dgdarien

So a lot of people have said that they cut their bumpstops in half when lowering their car. But H&R Sport springs says not to cut the bumpstops. Why would they recommend not cutting the bumpstops, if everyone else recommends cutting them in half to increase strut/shock travel distance.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

They're probably designed to use the bumpstop to progressively add more spring rate.

Cutting the stops in half probably wont be a huge issue...but....I'd just follow the instructions.

How big of a drop is it?

dgdarien

1.75 in the front and 1.50 in the rear.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

ouch. that is way too low. yeah. the car is 100% riding on very compressed bumpstops and using them for spring rate.

Why lowering springs? And did you pair them with a fairly agressively valved shock? I'm guessing the spring is like 380LB/IN. IDK what the bumpstop rates are.

dgdarien

I wasn't a fan of how the car felt floaty on the highway and obviously the huge wheel/tire fender gap the car has with stock springs. I did pair them with a the necessary struts, KYB AGXs.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

Well...idk if this is helpful or not, but H&R's complete coilover system is like $800-900. And Tein's street line of coilovers run from $475 to $900ish.

Those would provide a better ride quality and function than most lowering springs and (insert sport shock here).

If an exchange is possible, I'd look into it.

kristo

B serious: maybe you thought by "the car felt floaty" dgdarien meant with the H&R springs but he meant with stock springs. There's nothing wrong with a decent pair of lowering springs and shocks, if this is the ride (spring rate style) the driver wants, not? That being said, at this 'height' complete coilovers would be better in terms of damping and longevity - which is not to say the H&R KYB combo is bád.

dgdarien: if you are using the OE bumpstops, which can be very harsh, you might consider eg. Ground Control bumpstops which are purposely built progressive.

B serious

iTrader: (1)

I know he meant that the stock suspension was floaty.

The stock bumpstops are also progressive. They are meant to be used as part of the suspension. But lowering the car 1.75" will just compress and use them all the time. If H&R is saying NOT to cut them, it means that the springs need to use/are designed to use the bumpstops.

The problem with lowering springs and seperate shocks is that they often ride badly because they're too low and soft. So you're just bashing the bumpstops' brains out.

They also aren't any cheaper than a street level coilover, which has features like shorter body lengths, valving spec'd to the springs they come with, etc.

dgdarien

I have no idea if the car is hitting the bumpstops. But anytime the car hits a large bump on the freeway, it is extremely jolting. I have seriously considered Ground Control coilover kit because it is recommended by so many. But seeing their basic kit comes with a spring rate of:
Ground Control Coilover 380F/280R (P/P)*

Wouldn't this actually make the ride quality more stiff/harsh compared to the H&R Sports I have installed now?
H&R Sport 330F/280R (P/P)

I'm trying not to throw too much more money into the suspension as this car sees most action as a daily driver and nothing else. The car already has a Integra Type R rear sway bar and reinforced subframe kit.

I'm considering buying a more mild spring:
Neuspeed SofSports 260F/150R (P/P)
H&R OE 280F/190R (P/P)

B serious

iTrader: (1)

So...I kinda explained earlier.

A 1.75" drop is too low for stock length shocks unless you want to get them re-valved to accept an incredibly stiff spring.

You're riding on the bumpstops and slamming the shock into the tophat and throwing the car upward on bumps. If you have the dampers set to soft, it will make it worse. If you stiffen the dampers, it may get better to a certain extent.

The reason not to buy most lowering springs is the exact experience you've just had. You're like $800 in (including shocks)...and there's not much you can do if the ride sucks...and the ride usually sucks with lowering springs.

A GC kit would help IF you were willing to raise the car up considerably. Your best bet is to cut the bumpstop in half, and lower the car like 1 or 1.25" instead of 1.75".

dgdarien

Going to go with Tein H-Tech springs for a milder 1.1" inch drop all the way around and much softer spring rate.

I will also look into cutting the bumpstop to give the shock more travel space.

Anyone know why they don't make extended top hats for oem type springs/lowering springs and only coilovers? Seems to me lowering springs would also benefit from the more shock travel space of an extended top hat, no?

B serious

iTrader: (1)

Extended hats work for springs and coilovers. They're just top hats. Every setup needs some sort of tophat.

You shouldn't need them for a 1.1" drop. You'll likely want to cut the bumpstop in half or whatever the instructions say.

I'd check your UCA to shock tower clearance before buying extended tophats. You'll need to tune the bumpstop height so that the bumpstop stops the shock before coil bind or UCA to shock tower contact happens.

The more things you change, the more complex all this becomes.

PatrickGSR94

iTrader: (1)

1.75" is not too low for stock-length shocks. I used H&R Sport springs back in the day, with Koni Sport adjustable shocks, with the front perches on the OE height setting. However I did cut the OE bumpstops anyway.

These days I use OE Integra springs on the Koni shocks with the perches on the lowest setting. Works great.