pros, cons, and opinions please

[THECHRIS]

well heres my debate over lowering springs or coilovers. i'll be lowering my car (02) sometime this spring. i'm thinking doing any where from 1.5-2 inch drop (not going to low since canada has snow). my original plan was to get a set of tien ss coilovers. but heres my problem; the coilover cost about $1300 (off 2kracing.com) and the city i live in has a retarted amount of pot holes (year round). then i was looking at the lowering springs, they cost about $200 (2kracing.com) for the four springs. so i was just wondering, what else i should look at. like do i need a camber kit, will i need new shocks for the springs, and what else should i be looking at? i'm pretty new to this so i have little knowledge. i just want my car to handle better, look better with the 17's, but i also want them to last a decent amount of time. so any help, advice, or any thing would be appreciated.

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[sl33pyriceboi]

get coils. especially if you live in snow areas..... because you can lift it up just in case you need to put chains or anything.

if you get lowering springs, ur gonna needa to get struts as well, tokico blues wont last long if u plan to drop it more than 1.5.

if cost is the question, why dont u get some teins basics or some other. they are only about 800-1000 bucks.

also get camber kit....its not just recomented, its needed.

[sl33pyriceboi]

check out dezod's website as well. its better than urs.

http://www.dezod.com/cat_coilovers1.cfm

[THECHRIS]

cost really isn't to much an issue, it more of if i can save money i will but don't wanna buy crap.
and i also don't plan on raising the car during winter, it'll stay low, reason i'm not doing a big drop.
thanks for the website, because i do need to search more.

[sl33pyriceboi]

^then coilovers is what u want if money is not an issue.

what if u buy a set up springs, and you put em on. then you realize that ur rear is ALOT lower than ur front (because u have alot of NECESSARY stuff in there, not just junk), and ur car looks funny?

then what? if u had coilvers, you could just add some more height to ur rear within mins... (jack up the car, take off the tire, turn the lower seated block)

[THECHRIS]

that makes sence, i never put that in mind much.. but i heard every time you raise lower coilovers you need an alignment done? if not so much then i think i know what direction.

[jgcentury]

Pro to coils is just like sleepy says, you may always adjust accordingly. Another pro is that you can maximize your handling capabilities (not counting sway bars and braces and all the other good stuff) more so with coils with adjustable dampening. Don't get me wrong, you can get some koni adjustables and have the same ability, but that is more work to install them also. Cons to coils is, (the most common complaint that I hear) the incredibly stiff ride, and price tag.

Pro's to springs and struts is cheaper, and usually most comfortable ride. Handling is also nice, but from what I gather is not as good as with most coils.
Con's are as sleepy covered, not adjustable height.

And as stated above, camber kit is a must, not a maybe for any drop 1.5" or more.

I personally have tokico blues with tanabe df210's and I love it, although there are times when I wish I could go lower..... until I come up to a speed bump and just barely can creep over it. My opinion was intended to be totally unbiased. Good luck.

[sl33pyriceboi]

Originally Posted by THECHRIS

that makes sence, i never put that in mind much.. but i heard every time you raise lower coilovers you need an alignment done? if not so much then i think i know what direction.

yes and no.

when you first drop ur car, drop it to a heigh that you like. (as for me i am pretty slammed, i have almost no finger gap between fender/wheel)

after u get the height you like (most ppl have like a two finger gap or so) THEN get an alignment.

toe = zero degrees
camber = -1 degree.

why -1? becaues if you need to raise ur car up, you can raise it up to 2-3 inches w/o really affecting ur tire wear....(or getting another alignment to correct the camber)

plus, running -1 camber gives you better handling than 0 degreees.

[metalviper]

toe is a greater factor than camber when considering tire wear. and raising and lowering the car more than an inch at a time can severely throw toe out of oe spec. yes you should get an alignment every time you raise/lower the car or mess with most suspension components. please read the FAQ next time first, All The Suspension Info You Need!! Please Read!!!

[EnvyX]

Cheapest coil setup is D2 for $750
cheapest spring setup is
~$140(springs) + $400(shocks) +$125 (camber kit) = ~$650

Plus $100 for an alignment for either.
I have a pair of 1.75" lowering springs for sale, but have no clue what shipping would be to Canada.

[WannaBFast]

well IF you get coilovers, get the full set with dampers and not the cheapie sleeve kits, cause they usually ride like crap

my vote is on springs

[EnvyX]

Originally Posted by WannaBFast

well IF you get coilovers, get the full set with dampers and not the cheapie sleeve kits, cause they usually ride like crap

my vote is on springs

Koni/GC setup uses sleeves - and its probably one of the best units out there with regard to price. It costs about $1000, but handles with setups a lot more expensive. In fact, I have it, and love it. It rides better than stock yet handles so much better. I can also get it to sit 4 inches off the ground if I want.

[sl33pyriceboi]

Originally Posted by metalviper

toe is a greater factor than camber when considering tire wear. and raising and lowering the car more than an inch at a time can severely throw toe out of oe spec. yes you should get an alignment every time you raise/lower the car or mess with most suspension components. please read the FAQ next time first, All The Suspension Info You Need!! Please Read!!!

you "should" get a alignment every time you raise or lower the car.

but given that ur toe is set to zero.

a -1 to +1 degree will not effect ur tire wear. tat was the point i was trying to make. especilly if you are only gonna be raised a few months. then you'll drop back down.

[sl33pyriceboi]

Originally Posted by WannaBFast

well IF you get coilovers, get the full set with dampers and not the cheapie sleeve kits, cause they usually ride like crap

my vote is on springs

what do u call eibach ground control? is that cheapie? they cost more than ur springs.

Originally Posted by EnvyX

Koni/GC setup uses sleeves - and its probably one of the best units out there with regard to price. It costs about $1000, but handles with setups a lot more expensive. In fact, I have it, and love it. It rides better than stock yet handles so much better. I can also get it to sit 4 inches off the ground if I want.

agree. +1 for you. i have them myself and they perform ridiculously just as well as the 1500+ ones.

[Zzyzx]

Originally Posted by sl33pyriceboi

a -1 to +1 degree will not effect ur tire wear. tat was the point i was trying to make. especilly if you are only gonna be raised a few months. then you'll drop back down.

I have to disagree with you there, both on principle & from experience. a +1 or -1 Deg of camber change is plenty enough to cause a damaging amount of toe change, especially on the rear of the car where toe changes significantly with ride height changes.