I just bought a totally stock '03 Civic SI. I'd like to lower it some and get rid of the 4 wheel drive look. I'd also like to keep a somewhat stock ride to the car while also lowering it- a compromise!! I do not want the bouncy, hard ride associated with cars lowered too much. I'm only going to change the coil springs and am considering the Eibach Sportline springs with a 1.5" drop. Anyone have any ideas on this or has anyone run these springs on their EP3??....Dan

 

i dont have the eibach sportlines but i do have neuspeed sport's which has a 1.5 drop. i think a 1.5 drop is perfect...its not too low or high. id recommend lowering springs rather than basic coilerovers. one thing u will notice though when changing springs is that u will feel every bump on the road.

 

I would get shocks also so you maintain a stock ride...the ride may be a little stiffer though...I have ksports on my car and it is stiff but smooth ride

 

how far can you drop the ep3 before getting a camber kit. would a 1.5 inch need a camber kit for the ep3???

 

ive got tein basics and i love them , they are pricey but r also a great ride

 

I was also plannig on getting the Eibachs but i love Tein products. I was also looking for a lower ride height but to maintain a stock ride with a little less body roll...

I heard alot of the Tein springs tend to get a little "***-sag" after a while. Is this true?

 

It's tough to keep comfortable ride while trying to keep it lowered for more aggressive stance and handling. You're just going to have to sacrifice one or the other. I have Tein basic coilover and 2.0 drop made ep3 handle extremely better, but you can feel practically every bump on the road. I hear the Mugen SS ($1,000) keeps the car at comfortable rate. If you decide to get springs, buy shocks with it, the factory shocks can't handle the aftermarket springs and you will end up paying more later.

 

btw, the mugen SS do they come with pre set springs? i heard they are not adjustable. will the car be lower after installin them or do the mugens have the same as the stock SI ride height?

 

mugens give you a 1.5" drop. showa makes them along with the HFP kit as well. you should look into those two kits or the new omni kit that comes out in october. Fiddling with the EP3 suspension can cause a lot of problems because of bumpsteer issues along with other things. The showa kits are the only ones on the market that were made specifically to help these problems when lowering and give you the best possible results.

 

I have 2.0" drop neuspeed springs im still debating to put them on or not pending wheels and sways. but I was n a car with them and it was ok for my standards. looked incredibly sporty.

 

If you drop an ep3 1.5 inches or more you for sure need a camber kit not to mention your car will becomes an official kidney buster. As mentioned above the Mugen SS coilovers are really nice, a 1.3 inch drop, but they are $1100. A good alternative that I picked up is the Honda Factory Performance non-adjustable coilovers. They dropped the car an inch, but I got them brand new, shipped to me for $475, you will be hard pressed to find a better deal on new parts.

I really like the ride, with a thicker rear sway bar and better tires you will have a very nice handling car and your kidneys will retain there normal functions. If you are going for hardcore track use this you may want to consider Eibach springs with good adjustable shocks.

Hope this helps, welcome to the club.

 

Thanks to everyone for their comments on the lowering of an EP3. Keep the comments coming if you have any input or experience on the subject!

GIFF74 I'm interested in the recent comments you made about the Honda factory non adjustable coilovers. I called my local dealer here in the San Francisco/Bay Area in California and they could not help me with ordering the factory coilovers for my '03 SI. They claim the cilovers are listed for an '04 only and only come as part of a complete factory performance kit that includes ground effects, wheels and coilovers and retails for $3500.00-$4000.00. I also had them compare stock part numbers for stock struts/shocks for the '03 and the '04 SIs and the part numbers are different. That leads me to believe there may be a fitment problem with my year. Anyway, I'd like to get more info from you about your year SI, who you ordered from, etc. If you see this post you can leave a post here or you can email me at dan56chevy@yahoo.com. THANKS! Also thanks for your welcome to this forum. Dan

 

Get the SKUNK2 Racing lowering springs. I got them on my EP3 and it looks great. It dropped it 2.25 in the front and 2.5 in the back and still maintains a smooth ride. And Skunk2 always leaves customers satisfied...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 56chevydan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks to everyone for their comments on the lowering of an EP3. Keep the comments coming if you have any input or experience on the subject!

GIFF74 I'm interested in the recent comments you made about the Honda factory non adjustable coilovers. I called my local dealer here in the San Francisco/Bay Area in California and they could not help me with ordering the factory coilovers for my '03 SI. They claim the cilovers are listed for an '04 only and only come as part of a complete factory performance kit that includes ground effects, wheels and coilovers and retails for $3500.00-$4000.00. I also had them compare stock part numbers for stock struts/shocks for the '03 and the '04 SIs and the part numbers are different. That leads me to believe there may be a fitment problem with my year. Anyway, I'd like to get more info from you about your year SI, who you ordered from, etc. If you see this post you can leave a post here or you can email me at dan56chevy@yahoo.com. THANKS! Also thanks for your welcome to this forum. Dan</TD></TR></TABLE>

I responded to your email. Hope that helped to answer your questions. Some of these guys running 1.75 and 2+ inch drops are killing the geometry of these cars. Big drops and ep3's dont mix very well if you are driving the car everyday. I think it really limits the suspension travel and to me it just kills the ride, guess I am getting old.