Hey guys, I need help deciding this. The shocks on my Civic are completely blown, so I bought some Tein S.Techs and was just planning on just buying new OEM shocks. After I talked to some friends, they all told me I would blow the new shocks because of the lowering springs and told me I needed aftermarket shocks.

Now before I ask you guys on what shocks to buy let me give you a little information since no one on Honda-Tech does that anymore. First of all, I am a poor university student so good coilovers are not an option as the 250$ for the Tein's was hard to come by. I do not want anything for hard-core performance just a little better handling. The roads here in Alberta are always terrible so something on the less bumpy side would be ideal. How are the Skunk2 shocks? I've heard of a lot of brands like, Koni, Eibach, KSport, etc. etc., but which brand is right for me? Thanks for the input. Also- My price range is 300-400.

 

The OEM shocks will not blow instantly once you put on the aftermarket springs, but it is not recommened. I know of a few people that have run aftermarket springs on their OEM struts for a while with no problems. I don't have personal experience with any of those struts, but I have a few friends running the Koni Yellows and they are very happy with them.

 

I know they will not blow right away, but I'm looking to get a few years out of them, if not the life of the car. How are the Koni Yellows for bumps? Anyone else have some input please?

 

Koni yellows are a great shock, and have adjustable rebound (how quickly the shock returns after being compressed) which is good for taking care of any bounce that you would get from OEM shocks. OEM is not ideal, but Koni's are gonna be around $450 i think. there are many other options in between though, but i don't know much about the others.

 

i think you'll be ok running the skunk2 shocks if you wanna save some cash over buying koni's. Koni reds are a cheaper alternative as well to the yellows and are quite nice riding shocks.

worst comes to worst, keep your eyes peeled for some used shocks and you should be able to keep to your budget

 

That is true, but it only applies to certain springs.
From tein, H-Tech is compatible with OEM struts.
However, S-tech's lowering ratio is alot lower, and plus
it suggests aftermarket strut to be partnered with the spring.

To the OP,
I have one thing i would like to ask you.
You have purchased spring as 250$ or so, and you're looking for
invest another 200~300$ for an aftermarket strut.
that's 450$~550$ you're investing on suspension parts.
I'm sure you could've gotten a decent set of coilovers for the price.

I know some people like me are out there, who opt for good spring+strut combo.
but, if coilover is something you were looking for as well, that's another
route that you can think of.

After all, it is your car.
Do whatever you like.

 

I've done a fair bit of research and from the looks of it, $450-550 coilovers would not be very quality. And the most important aspect of whichever shock I buy, it must have good ride quality. I don't want anything really expensive and stiff enough for the track, I was just looking to upgrade the suspension so it's a little more fun around corners and fairly comfy. I would like some more input on the Skunk2's as well. I know that Skunk2 is a pretty reputable company, but what are the sport shocks like? They are fairly inexpensive ($320 ish) so I'm looking for some more input on those. Thanks.

 

Bump.. I still am looking for info on the Skunk2's. How are they compared to the Koni Yellow's? Does ANYONE out there have experience with them?

 

Anyone?

 

my advice, get the stock shocks, and just get extended top hats(or custom ones). that'll help in extending the life of your shock.

 

What are extended top hats? And I like the idea of adjustable Koni's because if I want drive spirited I can set them firmer, but when I would like normal ish ride, set them softer. This is why I want to know more about the Skunk2's!

 

this kinda gives the jiff,

https://honda-tech.com/forums/wheels-tires-brakes-suspension-48/foxraceco-modified-extended-top-hats-2187584/

you can make your own, or get someone that is good with a welder to make you some custom ones. it's kinda like the GC top hats, but these are using your old ones(or one from another car) and customizing the height of the top hat to meet your needs. it's a yea and nay kinda topic. some say go for it, others say just spend the money to get a good coilover set. but this leads to the DIY and the poor college kids. that is why i suggest it to you.

 

I have koni yellow with green tein springs on my 99 civic coupe. The ride is great!!! The car came with the setup on, after taxes I'm going back to stock though. I'm not much of a lowred guy anymore. I'm turning the whole car to stock looking, exept the b16 swap!! Seriously koni yellow!!!! Hell, if you wait I will sell you my setup!!!

 

How many miles are on the shocks do you know? How much would you sell them to me for? Is there anything wrong with them?

 

Any word yet? I PM'ed you