So i thought i had this figured out and then started thinkin about it again so i went to the FAQ section of honda tech to do some more homework. Now im starting to hear people say that because Tein makes the strut and the coil so in theory they are made "perfectly for eachother rather than goin to two different manufacturers. If Ground control is the best adjustable sleeve on the market does that mean that it sacrifes performance to deliver that versatility? Basically i wont be doing to much track driving( or atleast not yet) so i probably wont be adjusting the height all that much right now. I just want to have the best comfort i can and good performance. Ive heard people knock the quality or Tein struts saying that they dont use the best for what they charge. Many have said that GC Sleeves-Koni Yellow Struts and maybe some top hat mounts will deliver more quality for the money... do you agree? thanks again fellas MUCH LOVE N RESPECT

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sleeperteg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Many have said that GC Sleeves-Koni Yellow Struts and maybe some top hat mounts will deliver more quality for the money... do you agree? thanks again fellas MUCH LOVE N RESPECT</TD></TR></TABLE>

I do agree with that statment (although I am one of those "many people" )!

The thing is that their is no such thing as "perfectly matched" damping for any given spring rate (it's more a personal preference). While the damping is used mainly to control the springs movment (in which case a "perfect match" would be good), that is not it's only function. It can also be used to control body roll timing, front & rear balance (over & understeer), and probably several other things I don't understand yet. Damping rebound adjustment is a great way to fine tune how the car behaves at the limit of adhesion (where you spend most of your time during racing & sport events). If you don't have adjustable shocks, you are stuck with what you have. Then the only way to fine tune the behavior of your car is to purchase more & more parts (sway-bars esspecially). Also, as your tastes mature, you may want a different feel to your car. Koni's make that possible...

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sleeperteg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">If Ground control is the best adjustable sleeve on the market does that mean that it sacrifes performance to deliver that versatility?</TD></TR></TABLE>

No! Ground control packages the highest quality springs (eibach ERS) with top quality sleeves & hardware. Their versatility comes from being able to chose any spring rate you want (or having one recomended to you). And since the springs carry a 1 million mile warranty (lifetime), their are no worries about sagging, rate changes, or breakage. Also, GC is the only company (besides Koni) that makes a special sleeve to properly fit the Koni shock (koni has a weird spring perch setup). Combine all that with some extended top hats for the front & you have more features, the best customer service, and better manufacutring quality than any sub-$1500 full coilover setup...

 

the whole "the shocks are made perfectly for the spring rate" arguement is baseless and silly. if the shocks are adjustable, then they are not perfectly valved for the spring rate. that being said, if you look at the shock dyno thread at the top of the forum listing, you can see comparisons between the valving of various shocks (tein and koni among them). the graphs on the tein dampers are not as detailed as the koni dampers, but by looking at the curves and range of adjustment you can see how koni's dampers are superior.

combine that with the ability of the konis (through their 100% range of adjustment, meaning full stiff is twice as stiff as full soft) to handle a wide range of spring rates (from below stock to around 550 lbs/in, with OTS valving), and you can see that koni's dampers can be adjusted to be a close to perfect (read: subjective; based on driver's opinion) match for whatever rates you choose to run (within the afore-mentioned limits). if you want to run a spring rate higher than 550-600 lbs/in, koni provides race dampers capable of handling up to 1000lbs/in comfortably (to the shock, anyway).

aside from that, if you keep your car off the track, koni offers a lifetime warranty on the shocks.

The versatility of the koni/gc setup is a major selling point; however they're not shiny green, or jdm . this can be a problem for some. if i were you i would think long and hard if the performance and versatility outweighs the lack of shiny green jdmness.

i went with koni/gc.

 

forget the shiny stuff... i want good stuff for my car... sounds like thats the way to go.... my only question now is will extra weight in my trunk create any kinda problem for my suspension? goin over bumps and stuff like that. i have a 10W7 in a big box with 2 amps on the back. Should i think about the top hat mounts to help with this or anythin else i need? i also heard that replacing the bushing at this time with oem or performance bushings is a good idea... anything i might wanna lookin into replacing in the near future that ties in with the suspension.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sleeperteg &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">forget the shiny stuff... i want good stuff for my car... sounds like thats the way to go.... my only question now is will extra weight in my trunk create any kinda problem for my suspension? goin over bumps and stuff like that. i have a 10W7 in a big box with 2 amps on the back. Should i think about the top hat mounts to help with this or anythin else i need? i also heard that replacing the bushing at this time with oem or performance bushings is a good idea... anything i might wanna lookin into replacing in the near future that ties in with the suspension. </TD></TR></TABLE>

go oem with your bushings unless you have a specific goal in mind with stiffer bushings (i.e.: want to feel miniscule cracks in the pavement, want somewhat more predictable turn-in due to increased feedback, etc...). it all depends on what your goals are for the car or if your bushings are worn to the point of needing replacement.

 

I wouldn't replace any bushings until the original ones are cracked & distorted up (usually the big trailing arm bushing is the first to go). Here is a link with some great info on trailing arm bushings (click here).

It's also much cheaper to replace the rear LCAs with new OEM ones than it is to buy 3 new OEM bushings per arm and pay someone to press them out/in (usually $10 each).

 

rite on fellas.... im gonna take a look at that link you sent when i get a chance to sit down and take some time with it... MUCH LOVE N RESPECT