I'm trying to figure out how I want my suspension to be set up--a friend of mine is telling me I MUST get GC's and Koni's, it's the only way to go unless I decide to drop a bankroll on something like Teins. Another friend is telling me that that setup would be too bumpy, and to stick with shocks & springs, something like Eibachs & KYB's.

Honestly, I don't know which is better...so I'm asking those with personal experience for their input. I've only had the car for 4 days but I want to do things well and money isn't a huge problem, although I don't want to waste it needlessly. The ride right now is nice, I'd like to maintain that if possible....

Thanks for your input!

dustin

 

I have went with both route, ( eibach pro-kit with koni shocks & gc with koni shocks), and I must say, gc is much better than eibach. For one, you can dictate the spring rate that you want for your car, and you can also adjust the height to ensure that the drop is not too drastic. For those friends that are telling you that springs are better than gc, they probl don't know what they are talking about. How harsh your ride is will depend on the spring rate you choose, and the shocks that you are using it with.

 

Thanks for the reply, I'm new to all this stuff

Also, does Apex'i make a suspension kit for the 5th gen?

Anyone else have opinions?

 

Hi Dustin, hows the new car?? I hope you are enjoying it.

 

Hi Nina!

I love the car, best purchase I've ever made. Now I just need to figure out how I want to modify it

 

GC's give you more adjustability. you can pick the spring rates you want so your ride wont be harsh. however if you arent really gonna be changing your car often and just want a dropped look, go for some regular neuspeed sport springs and koni shocks. save the money.

 

i dont agree, i think u should get adjustables, cause for one, u can adjust the ride height and wif GC its so easy, i know that for car shows u would Dump ur car on the ground, and for long road trips, u raise it to stock height its very useful.

 

Hm, I have Koni "yellow" Sport shocks on all of my cars. As to springs-the Prelude rides on Neuspeed SPort, The Civic is on Skunk2/Eibach and the CRX is on Skunk2/Eibach.
Ground Control and Skunk2 will supply you with springs to match your use for the car. Call them and they will work with you to create a setup that is to your liking. If you plan on road racing then you will have to give up some of the softer feel of the stock spring rate. That is one reason I went with the Neuspeed springs on the Prelude-it is a reasonable compromise between open road and track day use. The shocks can also be adjusted to different settings. ANother point is tire type, size and the pressure you set them at. I'm on stock size RE730s set at 34 psi which makes the road feel firmer than that at 32. Whatever you decide-go with an upgrade on the shocks as it is a part of the package and cost effective.

Happy Luding

 

skunk2 coils for the 5th gen lude app are really harsh. Just letting you know since you want to keep the factory ride quality.

 

I have the GC/Koni combo and I like it alot. My only regret thus far is going w/ the default spring rates for the springs. Personally, I think I would have been happier with a slightly higher spring rate.

How the car rides is totally dependent on the springs rates you get and the setting on your shocks. I've had numerous ppl tell me that my car rides very close to stock (I keep the shocks about 1 full turn from full stiffest).

But all in all, an excellent combo IMO.

 

The GCs not riding as nicely also has to do with the fact that they are not a progressive rate like Neuspeed sports springs or H&Rs. GCs also tend to make more noise than your regular spring due to the fact that they aren't as long. If you hit a big enough bump or crest in the road the spring can actually come off its perch causing a loud noise on its way back down that you won't enjoy. You also have to consider the fact that you most definitely have to get camber kits if you want to get GCs. Sure you can raise and lower all you want, but your camber needs to be adjusted as well if you want to keep a setting that is different than your previous for an extendend amount of time. Also sand and **** gets stuck in the threads of the GC sleeves and is a pain in the *** to adjust(especially if you live in the snowbelt states or where it rains a lot). And if you do get the GCs, make sure whoever installs them that they trim and reuse the stock metal dust boots otherwise the GCs won't sit properly and will eat through the upper polyurethane mounts supplied causing improper fitment of the spring. The inside of the spring will ulitimately end up rubbing against the threaded sleeve bending it and warping it making it even harder to adjust. This also creates tiny little metal shavings all over your shock that can end up inside it causing premature failure.

Just some advice from a previous GC owner


[Modified by gills, 7:40 PM 7/29/2002]

 

I had GC and Koni Yellows before. I hated them!!!!! Adjusting the ride height was nearly impossible with the yellows and the springs did not hold up well and bottomed out constantly. (I had the standard spring rate and was only droped 1~1.5 inches). I tell everyone I know that I would not waste my $ on GC's. Now that I have Tien HA's I am much happier. If your going to do coilovers, I say do it right the first time. You get what you pay for. Just my 2 cents.

 

Not a fair comparison. No doubt that the Teins are probably amazing...but you have to compare them to a setup with similar spring rates. Standard GC spring rates are WAY softer. I'm running GC rates of 450f/380r with Neuspeed Konis and that's still quite a bit softer than Tein HAs.

And for adjusting the GCs...I've had mine on for about a month now and have already moved the front c-clips lower two notches (while dampers were on the car) and adjusted the collars up one day and down the next...without any problems.

My ride on the freeway sometimes does feel a bit bouncy from the crapy roads, but that is a small price to pay for a faily soft ride while cruising...yet awsome handling on the twisty's.




[Modified by Kool-Lude, 6:45 AM 7/30/2002]