Springs

[husker741]

Originally Posted by N1rve

No, the car is engineered to have this motor fitted to the chassis. The car is not engineered to be fitted with aftermarket springs. This causes extra wear and tear on the strut/shocks which will lead to premature failure.

As I said again... feel free to invest in whatever you want.



Link?



The OP must consider that a faulty install could also result in a blown strut/shock which means spending more money.

Koni yellow shocks are about 650 dollars for the entire set, add in 200 dollars for the springs = 850 dollars.

You can buy megan ez racing coilovers for 680 dollars on ft86speedfactory. Tien are only 830. You're saving 170 dollars or 20 dollars.

That 170 dollars is a significant amount of money for another mod.
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Eibach Springs are 260 new.

The spring/coilover debate is never ending. However, OP asked for what to look for on used springs. You're not helping him.

Also, telling someone to get Megan coilovers that cost only $600 really takes away your credibility for your coilover argument. My RCE Yellows will ride better than most coilovers that are under $1500. And they cost a fraction of that.

For the sake of the OP's question, I would personally just stop posting in here if I were you so he can get his answers.

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by husker741

The spring/coilover debate is never ending. However, OP asked for what to look for on used springs. You're not helping him.

Also, telling someone to get Megan coilovers that cost only $600 really takes away your credibility for your coilover argument. My RCE Yellows will ride better than most coilovers that are under $1500. And they cost a fraction of that.

For the sake of the OP's question, I would personally just stop posting in here if I were you so he can get his answers.

I don't see how a proper coilover system is bad in anyway. If saying that what you invested in is the "better" and it helps you sleep better at night... Go right ahead.

To answer OP's question -- check for rust/paint damage.

[fatoni]

Originally Posted by husker741

The spring/coilover debate is never ending. However, OP asked for what to look for on used springs. You're not helping him.

Also, telling someone to get Megan coilovers that cost only $600 really takes away your credibility for your coilover argument. My RCE Yellows will ride better than most coilovers that are under $1500. And they cost a fraction of that.

For the sake of the OP's question, I would personally just stop posting in here if I were you so he can get his answers.

pretty much took the words right out of my mouth. as an aside, there was talk about the car designed to be 20mm lower than it is now so that is something to consider when looking at springs on stock shocks (provided you run appropriate bumpstops)

[FlamingRectumSyndrome]

Sidestepping the argument... Four years ago I installed Tein lowering springs on my Miata. Dropped the car by 1 1/2 inches. Made a huge improvement in cornering.

At the same time I installed a set of Koni STRT shocks, basically a replacement for the stock units. And, taking the recommendations of others who had done this before, I installed a set of FCR bump stops.

Bottom line:

On the plus side: considerably less body roll, much improved cornering, car looks better as well but that's subjective.

On the minus side: considerably stiffer ride, risk of spinal compression as the car routinely smacks the bump stops if you hit a pothole or other asphalt irregularities, bottoming out the frame rails on speed bumps.

I did manage to blow one of the shocks, but that was from hitting a curb hard enough to ruin a pair of RPF-1s. Two wrecked wheels but only one blown shock = lowering springs had nothing to do with it.

If you're buying used springs, I'd be sure they're physically in good shape. MOST important is that they're the same length (i.e. both front springs are the same length, both rears the same length, but not necessarily the same length fore-and-aft). If they're not, run away. I just changed out the blown shock last week; after four years the spring's paint was in near-perfect condition. If the used springs are chipped up or the paint is all scraped up where the springs seat to the shocks, I'd be concerned that they were improperly installed. Realistically, thought, it's pretty hard to bugger up a spring, short of heating it with a torch or cutting off some length.

[krulux]

Originally Posted by N1rve

They aren't a waste of money, they're a poor investment. Once those struts blow, you'll be paying money again for either new struts or coilovers. I would skip the springs and go straight to the coilovers to not pay twice.

Of course... Feel free to invest in whatever you like.

And yes, one of those threads I posted had a strut failure with eibach springs. So be wary yourself.

Cars in general are a poor investmet. All mods could be viewed as a waste of money. Your reasoning is valid, but it is not a be all end all for everyone and their goals. If my struts blow early, I'll replace with a nice set of Koni's... for a few hundred, still well under even a cheap set of coilpvers. Just because they are "coilovers" do not automatically make them superior.

Not everyone will track their car, some may even stay stock... If all your looking for is a mild drop and don't plan to track your can or run the Dragon's tail every weekend, then a simple spring swap is A GOOD investment...

[cooldandani]

Well I went today and the springs looked basically new he said only 1000 miles were put on it, he also gave me the stock springs and stock struts so I got all of this for 110 dollars

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[gramicci101]

That's not a bad deal at all. What kind of springs are they?

[cooldandani]

Originally Posted by gramicci101

That's not a bad deal at all. What kind of springs are they?

Tein s tech lowering springs

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[J_kennington]

Originally Posted by krulux

Cars in general are a poor investmet. All mods could be viewed as a waste of money. Your reasoning is valid, but it is not a be all end all for everyone and their goals. If my struts blow early, I'll replace with a nice set of Koni's... for a few hundred, still well under even a cheap set of coilpvers. Just because they are "coilovers" do not automatically make them superior.

Not everyone will track their car, some may even stay stock... If all your looking for is a mild drop and don't plan to track your can or run the Dragon's tail every weekend, then a simple spring swap is A GOOD investment...

Sorry but the bold comment made me laugh. Cause we JUST got back from the tail. Took 3 frs'. 2 on stock suspension and 1 modified. Mine handled it beautifully. Still planning on a 1" drop though.

[FlamingRectumSyndrome]

Originally Posted by cooldandani

Well I went today and the springs looked basically new he said only 1000 miles were put on it, he also gave me the stock springs and stock struts so I got all of this for 110 dollars

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A screaming deal. Nice!

[krulux]

Originally Posted by J_kennington

Sorry but the bold comment made me laugh. Cause we JUST got back from the tail. Took 3 frs'. 2 on stock suspension and 1 modified. Mine handled it beautifully. Still planning on a 1" drop though.

I hear ya. I'm looking forward to driving mine down the dragon soon. The closest we have around where I live is the area is outside of Calaway Gardens, several miles of nice curves but nothing over 40-50mph.

That said, I don't plan to track my car any time soon... but I do drive it daily and spiritedly on a few seldom used farm laden back roads. For me, the Eibach springs were just what I was looking for. I wanted to firm the ride a bit and lower a bit to reduce the cavernous wheel well gap at stock height.

One of the first mods I wanted to do was to put some wider but lighter wheels on my car. I caught a very good deal on wheels and tires on Tire Rack and thought I might as well pickup some springs while I was at it.

I was able to get new wheels, tires and springs installed for about $1800 total. The car now looks and more importantly performs exactly as I was expecting. None of the items I purchased are high-end and they are certainly not low end.

I'm sure the wheel snobs that run Ray's would laugh at my Enkei's, or the tire guys would scoff at my Continental's, and it's clear some folk's here look down on the Eibach's springs... but for me, a good investment is one that makes ME happy, and I smile every morning when I jump in my ride and rumble off down the road...



OP - just saw where you picked up a set of Tein's - good price! These should drop you about 1.5"... a little far for me, but still within reason. As another said, make sure the installer gets the bump-stops right (if they have to cut the stock especially) Enjoy!