I am in the market for new struts and springs and I have decided on H&R sports but as far as struts go I am undeicded between the tokico illuminas, kyb agx and the koni yellows. I want the yellows due to the great reputation they have however my fear is they are to much for me. Meaning I really don't know anything about adjusting the damping of the struts. So I am afraid I will just end up taking a great strut and runing it. The AGX seems easy enough since I will just set them on the 4th setting and go and probably same thing with the illuminas as ride comfort is a very minor concern of mine since the car is pretty much driven 2-3 days a week. I really just care about handeling and working on getting rid of my wheel hop I get every time I shift at high RPMs in 1,2,3 gear. So what do you guys feel best fits my application and why? Cost really isn't a factor here since they all seem to be around the same price for me (I work for a shop). Weird I know but the koni's are only like $40 more than illuminas.

 

ur running on low rates..there is no need for you to get koni yellows unless you decide to get stiffer rates..somewhere in the 500 lb per inch area. my car did fine on progress springs and the oem shocks. they still work too. for you, i'd say go with the kyb agx's since they are cheaper. they have a lifetime warranty as long as u dont lower over 1.5 inch and u dont have coilovers.

 

Ok well I ended up ordering the yellows since the price was to good to pass up for such a reputable shock. Now that I went that route I am realizing I am probably making a mistake going with the H&R sports and should really consider some stiffer springs. I can't have a huge drop due to the lips on the car being to low and if I put something like H&R race springs I will drag the bumper all over the road. However I still want race spring like spring rates so this leaves me pretty much with no options other than coilovers. I hear ground control makes custom spring rates. What rates should I go with? My primary concern is overall handling and helping prevent wheel hop. It is mostly street driven but not daily driven like I said above so being a little stiff isn't a big deal at all. I don't need it to be stuff like a road course car but stiffer than most people want on the streets isn't a big deal either.

 

my understanding about torque induced wheel hop is that the problem is more of controlling the engine rotation than suspension. i have found that just stiffening the front engine mount in my crx to nearly eliminate my wheel hop. thats still with choosing to use stock springs in my car.

im not sure what car you have, so you may not even have a front engine mount. but i would focus your attention related to engine mounts if eliminating wheel hop is your main goal.

you koni yellows are good. ground control offers a kit specifically for koni. i would just stick with their default rates. dont mess with custom rates. its about 380/250 standard. drive on that first and see how you like your handling before deciding on custom rates. you might just want to upgrade other suspension parts instead of custom rates like getting a rear swaybar as well.

 

Well I also plan to get traction bars and a front strut bar in the near future. Would having stiffer rates in the back help my launch or would it mess to much with the overall handling.

 

sorry, i have no experience in drag racing and setups.

generally however, stiffening the rear helps balance the car. but you dont necessarily have to do it by stiffening the rear springs alone, using a rear swaybar helps accomplish this as well. which is why i mentioned it. but it wouldnt affect striaght launches however.

but like i said, just get the GC kit first. then you can swap new springs in there and play around with your setup. you really wont know until you tried.

 

I definetly agree about trying both out but that can get expensive. Wouldn't I be better off just going stiffer right off the bat if I know I want it stiffer?

 

well, theres a spring buy/sell/trade thread. springs go for $60-80 a pair.
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=553330

think of it this way:

buy the GC kit, you get two pairs of springs (380/250), and if you dont like it, buy a third set (450), youve got 6 combinations of spring setups between switching rates front and back.

front/back

380/250
250/380
450/250
450/380
250/450
380/450

just get a custom set with a stiff spring, you just got 2 combinations to play with just switching front and back, and you dont have much to know if thats really the right setup.

so for $60-80, its not a bad deal. find the setup you like, then sell the extra springs for $60-80.

youre free to do whatever you want.