I'm starting to save up (half way there )to get a full blown suspension kit for my car (2000 accord v6, 2dr). I don't want something half-assed so that my camber is severely pointed inwards and [screws] up the alignment, etc.

so, for some tien shocks, eibach springs, caster/camber kit, and a set of front/rear sway bars i've been quoted at $750 installed. for those of you who know more about this than i do, what are your opinions on this matter? too much, too little, anything else that i should be concerned about? any parts i should get or shouldn't get, etc.?

TIA

 

Skip the camber kits, complete waste of money.

Skip paying a shop, install it yourself. Only hand tools are needed really, and a spring compressor can be rented for free from Vatozone.

Sounds like a street car. For a 9 year old street car, I'd inspect and replace all worn bushings before doing anything else.

I know nothing about Tein shocks that aren't part of an adjustable spring package ("full coilover" being the most common way to incorrectly refer to such a setup).

Eibach springs (you don't mention which ones) are all good, but ERS springs would be useless without an adjustable perch.

Seriously, why create a post like this without any useful information? Which shocks? Which springs? What do you want from the suspension that it isn't doing now? What is your intended use of the car?

 

why create a post like this without any useful information, because i'm asking a question about something i know very little about is why. i am seeking for other people's knowledge and previous experience to better guide me on what would be the best route for me to through with this.

i want something that will drop the car about 1.5in or so and still have a smooth and comfortable ride, and that will also stiffen up the suspension a bit to make it more responsive to my driving. i drive hard, especially around turns. i feel my car's body flexing around turns, which i would like minimized as much as possible while still having as smooth as possible of a ride. i don't want my car to be bouncing up and down when going over road reflectors while making a lane change due to a [poor] suspension job/parts.

i heard that the Eibach Pro springs are pretty good for that. is that true? idk, that's why i'm asking. what kinds of shocks would go well with what springs, etc. caster/camber kit are a waste of money? then what keeps the camber from being pointed inwards and not keeping my wheels from pointed inwards making buy a new set of tires every 15k miles instead of every 45k miles - 60k miles when i'm supposed to? because to me, that looks ubber ghetto along with the car bouncing up and down when going over road reflectors.

why take it to a shop rather than do it myself? because i don't have all the time in the world to get a hand-book that gives me the step-by-step on how to do it myself and a shop can have it done in an afternoon but it'll take me a good two days at least to figure it out myself. because i don't know enough about how to pull a car apart and put it back together to do it myself. i know the simpler things, like oil changes, tire rotations, and disk brakes. i know how a lot of things in a car work too. but, i don't know how to pull it all apart and put it back together again. that's why i would take it to a shop.

idk, what else would you like to know?

 

Eibach "Pro Kit" springs are good for your desired ride height (if thats what you meant by "pro springs".

Any quality shock would be fine with them, as those are neither overly low nor overly stiff springs. Just avoid OEM replacements that aren't designed for lowered cars.

In regards to camber. You misuse terminology. The "camber" isn't pointing inwards. Camber is simply the angle of the wheel, it is a measurement and not a physical entity. Camber doesn't really affect tire wear, ignore it. I'm daily driving on -4* of front camber. 2 years with this alignment, tires are half worn, and evenly worn.

The car bouncing you describe is the result of being under damped for the spring rates. Radical lowering calls for radically stiff rates, and when not paired with appropriate dampers, you get a bouncy ride.

Basically, idiots throwing super stiff springs with adjustable sleeves on stock shocks results in the "ricer bounce". Don't do that, and your car won't do it.

And if you're that worried about the suspension, then go ahead and pay someone. I only recommend doing it yourself because it is easy and straightforward to do, and saves money that could be spent on more parts or women.

In regards to "i feel my car's body flexing around turns". No change to the suspension will cure the body flexing, and you can't feel the body flexing anyway.

 

Tein does not make or sell dampers by themselves. They only sell lowering springs, or several types of full adjustable damper/coilover setups for various uses. Many people jock them around here, but unless you're seriously into competition, there is better stuff for the money. Unless you just like paying for overpriced JDM parts just because they're JDM.

Lowered cars that chew through tires were not aligned properly after the alignment, simple as that. It's NOT because a camber kit is needed, it's because the toe-in is out-of-spec.

I certainly hope you're not "driving hard around turns" on public roads. Endangering public safety is heavily frowned upon around here.

 

I think if youre going to be modifying your car you need to know how it all works, what parts you have and what they do. You should wait until you have a better understanding before spending a lot of money. Do research about suspension and read through threads. Youve shown that you dont understand some basic adjustments ('wheels pointing in' is called negative camber, and is desireable to improve handling by allowing the tire to maintain better contact with the road when cornering.) Dont install a whole bunch of stuff at once either. In order, I would:
check the whole suspension for worn bushings like Tunernoob stated.
for the street you probably will be fine with a spring and damper combo. get the shocks first and dont skimp. Koni Yellow/Sport are good but thats not the only good one out there.
Then decide what you want the ride height to be. Too low and youll have hell driving around with bumps, driveways, etc. Many people like the Ground control adjustable sleeves. you can get custom spring rates and height adjustability. Or you can go with a progressive spring that lowers the car a certain amount. 2" is about the most you want to go and still retain good driveability.
Once you have spring and shock done, you can work on tuning the car by adding a rear sway bar and upgrading tires (which is the most critical part of a car but since you are working on suspension I assume you have some decent tires)
People tend to go overkill on cars that never see the track. You car will ride much harder with the new stiffer springs. you have to decide if its worth it to you.

 

no, i don't drive like an idiot around public roads. especially not where there are a lot of people present.

i know i don't know everything there is to know about this. i admit to that. i'm just a total nub about all this who wants a little help on this. i guess i just want something that will make my car look better and ride better than stock, and have it done right so that my tires still wear out evenly, and my alignment does't get all out of whack.

 

Any lowering of any kind/amount will degrade ride quality. That's just the way it is. The only way to make it ride better than stock would be to maybe raise it higher and use softer springs or something.

If the car is lowered, and if you take it to a competent alignment shop where they will align the toe to factory specs, you will not have any uneven tire wear. Bad toe wears tires, not negative camber.