Full Review on Hayame Coilovers
whoa...i just caught up to this thread. that was a lot of fun i must say. interesting topic. well, I have an 03 civic ex 2dr....runni'n STOCK....u know. anyway, i want to put on some 17''s and lower the car a bit. so these look pretty good. I was wondering what people now have to saya bout it. I PM'd vnlilman about the install of the hayame's...but..for anyone with info. I want to put the hayame's in but i've read that you need to drill in order to get them to fit. would this be a problem if I were to want to put back my stock setup incase i do not like the hayame's? if so, i don't think i'm gonna go for it. and if that is the case...i'm more or less looking for a stock if not a little stiffer ride with the drop...and only looking for MAYBE 2'' at the most. i live in San Antonio, TX and there are A LOT of hgh curbs to climb when going into a shopping center...not to mention my neons under my car. don't want those ripping off. well, thanks for any information peoples.
Originally posted by UltimateStock
whoa...i just caught up to this thread. that was a lot of fun i must say. interesting topic. well, I have an 03 civic ex 2dr....runni'n STOCK....u know. anyway, i want to put on some 17''s and lower the car a bit. so these look pretty good. I was wondering what people now have to saya bout it. I PM'd vnlilman about the install of the hayame's...but..for anyone with info. I want to put the hayame's in but i've read that you need to drill in order to get them to fit. would this be a problem if I were to want to put back my stock setup incase i do not like the hayame's? if so, i don't think i'm gonna go for it. and if that is the case...i'm more or less looking for a stock if not a little stiffer ride with the drop...and only looking for MAYBE 2'' at the most. i live in San Antonio, TX and there are A LOT of hgh curbs to climb when going into a shopping center...not to mention my neons under my car. don't want those ripping off. well, thanks for any information peoples.
whoa...i just caught up to this thread. that was a lot of fun i must say. interesting topic. well, I have an 03 civic ex 2dr....runni'n STOCK....u know. anyway, i want to put on some 17''s and lower the car a bit. so these look pretty good. I was wondering what people now have to saya bout it. I PM'd vnlilman about the install of the hayame's...but..for anyone with info. I want to put the hayame's in but i've read that you need to drill in order to get them to fit. would this be a problem if I were to want to put back my stock setup incase i do not like the hayame's? if so, i don't think i'm gonna go for it. and if that is the case...i'm more or less looking for a stock if not a little stiffer ride with the drop...and only looking for MAYBE 2'' at the most. i live in San Antonio, TX and there are A LOT of hgh curbs to climb when going into a shopping center...not to mention my neons under my car. don't want those ripping off. well, thanks for any information peoples.
Registered!!
iTrader: (5)
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 594
Likes: 0
From: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Rep Power: 0 
I am in Corpus Christi, Texas, & there are also many wacky curb entrances into places, but I just plan on going real slow & maybe at an angle too. It poured rain today for 15 minutes & 6-12" lakes formed everywhere. I am new to here & that was shocking, but fun - I like to make a big splash sometimes, but now my alarm chirp sounds like a gugrle!
Originally posted by UltimateStock
i'm more or less looking for a stock if not a little stiffer ride with the drop...
i'm more or less looking for a stock if not a little stiffer ride with the drop...
Once you get stiffer springs the car tends to bounce from front to back, and on stock struts it'll feel horrible and LOOK horrible on the outside since the struts are too long. (Ricer-bounce.,,, and it goes quite high. Easily noticable on the freeway.) The car also won't float anymore, instead it'll just quickly rebound back up when the springs compress down. It doesn't take a lot of lowering to bottom out the stock struts either.
The ride will never be the same even if you get full coilovers or even with aftermarket shocks. With stiffer (and hopefully shorter) struts the springs will at least perform better and bounce less ridiculously (and less repeatedly) - more importantly it'll do so properly... meaning instead of the car ALWAYS bouncing front to back on uneven surfaces it'll come down evenly like it should. It still won't float anymore due to the stiffer spring rate. It'll still go up and down quickly with stiffer shocks which is just the feel of a lowered car.
I was quite used to the GCs and stock struts but I was also tired of them bottoming out.
After I put my Hayame's on, over uneven pavement it bounced fast but firmly.. but this was when I had a LOT of preload (well over an inch I think.) The Hayames are naturally... considerably stiffer than stock. The only quality of stock it has is what happens when you go over uneven pavement compared to say stiff springs and stock struts... it does not feel like ****. It's not like stock because it's performance is nothing like stock - it doesn't suck up bumps like stock so it's not always comfortable. It doesn't turn like stock - it would run circles around stock. The steering response is far better than stock. The car turns on a dime - far better than GCs and stock struts.
Bah, I've said enough.
Originally posted by SlammedBlueEM2
After having these coilovers long enough, I'm convinced that they don't feel like stock. Stock is more resiliant to bouncing but that's only because the stock springs and struts are soft. Stock floats over bumps. If you're inside a car with stock suspension at night and you pay attention to the headlights, the movemnt on the light on the road is all based on the suspension. Stock should not noticably bounce as much, but modified? It will no matter what.
Once you get stiffer springs the car tends to bounce from front to back, and on stock struts it'll feel horrible and LOOK horrible on the outside since the struts are too long. (Ricer-bounce.,,, and it goes quite high. Easily noticable on the freeway.) The car also won't float anymore, instead it'll just quickly rebound back up when the springs compress down. It doesn't take a lot of lowering to bottom out the stock struts either.
The ride will never be the same even if you get full coilovers or even with aftermarket shocks. With stiffer (and hopefully shorter) struts the springs will at least perform better and bounce less ridiculously (and less repeatedly) - more importantly it'll do so properly... meaning instead of the car ALWAYS bouncing front to back on uneven surfaces it'll come down evenly like it should. It still won't float anymore due to the stiffer spring rate. It'll still go up and down quickly with stiffer shocks which is just the feel of a lowered car.
I was quite used to the GCs and stock struts but I was also tired of them bottoming out.
After I put my Hayame's on, over uneven pavement it bounced fast but firmly.. but this was when I had a LOT of preload (well over an inch I think.) The Hayames are naturally... considerably stiffer than stock. The only quality of stock it has is what happens when you go over uneven pavement compared to say stiff springs and stock struts... it does not feel like ****. It's not like stock because it's performance is nothing like stock - it doesn't suck up bumps like stock so it's not always comfortable. It doesn't turn like stock - it would run circles around stock. The steering response is far better than stock. The car turns on a dime - far better than GCs and stock struts.
Bah, I've said enough.
After having these coilovers long enough, I'm convinced that they don't feel like stock. Stock is more resiliant to bouncing but that's only because the stock springs and struts are soft. Stock floats over bumps. If you're inside a car with stock suspension at night and you pay attention to the headlights, the movemnt on the light on the road is all based on the suspension. Stock should not noticably bounce as much, but modified? It will no matter what.
Once you get stiffer springs the car tends to bounce from front to back, and on stock struts it'll feel horrible and LOOK horrible on the outside since the struts are too long. (Ricer-bounce.,,, and it goes quite high. Easily noticable on the freeway.) The car also won't float anymore, instead it'll just quickly rebound back up when the springs compress down. It doesn't take a lot of lowering to bottom out the stock struts either.
The ride will never be the same even if you get full coilovers or even with aftermarket shocks. With stiffer (and hopefully shorter) struts the springs will at least perform better and bounce less ridiculously (and less repeatedly) - more importantly it'll do so properly... meaning instead of the car ALWAYS bouncing front to back on uneven surfaces it'll come down evenly like it should. It still won't float anymore due to the stiffer spring rate. It'll still go up and down quickly with stiffer shocks which is just the feel of a lowered car.
I was quite used to the GCs and stock struts but I was also tired of them bottoming out.
After I put my Hayame's on, over uneven pavement it bounced fast but firmly.. but this was when I had a LOT of preload (well over an inch I think.) The Hayames are naturally... considerably stiffer than stock. The only quality of stock it has is what happens when you go over uneven pavement compared to say stiff springs and stock struts... it does not feel like ****. It's not like stock because it's performance is nothing like stock - it doesn't suck up bumps like stock so it's not always comfortable. It doesn't turn like stock - it would run circles around stock. The steering response is far better than stock. The car turns on a dime - far better than GCs and stock struts.
Bah, I've said enough.
so what u are saying is that the Hayames are alittle stiffer from stock but don't quite have the extremely harsh bounce of some of the stiffer products out there....and in conclusion, you are very satisfied with the Hayames..
Registered!!
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 528
Likes: 0
From: North York, Ontario, Canada
Rep Power: 0 
With any aftermarket suspension, there's a trade off between comfort and cornering ability. Think of an early 90's cadillac. On the highway you're f-l-o-a-t-i-n-g, but under hard cornering there is HUGE bodyroll. No matter what, if you get stiffer springs the ride will be harsher. As far as I know all lowering springs/sleeved coilovers/full coilovers have stiffer springs than stock. I love the stiffness though, a harsh ride on uneven pavement is a small price to pay for a sweet drop and insane handling...
Originally posted by PrcCivic
so what u are saying is that the Hayames are alittle stiffer from stock but don't quite have the extremely harsh bounce of some of the stiffer products out there....and in conclusion, you are very satisfied with the Hayames..
so what u are saying is that the Hayames are alittle stiffer from stock but don't quite have the extremely harsh bounce of some of the stiffer products out there....and in conclusion, you are very satisfied with the Hayames..
In terms of the ride, I suppse I'm satisfied but I really don't want to pass judgement until my new rears arrive. I think I would like something a little more stiffer to suit my taste.
At any rate I STILL want answers from my previous questions about the ones I have.
Think of an early 90's cadillac. On the highway you're f-l-o-a-t-i-n-g, but under hard cornering there is HUGE bodyroll. No matter what, if you get stiffer springs the ride will be harsher.
All aftermarket springs are supposed to be stiffer than stock - stock wasn't made to be a performance suspension. I understand that the front spring rate on a 6th gen aren't even over 100kg.
hmm....well, do you think i'll be able to use the hayame's well? i'm goign to get 17''s soon.l..prob. 205-40s maybe 215s...not too interested in the 215s though..i think they'd look too wide. what do you guys think?
Originally posted by VNlilMAN
might want to go with 205-45-17 then.. 205-40-17 is kinda thin imo
might want to go with 205-45-17 then.. 205-40-17 is kinda thin imo
Originally posted by Dainfamous
i have 35 with hayames
i have 35 with hayames
VN pretty much said he went back to stock wheels because the Hayames would make the ride on larger wheels harsher... which is very true due to the lack of tire height to absorb the bumps in the road. A low profile tire makes the wheel absorb the bumps, thus sending the bump directly under your butt and even up your spine.
All in all, it's your 35 series tires + the combination of Hayames. You've been complaining about the ride all this time and it's either due to your big rims or that + your small tires. With a 35 series tire, I bet you could feel pretty much everything on the road.
You can:
1) Get a softer suspension
2) Get some smaller wheels - if you already have 17s, don't settle for anything smaller than 205/40.
3) If you have 18s, you shouldn't be on Hayame if you can't take the stiffness.
If it were me, I would take off the rims. I'd be concerned about bending them.
so what do you guys think? should I go w/ the 215's on the hayame set up? i'm verrrry intersted...i'm looking at less than 2000 including installs with everything...and thats NOT BAD at all. o man.....maybe 205s..jsut don't want to look TOO wide..u know?
keepin' it STOCK
keepin' it STOCK
Originally posted by VNlilMAN
slipsteams? 35 series? uh... errr... huh???
slipsteams? 35 series? uh... errr... huh???
Maybe he meant Rota Sub-zero?
I've been following this thread since day 1 as many others. I have an Eibach Pro-Kit with18's and 35 falken's. The ride is rough as you can imagine. But it doesnt bother me that much. What bothers me is the Eibach Pro-Kit only does about a 1" drop and thats was worthless to me. I want to go low on my 18's. My question is would the ride be worse, better, about the same if I went with the Hayame's?
Worse. You'd be in the other guy's position pretty much.
You'd have stiffer springs which means a rougher ride. Plus the stiffer struts which I guess would only end up absorbing every uneven foundation in the road and transmitting it to the passengers inside.
You'd have stiffer springs which means a rougher ride. Plus the stiffer struts which I guess would only end up absorbing every uneven foundation in the road and transmitting it to the passengers inside.
Thread Starter
The Standard One
iTrader: (7)
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 11,659
Likes: 1
From: City of Angels, California, US
Rep Power: 417 

i want to put my 18s back on but then at the same time i dont... they ride like **** compared to the 14s... but then they look so nice compared to the 14s.. what to do... haha
This thread is very long ... *stating the obvious* ... I wonder what's going on now since some of us had to e-mail UrbanImport about our rear springs? I haven't heard from him since. Got no reply back either.
A set-up of stiff shocks vs. soft shocks?
Softer shocks will not make the car handle better than stiffer ones. A stiffer setting on Koni yellows would be better for handling than a softer one because it would help reduce spring compression (body roll).
I don't think stiffer shocks will make you loose control over bumps more than a stiffer spring would and the shocks are properly valved for the spring rates with the Hayames. It's the shock's job to keep the car controllable. (Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.) The way a stiffer shock reacts over bumps compared to a soft shock (say stock) isn't going to act much different except for how much it allows spring compression.
You can have either:
Stiff springs and firm struts
Soft springs and firm struts
Soft springs and soft struts
So long as the shocks are valved for the spring rates, however, you should NOT have:
Stiff springs and soft struts
Because then you're inviting trouble (bottoming out, loosing control at high speeds if the road causes the car to bounce too much, premature wear of the shocks causing them to leak and worsen the ride.)
I don't find Hayames to be so stiff that it's unstreetable when it's in fact very streetable.
Softer shocks will not make the car handle better than stiffer ones. A stiffer setting on Koni yellows would be better for handling than a softer one because it would help reduce spring compression (body roll).
I don't think stiffer shocks will make you loose control over bumps more than a stiffer spring would and the shocks are properly valved for the spring rates with the Hayames. It's the shock's job to keep the car controllable. (Someone can correct me if I'm wrong.) The way a stiffer shock reacts over bumps compared to a soft shock (say stock) isn't going to act much different except for how much it allows spring compression.
You can have either:
Stiff springs and firm struts
Soft springs and firm struts
Soft springs and soft struts
So long as the shocks are valved for the spring rates, however, you should NOT have:
Stiff springs and soft struts
Because then you're inviting trouble (bottoming out, loosing control at high speeds if the road causes the car to bounce too much, premature wear of the shocks causing them to leak and worsen the ride.)
I don't find Hayames to be so stiff that it's unstreetable when it's in fact very streetable.
Why is my vagina bleeding?
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 0
From: Montreal
Rep Power: 305 

I saw someone with a drop on there 7th gen civic and the person hit a bump and his tail end bounced up and down freakishly.
I read the faq section on suspension but I was still confused about some things.
Someone posted a picture earlier of the Hayenes struts and springs.

Do the struts and springs come set up like that?
Or were the springs put on after?
Do I still need to modify my stock front struts to use to accomodate the Hayenes?(I know nothing about suspension)
By the way your drop looks good.
I read the faq section on suspension but I was still confused about some things.
Someone posted a picture earlier of the Hayenes struts and springs.

Do the struts and springs come set up like that?
Or were the springs put on after?
Do I still need to modify my stock front struts to use to accomodate the Hayenes?(I know nothing about suspension)
By the way your drop looks good.
a stock ex w/ the alloys always looks good. i'll try and get a pic of mine all nice and shiny. =) red / black. my interior is pretty nice too. all stock besides the speaker system and head unit. not to mention the honda seatbelt pads that let me drive faster. =D hahaha...makes me more aerodynamic. lol
Originally posted by nindoo
I saw someone with a drop on there 7th gen civic and the person hit a bump and his tail end bounced up and down freakishly.
I read the faq section on suspension but I was still confused about some things.
Someone posted a picture earlier of the Hayenes struts and springs.

Do the struts and springs come set up like that?
Or were the springs put on after?
Do I still need to modify my stock front struts to use to accomodate the Hayenes?(I know nothing about suspension)
By the way your drop looks good.
I saw someone with a drop on there 7th gen civic and the person hit a bump and his tail end bounced up and down freakishly.
I read the faq section on suspension but I was still confused about some things.
Someone posted a picture earlier of the Hayenes struts and springs.

Do the struts and springs come set up like that?
Or were the springs put on after?
Do I still need to modify my stock front struts to use to accomodate the Hayenes?(I know nothing about suspension)
By the way your drop looks good.
no modify except if you have 03 plus civic. You'll need to drill a bigger camber bolts. 03 civic use 16mm camber bolt size. and 01 and 02 use 14mm. Not sure if some late 02 got 16mm tho.
Why is my vagina bleeding?
iTrader: (1)
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 3,582
Likes: 0
From: Montreal
Rep Power: 305 

This is amazing, because Koni only makes front inserts.
I want to keep my stock struts and springs for winter use.
Is this a new suspension part? Cause in the FAQ it was metioned that Koni was the only company making struts for the 7th gen civic.
With the Hayenes it looks like a simple bolt on.
The alloy rims look nice, my Vic comes with other rims they don't look as nice the finish looks a little cheap, they look like the ones on the new si hatchback.
One of the problems I have with my stock suspension set up, is that when I drive fast there is a lot of body roll on turns. I feel very unsecure. The steering response is good, but the car does not seem to be stable on turns.
I want to keep my stock struts and springs for winter use.
Is this a new suspension part? Cause in the FAQ it was metioned that Koni was the only company making struts for the 7th gen civic.
With the Hayenes it looks like a simple bolt on.
The alloy rims look nice, my Vic comes with other rims they don't look as nice the finish looks a little cheap, they look like the ones on the new si hatchback.
One of the problems I have with my stock suspension set up, is that when I drive fast there is a lot of body roll on turns. I feel very unsecure. The steering response is good, but the car does not seem to be stable on turns.


