2G lowering

[Wolverine2376]

I just put 215/50VR16 BFG Comp T/A VR4's all the way around on my 2g TSiAWD AT. I now have a lot more real estate between the actual rubber and the wheel well. Being on a small (how about non-existant) budget, what is an inexpensive way to drop it 1 - 2 inches? Thanks for the info!

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[Mike@DSS]

Cut your springs. That is cheap! :-)

I have spring kits that lower the car about 2" that are only $150.
(street use only, not recomended for racing)

Mike@DSS

[PAUL 97GSX]

yea- you go cut your springs and then you can go hang with all honda/rice/ghetto buddies.

i highly recommend not cutting your springs. installing lowering springs isn't the best thing for the car, but its a hell-of-a-lot better than cutting the stock springs. i could go into a ten page explaination, but i'll save you all -in short, it just screws up a lot of the (expensive) suspension componets.

you can grab a set of eibach sportline springs that lower your car about 1.7" from carparts for about $190 (with the 33% off coupon) and that includes shipping! (or the shipping price it be for me). PLEASE, don't cut your springs. later,
PAUL

[spltscnd98gst]

Yeah...go with the Eibach Sportlines! My friend has it on his 2G and it lowered it really nice! But expect to buy a set of cambering kits and a good alignment. I dropped mine 2" with Sprints. The ride quality is not as good as the Eibachs though. But I'm happy with mine. Oh yah..since I put on 17" rims, I had to roll my fenders in the back to keep it from rubbing! Just thought you might want to keep that in mind. Fronts didn't rub.

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Ray
1998 Eclipse GST
Mods: 3" Thermal R&D, Greddy TypeS bov, Greddy IC Piping, Magnecores, dump tube removal, MBC, Sprint Lowering springs, strut bars, Autometer gauges, HKS timer, custom interior, 17" performance rims

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1204242&a=8883027&p=28969642&Sequence=0&res=high

[greenstreak]

Wolverine--Just remember that lowering a 2G 2" is not going to leave you very much in the way of shock travel. When you are bottoming out on the bumpstops all the time you may wish you didn't drop it so far.

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1995 Talon TSI fwd http://www.geocities.com/talonboy_91/images/smileys/camper.gif

[Mike@DSS]

Most of the responses you got are the same. If you want to lower your car more than 1.3" you are going to run into problems. That is why I don't recommend it. But if you do just buy some cheap springs, like the progress for $150, as the suspension travel is reduced a LOT and the car will not ride that great. The extra low springs will also screw up your roll centers and make the car not handle as well.
BUT THE CAR LOOKS GREAT!!! (The reason for me saying that they are not for racing, but just for street)
If you go look at pics of my car or DG, or Feja's cars, the best handling DSMs you will notice that they are not very low. :-)


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Mike@DSS
(805) 541-4483
www.diamondstarspecialties.com

[Jehu]

Heh, that definately made me do a double take! A handling guru advocating cut springs????!!! :)
Just out of curiosity, do most people on this board drop their cars for a perceived increase in handling or based purely on aesthetic reasons?

[spltscnd98gst]

I agree with what everyone is saying here. But I think that lowering a car 2" does help in handling (a little bit). Mine for instance is just lowered with springs (2" drop). Although the ride is not stock, I do feel the difference in turns. Before I installed it, I tested it with some sharp corners and some long curvy roads. I noticed that it grips better when I lowered it, no more tire screach when taking that long windy road. I like the feel of the steering too for some reason. It feels more responsive. But with a good combination of good springs, shocks, sway bars, strut bars, and polyurethane bushings, I think you can make it handle very well even though its lowered that low. For me, I lowered it more for the looks. I don't plan on doing any hardcore racing on the track or street so I thought it was okay to do. I plan on doing the whole suspension package sooner or later. But for now, I'm happy with the ride and looks. Just my $.02

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Ray
1998 Eclipse GST
Mods: 3" Thermal R&D, Greddy TypeS bov, Greddy IC Piping, Magnecores, dump tube removal, MBC, Sprint Lowering springs, strut bars, Autometer gauges, HKS timer, custom interior, 17" performance rims

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/View?u=1204242&a=8883027&p=28969642&Sequence=0&res=high

[thirdivzn]

I was planning on dropping mine with Eibach Sportlines...a 1.6" drop, as stated on the Eibach website. Would I potentially run into any problems? And if so, should I get the Pro Kit instead? I drive a 96 Eclipse...thanks...

[tsixr]

i agree that you shouldn't drop the car too low, besides all the reasons that have already been posted, our cars are already low to the ground..if you drop it say 2" you will have many problems with driveways and bumps, i have rsr downsprings on my 97 talon tsi awd with about a 1.7 inch drop now i have problems with many driveways, so i must drive up and down at angles now. by the way dont' forget to trim your bumpstops when you install your new springs.
dave
97 tsi awd
http://if.yimg.com/f/7715c504/h/tn_d18e03eb/myride1.jpg



[This message has been edited by tsixr (edited October 25, 2000).]

['96 GSX]

So what IS the best combination of springs and shock if I want better handling and ride quality but not for the looks? I don't want my car to bounce like crap when I cruise on the freeways. (especially CA freeways) I've heard a lot of good things about Eibach Pro kit(lowering 1.3") with Tokico shocks. Anyone have that combination?

also, I'm a little unclear as to the function of the spring and shocks. Does having good springs but bad shocks give you a good ride? Or the other way around? Or they both have to be good?

-'96 GSX

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Free mods, K&N Air intake , HRC UIC with 1G BOV, Auto Meter 0-35psi ultra lite boost gauge, Japanese version Greddy turbo timer, Joe P. MBC @ 15psi, Magnecore 8.5mm

[dsmperformance]

most of your ride is going to lay in the shock that you choose. the spring is there to hold the car up and to keep the shock extended, so to speak. some springs will tend to ride different and that is due to spring rate and length. if you are going to lower it, i would recommend using eibach pro-kit springs and tokico illumina shocks. lowering your car too much will just cause problems and your performance may suffer. if this helps you out, i'm still running the stock spring with the tokico illuminas and the ride is superb. i may lower it when i get my 17's though. and when i do, i will go with the pro-kit.

[vince orrico]

I met A guy who used the Eibach springs 1.3 drop. And he said after he did it it was more like 1.6. So he called Eibach to complain and they said A half inch was in their spec.

[DiamondsR4EVR]

I have a 99 GSX and I have heard good things about Eibach Pro-kits in combination with KYB AGX adj. shocks.
So I got both and now I'm trying to decide on a good tire/wheel combo. I'll be upgrading to an 18 X 8 inch wheel, so the larger diameter will compensate alittle for the spring drop in terms of ground clearance. I do like the look of lowered 2g's but the main reason I chose this combo is the adjustability and overall performance.

Jesse
99 GSX

[Tractionless in PA]

I installed the Eibach Pro-kit 1.3 drop. It was more like 2.25 though. I had to get a sprint extreme alignment kit because it wasn't even close to specs and too much adjustment was necessary. It was a nightmare. I took it to 6 different shops before I could find a rack that it would fit on and then the guy charged me $600 for the alignment because he had to make some custom tools or something. WTF?? Oh well, nothing I could do by that time. It's back to factory specs now and I'm happy. You could cut the springs, but not rec. if so, use a cut off tool, not a torch because the heat from the torch will change the spring rates and make you all, well, springy;)

[DiamondsR4EVR]

I went to my local dealership and asked the service manager if he could give me a 4-wheel alignment if my car was lowered. He said yes, but that my suspension warranty would be toast (which is fair). He said it probably wouldn't take any longer than a factory spec suspension. There was a thread on the Talon Digest a few months ago about aligning lowered DSMs and I heard that when shops charge you extra b/c your car is lowered, they are basically ripping you off. That custom tools line is a lot of BS.
I've heard some guys say their Eibach Prokit was closer to 1.5" than the advertised 1.3" but I have never heard of a kit lowering the car 2.25" Are you sure you didn't get the Sportlines by accident? Didn't hurt the appearance any! What a sweet ride...is that custom paint?

Jesse
99 GSX

[Tractionless in PA]

No, I know they were the right springs, I sell Import stuff all the time, and I triple checked the #'s on the springs first. I swear to god that's about how far it went down. It seemed to me that mine sat high stock though, so I dunno. My friend put the sportline's on his 95 AWD and mine is lower?!?!? Beats me really. Yeah, this guy that did the alignment claimed he had over 24 hours of labor. HA. He did trim back a lot of things under the car, such as overhang's, suspension crap he ground away, and some other stuff I can't remember. he could see where it was rubbing previously. Personally, I think I'm going to have him lynched. The paint is called Monarch green pearl, it's factory. it looks green sometimes, but more blue it night. it's weird like that. Thanks for the compliment!!!!

[97AWDTSi]

I have 97 TSi AWD with Pro-Kit and KYB's. It rides like the dukes of hazard car now, front smash on the ground like a 2"+ drop and the back still all jack'd up in the air.

Don't buy KYB's if you are lowering a 2G! Their shocks are actually too long and force the car to run on the Bumpstops, not allow for an inch of travel.

As of late, the company has finally admitted that their shocks will not work on a lowered 2G but on final on a 1G. Via email, they did assure me that by the Summer I would be able to purchase a new set of shocks from them that will correct their problem.

Ain't that nice of them! fu$k$rs!


D O N ' T B U Y KYB'S!

[wc_one]

One more piece of information to add. The stock front springs on an AT are about 1/4 inch longer than the MT springs. Since they only make aftermarket springs for the MT, your AT car will be lowered an extra 1/4+ (spring length plus weight) inch in the front.

[wc_one]

Oh yea, if you want to lower your car cheap, cut your springs. If you buy aftermarket springs you will also have to buy shocks, which is a lot of $$$. Either way, you still have to get camber kits which is also a lot of $$$.