I just recently bought a 97 Civic LX as my daily driver, since my RHD Subaru doesn't have heat/ac, and the suspension is so stiff you practically break your pelvic bone when you hit a bump (track car). That and I miss the reliability and gas mileage of Hondas. I got this for dirt cheap, needed new rings, and a few things, in the last month I rebuilt the stock d16y8 with brand new oem rings, main bearings, rod bearings, thrust washers, gaskets from valve cover down to oil pan, new axles, new inner and outer tie rod ends, new ball joints, new upper control arms, new power steering pump, all new belts, and i'm trying to find an Apexi WS2 or an RS*R exmag to replace the loud exhaust. All whilst sound deadening the car from the firewall to the tail lights, roof to floor, to make the car extremely quiet. I am looking for the most comfortable ride possible, this isn't a race car, and I don't plan on making it one. Where I am in a bind, is suspension. In my years Honda's I've had everything from cut/heated springs to full coilovers. Nothing i've owned has had a good ride quality. I cannot stand wheel gap, i'm running stock 99-00 Si alloys, to give it a clean appearance, without an aftermarket look or cost. I want suspension that lowers the car enough (or close) to lose wheel gap, but has stock (or, preferably better) ride quality. I don't need it to be adjustable, I don't plan on changing anything but reducing camber (I've already bought camber kits). If anyone could help me in this area, I would greatly appreciate it.

 

Koni yellow or tokico blues are gonna be your best bet for struts for a nice smooth ride accompanied by a quality set of springs, Unless you want to go with a really nice set of coilovers

 

Not really looking to spend $3k+ on a set of coilovers honestly, else I would likely just get air. I still have to do my winter rebuild on my Subaru for next years track season, lol. Thanks for the recommendation, I had a set of Koni Yellows before, they were nice, the Neuspeed race springs, not so much. Any suggestion on springs?

 

i guess you could start with finding the stock spring rates, then upping them slightly. im sure a koni/gc setup would work. they're tried and true and run about 1k.

 

I like the D2 coilovers they run about $800. Im thinking about getting them for my 96 Civic LX

http://www.procivic.com/pages-produc...974/index.html

 

Tried and true for ride quality?

These I KNOW do not have anywhere close to stock ride quality. Decent cheap autox/track setup, but NOT what i'm looking for.

 

ive ridden in a car with function and form coilovers and it was a 100% better ride than my stock suspension.

 

News Flash.

There's no such thing as a "LOW suspension with a stock or better ride"

Low suspension is going to change your suspension geometry. End of story.

You can't break the laws of physics.

 

^ Sorry to burst your bubble matey but i think what you mean is you have never tried a car with aftermarket suspension better than stock, I have and can say that my personal experience with cars with expensive suspension upgrades that were made for the car specifically, have always been more compliant and comfortable than stock suspension.
for example my saab 9000 aero used to crash into bumps and wallow over humps it made you feel sick.
i fitted koni adjustable shocks and eibach springs took the ride height down by 20mm and it soaked up the bumps much better and was far more comfortable and actually felt a lot safer than stock

Eibach pro do some very nice shocks and spring kits......for instance my dad has them on his saab 95 estate he fitted them as he hated saab stock suspension and finds eibach more comfy......he is 55 mate and drives a saab......
if its good for him i think you'll be pleased

 

My crx is lowered and rides better than stock

ST coils, about 1.7" drop if i remember right

Tokico blue struts, awesome combo!!

 

I didn't say you can't have a comfortable ride with a lowered suspension. I find almost all oem springrates too soft for daily driving.

But there is no such thing as a lowered ride-height with a stock ride-feel

You lose suspension travel and must up the springrate to make the car ride appropriately.

The best suggestion I have for "stock feel" is Tein S. Techs or some softer rate mild drop spring on stock or aftermarket shocks with mild valving. That's the closest you'll get but it won't ride anything like stock.

 

I had Tein S techs, they rode nice but the front shocks were blown so its a bit hard to tell but yeah good stuff otherwise.

 

I'm removing my Koni yellows/s tech set up today and going back to stock. Konis are always so highly rated on here but one of my rears doesn't adjust anymore and the perch on one of my fronts just slid all the way down and effed everything up. I've had them for 8 months... Screw Koni. Maybe I just got a lemon set some how, but I'm pretty pissed about the $450 I spent on them. I've always heard good things about blistein shocks. Any mild lowering spring with a decent shock should be fine though.

 

tein basics in the front (ride a bit bouncy if you go too low)
tokico blues with skunk 2 springs in the back
this is my set-up now and rides verrrryy smooth

 

ek forever guy is 100% correct. You CAN NOT have a lowered car and have stock or better ride quality. PERIOD!

What you think is stock ride quality on your aftermarket coilovers is all in your head. If you switched back to stock today you'd think whoa this rides so much nicer!

To answer the OP's question: Koni Sport shocks and stock springs, with the Konis set to the lowest perch height. That will you get you lower, while the stock springs will maintain most of your stock ride quality. If the back end sits a bit high (it did on my Integra) then throw in stock ITR rear springs to even it out.

 

Did you check with Koni for warranty coverage? I've had my Koni Sports since 2002 with nearly 200K miles on them and they still work great.

8 years and 200K+ on a $450 set of shocks. That's hard to beat. Any other shock would have worn out 2 or 3 times over already. Koni really does make GREAT shocks.

 

Your first mistake was putting S.Techs on a sport shock. The rate of the springs and the valving on those shocks is probably one of the worst matchups you could have gotten.

 

Whats a good shock for the s.techs?

 

Tokico Blues, KYB gr2, KYB AGX, Koni Red,

Just something with some milder valving.

 

So Tokico Blues and Tein S.Techs should be a decent ride quality?

I've read a lot of threads that Blues like to blow out quick? From the pictures I've seen, I think S.Techs would put me at, or lower, than what i'm trying to achieve, which is cool. Gone are my days of wanting to lay my low hooks on the ground, been there, done that, I've grown up, and want a comfortable ride for commuting.

 

Blues are a oe replacement. Likely the people you here of that are blowing them is becuase they are slammed and or runing high spring rates.

S tech's work prety damn well with stock shocks, so i would have no clue why blues or gr2's would be different.
However i recomend looking at the Koni Srt-t. Great shock for the money. Tire rack has them.

 

Nah, stock shocks are for stock springs. Any lowering spring needs a shock that matches it. Mine are blown in the front so it was always bouncy but it rode nice, you could tell. I have a pic of my ride when I had s.techs if anyone wants me to post it. You def need better shocks than stock or you will be blowing them pretty quickly.

 

you do realize they have a lifetime warranty and you can send back the broken ones for new?


as for the rest of this thread, a few quick thoughts

1. you can't ride slammed and have a "good ride quality" there is simply no suspension travel so your car doesn't handle worth a damn and people make fun of you

2. tokico blues are one of the worst shocks a person can buy. almost zero rebound control

3. on the other hand koni sports are one of the best values and the str.t fills the lower cost 300 spot

4. the tein h and s tech are often great lowering springs since they are usually factory + a bit on rate but also progressive which makes highway driving really smooth. the one exception i know of it the 94-01 integra, they based off the itr rates not base so they turn into a bit more of a sporty spring.

5. this thread has more bad advice than many in here.

6. i don't know how some of you guys "blow shocks" so easily. 98% of the time i would guess you either have your car lowered to the point of cholo or you have too much rate on too weak of a shock.

 

I never once said I wanted to SLAM my car, actually, I said thats exactly OPPOSITE of what I want. I just want a subtle drop.

 

I bought my car with blown front shocks so I dont know how long it took to get them blown but from my research everyone tells me that lowering springs will make shocks blow out faster. I wish I knew the S techs were that good. I would of just gotten shocks instead of full coilovers. Luckily I still have them.