Help me lower my car!!!

sk8nbmxr411 · 3 Weeks Ago

I have a 2005 coupe with an abs type r lip and fiberglass side skirts and rear bumper. My tires are 205/40/R17. And in the trunk I have two Alpine type r 12''s in a pretty big box and 2 alpine amps, so the back already sits much lower the front. I want to put a decent drop on my car but the fiberglass scares me. I only bought the bumper because my car came with a badly cracked bumper that need to be replaced and the fiberglass was a cheap buy. I'm not worried about the front being too low, more so the back. There is a guy at a shop who is selling lowering springs for our car that are 1.9'' front and 1.4'' rear. Is this too drastic of a stagger. They also have a life time warranty against any sag or breaking so I'm not worried about that. So should I buy these springs and if you don't think I should, then what should I get.

And please don't just tell me to search, I already have and I haven't seen anything with my circumstances.

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gearbox · 3 Weeks Ago

lowering a car on 17s is a big mistake. im only lowered 1 inch on 15s and the car is super bumpy with very rough ride. also we need to see how low the rear is sagging. but even then the stock shocks could be blown already and thats what makes it sit lower.

sk8nbmxr411 · 3 Weeks Ago

Well the car rides the same now as it did when I bought it with 15k, so I do not think anything is blown, just all of that weight makes it about an inch lower in the back. I will try and take some pictures when it stops freakin raining here. And i already have the rims and tires so I will positively be putting these on my car. You don't think it will look kinda weird with that gap. Wont the 17''s make the car sit higher too?

2k5reverb · 3 Weeks Ago

There is more of a gap on the front fender than the rear fender on these cars Which makes the rear look like is is sagging. Measure the height of the car from the bottom of the sideskirt to the the ground. I did this and i was only 1/4 inch lower at the rear when it looks like much more. My stereo will probable way the same if not more than yours. If your rear is much lower i think you have blown your rear shocks.

sk8nbmxr411 · 3 Weeks Ago

I mesured my sides and you are correct it isn't very much off. Mine is a little less then a 1/4'' off, but when you take a step back and look at it you'd think it is much more. I think I am just going to but a 1.4'' drop all around or maybe even just an inch.

gearbox · 3 Weeks Ago

1 inch should be enough for looks without completely ruining the ride quality.

otbexige · 2 Weeks Ago

Quote:

Originally Posted by gearbox

1 inch should be enough for looks without completely ruining the ride quality.

I will second this quote. I added Swift springs which lowered 1in front and back and it makes the ride harsher. However, I have no ugly gap between the tires and the fenders. Just make sure you install the springs correctly as per the DIY in our section and you'll be fine. Its pretty easy

turbo zombie · 2 Weeks Ago

springs determine ride height, the only function of shocks is to dampen the springs movement. if you had the time, you could test this. if you took the shocks out of your car, and left the springs on, your car would sit at the same height, but bounce up and down for a really long time after every bump. if you took your springs out, but left your shocks in, your car would sit at the very lowest it possibly could at all times, and every bump would feel like a sledgehammer just hit you in the ass.

gearbox · 2 Weeks Ago

in some cases, shocks affect ride height. when i had eibach springs on oem shocks, the rear was slammed and front had 3 finger gap. when i installed tokico HP shocks (rated for lowered cars), both front and rear went to 2 finger gap which is the normal 1 inch drop with no sag. oem shocks can be too weak to support the car and you will have no suspension travel. usually old or blown shocks will raise the front and sag in the rear.

turbo zombie · 2 Weeks Ago

that didn't make sense to me so i looked it up further. from what i read at several different sites, shock absorbers don't support vehicle weight, but struts (slightly) do. since our civics have struts on both ends, that makes a lot more sense now. what i haven't been able to figure out anywhere is why struts affect ride height and shocks don't, just that they do.

gearbox · 2 Weeks Ago

i see what you mean. yeah i have front struts and rear shocks on my 02, i think 01-05 uses the same setup but not completely sure.

turbo zombie · 2 Weeks Ago

yeah looking at pictures i couldn't tell if they were struts in the rear or not, and i haven't really paid attention to it before, so i couldn't remember for sure.

gearbox · 2 Weeks Ago

they are baby shocks in the rear, we did not even need a spring compressor as there was no tension whatsoever on the oem shock.