xd69

iTrader: (1)

I will soon be restoring the suspension on my EK and I came upon these two setups as my top two choices.

Both have high praise
Both offer lifetime warranties
They are similarly priced when you include top hats in the Koni/GCs
GC uses Eibach Springs while AMR uses Hypercoils

In terms of spring rates, my old setup was 500f/300r and it felt pretty good but i was thinking of upping the rears to abut 350r. I am going to be using the car as a daily with some spirited driving when the summer rolls around.

What do you guys suggest?? (I am especially looking for opinions on AMR since there is a thread almost every week about Koni/GCs)

1.5Slowmatic

why do you need the top hats? if your considering MR than that means you want something that performs and wont be hella gaydumpt. so there is no need to get the top hats.

that said, can't go wrong either way.

xd69

iTrader: (1)

Only reason i brought up the top hats is because you get 4 beautifully machined top hats with the AMRs which adds manufacturing and material costs not present with the Koni/GCs, which can make up for the difference in price

racebum

i'd soften the front and harden the rears. 500/450 is a fun street combo.

as for what you buy? how much money do you have? the AMR's are better and about twice the cost

Libertariat

This is really an apples oranges comparison. AMR's are a much higher price point.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

AMR's are at least $400-$500 more than a Koni/GC setup. Unless you think you MUST have separate height/preload adjustment, shortened shock bodies, I would get the Koni/GC. Not to mention Koni Sports are essentially infinitely adjustable.

Not knocking AMR at all, they're probably the lowest-priced quality coilover with separate ride height and preload adjustment. Just saying, you really need to weigh the benefits of one vs. the other before spending $500 extra on AMR.

xd69

iTrader: (1)

What? How can they be $500 extra?
Advertised price is 1450. Andy is hooking up HT members with 25% off as seen here:
http://www.hondamarketplace.com/show....php?t=2802185

So AMRs come out to $1160.

Koni/GCs are priced at ~850 + (120*2) for tophats = $1090

(Once again, i am adding the cost of tophats to be fair. The AMRs come with top hats and have a shorter shock body so GC top hats kinda levels the playing field. Alternatively, if i knew the cost of the AMR top hats, i would subtract that from the total cost to compare equal products.)

Libertariat

If you don't need extended top hats then the Konis would be a better bargain if you're just comparing them as if they're similar.

98civdx

I am sure you can PM andy and speak with him about ways to save a couple bucks.

I remember seeing him post some where he said he would use different springs to get the cost down. I belive he uses hypercoil springs.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

Did not know about AMR's H-T discount.

racebum

that being the case AMR is a great buy at the moment,

Libertariat

I know

xd69

iTrader: (1)

OK now that the price issue is out of the way, can i get some opinions about the AMRs?

So far the only reviews i have found were from people who had just installed them or that were using them to ride slammed.

PreyStayShun

https://honda-tech.com/forums/wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-48/%2Alifetime-warranty%2A-amr-engineering-coilovers-24-way-adjustable-custom-applications-more-1659160/

^thread from the release....39 pages of people who ordered and seemed rather satisfied. I know the thread is outdated and its a FS thread but a **** load of people commented after installation who seemed satisfied.

If you really want to get ganger PM one of the guys who purchased and installed and ask them how they've held up over the last years... I personally have heard nothing but good things about AMR.

I've got a friend w/a set on his EG and its on rails, little stiff for my liking but that was his choice.

There's not many times I'd take GC/Koni over another coil but for that price reduction you can't go wrong.

racebum

what review can you possibly want? opinions? those are almost worthless a lot of times. if the shocks have the ability to control the springs you're using and a smooth dyno plot that's about all you can ask for

xd69

iTrader: (1)

Because of the fact that AMRs have a lifetime warranty, id like to hear how they hold up over time and if the damper shows any sign of wear.

I especially wanna hear from Stock_Sohc_dx as he used to run a Koni/Skunk2 setup and is now rocking AMRs.

Libertariat

Well HE obviously thought it was a good move.

Skunk2 can't hold a candle to AMR.

gringotegra

AMR FTW...

Andy is a good guy and makes really nice coilovers.. i have a few friend that have them on their Evo's and they all love them.. one of them is an avid rally cross racer and he had off the shelf AMR's and after 2 years of racing last i heard they were still good!

wishingiam

I have both koni/gc ots rates, and amr 550f/450r.

Koni/gc, Ride was ok, felt like the ots rates are way too soft, or dampening wasn't up to par. My ride height was about 1.5 drop all around so I still had good travel. When driving around it sometimes felt like it was bottoming out, harsh like the uca hitting the front towers. I tried setting the shock soft-hard and couldn't quite get rid of the harshness.
For the money they ride ok for someone wanting an entry level setup, as they do handle decently.

Amr 550f/450r same ride height, rides firm/stiff without the bounce you would expect from these rates. They absorb the daily bumps on the way to work just fine and they corner great keeping the car flat. You get a full body coilover with amr, so it can just be installed, and the quality seems good. I just recently got these so longevity I can't vouch for yet, though they have been around for awhile and I have not heard anything bad.

The car these were run on is a del sol, with gsr front sway and no rear sway bar, all other suspension is stock with no tower bars lca braces/bars. The amr suspension is firm enough to the point where imo the car even rattles and squeeks less.

Between the two I'd have to say amr is a great buy for the money. If I had the same spring rates for the koni/gc then I'd really compare them. But this is my experience with these particular setups.

STOCK_SOHC_DX

I went with the AMR's because I wanted to go with a stiffer spring rate. The benefits of adjustable shock body and not putting any load on the shock before any spring pre-load was nice but honestly either set up is great. IMHO I would send Andy a pm and see if he can build you a set that candle handle a stiffer spring rate but will be fine to run the rate you want to run. That way in the future if you decide to auto-x and need the stiffer rates your shocks will have no problem handling it. Also the another reason I switched it seemed like Koni's customer service has dropped off a little bit since CRX Lee's hiatus. For right now my coilovers are still holding up like brand new, but they are only in it's infantcy compared to Pat's Koni's.

*edit*
I forgot to add that after my first set turned out great, I actually ordered a another set for my 2nd car.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

That's not really a fair comparison. You would need to compare Koni/GC with spring rates closer to AMR's spring rates to truly decide which one is better than the other.

wishingiam

I wasn't trying to compare them against each other. Just sharing my opinion on each one. I don't know how else to word it.
I'd like to use 500/400 spring on the koni, but that's probably not going to happen anytime soon unless I could get all 4 springs under 200.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

I was saying it's not a fair comparison because you can specify spring rates when you order GC's, at no additional charge if I'm not mistaken. I personally wouldn't use GC's OTS "special kit" rates, because like you said they're a bit on the soft side unless you barely lower the car.

wishingiam

Yeah the ots rates are very soft. I did get them for my other daily thinking it would be good for all around driving, but quickly found out the rates are way too soft. Been looking for some 500/400 springs, or might just wait and save up for awhile and get another set of amr coilovers.

Doctor X

So far my AMRs have been nice, although I need stiffer compression valving at my ride height. My car is pretty slammed though haha. In any case, Andy has taken care of me and he offers a quality coilover. He offers a lifetime warranty, variety of spring rate options, etc.

One downside though is that his lead times can be long at times, but hey he runs a small company, so what do you expect. That's not to say that his customer service lacks though. I've only got positive things to say about my experience with him.