first, some details... (this is lengthy, but should provide plenty of details for those who are interested in this set up)

vehicle: 1993 prelude vtec
mileage: 104,000 miles

i finally replaced the stock shocks (11 yrs old) and the RS*R Down springs (~50k miles, 7 yrs old) with some KYB AGX and Eibach Pro-Kits. sorry fellas, i'm as old school and low-tech as they come and still don't have a digicam so no pics..

my shocks were well worn and i suspected that some may be blown as my car showed excessive body lean, along with other symptoms. and it became clear that the RS*R's were starting to sag (i am very surprised by this, as RS*R is known for making quality stuff) as what started with a ~1.5 finger gap all around sagged down to no gap at all all around. maybe the old shocks had something to do with this.

i chose the pro-kits because of their reputation and my previous experience (more details below) and chose the agxs because of their bang for the buck. wish i coulda got the konis but they woulda cost an extra $150. i don't autox or anything, just a daily driver that occasionally likes to drive fast so that $150 can really go elsewhere.

install (susp and brakes) took 4hrs this morning, w/ no major problems (on an 11 year old car, this is a BIG deal). a set of new brembo rotors were installed as well, along with new aem pads (my stock rear pads lasted 104,000 miles!!!)

i have driven total of ~80 miles so far on this new setup. so my impressions may be premature.

impressions

a) eibach pro-kits are by far the best set of springs i've owned. this prelude is the 3rd prelude (1st-93 prelude si, 2nd 97 prelude type sh) i've owned and the eibach pro-kits are the 2nd set of pro-kits i've owned. the first set was very impressive but i really had nothing to compare it to.

now that i've owned two set of pro-kits, one set of h&R sports (very good handling but the pro-kits provide a better ride), one set of sprints (complete pos btw) and one set of RS*R's, i am damn sure that the pro-kits provide the greatest ride quality with respectable handling. my first pro-kits never sagged and were completely problem free (springs should be trouble-free, but the sprints were terrible as they sagged and ride/handling got worse as they got older).

b) these agxs are the first set of aftermarket shocks i've ever owned. indeed they are better than the worn out shocks but i'm not blown away (yet?). for the money i paid, they are great. but the overall handling gains were less than what i expected. i have nothing to compare them to but must say that my 97 typesh with no mods handled about the same, if not better (as others know and I can confirm, the acceleration in the 4th gen are better but the handling of the 5th gen is hard to beat. take it from someone who has owned both 4th and 5th gens and have driven nothing but preludes for the last 11 years).

i have tried two settings so far. first i started with the setting at 2 fr and rr, and felt that the ride was no stiffer than stock. handling was ok overall. i then turned em all up to 4(highest) and i like this setting better. ride is not too stiff and i think the compliant characteristics of the pro-kits help to make the ride not too stiff. handling is of course better at 4 than at 2. maybe with more miles, i may go w/ a lower setting but things are pretty good right now at 4.

c) overall, the ride is now more composed and the car is more fun to drive, which is all i really care about. car is not as low anymore and i'm not scraping all over the place.

d) i also replaced the stock rotors and pads with aem pads and i cannot yet report on these yet as i am still breaking them in and haven't had a chance to brake hard. but i can tell that the initial bite has improved and it takes less effort to stop the car. i always felt that the brakes of the 4th gen were not as strong as those of the 5th gen. hopefully with this set up, the braking performance should improve. the quality of the brembo rotors are great. they really look good and appear to be of respectable quality. i got the slotted ones (open to all flames) and man... i don't care for bling but they do really look great.

e) i don't mean to repeat, but the install of the agxs were like putting in oem replacements. i didn't encounter any of the issues that ppl have installing koni yellows (e.g.,no brake line brackets, transferring rings at the base of the fr shocks, holes on the bottom of the rr shocks not lining up properly). i was impressed w/ the quality.

that's all! sorry for the length but i wanted to be thorough.

 

sounds nice, let us know how everything holds up....

 

I have the same suspension set up and I LOVE it.

 

chase and 95lude,

what settings do you have your shocks on? is it just me or the agxs set at "4" isn't THAT stiff, but just right? i think the pro-kits have a lot to do with it.

 

I have them on 4 in the rear and 3 up front. Pretty nice ride. I think the pro's do have alot to do with it though.