I have groundcontrols already on my integra. Spring rate unknown.. So, my question is would it be a better idea to get a set of koni shocks? Or go to a full coliover set-up. (ie. Buddy club N+, Tein super street, Function & form, Omni street kit, H&R cup kit, D2 Racing 36way...ect) My DC2 will be mostly daily driven. So, I want to increase traction and decrease body roll. While still provide a smooth comfortable ride. I already have a JDM ITR rear sway with ASR subframe brace.

 

whats your budget? are you looking to slam your ride (2.5inchs and lower)?

Depending on how much you want to spend, i'd go with the PIC Selects or Apex full coilovers. The GC/Koni and Function Form coilovers are a nice setup as well.

 

Well my ride is quite low right now.. I think around 3in but dont quote me on that.. I like it low, but wouldn't mind going up a bit. Just to get rid of the rubbing from my 17's. I want to say around a G. But if i can find a set-up that will meet my needs for less that would be cool.

 

If you're having traction issues on the street, I'd look into tires, first and foremost. To reduce body roll, add a front swaybar.

Both will do what you need, are extremely easy to install, have very noticeable performance gains, can be had for well under your budget (combined), and neither will sacrifice ride quality for performance.

 

You might be able to figure out what your spring rates are by looking at the numbers on the springs...I'm pretty sure Ground Control does that (someone correct me if I'm wrong here).

The GC/Koni setup is, as I'm sure you know, a very tried and true setup. From there, it really depends on what you're looking for in a coilover setup and how much adjustability you want. With the Koni/GC setup, you'll only be able to adjust height and rebound stiffness, however as you lower it you're reducing travel. The advantages of coilovers like the Buddy Clubs, Function & Form, Omni, and D2 coilovers is that they offer height adjustment that is independent of preload and travel.

In the crowd of coilovers you're considering, I'd take the Buddy Clubs over the rest...the Omni/D2/Function&Form won't be as high quality and will ride a little bit rougher for a given spring rate (the dampers just aren't as good), the Tein has the adjustability of the Koni/GC but without the amazing dampers and you can't choose your spring rates, and the H&R Cups are REALLY stiff.

So in the end, if you're able to find out your spring rates and like them where they are, clearly the most cost-effective solution would be to get some Koni Yellows and call it a day. If you want full coilovers for the sake of having full coilovers, then I'd probably go for the Buddy Club or PIC coilovers. Even if you want different spring rates from what you have now, getting a new set of Ground Control springs with Koni Yellows will still keep you well under the $1000 mark.

 

Wow thanks.. That was some of the best advice I've received. Anybody else??

 

how about using GC with tokico blue? im planning to use it on my EG hatch.

 

Thats what I had on my EG hatch... They performed not bad for 6months... After that they were useless... I dont recommend the blues to anyone

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by jdmvtecinside &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how about using GC with tokico blue? im planning to use it on my EG hatch.</TD></TR></TABLE>

You'll be throwing money down the toilet. Tokico HP shocks CAN NOT handle excessive lowering and high spring rates that you would have with Ground Controls or any other sleeve coilover.

 

For street use Im going with Yellows. Coil overs are a waste on the street. The yellows will still have a good ride and still be stiff when you need them to. Height adjustability and rebound is plenty for a street car.

 

Me personally I went with koni yellows and GC's. And its waaaay more than enough for just street use. Its actually a bit overkill. However if you plan to track/autocross than thats a whole new story. Becuse the koni shocks are going to be cheaper than getting full coilovers, I'd go in that direction.

People will hate on that setup because they'll say excessive lowering will blow the shocks. But I've seen this setup last 2 months and another set lasting over 3 years. It all comes down to how well you stay away from pot holes :]

For me its been 1.5 years, it saved me some money, and I couldn't be happier. Spend the extra that you saved on some sticky tires

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alphalanos &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">For street use Im going with Yellows. Coil overs are a waste on the street. The yellows will still have a good ride and still be stiff when you need them to. Height adjustability and rebound is plenty for a street car.</TD></TR></TABLE>

That statement is unsubstantiated and frankly useless...I hate to say it. That's like saying coupes are really fast. Most of them are pretty quick, but it would be silly to say that coupes are universally really sporty. You can have coilovers be much more reasonable than an equivalently priced spring/shock combo.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by no show no go &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">People will hate on that setup because they'll say excessive lowering will blow the shocks. But I've seen this setup last 2 months and another set lasting over 3 years. It all comes down to how well you stay away from pot holes :]</TD></TR></TABLE>

I totally agree with you and I really don't understand those people. Any shock will blow out prematurely if the car is lowered too much for the shock itself. If you're remotely performance-minded (and are not getting suspension 100% for looks), you won't slam your car...that really messes with most aspects of the suspension geometry actually making it worse than if your car was, say, NOT tucking tire. Not to mention the inherent tire rubbing issues as well as, for the earlier Civics/Del Sols/CRXs etc., the upper control arms hitting the shock towers (which can really mess you up if you're at the limit in a corner).

 

i can't fully agree with the guy above. the only reason i would say that the full coil-overs are a bit more expensive than the gc/koni set-up is that in this guys case he already has the GC and would only need a better set of shocks,

overall it really depends on the end user and the drivers style/preference
i'm actually happy with my gc/illuminas as a street set, but then again my car only sits 1.5 lower than stock w/330f280r rates on 8in springs, but i'll be looking to make changes here and there like 500lbs rear for drag nites and probably a lot more findangling to get it rite at the local auto x event and such
my buddy does have a set of zeal full coilovers and they are really nice to boot but i guess it's about budget and what will really fit your needs

 

^^ You can get "coilovers" for almost the price of Koni Yellows on their own. Now they're cheap stuff, but the point is you can get them. All I'm arguing is the use of the term "full coilovers," because it seems as though people automatically assume that when someone gets "full coilovers" they're going all-out or they spent a lot of money on a stuff that's more of an autocross/track setup.

Also, while the OP does already have GC springs, he does not know their spring rates and they might not be what he wants. Therefore you wouldn't necessarily be able to say that all he needs is the dampers.

 

Yeah I assumed he would go with a higher quality coilover in which case the Koni/GC setup is much cheaper then just about any 'good' coilover. But if your buying cheap coilovers just to have coilovers then whats the point. I good set of coilovers costs a lot.