A friend of mine has a 5th gen that just got rear-ended, and needs to have a bunch of stuff replaced...he needs to tell the shop what he wants to do asap; his shocks and springs are dead, so here's the question...

he's been on H&R sports for a while, and the ride and height work well for him...what coilovers should he get?

I'd have searched, but I kind of need 'real' responses, if you know what I mean...

Edit: this suspension setup would be for daily driving. Car is not tracked or autoX'd. Just needs a 1.5"-2.0" drop and good ride quality


[Modified by Regal, 1:08 AM 3/12/2003]


[Modified by Regal, 7:46 AM 3/12/2003]

 

[the top]

 

why not get some springs that give him the right drop he is looking for. rather than mess with coilovers. they are a pain in the *** to match-up anyway.

 

Because a full coilover setup works a lot better than just springs on OEM shocks. Also to prevent camber problems.

Anybody?

 

ground controls are always good... i have ground controls with custom rates 550 front 450 rear... matched with koni yellow struts... couldnt be better!

good luck.

 

I agree...Ground Control...While I have only been driving for 4 days on them, I love em.

 

Camber is going to be an issue regardless of whether you use coilovers or shocks+springs in the typical Prelude fashion. Camber is going to change as soon as you lower the ride - it's dictated by the design of the upper and lower arms / links.

I've used KYB AGX shocks w/ H&R Race springs for 2 years, and I autocross it. Works very well, it's cheap, and only makes weird noises in the winter when I first start driving (though I think all 5th Gens to that).

Coilovers need to have each spring perch adjusted manually, and it's a painstaking process. Not worth the effort if there's no autocrossing involved.

 

you dont put 450/550 springs on a daily driver. i dont think you ppl even bother to read the original post.

if all your friend is looking for is a drop for looks, then he doesnt need coilovers. ground controls arent the "full" coilovers that you are looking for anyway. the "full" ones run in the $1k range, because these have the shocks attached. with ground controls, you would have to buy shocks as well.

if your friend was happy with H&R.. i say he should just stick with them. its the cheapest way to go and is exactly what he wants. pick up a set of KYB AGX or Koni Yellow shocks and he will be set. you shouldnt really run lowering springs on stock shocks.

 

That looks like the main choice now...I've heard Koni Yellows are quite a bit better than the AGXs. The reason he was trying to find a full coilover setup is because matching springs and shocks is kind of subjective, like the "what exhaust is quiet" question. Some people will tell you some handle like ****, others will say it's great.

So...one last question. Will Koni Yellows and H&R Sports handle significantly better than OEM+H&R? Insurance is paying for all of this, so he's thinking he might as well get something better out of it.

 

I would go w/Ground Controls..

I have used them for over 1 year w/zero problems (I also use KYB agx dampers.) this is my auto x setup.

Springs are great...until you need to change something. Adjustability is extremely valuable to me. ie, my street tires are 17" and my track are 16". I put a slightly lower drop when I auto x for better handling, and better looks

Nothing would **** me off more, if I paid for springs and wasn't satisfied w/the drop..

Adjusting coilovers to the same height isn't that hard..just take a tape measure and measure from the movable perch, to the base of the threaded body..then set the other side the same...

 

if your friend isnt gonna race or anything, getting coilovers would just make the ride more harsh. tell him to get PROGRESS sport spring, they are very very high quality springs. they have a progressive spring rate so when you arent taking hard turns, it is softer ,but when you take hard/harder turns, it gets stiffer. they are very nice springs. then get a set of KYB AGX"s and you will have an awesome ride!the PROGRESS spring give a 1.5in drop and settle to about a 1.7 in drop and so you wil have a lifetime warranty on the shocks/struts

 

If you must have coilovers and it is for a daily driven lude. I would suggest the Tein SS (8K Front, 4K Rear). They have probably the lowest spring rates for a coilover and are intended for the 'street'.

http://www.tein.com

 

yup i can attest to that in about 2 1/2 days

 

koni yellows and ground controls provide a great ride and the ground controls have a really nice spring rate for daily driving.

 

i think tein ha is good.
everyone keeps saying the ride is hard, etc. but i think it's good for daily driving.