again, let's not forget all of that other stuff I need to get. Oh, and lets not mention exhaust. lol

exhaust? a $400+ part that gets you some noise and 3hp? dont waste your money on bling.

listen to zzyzx. he's our resident suspension guru.

Popeye
11-02-2011, 05:44 AM
I wouldnt go straight pipe, but after seeing what an exhaust does this last weekend, I WILL be getting one. And hell, at EMUSA, you can get a cat-back for $140 shipped. Seems worth it.

lldiesel386ll
11-02-2011, 06:51 AM
How reliable are the Yellows. Honestly, not just ONE opinion on them, but an overall picture, you know?

koni is a subsidary of itt corp, a defense contractor. while i was never in the defense industry, i did eyeball some of the standards you had to meet for mil-spec certification in one of my old projects and they are a handful. id imagine their quality control and tolerances are pretty good :mtongue:

Reaper27
11-02-2011, 07:11 AM
koni is a subsidary of itt corp, a defense contractor. while i was never in the defense industry, i did eyeball some of the standards you had to meet for mil-spec certification in one of my old projects and they are a handful. id imagine their quality control and tolerances are pretty good :mtongue:

I have heard a few people mention this and this is one of the reasons why I'm leaning more toward 'building' my one coilover set up. I've heard nothing but good review about the Koni yellow line plus you can adjust the damper easily. I've been researching for a little bit recently cause my stock shocks are starting to go out so I will be getting something to replace thme in the very near future but I'm still a little confused about this process. Is all I would have to do is pick my struts and springs or do I need to buy top mounts, etc? I guess that is a good aspect of the premade coilover setup is the convienence but I would rather spend a little more time and money and get an awesome setup that can handle just about anything I will be throwing at it. Also I was wondering as anyone had any experience with the Tokico D-Spec series struts? They looked decent and were in the same price range as the Koni yellows but I have never heard of them before.

hyu
11-02-2011, 09:24 AM
all of the prebuilt coilover setups in the $1000 range is going to be the same. however, i'd pick progress over any of the rest. i've read nothing but good things about them. the only "bad" things i've read is 1) wait time (they build them in batches as orders come in. so if youre one of the first orders in the batch, you wait until they have enough orders) 2) they dont go low enough (hardly a negative for most people)

there was a mugen SS setup in the classifieds for $800. id take that over any strut/spring or coilover option.

That was originally my first choice. But I didn't know when they were going to be in stock so I bite the bullet and bought bc. Took them 3 weeks to make and ship. Apparently ours were made in batches too -.-

Sent from my autocorrect butchering device

powdbyrice
11-02-2011, 01:47 PM
I wouldnt go straight pipe, but after seeing what an exhaust does this last weekend, I WILL be getting one. And hell, at EMUSA, you can get a cat-back for $140 shipped. Seems worth it.

you can see what an exhaust does? o_O

IMO, your money is better spent on parts that make a tangible different rather than on the butt dyno.

Popeye
11-02-2011, 04:19 PM
Getting my ass whooped by someone with just suspension and a straight pipe seemed to be pretty loud and clear to ME, no pun intended!

Zzyzx
11-03-2011, 09:09 AM
Getting my ass whooped by someone with just suspension and a straight pipe seemed to be pretty loud and clear to ME, no pun intended!

Straight line or turning?

Popeye
11-03-2011, 10:01 AM
Straight line...

http://www.youtube.com/user/xMrPopeyex?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/1/rnLONvpH2gs
http://www.youtube.com/user/xMrPopeyex?feature=mhsn#p/a/u/0/VVDkk25H5N8

Reaper27
11-03-2011, 10:24 AM
The suspension shouldn't make that much of difference in a straight away if any and the exhaust would only be a 5-10 HP increase. Is there nothing else done to the car?

Popeye
11-03-2011, 10:34 AM
I was just stating what was done to the car because I had an actual example.
And yeah, thats all thats done to it. Ask CJ. Surprised he hasnt been in here...I'll text him now.

powdbyrice
11-03-2011, 12:59 PM
the 100lbs of chick in the front seat probably negated most of the gains from the straight pipe.

i think you need to fix the nut behind the wheel... o_O

Popeye
11-03-2011, 01:19 PM
Har har!! lol
Actually, HE had a passenger, and so did I. SHAZAM!!! lol

CJ89
11-03-2011, 03:14 PM
Well then lol 1. yes my car is bone stock other than (almost) full suspension and straight pipe. Not even a cold air. 2. Ill take pics if no1 believes me. 3. Stock exhaust is hella restrictive. (Also is extremely heavy so your shedding weight and making power.) Say you have a Olympic runner tell him to run 10 miles breathing only out of a straw. Then get him to do it again w/o the straw... Im sure you will see a big improvement.

Ok so here is the full mods list for my car.

Buddy Club Spec N+ Coilovers
D2 racing rear lower control arms
Hawk racing brake pads
Tanabe front strut tower brace
Corsport rear strut tower brace
Innovative track motor mounts (makes a huge difference)

and thats the whole shabang!

@popeye: We picked up charlies 97 hatch this weekend and might i say it 1 clean lil shit lol.
Even has a vary nice set of Function&Form True coilovers rides pretty damn good. Not as stiff as mine so much better for a DD but yet will hug a turn almost as well as mine even with shitty tires. So that got me to thinking about you and so i recommend these. http://functionnform.com/shop/ff-type-ii-coilovers/type-ii-honda-coilovers/type-ii-civic-coilovers/function-form-type-ii-coilovers-honda-civic-2001-2005.html
Not sure if they will fit your budget or not but figured id throw it out there. Also after the dragon run i was soooooooo sore when i got home i hat to get the prego lady to give me a back massage lol (im 22 for those who dont know) Back pains are not normal for me lol I fully blame my badass set of BC's but on a day to day basis i love them more than i hate them.

CJ89
11-03-2011, 03:28 PM
Also i am running 205/40/16 Kumho ecsta asx all season tires. And they are absolutely GREAT! Iv been through some MAJOR rain storms and they held up perfict! 0 problems

Reaper27
11-03-2011, 06:05 PM
Ok, i guess I stand corrected then. I just didn't think that those two mods would make such a difference. When I installed my exhaust I felt a little bit of a difference in the butt dyno but not too much. Now when I put my race header and intake on she opened up like crazy. Still need to get a damn tune to see the full potential. @Cj89, is there anything bad about the buddy clubs other than the ride? I was looming at getting a set but I've heard a lot of mixed reviews about them.

CJ89
11-03-2011, 06:17 PM
@reaper27, None what so ever. I love them and wouldent change them out for anything else. Its my dd and my weekend autox car. They serve all my needs perfect. I would recommend them to anyone.

Reaper27
11-03-2011, 10:28 PM
Ok, that's good to hear. I'm going to be buying some coilovers and doing my whole suspension soon and just trying to figure out what to get as far as this area goes. I have everything else kinda planned out but the coilovers. The only thing that bugs me still about the Buddy clubs are the fact that they can't be rebuilt if they blow but I'm not going to be doing any heavy tracking so idk. What's the drop for the ride height on yours?

BlownSi05
11-04-2011, 06:13 AM
Be wary of inexpensive prebuilt coil overs, as not all dampers are equal. You may end up doing your self a disservice in the end.

/QFE.....Just an example;

BC Racing Coilovers are all shock dynoed on site and sets are matched within a 4% difference between each shock. They will even provide you the shock dyno charts with serial numbers to confirm this. Price = $900-$1000

TEIN will not provide shock dyno charts for you (the customer) and do not even have the shock dynos on site. Until you get to their higher end full racing setups, you are just paying for the name. Price = $1300-$1800

Tires are absolutely the MOST important part of your suspension, in front of wheel time, which is second. Zzyzx knows his shtuff when it comes to suspension, so he is a good person to take advice from!...lol.

Popeye
11-04-2011, 08:12 AM
Shoot yeah he does! Ive read tons of his posts. I just have to keep MY situation in mind. I understand that tires are the best upgrade. But not ALL of us can afford to put $550-$600 sets of tires on our cars, once a year, two if you're lucky. And not everyone has to deal with snow.
And PLEASE tell me where I can get a set of Buddy Club N+ coilovers for $900-$1000! If you can, I PROMISE you that is what I will be getting, no questions asked.

CJ89
11-04-2011, 08:54 AM
As far as the drop i dont know really. Like i said they were on the car when i got it. I still have to learn about how to adjust them n shit. lol @popeye, the kid payed 1500 for the set on my car..

CJ89
11-04-2011, 08:59 AM
here ya go
http://www.suspensioncenter.com/p-21908-buddy-club-n-coilovers-damper-kit-honda-civic-si-hatchback-2003-2009.aspx

Popeye
11-04-2011, 10:00 AM
I apprewciate it, but Im looking for those $900-$1000 websites! Not talking trash, I just seriously wanna find them for that price! IF I can, I'll go with them bad boys!

Reaper27
11-04-2011, 10:30 PM
here ya go
http://www.suspensioncenter.com/p-21908-buddy-club-n-coilovers-damper-kit-honda-civic-si-hatchback-2003-2009.aspx

Idk if it's a typo on the site or what but the description contradicts itself. It's starts out by saying that it was developed for front wheel drive cars but the in the summary says that it was designed for rear wheel drove cars and all wheels drve cars? The more I research t tho I'm kinda leaning toward the BC racing coilovers. Just seems like they've put a lot more research and testing into them idk

whatsvtec
11-04-2011, 11:04 PM
The BS info on that site is contradictory, but Buddy Club makes some good stuff, rebuildable in the USA too! :mbiggrin:

Reaper27
11-05-2011, 05:44 AM
The BS info on that site is contradictory, but Buddy Club makes some good stuff, rebuildable in the USA too! :mbiggrin:

Oh yea, I'm not saying that they make bad stuff it's just I've heard a lot more mixed reviews about their coilovers that other companies

whatsvtec
11-05-2011, 06:07 AM
Oh yea, I'm not saying that they make bad stuff it's just I've heard a lot more mixed reviews about their coilovers that other companies

I've heard mixed reviews on the N+, but not on the RSD's.

My vote for a cheap suspension that won't break the bank and provides added function for when dropped would be any straight arm set of Megan coilovers.

Popeye
11-05-2011, 07:50 AM
I've heard that BC's aren't rebuildable.

Reaper27
11-05-2011, 11:27 AM
I've heard mixed reviews on the N+, but not on the RSD's.

My vote for a cheap suspension that won't break the bank and provides added function for when dropped would be any straight arm set of Megan coilovers.

Haha, true but I can't really afford the RSDs, I might look into the megan set. Anyone running those on here?

EPsode3
11-06-2011, 12:25 AM
dang popeye making me wonder about what suspension i'm getting now too...personally i was going just get some racelands and some no name camber kit...since i figured i'm really just going to drive to work and back and the occasional cruise on the weekends lol...i too am on a budget...hell i'm riding on stock struts w/sk2's springs lol...hope you get a set YOU want to pay for =D

StockTexasEP3
11-07-2011, 12:22 AM
Raceland coilovers anypne?? Was reading reviews on crsx and there were many good reviews.. any neg or positive feedback. Ballin on a budget over here ----->>>>

BlownSi05
11-07-2011, 09:37 AM
And PLEASE tell me where I can get a set of Buddy Club N+ coilovers for $900-$1000! If you can, I PROMISE you that is what I will be getting, no questions asked.

BC Racing, not Buddy Club. Buddy Club falls into that same category of over-priced and over-hyped coilover sets. Not saying the BC Racing coils are not in the same club, but at least you get useful information from them and they are under or at the $1K range.

Reaper27
11-08-2011, 10:10 AM
I've found a few places that have the progress coilover set for $1k with a 2-3 week wait to ship (isn't that bad). I've heard nothing but good about progress so would this be a good set to get? I was thinking about getting the BC racing set but I have a feeling these might be better?

clean04si
05-20-2012, 07:41 AM
Im also interested in keeping my suspension a spring and damper setup. Time to change my oe shocks but i have HFP springs/kit. im curious to know if bilstein shock absorbers for the front have an optimized angle for the steering arm, and if that is why they are so expensive?!?! has anyone noticed if the toe angles are off by alot after install before an alignment? i dont really like the bump steer on parkway ramps.

since i like the ride with the springs and i imagine the height is dialed in for the geometry lastly i need an upper mount for camber. it may seem like a stupid question but if anyone has tried a pillowball upper spring mount with OE size spring i wanted to know if it was possible. physically i cant imagine it working but if anyone has compared i thought it'd be a good setup.

please correct me if im crazy wrong! I always find my answers on ephatch without asking, TONS of great info here!

BlownSi05
05-23-2012, 05:21 AM
I've found a few places that have the progress coilover set for $1k with a 2-3 week wait to ship (isn't that bad). I've heard nothing but good about progress so would this be a good set to get? I was thinking about getting the BC racing set but I have a feeling these might be better?

If you can get the Progress in a 2-3 week time frame, do it! Will be the best bang for the money and make sure to get a rear camber kit, possibly front camber bolts/plates (depending on how low you are going, and can't remember if the Progress had camber plates on the front already) and get it in for an alignment AS SOON as everything is on.


Im also interested in keeping my suspension a spring and damper setup. Time to change my oe shocks but i have HFP springs/kit. im curious to know if bilstein shock absorbers for the front have an optimized angle for the steering arm, and if that is why they are so expensive?!?! has anyone noticed if the toe angles are off by alot after install before an alignment? i dont really like the bump steer on parkway ramps.

since i like the ride with the springs and i imagine the height is dialed in for the geometry lastly i need an upper mount for camber. it may seem like a stupid question but if anyone has tried a pillowball upper spring mount with OE size spring i wanted to know if it was possible. physically i cant imagine it working but if anyone has compared i thought it'd be a good setup.

please correct me if im crazy wrong! I always find my answers on ephatch without asking, TONS of great info here!

Some good questions. Not sure about the steering arm on the bilstein shocks, but I know you can package them from Ground Control with their springs so I would assume they are optimized for each car. As far as price on the Bilstiens, that comes from being probably the best shock you can buy on the market. Easily re-build-able, reliable, and the quality of parts used, which are supposed be built to handle even the toughest racing conditions out of the box. Expensive, but worth it if you plan on really focusing on tracking the car. Daily/spirited driving I would look at Koni Yellows or another decent shock and save the money.

clean04si
05-23-2012, 12:13 PM
yea those bilsteins always have great feel. im planning on keeping the car for a while, since i just got the worn highway paint fix'd up nicely and all. ill be able to save a bit since i only want them for the front and maybe something more affordable for the rear. i stagger a comp/all season tire right now, f/r, 17/16" when i autox so theres plenty of quirks with the front end to fix, i want the dampers to be solid no matter what but ill def be needing some adjustability

im still curious about an adjustable upper mount without coilover?? feels like wishful thinking but i wanna know from someone who installed coilovers on ep/dc5 or has pictures side by side.

Popeye
06-06-2012, 12:07 PM
Well, I found that the power difference between our cars is the fact that my vtc actuator is hurting my top end power. So that's outta the question. lol