hey i've got a 2000 integra gsr. The back shocks i believe are done, when I hit bumps it bangs pretty hard. I'm in the market just to replace all 4 shocks and was thinking about getting some monroe or whatever brand the auto parts store carries. I am curious as to what you guys think about those vs tokico's or other performance brand adjustable shocks. Is the price difference worth it for ride quality and how long they last? I've got stock springs in the car as well.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Tokico...Koni red or yellow...Bilstein - HD?. Biltstein is digressive I beleive and may give you a firmer ride than the others. These should all match the stock springs nicely.

 

Koni has a lifetime warranty, can't be that period. It pay for itself 100 times over. PLus they are at the top of the food chain, unless you can afford Motons

 

Do have any plans to lower it?
My friends itr has stock springs and koni yellows and its great.
I do recomend the konis but for a stock car just throw some cheap shocks in it.

 

Since you are starting considering something from the autoparts store, then it is hard to compare to performance. Performance with quality is not in the same price league. Koni red seem great for what you are considering.

 

the break down

if you can spend $300 buy koni str.t

if you can spend $450 buy koni sports

if you can spend $800 buy koni sports and ground controls

if you can spend $2000 buy AMR or koni race shocks and your choice of rate with the GC

if you can spend $5000 buy moton


i seriously don't see the need for any other shocks

please don't buy tokico blues or parts store shocks. the OEM units are better than either. the only decent shock parts stores often sell is the KYB AGX and it's damn near the price of the koni sport. the tokico illumina is a decent shock but the koni sport is better, at least imo

 

I dont mind forking out some extra money if its going to increase my ride quality and they're going to last for a while. I dont know what the average life is out of something like koni str or koni sports, but if its significantly longer then that of something cheap like auto parts shocks or the tokico blues then its worth it in my eyes.

 

Ride is about shock and spring match. I am not sure that you will gain much, and could lose, if you over shock the springs. Clearly your pocketbook can lose. Koni red, or strt seems reasonable. Most go up in shock damping and price for higher rate springs. Just depends on what you want for ride, or for many of us, daily and track.

 

^ is true about rate and $ often going up hand in hand. the koni red has kind of been pushed out of the way since it doesn't have a real home anymore. it use to be the softer version of the sport but still adjustable. koni has since made the str.t which is a sport set on soft {words from their own mouth by the way} the str.t should be able to handle 350F 250R ish rates without feeling floaty. i actually drove them in a 2000 integra with 300F 250R and it was a well balanced and quite comfy drive.

i have sports on my own integra with 500/430 springs, it's flat, easy to pitch and neutral with the bar i have out back. it's also too stiff for many peoples tastes.

 

I am kind of uneducated as far as spring rates go. What are the stock spring ratings of a 2000 integra gsr? This is my daily driver but i do like to have a little fun with it. I dont want the car to feel 'floaty' as you had said. I want the car to feel like it is holding the road some but not to the point that when i hit a bump my head flies through the roof.. I want something that is good balanced between ride quality and performance. I dont want an integra that rides like a cadillac or lincoln and sways and bounces with every small bump, but i dont want something like a lifted truck that you feel every pebble that the tires hit. hope this makes sense and maybe you can school me a little as to what spring ratings are good and how soft is too soft and how stiff is too stiff. thanks in advance!

 

3.8kg/mm front and 2.1kg/mm rear are the stock spring rates

 

^ sounds about right but then we have to convert it to lb/in, or i guess we don't but it's easier to keep track of in my mind. stock integra rates fall around 240-250lb up front and 110lb or so out back. that's a rough number as i didn't do the math on a calculator from the above posted. anyway, my absolute favorite lowering springs for a 94-01 integra are from tein. they used the itr rates and just bumped them up 20% or so. the itr has more rear spring than the base which is one of the reasons it handles better. the h tech is 300F/250R and the s tech has another 25lb or so on both but sits a good deal lower. either spring would be matched well to a koni str.t

 

Multiply by 56, so 212.8lbs/in front and 117.6lbs/in rear

 

I was on THMotorsports.com. What's the difference between the GC 4530.01 and 4531.02?? Otherthan price?

 

tokico illuminas have a lifetime warranty as well as the koni's. im running eibach pro dampers and they appear to me like koni str.t's/ Made in argentina same basic look and welded shock perch but a lot cheaper than koni's and they have a lifetime warranty as well

 

I dont mind something that is going to drop me about .5-1 inch but i dont want to go much lower then that because i dont want to have to worry about where i drive and what i drive over all the time. who makes the s tech and h tech? tein? how much of a drop will each give me? these are just springs correct not coilovers? are you saying that 300F/250R is about where i want to be for a comfortable ride that will still hold turns?

If i'm going to be doing the suspension would you recommend replacing the bushings in the control arms as well? if so do you like the ES bushing kits?

thanks in advance!

 

if that's your desired drop go grab the tein h tech and koni str.t

ES bushings will really bring the car back to new. with the age of these cars the bushings are about shot, so, if you can swing it, i would do it. made a big difference in my own car.

 

ok, the website says that the h techs will drop me about an inch.. Is 300F/250R where I want to be for a comfortable ride that will handle better? Would you recommend doing the whole car if i replace the bushings?

 

you could also look into the eibach pro kit plus that comes with the pro kit springs and their dampers. its cheap and has a lifetime warranty still. I'd just replace all the bushings with new OE rubber pieces if i were you

 

pro kit is WAAAAY too soft, very easy to bottom out. tein at least based off the ITR rates with their lowering springs so the car not only lowers some, it handles better. this advice is not universal by the way. it's only on 94-01 tegs. on many cars the htech and pro kit are similar. on the integra the h tech is much better due to where the spring started.

oem bushings are more expensive and harder to install. the whole energy kit short of the trailing arms is something like $130.

it depends on what you can afford bushing wise. labor gets expensive. the trailing arms should probably be done first. i don't mind poly there but it's a person to person thing. you may want new oem in that location. the rest of the car responds well to poly. front and rear control arms would be next. just doing this will make a big improvement. if you do put oem trailing arm bushings in MAKE SURE they are clocked correctly

 

well paying for labor really isnt an issue because i'm going to be doing it myself, I have a press and most/all of the tools needed to do the job i've just never personally done it before.

So just to clarify you are saying that the es polyurethane bushings are good for everything besides the rear trailing arms? You would use oem honda bushings for that?

Any tricks/tips for removing the bushings and installing them to make it easier?

I dont want something too soft that is going to cause me to bottom out frequently(or at all).

Is a spring rating of 300F/250R where i want to be? I still havnt really got a confirmation on that.

The Koni Str.t and Sports are both adjustable shocks correct?

Thanks again for all the help!

 

The Sports are adjustable, i dont know if the Str-t's are.

I've all sides of the poly trailing arm bushing argument. One of my friends has ES in his civic and they seem to be ok. Most of the people i have seen complaining about it race their cars regulary.

 

str.t is not adjustable it's a sport locked on soft. still with a rate of roughly 300/250 it's a good balance. you also won't find anyone confirming jack on rates. most just post on what they have and think it's great. 300/250 is the ITR rate +15-20% which is all tein did when they made them. it's still a progressive spring which is great for comfort.

 

my amrs are nice at 550-450 spring rates, ride is nice on the soft dampening setting, until you hit a big bump

 

Pressing the bushings out is pretty easy if you have the right dia. press punches, i turned mine on a lathe. sometimes they are stuck with corrosion and it helps to lightly heat them with a torch.

I'm pretty happy with my kyb agx 4 ways a good deal for $280 shipped from ebay. i would buy these over koni str.t or sports, save some money unless you go all the way with koni yellows