Stock Shocks + GC Sleeves + Custom Top Hats
That is my plan.
I am wondering though if there are any other slip on sleeves that can mate to the stock shocks that are cheaper, maybe with custom rates too. I see brands like dropzone which you can pick up for $90 but they are unknown spring rates and probably would be a bad choice. Theres also megan racing, skunk2, omni, etc.

I am trying to figure out how low you can go with the slip on coilovers. Its not the same as having a 'fully threaded shock body' but can I rest the frame on the ground? Can the stock shock be modified so the sleeves can rest lower?

Custom top hats look easy. Anyone recommend a certain pipe thickness or have any suggestions that made it easier for them. And what stock top hats are the same as an eg (I know a few junked accords i could easily have the shocks out of if that is the case, if you know off the top of your head that they are the same size, thank you otherwise i can do some research)

Trying to lower my car for cheap. My stock shocks must have been replaced at one point or another, so i imagine they have a lot of life. The top hats will hopefully smooth out the ride and make it so i do not bottom out.

Are the oem struts going to be crazy with top hats?

 

Why the crap are you trying to do this with stock shocks? If they've been replaced they're probably some cheap junk OEM replacement and WILL NOT last more than a few weeks or months at the most.

Sounds to me like you'd end up spending more on all this custom work than you would just buying quality parts.

And no, you can't rest the frame (unibody) on the ground in stock configuration. The upper control arms will hit the shock towers or the axles will hit the frame before the frame touches the ground.

 

Makes sense though

 

Doesnt matter if the shocks are new, theyre made for stock height, meaning at a dumped height they will be way out of their normal travel and blow out. Not to mention the car wont be driveable because they will be bouncing endlessly. Just shell out for some coilovers, or at least decent coil sleeves like GC, some good shocks and some top hats that are made for the car. Dont cheap out on suspension.

 

my OEM shocks were shot after running two weeks on neuspeed race. it's just 2.25" drop. just to give you an idea in case you'll use coilover sleeves on your car and slam it on stock shocks.

 

Yeah but that is the point of the top hats, to atleast keep the shocks in a better range instead of bottoming out every bump.

See help me understand this
I see people use Tokico shocks or KYB AGX shocks. Those are OEM replacements with little to no performance gain. So why the hell do i buy those!

Peekesh, thank you for your personal experience. I have been warned

Thanks for the responses

 

Sounds to me like you don't wanna listen to the advice these guys are giving you.

Oh, and you gotta PAY to PLAY.

 

What you're talking about with moving the shock body down in the shock fork requires that you remove the brake line brackets from the front shocks. Many aftermarket shocks have the brake line bracket welded on, so it's not removable like on stock shocks. So unless you truly have OEM shocks you probably can't do it. Also you really can't go much more than an inch before the axle will start to hit the shock.

Doing the shock fork trick and extended top hats MIGHT get you 2.5" of additional travel, but even still, with stiff@$$ coilover springs, it will still kill the shocks.

 

@kozanatos, the top hats will definitely give you more shock travel but the shock won't be able to handle the GC spring rates. this will kill the shocks eventually.

 

Im listening, I wouldn't just run out to the garage and do this. That is why I am asking people who can chip in their experience and ideas

I checked, these look like stock shocks, I have pictures if necessary.
Well what spring rate would I run with stock shocks? a softer rate?

I guess I should plan on Koni/gc and custom top hats, that will save me some money.

Thanks for your responses

 

custom top hats will save you like 100-120 bucks. Good if you have the tools to make them yourself. Probably not worth it if you don't.

Keep in mind that stock springs are in the 120-175 lb/in range. Anything much more than that will blow stock shocks. Even H&R Sports which are supposed to be about 276 lb/in would blow them.

 

bumping this thread with a relevant question. it may sound like i'm trying to contradict what everyone is saying here, but i'm truly not.

i've made a few posts asking about the koni/gc setup, as that's what i originally planned for. as of now i don't have the funds for that (yet). other things came up, i gotta do all the bushings, ball joints, and look for a rear camber (possibly front camber because i don't want the front wheels to look sucked into the center of my car) setup. so the good suspension is getting put on hold for a little while. my si wheels were damaged beyond repair, so i junked them in the winter and got some 14'' steelies wrapped with snow tires. i recently set out to find some replacements for my si wheels, and ended up getting a nearly mint set or slipstreams for practically nothing (i couldn't find any si's in good condition at the time). now what i'm looking at is the ugliest em1 i've ever seen. these wheels at stock ride height look terrible on this car. ON TO MY QUESTION!!

in the description for the H&R race springs, they say they drop you about 2.5 in the front and 2.3 in the rear. they also say it's safe to use with my oem shocks. are these actually safe to use due to a stiffer springs? are they just saying that? actually as i'm typing this i just read the end of pat's post saying even these would blow my shocks. is there anything i can do to help prevent that? this is just a DD, no track, cornering, racing etc...

i can kind of see where the OP is coming from. why would someone want to dish out $1000-2000 just to lower their DD. i kind of expected to hear some different answers in this thread, because i don't see a need for coilovers unless you actually track your car. that being said, here's one more question. are there any oe shocks on the market that can actually handle lowering springs for a budget buyer? thanks.

TLDR; why does h&r llc say their race springs can be used on oem shocks if other people are saying they'll actually destroy your shocks? are there any oe replacement shocks that can handle lowering springs for a budget buyer?

edit: keep in mind this is only a temporary setup, i still plan on upgrading my suspension, but depending on the answer to the last question i may change my mind on the koni/gc setup.