Ok, so I have been shopping around for a coilover kit for my car. It seems that Tein basics are the only applicable coilovers out there for a 2003 Civic Ex. Did anybody find a good set-up that are not Teins?

Help me out with a few links so I can get this project under way. Maybe I have been looking in the wrong place! Thanks.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hondafreak99 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It seems that Tein basics are the only applicable coilovers out there for a 2003 Civic Ex.</TD></TR></TABLE>
I have no idea how you arrived at that conclusion because it certainly isn't the case.

Maybe it would help to include some relevant information, such as what you are trying to accomplish and what budget you are working with . . .

 

ok, budget is from $500-1000.00. I am looking for performance and to make the stance of the car a little more aggressive.

I want strut and springs to come together in one package.... Teins seemed to be most popular. You moderators are ruthless!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hondafreak99 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I want strut and springs to come together in one package.... Teins seemed to be most popular. You moderators are ruthless!</TD></TR></TABLE>

where did you get this info? and the moderators aren't ruthless here...
i've seen stricter forums...

your budget is a little too broad..

if its just a dd, then new shocks and some lowering springs will give you a better ride and its cheaper, a little less than 700.

cause it sounds like you don't know what you want..

you really just want to lower the car... but keep a nice ride, cause the car is your daily driver, right?

a new set of shocks(dampers) and a set of lowering springs.

for springs, the tien s-tech have really good reviews. (but you cant go wrong with h&r or eibach)

for a new set of shocks, depends on how much you want to spend.

on the higher end there is the koni yellows and tokiko illuminas, on the lower end.. the kyb agx or gr2 (non-adjustable)

i'm about to do my suspension this summer... and as of now i'm leaning towards tein s techs with kyb agx, should cost me around 600 or less, shipped.

tho the agx's adjustably range, isn't as great as koni's or tokiko's

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by hondafreak99 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">ok, budget is from $500-1000.00.</TD></TR></TABLE>
You're not going to get anything worthwhile for $500, so might as well get set on spending that $1000+.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I am looking for performance and to make the stance of the car a little more aggressive.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Do you really know what you're looking for? Because that's so vague that any number of setups would fit your needs. "Performance" for what? The '01-05 Civic features some of the worst suspension geometry of all time, so you won't be finding much performance unless you pick up some camber plates to crank the front as negative as possible and jack up the spring rates to keep everything from moving. At that point, "aggressive stance" will be an afterthought.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I want strut and springs to come together in one package</TD></TR></TABLE>
Why?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Teins seemed to be most popular.</TD></TR></TABLE>
A lot of the popular stuff is crap. All the dyno charts I've seen tell me that Tein dampers are garbage. The only Teins I would ever consider buying are the Basics, and that's because they're cheap enough that I wouldn't have to delude myself that I bought anything other than a comfortable street package, and they lack an adjuster so I wouldn't be frustrated as to how poorly it adjusts the damping, if at all.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You moderators are ruthless!</TD></TR></TABLE>
I'm not ruthless because I'm a moderator; I'm ruthless because I'm a jerk.

I'd love to help you out, but I can't think for you. You need to figure out where you want to go before dumping your hard-earned money into something that may not fit your needs.

As bpr0422 mentioned above, it sounds like you just want to lower your car for a flashy look, and maintain a decent ride for the street. Some street lowering springs like H&R Sports paired with a set of Bilstein Sport struts and shocks would fit the bill very well.

Just curious, what did your "research" involve? Flipping through Sport Compact Car?

 

The real question is would you want it to be height adjustable? if not then don't waste your $$ on tein coilovers, their dampers are absolute crap and don't last. Also stay away from tein stechs, their rears sag on em2's.

H&R sports would be a good candidate for you, they have good drop and good spring rates, go with koni or billestin shocks and you'll be set. if you also like to be height adjustable, go with koni/ground control with your desired spring rates (truehonda sells the package).

good luck

 

One thing to keep in mind about Koni Sport front struts for '01-05 Civics is that they are inserts, so you have to cut and reuse the stock strut housings. The Bilstein Sport struts, while more expensive, are a complete strut that just bolts on. They both are excellent, rebuildable dampers with top-level support, so it comes down to whether you're willing to do a little more work and save some money, or spend a little more and have an easy bolt-on solution. Performance-wise, they're equivalent in my eyes. While the Bilsteins aren't adjustable, the valving is good so it doesn't matter much.

 

I didn't realize it was a McPhearson civic...should pay attention to his blurb more...

if thats the case - $1000 isn't going to get you a great coilover setup...

McPhearson coilovers always cost more...

I mean i understand where the op is coming from.... but you can easily rent spring compressors from autozone... or have a shop install them for you.