Which Springs?

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Sat May 28, 2011 5:31 pm

i'm looking for some new lowering springs.

my options are:

COBRA
FK
GMAX
H&R
PI
SPAX
WEITEC

this is all thats available in the UK apart from BC coilovers which are about $1250 over here which is too much for me

i currently have the SPAX springs (on factory struts (50k miles)) which is the most popular make for springs in the UK but i dont like them because the ride is REALLY hard so i'm looking for something a bit more tolerable for a DD

uprated struts aren't really an option coz they'd have to be imported from the US and the shipping cost is so high that for those and some springs comes to nearly as much as the coilovers.

any suggestions on what's got a nicest ride or am i best working harder ans getting the BC's ?

cgneon · Post by **cgneon** » Sat May 28, 2011 8:14 pm

out of all those i have only heard of h&r which are good from what ive read..

you cant order from like amazon.com? or ebay? for eibach, megan racing springs, tein s-techs.. etc?..

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Sun May 29, 2011 6:09 am

I've found the Megan Racing springs on amazon.com but the high cost of shipping from US to UK makes them nearly $400 for the set, about twice as much as the ones i mentioned previously.

On ebay i can get:

TEIN S-Tech which are about the same price as the ones i can get here ($240) and have 1.5" drop

K-SPORT which are a bit more at $275 and also have 1.5" drop

TEIN H-Tech are $300 and are 1.4" drop

EIBACH Pro-Kit are $320 and are 1.5" drop

EIBACH Sportlines are $350 and 2" / 2.4" drop

all those prices are inclusive of the shipping to UK

what would you say is best ones for the nicest ride ?

esteinmaier · Post by **esteinmaier** » Sun May 29, 2011 8:14 am

Eibach has a reputation for consistant metallurgy. Basically that means the car should settle more level than most. I would, however, stay away from sportlines. They drop too much and it's too easy to blow struts out.

cgneon · Post by **cgneon** » Sun May 29, 2011 11:59 am

tein s-techs...

esfan · Post by **esfan** » Sun May 29, 2011 12:52 pm

That's really expensive. Probably H&R or Tein?

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Sun May 29, 2011 1:43 pm

It is very expensive!

generally the UK is expensive for car parts anyway and the cost of labour if you were having work done at a garage is crazy (usually about $100+ per hour ... for main dealer about $200 per hour)

the H&R Springs are £221.97 ($365.28)
the Tein are about £172.30 ($283.67)

The others i mentioned are:

COBRA - 40mm all round i think too low for factory struts
FK - £145 = $240
GMAX - known cheap & nasty
PI - also known cheap & nasty
SPAX - not buying again
WEITEC - £156 = $256

as FK and WEITEC dont seem very popular it looks like the TEINs are the best option

thecause17 · Post by **thecause17** » Wed Jun 01, 2011 9:17 pm

I'm happy with my Eibach Pro-Kit. I got 1.5" front, and 2" in the back for some reason. The ride to me is no worse than the stock R/T suspension was, but mine did have almost 100k miles before I replaced them.

greybox · Post by **greybox** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 7:35 pm

the eibachs are great, thinking ksports here this fall...prices for all of these on ebay is quite a bit cheaper...the vogtland springs are good too (had them on my scion-very progressive performance spring)

The_Grimy_One · Post by **The_Grimy_One** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 3:44 pm

I am in the US and can get whatever lowering springs... I am thinking of grabbing a set of KYB struts, what springs would go good with these, that I am not going to have to replace every so many miles, or should I just get new struts and skip the spring hassle? I assume the more modest lowering height, the better.

(Sorry, didnt mean to hop onto your thread, I am just curious as well.)

OB · Post by OB » Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:19 pm

Though people are recommending TEIN S-techs, no one has mentioned that they won't help your ride quality concern. The S-Techs drop 2" all around (low) and will bottom out on a regular basis (even with cut bumpstops). The problem with a lot of the springs on the market for the Neon is that they are too soft. The TEINs are on the stiffer side (201/197 lbs/in) and they are just as bad as the rest. I would go with something along the lines of the Eibach prokit, which ride a lot better than the TEINs and don't drop quite as low.

greybox · Post by **greybox** » Tue Jun 07, 2011 9:35 pm

tein-h tech are supposed to be good...more stock ride firmness and 1.5 inch drop (if you want teins)

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 5:55 pm

I Think i'll be going with the Eibach Pro-Kit

Adam G · Post by **Adam G** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 8:41 pm

prokit is nice I got a set laying in my barn since we put coilovers on my brothers neon

Donkeypuncher · Post by **Donkeypuncher** » Thu Aug 25, 2011 11:32 pm

You could try finding the H&R limited edition springs, they were $99 last time I checked- http://www.silverimageracing.com/pd-edi ... -00-05.cfm

Not sure what shipping would cost though.

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 2:30 pm

Ah well i've had to take apart my rear suspension today to find the cause of an annoying rattle and im sure my rear struts are shot.

i'm thinking about completley renewing all 4 corners!

coilovers are just too expensive for me at the moment having spent $1000 on a telescope and $400 on exhaust.

i've seen on Rockauto they do LEACREE strut assembly which gives you everything in 1 assembly - strut, spring, mounts etc ready to bolt straight in.

they are about $80 per corner, so im thinking about getting these and just swapping the springs out for the new lowering springs i choose.

they also have Monroe ones for about $20 more each

good idea .. or will these struts suck ?

im looking for a bit of comfort coz my car is my dd but im not keen on having it un-lowered coz i think it looks crap.

OB · Post by OB » Mon Aug 29, 2011 2:46 pm

Never heard of "Leacree" suspension but Monroe is legit. That sounds like a good plan though, not a bad price at all if the quality is good. Maybe someone else has experience with them.

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 3:54 pm

Point taken about the Leacree's.

I just wonder how the Monroes would cope with lowering springs ...

OB · Post by OB » Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:00 pm

Any "OEM replacement" strut is not designed to be used with lowering springs. They are valved for the frequency of the stock spring rates, and will not perform properly with shorter, higher rated springs. This doesn't 100% mean that they won't last or that they will ride bad, it just means they won't perform correctly. They might blow in a year, they might last 4 years, there are too many variables to consider (road conditions, miles driven / time, etc).

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:06 pm

that sucks.

so whats my best options for replacement struts with lowering springs...
... without the expense of coilovers.

or do i go back to stock for the improved ride comfort and hope of longer lasting components.

EDIT

i've just priced up the strut assemblies and lowering springs and including delivery across the pond, then with tax and import 'fees' it actually works out £50 ($80) more than the BC coilovers

greybox · Post by **greybox** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:33 pm

I have heard that the SRT struts will hold up to lowering springs much better because they are made to work with a higher rate spring, the downside being that the perches are 10mm higher so you would loose 10mm of the lowering the springs have. So if you can find factory new/used SRT struts in good condition they might save you some coin.

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 4:50 pm

thats a good idea ... the problem of the cost of shipping here from the USA costs a fortune.

hence its cheaper to buy the coilovers from BC Racing UK ...

i guess i'll just have to save up

OB · Post by OB » Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:46 pm

It looks like anything but coilovers would be a waste of your money with all the fees etc when you look at what you're getting for the price. Considering that coilovers are the absolute best option for suspension anyway, I would save up and do it right. If you want to maintain a softer ride, have BC revalve them with lighter springs (no extra charge). You won't be able to go quite as low as you would with higher rated springs, nor will it handle as well as it could, so it would be a compromise, but it is possible. The standard BR-Type rates are fairly mild though, so they should be bearable unless you're very particular about comfort. Mine are almost twice the rate of standard BC BR rates and it's hairy to say the least.

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Mon Aug 29, 2011 5:56 pm

i dont mind losing some comfort for a good look but with my current setup it feels like my suspension consists of an iron girder and every tiny little bump in the road is awfully uncomfortable and frankly it gets damn annoying

nerox · Post by **nerox** » Wed Sep 07, 2011 1:43 pm

can anyone comment on ride quality with a set of BC coilovers?

2GN.ORG

Which Springs?

Which Springs?

Strut assembly replacement