PreyStayShun

My search is done: I've purchased and received my Eibach Pro Damper Kit (Struts/Pro Kit Springs Combo) for Civic years 92-95 and Integra years 94-01.

I decided to start this thread to give a true "out of box opinion" as stock pictures and bias always seem to win people over. I wanted to write this from somewhat of a third party perspective as best possible.

After recently purchasing my first DB8 something needed to be done, cut springs in the front and eGay coilovers in the rear give this car one $hitty ride let me tell ya'. In the past I've gone with coilovers for the tightest possible suspension but perhaps something has come over me???...because I decided to shoot for a stock-mild drop with moderate handling as this car is going to be my DD. Perhaps I'm getting too old for this stuff? No more bumping around the road for me though.

My goal with this car was the best possible struts and springs combo for under $500 with no more then a 1.5" drop giving the car just a little bit more attitude and better handling. Although I found no real reviews on the exact suspension set-ups/combo's I was shooting for, my budget and review reading left me with the following choices:

-Koni Str.t Struts/Tein H Tech Springs- $478 Shipped
-Eibach Pro-Damper Struts/Eibach Pro Kit Springs, $459 Shipped
-Used ITR Struts/Springs, Round $300+70 Shipping

To be honest I probably would have gladly driven any of these setups but a couple simple deductions came into my head that had the Eibach's win over. I had to put the kibosh on the used suspension...for that very reason. I've read tons of great information about the new Koni Str.t's and everyone seems to love them, but I'm not going to lie...I'm just not much for flashy set-ups so orange shocks and gold springs really were a turn off for me. In the past I've used the Pro Kit springs so from experience I can say they worked well. GREATLY improved the handling and body roll of my car (1989 MBZ 190e, 5mt) I've got no real information regarding the Eibach Pro struts to be honest but something in my head just kept leading me back to this damn kit so I bit the bullet and purchased. They came in via UPS today and I was totally impressed, for the sole reason that the springs are dark grey (almost black) and struts were black as well! All I could think was....*******. Sometimes stock pictures really throw a buyer off so I wasn't 100% sure what color the final product would be. This will give my car the most stock "UN-FLASHY" look possible and I'm totally excited about that. I'm definitely not knocking manufacturers for making flashy colors but I live in an area of theft so I'm running with the whole "maybe if I go w/black no one will know concept." The shocks/springs came with all necessary hardware and installation items of course... $460 for reputable shocks and struts is really not all that bad in my opinion.

Some Pics:


Strut/Spring:


Installation Instructions:


Thats really all I have for now, once the rain settles I hope to get them installed and get alignment of course. I'll follow up when I can for initial handling impression. I hope for this thread to be semi-educational for individuals who can't afford to throw thousands into their cars but still want to make an ill attempt "at having you cake and eating it too!"

bsmith100

I used to run Eibach Pro-Kits with Koni STR.t (orange) shocks. It was a nice set up. However, I felt the spring rates were a little too soft for how much it lowered the car. Although it was a million times better than the OEM shocks and springs.

Anyway, I am sure you will be happy with it. Eventually you might want to upgrade to something stiffer.

Tyson

the black rubber cap at the top of the shock body makes it sorta look like theyre koni str.t shocks.

do they happen to have a "made in [country]" stamped on them? i think koni makes the str.t somewhere in south america.

PreyStayShun

I'm not sure T- But I'll take a look at them and report back. I was actually looking at some pictures and they do look very similar to the str.t's, I honestly wouldn't be surprised if those two companies just ripped each other's blue prints and slapped different stickers on them. "Everyone's doing it." HAHA

Tyson

well thats not really how i would see it worked out. both companies are professional enough to handle proper outsourcing and rebranding which is normal business practice. but it would be interesting to confirm. it wouldnt mean anything about them being completely "identical" either, who knows what revalving they could have specified... or they could really be identical, different paint and stickers. we wouldnt know unless we dynod them or had some verbal confirmation from either side.

PreyStayShun

^I can feel that concept, either way both companies are reputable enough and I don't think many people would refuse to use either set of struts as long as it fit their suspension needs.

None the less I'll take a look when I get home, part of me wants to say these are manufactured in Riverside, CA but that could just be a distributing warehouse. I'll take a look and report back.

PreyStayShun

Here we go, not sure how legit this is but I think I was correct, looks like 90% of Eibach is produced in Corona, CA (Riverside County) I would imagine the struts are stamped and made in the US but I'll still take a second look:

http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/t...ngs/index.html

Tyson

uh, thats about eibach springs. were talking about the shocks...

PreyStayShun

I know the particular article is about the springs but the Corona facility is where 90%+ of their product is manufactured as well, in my mind I'd like to think that the struts don't fall into the 10% category. HAHA

See article:
"The Cali plant is where roughly 90 percent of the Eibach parts sold in the U.S. are made, and at any given time, the facility has over 200,000 pieces in stock. Since Eibach is the only suspension company in the country to house R&D and manufacturing in one spot, we figured they might know a little about how a spring becomes a spring...."

More importantly true research is better then online articles and BS so I'll take a look and post back.

classy.

I had those they were pretty good

bad 91 teg

do theyride good? do u have to use a spring compresor ? is the spring compressed or when u jack the car up is the spring loose

PreyStayShun

I wish I knew my man (if they rode good) We've had an onslaught of weird weather. Been wakin' up to sunny skies but only until the clouds have had a chance to come through with rain.

I have an excellent idea of how the springs ride (roughly 15% stiffer then stock, 1.25-1.5" drop) since I had the same springs on my MBZ 190E. In my head I know what to expect out of the springs but the Eibach struts will be a new world for me so I don't want to give off any false impressions.

When I put the springs on the benz a compressor was needed and the spring was seated snug when the car was in the air.

I hope to install within the next weekend (or two, weather permitting) and will post up any thoughts and results at that point. Sorry I couldn't have been of better service...but I didn't wanna lie and say "dat' chits da' bomb diggy" either.

bad 91 teg

...after installed please let us know..if u have to compress the srpring thats a good thing i think..gives the car a floating feeling when the spring is not compressed.. im riding on drop zone coilovers with new oem struts,and was toatlly disapointed .. i wasted my $. i want somthing good this time..im considering these

Gold DA9

these still sitting in the box?

Loubaru

Bump for results!?!

What set up did you end up switching too?

racebum

results will be:

soft

looks better than stock

might bottom out

comfy for a DD but too soft for hard driving / track


if that's what the op wanted it's a great fit, if he wanted sporty and or a major reduction in body movement he bought the wrong package

PreyStayShun

^^^100% correct, although this is indeed what I was looking for. Minus the bottoming out part which hasn't occurred as of yet, and I'm blessed with smooth pavement and no potholes where I live.

Drop is relatively even, TOTAL daily driver car which was my goal. Would I take it to the track??? Hell no...but I know better then that. For me, this is what I expected. A nice smooth DD ride that handles better then stock in every way. Can't wait to pair it up w/a rear sway...then it'll handle exactly the way I wanted it too.

I'll post some pics as soon as the new wheels come, ordered them today...I'm still sitting on steelies on the front and slips on the back which doesn't exactly do the new suspension justice (shitty tires, etc)... I don't regret my purchase in any way, the struts and shocks were $459 shipped to my doorstep, no tax....the price was right, million mile warranty on springs and 2 year on struts. It made a million dollar difference to my car's suspension and handling, comfortable and sporty

Edit: I'm a father of twins, with a DB7 (4 door sedan)...if a true DD is what your looking for I recommend this setup...If I was 20 again I'd run with stiffer springs.

evosix

Thanks for taking time out to start this thread! Can you tell us if they're in fact made in south america like the koni strts?

PreyStayShun

^^^We have a winner. Good call Ty (see below)


^^^The Springs are made in the USA, and the struts are made in Argentina...so yes, the struts are indeed manufactured in South America.

Cheers All

PreyStayShun

Update:

Picture of how the car sits after the suspension was installed, it still needs to settle...I expect it to get about a .25" lower...looks exactly the way it should considered they're pro kit springs, i'm happy with it:



Front (not rocking fender liners...so the gap appears higher then it looks via photo):


Rear:


I haven't gotten alignment yet, so I'll update the tread when that happens...in the meanwhile I wanted to show a picture of the drop since people have been asking.

tire: 205/45/16

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

oh man, that really looks high. Did you loosen all the suspension bolts, jack up the suspension to ride height, and then tighten the bolts with the suspension at ride height? If not, you need to in order to prevent the bushings from actually tearing (which is what most people perceive as "settling". Quality springs never "settle".

Dang, my OEM GS-R springs on Koni Shocks at the lowest perch height sits way lower than that.

PreyStayShun

Thats what has me damn confused Pat, I did exactly that. It was hard to tell how the car sits since I had mismatching wheels on it until this afternoon.

I've never owned a pro kit on a Honda so I assumed the car is sitting appropriately.

UGHHHHH....what the hell is going on here? Should i have gone w/ 205/50/16's? That doesn't seem right.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

Yeah 205/40-16 is about an inch smaller than stock, which automatically puts your tires 1/2" farther away from the fenders. I run 205/45-16 which is very close to OEM tire diameter.

With the bolts, you place a jack under the LCA right behind the brake shield and raise the suspension until that corner just barely lifts off the jack stand (assuming the shocks and springs are all installed). Then tighten all the bolts that go through bushings to spec.

When I had my HardRace bushings installed, I measured my fender-hub distance with the car on the ground, then while in the air I disconnected all the sway bars and took out the shocks and springs, and got the suspension up to exact ride height, then tightened all the bolts.

PreyStayShun

Nevermind...that was a typo on my part. The tires are indeed 205/45-16. In all fairness I believe I held the camera a little bit too close to the ground and was shooting upward. More accurately I have about a 1 1/2 finger gap in the rear, and 2 gap in the front (which I almost expected w/enough reading about these springs.) Does this seem about right to the best of your knowledge? Not that it makes a difference but my MBZ 300E sat very similar to this on pro kit springs as well.

I'm so paranoid I took a couple more pictures on level ground...these pictures seemed a bit more of what I expected with this Eibach Pro Kit.





No fender liners:






Here is a pic of another couple Integra's w/a pro kit, I feel like they look as if they sit very similar:




PS- Patrick thanks for the advice. I'm definitely going to give these instructions a shot sir, as far as the drop...this seems to be pretty normal for the pro kit springs from what I see.

PreyStayShun

Alignment completed today...I'm really happy with how everything turned out.

For the price the Eibach Pro System was an excellent buy, car definitely handles better than stock and stays completely comfortable in the same sense. It screams for a road trip with passengers in the rear seats which is a drastic change from my dc2 on super street coil overs. The height of the car is exactly where I want it to be; I do wish the front was just a tad bit lower and I mean a tad bit only (but this is my taste.) I've definitely become accustomed to the way the car sits with these springs. It sits higher then most peoples' taste, but it feels really nice not to have to worry about dips and bumps in the road and clear speed bumps with ease and I'd like to get the OEM sedan mud flaps. If your looking to go lower Eibach has the Sport kit that comes with their sport springs and pro strut combo for less then $460 shipped.

If your looking for a comfortable DD suspension that handles quite a bit better then stock with a good warranty this combination is a great choice.

I'd give this set up a thumbs up with a wish that the spring rates were just a little bit stiffer and no purchase regrets or complaints.

Cheers All!