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My '04 Si Hatch has about 113k miles on it, the suspension is the original from when we bought it back in '04.

I plan on keeping this for sometime as a daily driver, back and forth from work. It might be used as an errand here or there, but for the most part I'm looking at something like 30 miles a day round trip, mostly freeway driving.

Goals:

1) Maintain or improve overall quality of ride. Actually, since I'm sure that 113k miles on the original suspension has lowered the ride quality noticeably, I'd like to improve the overall quality of the ride from when it was brand new.

2) Have reasonable expected life. I would like it if nothing 'broke' for about another 100k miles Honestly though, I have no reasonable frame of reference for how long these components should last, so some advice in this area would be great.

3) Lower the car about 1.5", as I think @ stock it sorta looks like a minivan .

I know very little about what I would need to get, so you can't dumb this down enough for me.

Wheels are the stock 5 lug 16" wheels, if that matters.

I'd like to know how much this would cost. Its also time for me to get new tires as the ones I'm on are almost bald, so I'm hoping to get the tires and suspension done at the same time to save some headache.

Thank you in advance!!

 
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before going any further you need to make a decision on what's more important to you; a soft smooth ride or lowered 1.5'' for looks?

You cannot have both.

 
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Primarily I want the 1" - 1.5" lowering. My wife and I both would prefer the looks if it was a bit lower. BUT, I don't want the ride quality to turn into a painful horrible experience.

I'm not really even looking for the 'super cheap' way of doing this. But its not clear to me what I'll need to replace. And if the expected life of the stuff I'm talking about is like 15k miles, I'm probably not interested in that either.

So, yes, I want to lower the car slightly, I just want the best possible ride with that lowered ride.

ninja edit: just wanted to note that I have read the FAQ's on this forum but unfortunately I don't have enough knowledge to know which various parts of suspension I'll be needing to replace. Thank you for your help!

 
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Tokico Hp shocks (blues)
Tein S-techs
Ingalls front and rear camber kit.

You can find all this on ebay around 800 dollars. If you install your self then you won't have labor cost. my labor was around 400 dollars including alignment.

Handles well for springs. looks good on my em2. Can daily drive no problem. sure you won't have and daily driving problems in an ep3.

 
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Got this info from sdaidoji:

Progressive Spring RateProgressive rate springs are all-in one solutions. They are often used on performance aftermarket kits like Eibach or others, and they are good for daily performance street driving. They help you achieve the highest performance when driving hard, while providing a smooth, comfortable drive the rest of the time.

Linear Spring RateLinear springs are more often used in drag racing, road racing, track and races that require a high spring rate, in which a constant spring rate is more important than a smooth ride. They are still popular because they are:

1. Easier to produce and can be made to lower a car beyond the point of progressive rate springs.
2. Easy to work with, because the spring rate never changes, allowing quick chassis set-up.
3. Inexpensive, allowing most race teams to use several different sets depending on track conditions

Spring Rates
For 02-05 Civic Si (EP3)

Stock 248F/440R
Eibach Pro-Kit 15-20% stiffer then stock
Eibach Sportlines 20-25% stiffer then stock
H&R Sport 25-30% more then stock
Omni-Power Street Coilovers 448F/336R
Omni-Power Sport Coilovers 539F/448R
Omni-Power 6-Way Damping Coilovers 539/448/336
Progress 280F/500R
Sprint 20-25% more then stock
Tein Flex 448F/559R
Tein SS 336F/448R
Tein S. Tech 157F/291R
Tein H. Tech 257F/476R

You'll want a progressive spring pretty close to your stock set up, for a similar ride.

There are more options out there. Just some info to share...

 
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sure you can.

tein Htech

/end

 
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I think the Htech's are less than 1" drop though.

Can someone link to an appropriate camber kit? I'm having a hard time finding on ebay.

 
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ingalls