**From civicexracer


For $450 you're pretty much stuck with non-adjustable shocks and lowering springs.

I don't know what year/model civic you have so I'll asume it's a '96-'00. Either way, these setups are around the same price and performance for any model '92 to '00 civic.

Shocks:

Skunk2 Sport shocks. $300 Shipped on eBay. Seems like they can handle being pretty low but I've heard many mixed things about these shocks. Looks like a lot of people tend to run stiffer springs with these shocks. I'm personally not a HUGE fan of Skunk2 products but they aren't the worst.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SKUNK...Q5fAccessories

Koni STR.T shocks. $300 shipped on eBay. Seems like these would be better suited with a fairly mild drop and on some fairly soft springs. Probably ideal for a comfortable street car and if you aren't really looking for killer handling. Koni makes great shocks and has an amazing reputation, I always recommend them.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/KONI-...Q5fAccessories

Eibach Pro-Damper shocks. $300 shipped on eBay. I honestly haven't heard anything about these shocks. BUT, I do know Eibach makes some great suspension products and has a real good reputation. I have no idea how these shocks would ride but from their website, it seems these shocks can handle a fairly decent drop and fairly high spring rates.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/96-00...Q5fAccessories

Springs:

Tein S.Tech springs. $150 shipped on eBay. These are a very popular lowering spring.They offer a pretty good drop, around a 2" drop, a lot of people tend to like the stance they get from them. They also ride pretty smooth as they work well with stock and aftermarket shocks. These springs will do just fine with any of the shocks mentioned above. Although the Skunk2's might be the worst matched with these springs.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TEIN-...item3f06063b63

Eibach Sportline springs. $180 shipped on eBay. These have a decent drop, 1.6" drop, but are fairly stiff springs. You'll get better handling but the ride will most likely be more rough. For these springs I'd suggest getting the Eibach shocks since those shocks are probably better tailored for their own springs.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Eibac...item255fafb67b

H&R Sport springs. $190 shipped on eBay. Similar drop to the Eibach Spotline springs, 1.5-1.75" drop, but these springs are a tiny bit stiffer than the Eibach Sportlines. Any of the shocks should work well with these but expect a fairly harsh ride compared to the other springs mentioned.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/H-R-S...item1c138fa983

Progress Sport springs. $175 shipped on eBay. These offer a pretty mild drop, 1.5" all around. Progress is a great suspension company and has a good reputation. These springs have similar spring rates as the Tien S.Techs, they probably ride about the same but just don't lower as much. This would probably be the best street spring as they are soft and don't lower the car much. It would offer smooth handling, a little better performance over stock and you wont have to worry about scraping on anything. As with the Tein S.Tech, the Skunk2 shocks probably aren't the best with these springs.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/92-00...item1c1215e068

Skunk2 Springs. $460 shipped on eBay for their shock/spring combo. These drop the car quite a bit, 2"-2.2", and are very stiff. This is quite an extreme spring setup and probably not the most comfortable ride for a street car. If you want to maximize your handling for cheap, this might be a decent setup. I imagine the Skunk2 shocks offer a harsh ride with most other springs because they are probably tailored for very stiff springs like their own. These would probably offer the least comfortable ride out of all mentioned.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/SKUNK...item3a5ef60f6c

Tokico Springs. Probably the cheapest if you can find them without shocks. These offer a very mild drop, 1.5" all around(similar to the Progress springs). They are very soft springs, a little stiffer than stock though. I do not know the spring rates but I have these springs on my daily driver. They offer a very comfortable ride on the street and with a mild drop I never worry about scraping on anything. They work great with stock shocks, the Tokico blue(OE replacement shocks) and would probably work best with the Koni STR.T.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TOKIC...item25602a1e65


A couple of other shocks are the Tokico HP and KYB GR2. These shocks are OE replacement shocks and would work well with the Tein S.Tech, Progress Sport and Tokico springs. These run anywhere from $200-300 for a set.

Hope that helps some.

 

The progress link doesn't work. I'm not positive that progress still produces a "lowering spring" I think they're moved on to just performance coilover kits.

Nice write up, certainly shows people their options. Though when it comes down to it the Koni SRT is the only real choice in that list. Lifetime warranty? Yes please. A company that stands behind their product.

H&R makes great stuff as well, sometimes the rates aren't great for the height.

here are rates for various products, both springs and coilovers for the 92-00 chassis:

96-00 EX factory 165F/80R (P/P)
99-00 Si (EM1) factory 201F/99.8R (P/P)
CTR factory 240/240 (L/P)
APEX'i WS 447F/178R
Eibach ProKit 290F/190R (P/P)
Eibach Sportline 310F/275R (P/P)
Gold-line GL 2.5" drop 320/190 (P/P)
Gold-line GPS 1.25" drop 275/160 (P/P)
Ground Control Coilover 380F/280R (P/P)*
H&R OE 280F/190R (P/P)
H&R Sport 330F/280R (P/P)
JIC FLT-A2s (USDM) 504F/336R (L/L)
Koni RSK Suspension kit 154-205/270 (P/L)
Neuspeed SofSports 260F/150R (P/P)
Neuspeed Sport 280F/180R (P/P)
Neuspeed Race 485F/395R
Omni-Power Adjustable Sleeve Coilover 448F/336R (L/L)*
Omni-Power Street Coilovers 448F/336R (L/L)*
Omni-Power Sport Coilovers 539F/448R (L/L)*
Omni-Power Drag Coilover 810F/810R (L/L)*
Omni-Power 6-Way Damping Coilovers 539/448/336 (L)*
Progress Coilovers 350F/250R (P/P)
Progress Lowering Springs 320F/200R (P/P)
SkunkWerks Coilovers (old) 400F/300R (L/L)
Skunk2 Coilovers (new) 500F/400r (L/L)
Sparco needed
Spoon Full Coilovers 300/240
SSR Cup 392/280
SSR S1 448/448
Suspension Techniques 10-15% more then stock (P/P)
Tanabe DF-210 10-15% more then stock
Tanabe NF-210 5-10% more then stock
Tein HT 1119F/448R (L/L)
Tein HG 365F/129-196R (L/P)
Tein SS 448F/224R
Tein Flex 504F/280R
Tein RA/RE/RS 783F/559R (L/L)
Tein S. Tech 235F/140R
Tokico Illumina Kit 250/123 (P/P)

 

Good thread.

As far as choices go, same goes for the 94-01 Integras's.

PS- I rock Pro-Dampers, only a two year warranty but I HIGHLY doubt I'll be calling Eibach to complain before then.



My only opinion would be to take the purchase links out, as those auctions will expire soon and the links will become invalid. But this is a good start and/or find for anyone looking for a strut/spring combo.

Cheers!

 

I made a thread to correspond to your post:

https://honda-tech.com/forums/suspension-brakes-54/click-here-all-you-curious-about-suspension-setups-their-costs-reliability-2967499/

 

well done

 

(◕ ‿ ◕)

hope this ends the questions

 

I do too! But it wont. people are lazy, and wont search. They want to be spoon feed.

 

Great write up!

 

great write up for suspension parts thanks

 

anytime. check out Libertariat's thread, there is useful information there as well.

 

any ways for testing spring rates?

 

Load it with a known weight.

Measure the deflection.

Alternatively, there are methods to determine it from the dimensions of the spring, wire diameter, ID, number of coils etc.