"I just want to lower my car"
 

with so many threads about proper setup, pros and cons of changing existing setup (stock height, and tires and such). I'm quite hesitant on proceeding to change my car's current setup. I'm only using the car for daily driving and never do any tracks ( well, maybe someday but for now- its primarily used for daily driving). Its so easy to get carried away with so many choices for lowering the car- springs, struts, and coilovers. from the budget minded to anyone with the money to splurge.
I'm looking for advice on a setup that would lower my car- maybe an inch or so that would not break the bank- range of $900- $1200. whether it would be coilovers, springs or strut. got scared away with so many threads about cheap units that are made from china or taiwan that I've held of ordering till I hear from current user's of their setup.
there was a thread also that if you lower your car- it is advised to change tires that has more grip. ( i will be changing tires and wheel setup to 18 x 8.5 for the front and 18 x 9.5 rears).

advance thanks for the help guys and gals:happy0180::thanks:

1" drop with Eibach Pro-Kit w/ stock dampers. ~0.8" drop RCE yellow springs w/ stock dampers. About $250 for spring hardware.

Seems like the only available aftermarket dampers are the Koni yellow inserts at the moment. About $600 for four inserts. Need to cut/modify front OEM struts to make things work.

Cheap coilovers start at about $1000 and you basically get what you pay for. More expensive coilovers options go up to $3000 and beyond.

There's additional stuff that should/needs to be done with camber/alignment that will cost more money if you want to do things right.

I'm in a similar situation as you, but i already have my new wheels on. I also have my springs and Konis ready to be installed. Too bad the car looks so much cooler with the 1-2" drop, right?

Same boat here too. This car comes in to its own when lowered down on some plus one wheels.

I though will go the expensive coilover route. I learned from previous cars that you truly get what you pay for. The coilovers will be tuned to the spring rate and car versus piecing together off the shelf parts. True it is possible to accomplish the same and still get a good ride with the later but I want to do it once and that is it.

Once my wheels come in and get the tires I will start to piece together my suspension. The route I am thinking now is Ohlins coilovers with SPC rear lower control arms and toe arms. It might be overboard but I should be happy with the quality and ride.

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I went the RCE Yellow route since I wanted stiffer springs more than the looks. However, it lowered it just enough to fill the wheel well more and it does look much better I have to say. They're pretty cheap compared to coil overs so worth checking out - as long as its low enough for you.

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I'm running the Tein Flex and they have been great on the street as well as the track. A nice used set could be nice. Why dont you look in the classified section?

The only thing I have against springs is that you can never seem to get the drop to the perfect height like you can with coils. Just my 2cents


Jade86 has posted up a set and is in Cali as well. Seems like legit?
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19941

I'm very happy with my RCE Yellows. I'd say it's closer to a 3/4 inch lower, and they feel stock on the highway. It didn't stiffen the ride too much and they look great. Plus, they come with replacement bumpstops to prevent premature wear on the struts.

Another vote here for the RCE Yellows. My FR-S is my daily driver, I have had mine for about 4500 miles and I love the way it feels and the drop is subtle but still gets rid of the unsightly wheel gap. (I plan on sticking with 17's when I get funds for wheels). I just went with the springs, I almost shelled out for the Koni yellows but figured RCE designed their springs to work with the OEM shocks that I will keep them for now.

Mach V spring are perfect for the look and i love it, very confortable for DD also. Check my review on this forum for more details.

H&R springs or Hotchkis I'd go with

without any first hand experience, i can say that at least the people over at rce have at least done their homework. thats more than i can say about a couple of other options.

also, its pretty cool for a person to come to the forum with a more reasonable and realistic expectation of what they plan to do with the car.

RCE seems legit they have been open and honest with the members and have many satisfied customers,

You can also Go with the STI Spring option that offers a similar amount of low, 15mm is quoted (15/25.4=.5905) or about .6"

If you go coilovers, do not cheapen out. Keep in mind if you go this route have it pro installed unless you know what you're doing. Have a pro set it up for you according to your desire (longevity or for track use). Then check your setup ever so often as pothole and hard bumps can throw off your settings.

But if you are going to dd it, i suggest just lowering springs. Cost effective and not heavy on maintenance.


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I would wait for Bilsteins stuff, I work next to their motorsports division and I hear rumors of their stuff coming in the coming months.

thanks so much guys for the input. from what i gather , the consensus is - for DD, springs is enough to achieve the drop I'm aiming for without breaking the bank. for the record- i was initially going to go with stance coilovers but decided to wait for you guy's input on this. i guess , if i had my choice with coilovers- only kw3 or tein are my preferred choices.
now comes the hard part- which springs should i get? dang , so many choices again............................................. ............:iono:

If you are not tracking the car. then cheap coilovers will do just fine and with softer spring rate, you eont compromise too much comfort either. And companies like bc racing, they offer $50 per shock lifetime rebuild services. So you can have it pretty much life of a car. If you do end up tracking, i would spend few more bucks and buy kw

Thats a train of thought i had a while back when i got megans for looks. You can achieve the height you want to get that look. Again though for looks, the maintenance is not worth it as cheaper ones ones can break down much easier than quality expensive ones. Personal experience, my megans on my old evo front pass side damper was damaged after 6 months most likely due to all the bumps i had to drive through at my work parking lot. Rebuildng them can be a pain in the ass. Then again, weigh the pros and cons.

I'm in the same boat as you. I do want lowering springs when i get my wheela. Swift springs was recommended by my friend who works in acura.

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I spent 160 dollars on Tein S tech springs. I kept my stock shocks. Install took about 2 hours in my driveway.

My handling feels much tighter, stiffer than stock yet still plenty comfortable for daily driving. the drop is pretty low compared to other springs on the market, but i have not scraped or rubbed on anything, even with a wider wheel setupand full passengers in the car. Ive hit a few surprise bumps and potholes so far, even went airborne once, and haven't rubbed.

I went this route because a good spring and shock is better than a cheap coil, and this is not my track car so i dont need a 2000+ dollar set of track coilovers. If/when my stock shocks blow, ill replace them with Koni Yellows. But they seem to be holding up fine so far. I am extremely happy with my purchase, especially at the amount of money i spent.

thanks for the input but just to clarify, you went ahead and got springs first and when you blow out your shocks is only then you will replace them ? so for now, stock shocks (struts, is that right? - sorry about that - no automotive knowledge here at all) is what you are using?

I did look at Tein springs as my other choice if I do go the spring route.

one last thing, what tire wheel setup are you currently using since you have had no issues with rubbing? thinking of getting 18 x 8.5 fronts and 18 x 9.5 rears

thanks

Strut = shocks

The stock shocks can handle a middle drope springs whitout any problem.

Just don't drope more then 1 inch if you don't want to modify the suspension geometry too much and perfom an alligment after the installation to correct toe in and out.

You can't adjust camber without buying camber bolt for the front and rear camber adjusting kit for the rear. But 1 inch will not affect too much the camber enought to adjuste it.

Edit : you can buy also camber arms but more expensive and probably better.

Let's try and help this guy out with all the info,

A "shock" or shock absorber is used in the rear, it only has to deal with vertical (up, down) motion because the suspension has multiple links and keeps the shock from being loaded.

In the front however, The "shock" also has to help locate the front suspension laterally, therefore it has to be much more stout and is referred to as a "strut" in this configuration,

Our front suspension design is commonly referred to as a McPherson STRUT assembly,

It's like the all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares arrangement.

Also as a side note, if you want to adjust the rear camber, I would recommend getting the control arms instead of camber adjustment bushing inserts. The inserts are cheaper, but they are a PITA in to install, and you will most likely be having it professionally installed, which is a 3 hour job. Lower control arms are more expensive parts wise, but less labor so the total cost will be about the same. And LCA looks cooler than bushings :)

People are experiencing wacky camber in the rear after lowering the car. I was lucky enough to be -2.1 R -2.2 L, after dropping on Eibach Sportlines (-1.4in drop). I've heard people were off by +-0.6 on the right and left rears in some cases.

Rock springs until the stock struts blow out. Then go coils, +$1,500.

Correct. I kept my stock shocks and i haven't had any problems yet. I expect the life of them to be decreased vs. stock, but I can live with that. When they blow, ill upgrade to Koni's. Just be careful when you remove the top nut from the shocks not to mess up the seal on the shock piston, heard of a few people who blew their stock shocks immediately because they used an impact gun to remove the top nut.

I'm only running 17x8's +35 front and rear with 225/45/17's. I have plenty of room to go wider in the rear, and you could probably go wider in the front if you wanted, but its already flush enough for me. Im not really into having my wheels stick out past my fender, and i dont like the stretched tire look. I do think i could run that wheel size without any issues though as long as the offset was ok. Look up the Rota RT5 and there are pictures of people who are much lower than me running that wheel size.

I used an impact gun without any issue.

I did too. I was careful and i haven't had any issues, but i saw a thread where several people blew theirs. I used short bursts with the gun to loosen it, and it worked out fine for me.

This is an interesting post, a lot of choices and directions that you can go. Each person's set up will be determined by what you want to do with your car and your preference as far as looks and ride quality. With your initial budget in your first post of $900-1200, you would be very limited in your choice of coilovers. A KW V3, for example, is in the neighborhood of $2200. Very few quality sets are under the $1200. That may help you make your decision right there if you are not willing to go to a larger budget. Standard lowering springs are fine, but are limited. With coilovers, you have alot of setup choices and are able to change your mind and go to a different set up tomorrow if you choose to. I have been fortunate to have driven several different FR-S with all different set ups. Each is completely different and has different characteristics. Especially since it is your Daily as mine is my Daily, you don't want to hate driving it every day. The car is so well balanced right out of the box, I would hate to ruin that. Take your time and make the best decision for you, if that means spending a little more then that might be worth it in the end.

Guys who are going KWV3 are you also purchasing and installing LCA in the back and what is the set and forget known for adjusting camber with KWs up front? Strongly considering going from lowering springs to KWs myself.

the reviews I've read about kw v3 made me initially make them my first choice- it was only after reading so much reviews that I learned that maybe I don't need to spend that much because of DD use only. I do plan to eventually get LCAs if I go the coilover route. I'll let the pros answer your other questions with regards to camber.

thanks for the input:thanks:

I think a V3 is overkill for DD unless you have money to burn. Sure, it's good to have something nice, but come on. I'm sure they'll eventually come out with the V1s, etc. Or even the STs. Basically a V1 without the fancy coating.

Also, RCE/GTWorx has their new set for 1299 right now, I believe. But it's only for the first X number of customers. Didn't read it too closely, as I'm not in the market. Those are based off of KWs, IIRC.

Ok, I was curious so I looked for the link:

http://www.racecompengineering.com/i...-and-fr-s.html

I just ordered the RCE tarmac zeros...after months of research and a similar situation to yours(daily driver, maybe an hpde) this seemed like an awesome solution. A set it and forget it bolt on kit from an EXTREMELY well respected company for a killer price. What's not to love? A KW coilover built to RCE specs!

From RCE

"We targeted the mid range of the T2's for this set so that a potential "set it and forget it" track day/ back road kinda guy or gal could just get these, throw on stock mounts, add some front camber( -2.5 is obtainable as its slotted a hair) and have fun.

Intro special still going on until the first batch of 10 is gone. 7 left at this point.

Myles
RCE Founder"

Did you figure out what you wanted to go with yet?

Best,
Kevin

BC Coils for adjustability and inexpensive compared to coilover pricing

Yeah , I went with Tein S Tech springs. quality name and supposedly gives you the drop you're looking for. Wish I had taken before and after pics just so that I can show the drop but basically - before the drop you can put 4 fingers in the front fender well and now i can just squeeze one finger. the rear is the same but instead of 1 finger , its 2. hardly noticeable when looking though that one finger difference.
Ride quality is a mix up of good and bad. Good in the sense that, you have better handling in turns now and stuff ,but on roads that are not so good ( occasional bumps and not so perfect pothole fix) you definitely feel them. on perfect freeways, its very fun to drive , but on some that are kind of dated and have those lines every 20 feet or so, you feel them a lot more than with the oem springs.
Also , because I had them lowered and installed a staggered set up of Enkie Kojin wheels with size of 18 x 8.5 fronts and 18 x 9.5 for the rears, I have a camber offset of 2.1 degrees in the rear. I now need to install rear camber arms and rear toe arms to have that properly corrected. I planned on installing them anyway but not so soon, I guess my intake project will have to wait till i get that fixed.
I don't have a build thread yet, but you're more than welcome to look at my album to see the drop and my new wheel set up.

thanks:party0030:

nice!

We need more people with your attitude :thumbup:

Eibachs here. Love em.