im planning to get lowering springs with 2.5/2.25. i know i should not be cheap on suspension, but is a camber kit, shocks, or new performance struts necessary.
i have a 97 ls. would it be ok to just get springs and nothing else?

 

No need for camber kit, get an alignment, you can do the rear washer trick, too. I'd get shocks. I picked up skunk2 coils and illuminas for 100 shipped the other day,

 

Get a camber kit for the front. This will save your tires in the long run and your tires will have a better contact patch.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by onnoff7 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">im planning to get lowering springs with 2.5/2.25. i know i should not be cheap on suspension, but is a camber kit, shocks, or new performance struts necessary.
i have a 97 ls. would it be ok to just get springs and nothing else?</TD></TR></TABLE>

ok - yes. A good idea - no.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jcuDC2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Get a camber kit for the front. This will save your tires in the long run and your tires will have a better contact patch. </TD></TR></TABLE>

No need. Toe wear is about 50x more prominent. Hence, getting an alignment.

 

As an owner of a '97 LS myself....currently lowered with Neuspeed Sport Springs (-1.75F/-1.5R) <U>required</U> camber kits F&R.......Your planned drop (-2.5/-2.5) is more radical and you will <U>definitely need them</U>. New higher performance Shocks <U>should</U> be installed when you install your springs...... saves on labor again because they will overburden your probably already worn current shocks plus ........saving the cost of yet another alignment charge. The bushing trick for the rear camber setting is time consuming (playing trial-and-error) to get the camber correct. I run 17" Ace rims (stock offset) with Brigstone Portenza RE02's (very sticky yet a little hard) ...... all the alignment specifications are set to their stock settings for longevity and performance. Make sure that your Camber and Toe is aligned properly.!!! yet I did back off of the toe a little to get rid of some unwanted torque-steer . Also remember that there is NO caster adjustment ....but that should be OK. I've been running this combination of suspension settings since the car was year old with no problems whatsoever... a total of 145,000 miles The current Brigstones are about a year old now (12,000 miles) with no apparent abnornal wear patterns. Good Luck!

(edited for spelling)


Modified by '59TypeRHawk at 12:53 AM 4/24/2006


Modified by '59TypeRHawk at 12:55 AM 4/24/2006

 

^ No camber kits are necessary. Period.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by a_s_ol_ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">^ No camber kits are necessary. Period.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Depending on application of use that is.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by a_s_ol_ &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">^ No camber kits are necessary. Period.</TD></TR></TABLE>



Ignorance shall be no excuse for stupidity!

 

^ It's funny, I was thinking the same thing about you.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Schrader &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Depending on application of use that is. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Of course. But I highly doubt that he takes the car to the track and has the need to fine tune his suspension to that extent.

Camber kits are mostly an aesthetic thing, simply because camber wear is extremely minimal.

 

camber kits are neccessary only when the camber gets out of a certain range. That certain range depends on what you intend the car to do.

-Cruisers want little camber because they want the tires to last and don't corner as hard to need more camber.
-Drag racers want zero camber because they want every little bit of tire on the road.
-Track racers want more camber to compensate for tire roll in a corner. But how much depends on the track, tire profile, tire compound.... etc

Granted camber will not kill your tires as fast as toe will, but having a lot of camber will shorten the life of your tire no matter what kind of driving you do.

 

wow. im even more confused on what to do now then before. This baby will be my daily driver, 85% highway driving. since it will be driven daily and not tracked, i wouldnt need camber? thats the impression i'm getting. but what about shocks? and what is this washer trick, whats it for.

 

Sorry for all the confusion.

If you have the money get the full setup, shocks, springs, and a camber kit.

That is the RIGHT way to do it.

 

at least get a camber kit for the rear, too much rear neg camber can affect your turn-in.

You want maybe -1.5 at most in the rear for best turn-in response.

In the front, -1.75 to -2.75 is a good start. Some people find themselves getting a 'camber kit' so they can add more neg camber.

 

I wish there was a camber kit sticky on this forum. It seems like every 3rd post there's an argument about whether or not you NEED a camber kit.

 

haha ive been asking if i need a camber or not but i still dont know what it is. i think it makes your tires / \ \ / , ive searched and i dont understand. so is camber kit supposed to make your tires | | ?

 

http://www.ozebiz.com.au/racet....html

 

The need for a camber kit on lowered Civics & integras is debatable at this point. Some people swear that camber kits make everything perfect. I, however, have been driving my 94 civic (same suspension as your teg) lowered 3" for 6 years & 50k+ miles now and have no camber kit or adjustment at all. I have 205/40/16 tires and experience no premature wear. My last set of BFGs lasted a good 45k+ miles.

The washer trick is meant to give you camber adjustment in the rear by using washers between the chassis & rear Upper Control Arms. This pushes the tire out at the top in increments equal to the thickness of the washers. Cheap & effective (I don't use it).

The only thing I can recommend to you, is that you purchase quality parts. Personally I choose Ground Control Coil-over sleeves to get the ride height that suited my tastes. They are top quality & are guaranteed for life. Their springs are made by eibach & are also guaranteed for life.

Since you want to go relatively low, I also suggest you invest in a set of ground-control upper mounts. They help to get back some of the lost suspension travel that you get from excess lowering. They cost $120 a pair now, and you should only need 1 pair for the front. The rears have plenty of travel for GCs stiff springs.

You can use your OEM shocks, and they will last depending on how careful you drive. I just recently switched to Koni Sport shocks and my OEM ones were still in good shape. If you do plan on purchasing shocks "eventually", it's best to do it at the same time as the springs. Koni's are by far the best sport shock, but require special GC sleeves to work. You have to specify that your going to be using Koni shocks to get the right kind of sleeves...

IMPORTANT: when all is said & done, make sure to reset all your suspension bushings for your new ride height, and follow that up with a 4-wheel alignment to zero out your messed up toe settings from lowering...