I just got a 97 Prelude and want to put a set of springs on it but I don't know how low to go...i plan on keeping the stock rims cause i've seen lowered ludes with them and they look real good. Can anyone help me out? Send pics. if you have them.

 

my advice to you is this....you have two choices:

1) be conservative, have a mild drop, and a little better handling performance

2) go all out, drop it, get aftermarket shocks, camber kits, torn CV joints, squeaks, clunks, bald tires

your choice.

Personally, i've gone both routes, and now I'm back to stock.

If you go mild, like neuspeed or H&R sport, you WILL have camber issues, but if you get the toe fixed, your tires will last a lot longer. You don't necessarily have to get shocks, because many car companies, like VW, offer lowering springs like eibach from the dealer, and they don't change out the shocks. The only time you need aftermarket shocks is if you want dampening adjust, or you are lowering your car to a point where you run outa shock travel. My neuspeed sports were perfect for 2 years on stock shocks, with minimal tire wear.

If you go all out, slam the car with aggressive springs or coilovers, be prepared to back them up with shocks, camber kits etc...or you will have nothing but frustrating problems. I bought Tein HR coilovers, dropped the car about 2.0". My tires were wrecked, my CV boots tore, noisy, clunky, got rid of em.

again, you have to decide what you're prepared to do, and what your needs are

 

that's a very insightful reply. will the camber/cv/other problems still be there with the setup i'm thinking of (koni sports & ground controls)?

 

well doe, this is a good combo from what I hear....

It all depends on how low you want to go....if you want a mild drop to get rid of some wheel gap, you shouldn't have many problems.

If you slam your car, and tuck the wheels, then you're gonna have camber, and cv boot problems.

the only thing I've heard about ground controls is that the springs rub on the threads, causing squeaking or rubbing sounds

 

well there is a wide variety of springs and coil-overs to chose from. it all depends on what you're looking for in a ride.
if you're looking for serious performance, and willing to sacrifize comfort, you want a set race springs with stiffer rates, or a good set of adjustable springs (coilovers) and adjustable shocks. that way you can set your ride to the level you feel comfortable with. there is a lot good ones out there, and if you're ready to spend about $1000+ you can get some nice TEIN coilover/shock combos, fully adjustable and race proven. for a bit more, TANABE is a good choice. or if you're on a tight budget, ground-control coilovers with KONI or KYB shocks will do just fine. as a matter of fact, they'll do just as good as any other ones.
if you're just looking to lower your ride a bit for looks, then a regular set of springs and shocks will be good enough. for example, eibach sport springs and tokico blue non-adjustable shocks will do a great job without sacrifizing much in comfort dept. TANABE precedeo spring is very nice. keep in mind that if you go with springs, you will not have the height adjusability, so you may want to spend a few extra pesos and get coil-overs.
you can also find good used springs and shocks if you check some classifieds from time to time. just make sure to avoid cheap brands that are not really proven, like the APC we all love to hate, arospeed and stuff like that. if you have any doubts on springs you're looking into, just ask us, we'll be glad to help as much as we can.
good luck

 

camber issues are inevidable when you lower the car, however this can be corrected with a camber correction kit. i'd actually suggest a shock upgrade to match the spring rates. leaving stock shocks when using race springs is not a good idea as they will mess up the dampening level needed in order to use race springs. they will also wear out quicker. it may seem to be ok at first, but later on you'll start feeling the difference. although they should be alright if you don't lower the car too much, like 1inch or so. the stock shocks are designed to be used with stock springs, keep that in mind.
your choice of ground-control's and koni's is very good. you should be fine with a 2inch drop. CV joints are going to wear out faster but nothing to worry about.
get a camber correction kit, a wheel alignment, and you'll be ok as far as tires.
all my cars have been lowered so far, and i never had any big issues. just do it right the first time. don't try to go cheap and mess up your suspension.
as for the dude that said TEIN HR's and his tires got wrecked, cv boots torn, and so on, he must have done something wrong. TEIN is a proven brand, high quality if not the highest. your cv boost must have gotten torn from previous lowerings and rough roads and stuff. i have TEIN's on my prelude and they're just fine. my CV boots are good, no noises, minimal wear on tires, and i love the ride. it doesn't matter what brand you get, if your set-up is not street-friendly things will start to wear out. don't go slamming the car 3inches or more and expect everything to be cool. just like with everything else, comfort and reliabilty is always sacrifised for performance. period. just like engine mods. if you're concerned with reliability and comfort issues, and you're not willing to sacrifize those for better cornering, then you should stick with stock springs and shocks.

 

With respect to my TEIN issue......my car was lowered about 2 inches with the TEINs. I had an alignment, with a camber kit....however, the camber kit broke, causing my suspension to nearly collapse (Progress Group kit)....therefore, i decided to go without the camber kit, rather having balding tires over collapsable suspension. I had my toe aligned, but there was just too much camber, and the tires wore out.

CV boots: on the Type SH, the drive shafts are a little shorter, because of the ATTS unit...which means the axles are at more acute angles when you lower the car, causing more stress on the CV boots...this happened when I had the neuspeeds (1.7" drop), not the TEINs....so you don't have to be totally slammed to have CV boot problems.

The TEINS were installed properly....and if you do your research, you will find countless posts about noises, clunks, slinky sounds etc.....and you'll find just as many people who are totally satisfied.

my point is this...if you are into full out racing, get coilovers. Don't get them because you can change the height, its more of a hassle than an advantage....every time you change the height, you need an alignment.

If its just looks, and a little bit of street performance, get a good set of springs, and if you want to go a little extra, shocks. Ask around, ask for pictures, do your research to get the drop you want.

 

My camber was within stock specs with H&R sport springs.