FDragger

I've been thinking about ditching my GC's and AGX's (for my EK) and purchasing a set of real coilovers like tein or something like it. how streetable are they compared to a set of ground controls w/ aftermarket shocks?

someone give me the pros and cons

and advice would be great.

Guam_CiviC619

Pros: Full coilovers are a tuned matched set, equating to superior handling characteristics compared to the latter. Cons: Price wise full coil-overs are a hell of a lot more. If you blow out a full coilover, oh snap new set...

TruePlayaz114

i'm in the same situation. I was thinking about buying the GC but i want the best for my car and i'm trying to get into autox and stuff like that so is it worth it for the money. And how long do they normally last with daily driving

tonyxcom

Oh snap, you're dumb.

If you get Tein's or any other coilover with a service center stateside, you should have no problem getting your coilovers serviced.

I switched from GC/AGX's to Tien HA as well. Not that I didn't like the GC combo, but the AGX's couldnt run the higher spring rates I wanted, and I am not a big fan of Koni shocks.

I love the HA's. Harder to adjust the spring perches then on GC's, but once you ge the hang of it, its still pretty easy. I can raise or lower my car in about 20 mins.


[Modified by tonyxcom, 10:43 PM 8/27/2002]

vtecvoodoo

Oh snap, Tony is right. I had a problem w/ one of my HA`s. Took it to Tein and it was fixed in 20 minutes

B18C5-EH2

Oh SNAP!!!

BULLSHIT!!!

If you do some research you'll find that the "JDM" and other matched-set coil-overs with struts, threaded body dampeners, etc. have retarded-*** spring rates for your car.

Apex-i World Sports have spring rates like this:

FR - 447
RR - 178

WTF???

Since when do you wnat an ultra stiff front spring and a super soft rear spring combo for an FF car that already wants to understeer?

I run Koni Yellows with custom rate Eiabach ERS springs at 425 FR and 550R rates for my 1992 Cx with a B-Series swap.

I paid half of what you'll pay for a full coil-over set-up and I got to choose my spring rates exactly like I wanted them.

The car rides awesome and it handles killer as well. I auto-X it so I put it to the test and it impresses me every time I dirve it.

The konis list for $650.00 for a full set and the springs (that fit on existing coil-over sleevs and perches) go for like $250.00 or so.

So for $900.00 you get Konis and custom rates that you want.

I'm just not the biggest fan of full coil-overs because I'm budget minded and I wanted the most bang for the buck. My set-up performs awesome and doesn't cost a lot.

owen_the_soyboy

Pros of KONI/GC- proven reliability, superior availability/service, low cost for their performance, cutomized spring rates easily obtained.

Cons of KONI/GC- add more loot to get shortened shock bodied units, add even more loot to get double adjustable units, add some more money if you need upper pillow mounts to break your back but get incredible suspension feedback.

IMO the Koni/GC combo is more than enough for anyone that even asks the question "which is better". There are so many hardcore autocrossers and track racers that use the Koni'GC setup that it has been proven as a winning solution for years and years. I have more things to sort out before I demand more from my suspension.... like better tires (hoosiers) or stiffer chassis (A-Sports braces), etc., etc., etc.,

tonyxcom

You can order custom rates with HA's as well. And you can also reverse the springs as well.

I have stiffer front's then rears, and I don't find that my car understeers. As a matter of fact. All I need is a little trail brake to get the rear to come around.

F = 640lbs 26mm sway
R = 400lbs 22mm sway

Different driving styles require different setups. My setup is still not optimal for me. But it works. I can still unload the inside rear 2-3 inches off the ground. And the car transitions very well IMO.

Fuster_Cluck

I'm going to throw in my .01 since I have a little experience with this....

I had GC / Bilstein HD's on my 98 LX. I was dropped pretty low at about 2.75"

The one thing I did not like about this set-up is I was about as low as I could go. I still had 2 1/2 or so inches on the GC perch to move down, but the shock would then be all the way compressed and just be sitting on the bumpstop that was cut down to about an inch and a half. I probably could go another inch before the shock would be all the way compressed....

I am curious if full coilovers such as Tien have this problem as well? Does the ride quality decrease the lower you go? I would think it would NOT since this is a one piece assembly and they are tuned for each other.

I was reading in another thread about how Tien's ride like $hit.

sivik2nr

Hey Tom, how did you get custom rates with your eibachs? Did you just call the company, state that that's what you wanted, and then they made them for you?

<FONT COLOR="blue">Or how does that work?</FONT>


[Modified by sivik2nr, 10:13 AM 12/21/2002]


[Modified by sivik2nr, 10:15 AM 12/21/2002]

Bailhatch

shock body length is one of the primary reasons to run true coilovers vs sleve style adjustable springs and shocks. Most shortend body shocks (Bilstein, Koni) are not nearly as short as a coilover would be. You can actually have a few inches of travel on a car dropped 2" or more with true COs.

Kengs

I agree with tonyxcom

Other than a little higher initial cost, there is no downside to running JDM racing coilovers; Apex'i WS is NOT a racing coilover.

You can get Tein overhauled stateside; Endless-USA started offering the same for Zeals recently.

Coilovers like Tein/Zeal allow you to lower/raise your car w/o affecting spring preload. Plus you can run higher spring rates w/o having to have special valving...what's the stiffest you can run on Koni Yellows (stock valving)?

Solid uppermounts make a huge difference too...steering feels so much more communicative than with rubber mounted top hats.

BTW, my Zeal Function S (12k/8k) rode BETTER than KYB AGX/H&R Sports

ill phil

They have many different spring rates and lengths. I just contacted Ground Control when ordering my coilovers and requested different spring rates. Since this is something that is optional when buying GC's it was no extra charge. GC offers replacement springs with different rates for coilover usage. Just give them a call, I don't think a set is too expensive

chameleon

hmm..
let me stick in here just because im on GC now with stock shocks, upgrading to koni's but put that on a halt just cuz im dying for some apexi N1 coilovers..

so in my situation i want great ride and great handling.

CXHatchback

That was probably my thread. Ride quality is crap although the handling is great. I'd compare the comfort of my HAs to that of my GC w/stock shocks. Will upgrade to softer spring rates in the future to see if things improve.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

you you're saying your HA's rode like underdamped GC's... I dunno about that

.Ryan

Get something that has Adjustable Comp/Rebound...and Stroke Adjustibilty - Even without the help of shorter springs, full suspension travel can be preserved while obtaining any desired ride height. No helper springs.

civic23g

I have the Tein SS on my EK and I like em' a lot. They ride pretty damn well in my opinion. And they handle great,and this is their cheapest coilover. I can't imagine how great the RE model is.