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Safe lowering on springs

Old Jul 21, 2011
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Safe lowering on springs

I heard that lowering too much can cause stress on the suspension more than it should endure, what is the safest amount I can lower the car on springs without creating an opening for bigger problems. The car is a 2005 Civic Si hatch
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

Also if it matters my tires are 215/45/R16, im just wanting to get rid of some wheel gap because it bothers me
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

The issues arise when people lower their car on an otherwise completely stock and generally worn out suspension, lowering springs on stock struts for example. If your suspension is generally in good shape, lowering under 1.7'' on tokico blues with springs is totally fine.
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

my car has only 32,000 on it, so will i be fine if i just buy a set of springs? i was thinking lowering about 1.4 or 1.5 inches
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

You should upgrade the shocks and struts, the stocks will last for awhile with lowering springs but they will likely blow within a year.
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

you should also inspect all the suspension components while you are at it. Not sure of the EP's, but most ends up with clunks and poppings and clanks after they lower.
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

why would the shocks blow? just curious
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

All shocks blow out eventually, lowering springs just make it happen more quickly. By putting your car on shorter springs you permanently compress the damper, when the damper is only designed to compress when absorbing a bump in the road.
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Old Jul 21, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

i lowered the first time with 1 inch eibachs. few months later, all four stock shocks were done. i drove couple more yrs like that cause i couldnt afford to get new ones right away and the car was bouncing and scraping all over the place including a dented exhaust pipe. few yrs later put some tokicos on, another year later front sway bar snapped right off, LCA bushings were shot, rear sway bushings torn, front engine mount torn. replaced all with ES bushing upgrades and been fine since. i would recommend MOOG endlinks for both front and rear swaybars, ES bushings for the LCAs and at least the rear sway bar (they dont make any for the front on some models), and upgraded shocks that can handle a drop. dont forget a camber kit and alignment at the end. do it right the first time and you wont have issues. i would never go any lower than 1.5 inch for performance reasons. any lower and youre creating a danger to drive and not gaining any advantage.
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Old Jul 22, 2011
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Re: Safe lowering on springs

well, first off, "usually" a "good" design spring, if lower than the stock SHOULD be stiffer, since you will have less distance for the damper to travel until it hits something it should not (bumpstops are there for that). Same thinking as braking distances, the dampers being the brakes in here.
the poorly designed ones that simply... lower and are not stiff enough, will make the shocks hit repeatedly (more than usual) and the seal goes bye-bye after being hit so much.
If the springs are stiffer, well, the dampers will not be enough to brake the up-down motion since the springs are too stiff fer them and car goes boingo, boingo, like blown struts for a while, and then or they hit the bumpstops too much or the valve passage sees too much flow in them and there they go again bye-bye. Or the pressure go too high inside (heating from the boingo, boingo, or else) and them go happily through the seals again and bye-bye again. Just a matter of time when the dampers are not designed for less travel or stiffer springs. Boingo, boingo.
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