So Im doing my research and I'm really lost. I want a little drop and good handling. This is for my DD with occasional autocross. I was looking at koni strts's maybe with some coilover sleeves. I like the idea of being able to raise it for the winters. I need something that's basic and affordable. I can get the koni's and coil sleeves for around $458. This is for a 94 hatch with d15z6 mini me.

Please help me with some suggestions.

 

I wouldn't waste $450 on that. Save up a bit more.

If you really do plan on autocrossing, try Koni yellows and ground controls for a budget setup that has quite a few possiblities. They're about $800ish.

 

what about koni yellows and H&R sports springs. Tire rack has that setup for $541. Also what a good place to buy from?

 

$500 is the usual price of just koni yellow shocks. You sure they're $540 for springs and shocks? I'd buy that...sell the springs...and then buy GC's.

 

I actually just bought Kyb 8 way adjustable struts with ground control coilovers off of here for a pretty good price I think.

 

You first idea is a good idea. Drivers that want to start suspension tuning need to start with as few variables as possible. Since these basic Koni dampers and GC coilovers are quality products they will help out that learning process.

Dampers. The STRT are a good starting point for a suspension because what they are is a "pre-configured" sport shock. That's important for a inexperienced driver because what you want to do is establish a baseline for how your car handles. If you purchase an adjustable suspension you need to configure it which is difficult and time consuming to constantly tune and adjust so many people don't. You need patience, a good log book, and many repeated trips to the track. You will not be able to tune a suspension for optimal use for your driving style in a single session. Typically that type of capability is limited to well funded race teams that have several experts on hand to do the tuning. Many people also don't understand tuning well enough tune them right and end up with worse handling characteristics than their OEM suspension.

Springs. Height adjustable springs are relatively easy to adjust. For the street, it comes down to picking the height you want, then getting it corner balanced at a reputable shop. For racing, its even simpler, lower it as far as the rules and racing surface will allow then corner balance it. The harder part is choosing a spring rate, but again for an inexperience driver its the baseline that matter so go with the recommendation from the spring manufacturer like GC. They will have appropriate settings for you after describing to them what your goals are.

As a "rough" rule of thumb for spring rates. 2-300lbs typical oem. 3-400 comfortable street sport springs & light competition. 4-600 uncomfortable street; dedicated competition. 600+ competition only.

 

If I were you, I would keep an eye on the classifieds. You could get a much more capable suspension setup for a decent price by buying used.