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I'm very new to the forums so probably I won't get too much hate. I own a '95 hatch and it's currently sitting on stock suspension. I would love to lower it because the front is unholy atm, but I also sometimes have up to four people total in the car at one time. Coilovers aren't for me personally, but are there any lowering springs that will give me a noticeable drop and still have decent function? This is my proud daily btw as I'm freshly 21.
What have your experiences been with having a decent load on your lowered car?
Thanks in advance. 1995 Honda Civic VX
87,xxx original miles
Virtually any amount of lowering will require new shocks as well. You have options, we'll go from the bad ideas to the better ideas, coincidentally going from cheapest to most expensive. Cut springs on stock shocks. The worst thing you can do unless you like driving a bouncy castle. But it's free if you own a grinder and it gets you low. Lowering springs on stock shocks. Still a bad idea, because yes even though lowering springs are stiffer, you still won't have much shock absorption, so it'll still be a little bouncy. Not sure why coilovers aren't for you, they're about the best option for being low and still comfortable (comes with shock assembly, adjustable height, dampening, spring load), unless you go bags. Another option that I've come across as kind of the budget daily/race car is adjustable coilover sleeves. Yes, eBay is the best place to get them, they're about $50. They give you stiff spring rate for race car feel, but also height adjustment so you can change how low you want to be. If you're looking for a modest drop, they're great. I had to do a little modding to get mine to slam. I also would advise against using stock shocks will these, because same problem as lowering springs, bouncy. Every one has different opinions on which shocks are the best for lowering. Best to do your own research. That's what I did and I personally believe that to get the best performance out of a shock, you need to get an actual "lowering" shock. Depending on which you get, they can be anywhere from 1", 2", 3", etc. shorter than your stock shock, so you still have full movement of your shock piston. I went with TruHart lowering shocks. Got them on eBay in the $100 range and they're about 2" shorter than stock. Keeps you low and retains ride quality. I know this is a long post with a lot of info, but feel free to PM me if you have any other questions.
Another option would be to get a larger diameter tire. My 97 CX has 24.5" diameter wheels on it (185/65/15) and they fill the wheel well almost perfectly. Speedo is a bit out, but **** it.
Honestly I think your car looks fine it has 14'' rims on it if you are looking to just close the wheel gap and maybe lose a few mpg get some 15'' ls meshies from an integra you won't believe the difference in looks, if it's a daily driver and not a track car why lower it unless you enjoy scraping over speed bumps & avoiding pot holes especially with 4 people in the car, a low car looks great but at some point you have to choose between function vs form, I can see if coilovers are not for you if price is the underlying factor but on 14'' rims no matter how low you go it's still going to have 14'' rims which if you've noticed no car manufacturer uses that small of a rim anymore. I like the car the way it is i bet you can drive for a week on a full tank of gas with those wheels.
I've driven with 4 people in my hatch before and it gets pretty low to a 1 finger gap from stock and sometimes no gaps at all. You might be able to get away with it if you get stiffer springs maybe. I couldn't get up the driveway without scraping bad.
I ride 5 deep with almost a 4" drop in my wagon... It rides very similar to how it does with just me in it. Because of how stiff my shocks/springs are. Scraping can/does occur.
You can do anything. A 2" drop with slightly stiffer than oem shocks is gonna be nice if you want it to drive like stock. My Integra has had about a 2 1/4 inch drop on oem shocks for years and years. Nice soft ride, but crappy and unpredictable. Shocks are worn and need to be replaced. Does not scrape at all with 15" wheels. Millions of options you just gotta research what products are gonna do what you want.
12-20-2016, 02:33 AM
Modest Drop vs. Four Passengers
