Rep Power: 230

I am looking to replace factory struts on a 98 ex and believe it or not, I read the articles on here about coilovers, struts, and shocks. What I need help with is I don't want to lower the car. I want the handling of a lowered car but without having to buy adjustable coilovers. I could always just buy them, but I want to know if there is a cheaper alternative.

 
Rep Power: 290

why don't you want it lower?? i'm not advocatiing slamming it, so the wheels tuck, but everything looks better with a subtle drop. if you really want to keep it stock height, you get some tokico hp dampers, and run stock springs. alternately, tein h tech springs are about a 1" drop all around, which is minimal, and the s techs are about 1.5". there's really no reason to buy coilovers if you don't want to lower it, stick with shocks/springs, it'll be cheaper that way, and accomplish the same thing.

 
Rep Power: 412

If you are going to upgrade the shocks, then you might as well lower 1".

Koni shocks, eibach pro kit, F/R camber kit, rear sway bar.

 
Rep Power: 424

You wont get it. Lowering the car lowers the center of gravity, which in turn makes the car more stable, additionally, lowering springs are firmer to cope with the reduced travel, which makes the car less prone to body roll.

 
Rep Power: 230

The reason I didn't want to lower the car was because of 17 inch rims and having to deal with negative camber. If I only drop it an inch, I wouldn't think so, but would negative camber be an issue? And will I still have room to use my 17s still?

 
Rep Power: 247

you will be able to drop it probably 2 inches. either way u will have camber that isnt stock specs so just get a camber kit

 
Rep Power: 412

Dude, there have been people who fit 17's under a 2". 1" drop will make camber negative. To fix this, you get a camber kit. Besides offering you the ability to put the wheels back to spec, you also have the opportunity to adjust camber settings. Most people think that just lowering the car improves handling, but alignment settings are extremely important.

 
Rep Power: 230

Yeah I knew that when you lowered a car that you typically had a neg camber but from what I understood from some people was that a short drop wouldn't result in neg camber. Does it depend on the application or is this just not true? And anyone that sells coilovers typically sells camber kits too right?

 
Rep Power: 0

I have always been interested in this to because i live in MN and driveing on dirt is a favorite passtime of mine i would rather not have a real low car but a bit more stiffness would be great

 
Rep Power: 266

tokico hp (almost the same cost as stock but better in all ways, smoother ride, better handling)
tein s-techs (~1 inch drop, retain the smooth ride you know and love, reap the benefits of lowered center of gravity and better rates and response)
camber kit (save the tires)

DO WORK!

btw coilovers are corny...good for getting on the ground, good for nothing else.well the expensive ones are, but i dont think you are in that position

 
Rep Power: 242

S-Techs are more than a 1'' drop......I have them...they are are about 1.5'' closer to 1.7''.....if he wants a 1'' drop...get the eibach pro kit or the tein h techs....but S-Techs might be more than what he is looking for.....

 
Rep Power: 266

i confused the h with the s

 
Rep Power: 265

with a short drop, there is a chance that your camber will be within spec, but having a camber kit gives you the adjustability to put it where you want. you will also be able to buy everything from the same place. i think a 1-1.5" is perfect for our cars. i live around some really crummy roads with a 1.5" drop and it isn't bad at all; you will really notice a difference too.