which springs lower the ss and still handle good.? i have an lt so i figured if i got some that lowers the ss it will lower mine down at least 3 inches since stock ss springs will lower a base model balt.. i thought about gettin them cheap springs off of ebay but i figured they are probabley really soft and will eventually atart to sag more and more over time..

 

NO to ebay springs!!!

u wont get a 3 inch drop.. closest to 3 inches you will get will be with H&R springs and i think they are like 2.5 in the front and 3 in the back.. definitely gonna need the camber kit if you go that low. And you would want to check into the Koni shocks and strut inserts as a definite. I have Sportlines on my LS and the drop is NICE... and the ride is good(i need to replace my struts though)

 

ssc springs are great for handling. they will put you just a little lower than an ss/sc. You don't want to be too low, some suspension travel is a good thing. Eibach prolines would probably be a better bet, they are progressive rate and give about the same drop as the ssc springs. but at nearly twice the cost I don't think they are as good of a bang for your buck.

if you want really good handling you'll need to go to coil overs, thats just the best option out there.

 

From everything I have done and read Eibach Sportlines are the best springs for handling and that killer drop. Make sure you upgrade the struts and shocks though, FE1 stuff doesnt like having 2.5" of suspention travel taken from them. I've had FE5 stuff on mine for about 15,000 miles now and have had ZERO issuse.

 

Sportlines provide a good drop, but if your after handling overall, then the Pro-Kit springs are better. The biggest difference is that the pro-kit is stiffer. The Sportlines provide a bigger drop, but the spring rate is relatively soft, so the car will still sag through hard cornering. The trade off is with the stiffer springs, your drop might not be as good. Many spring manufactuers offer springs that offer both a big drop and stiffer spring rates, but non such really exist for our cars. If you want the best of both worlds, I'd highly reccomend a nice coilover. IMO, the BEST suspension setup on the market for our cars is the K-Sport coilovers. Once Tein releases their line of suspension for our cars, ill likely say Tein is the best, but even then, K-Sport makes quality stuff too, as they are commonly used in road racing and drift cars.

Another thing I might reccomend is the Ground Control sleeve and spring style coilover. A sleeve and spring coilover includes the springs and the cuff sleeves, but not the struts like a full coilover. The Ground Controls utilize Eibach springs, but they come mounted to adjustable perches that a simple tool they include with the kit can easily lower and raise it with. Also, the Ground Control coilovers provide a .5" larger drop than Sportlines when they are in the lowest possible position. I would've def bought them had I not already installed my Sportlines. But they came out several months after I put my Sportlines on, so owell.

Hope this helps.

 

thanks for all the info guys.. i really cant afford the full coilover setup right now but i really would like to get a full setup like that though.. i think im bout to order the springs that thmotorsports has an offer on for now then hopefully late i'll be able to do a full upgrade later on when i have the money too..

 

Holy Cow! I agree with this guy!
Springs
Save the money and do it right the first time.

 

I understand where you're coming from, but you need to wait. I have an ls, I know how bad they handle and they have that 4x4 look, but if you can't afford coil overs now and that is what you really want, you should just wait.

The only thing worse than spending a lot of money on your suspension is spending a lot of money on your suspension twice. You can get a very respectable handling car with just springs and a sway bar (I have ssc springs and a progress rear sway bar. I let some guy ride with me at an autocross and he said my car felt way more solid than an audi tt) but if you really care about how well it handles then do everything right the first time.

What are you going to be doing with the car? auto cross, road racing, normal day to day driving? If you're doing any kind of racing and want to be competitive then yes, you should spend the extra money on the coil overs, and wait until you have the money for them. But if you aren't racing, or are only racing on occasion then you will be happy with a nice set of springs.

Just don't spend extra money you don't need to spend.

 

coilovers are not the best way to do it, IMO...if it's your daily driver. I've done this and the ride was too harsh for a daily driver.

Get some sportlines or the H&R springs, then get yourself some Koni's and you're set...you can adjust the Koni's to what ride you like soft to stiff.

Or wait till the tein stuff comes out, they have been in "research and development" for like what...2 years now though??? lol

 

progress....

 

yeah its definatly a daily driver.. i put bout 150 to 170 miles on the car at least 5 days out of the week just goin and comin from work and that dont include what gets put on it after i get home and the weekends.. so i really dont want it to be to stiff of a ride just handle better and be a little lower.. all that mileage is why i havent got the motor or trans mounts.. i've heard they vibrate the hell out of the car.. but i guess thats not to much of a bad thing when you gotta girl ridin with you... lol

 

haha.

You should've came out to that VADriven meet. Like 300 cars or so showed. I had alot of fun. My car made it into two snaps and the video for the meet. I have a thread on here with pics and the video. Just search my threads and you'll find it.

lol, weak sauce. I put about 450-500 miles on my car a week. Bought it brand new Oct '06, now has 38,700 miles on it. Im about to cut back though, b/c two friends just got hired on with me, so we'll be carpooling, so i'll cut that number in half probally.

 

i know everyone hates the tenzo's, but i just put them on my car and i love them. they give an awesome drop and the ride isnt bad at all. granted lowering the car any amount will give some rougher handling, these dont seem to be any worse than others. gravanatuning.com sells these for a great price. for the price these are i feel i made a great choice i recommend them

 

Not true. I promise you my Sportlines ride smoother than stock. But yeah, the Tenzo's provide a killer drop, but considering the amount of driving I do daily, they just werent for me.

 

eh well for 250 bucks they better ride smoother than stock hahaha. im saying for the money the tenzos are a great spring. yes, the sportlines are better, but for someone like me and maybe this guy who just wants springs for the look and can sacrifice some ride quality for handling they are a good buy.

 

Haha yeah. Well keep in mind, when I did my springs last year, there wasn't half as many springs available as there are now. Back then, it was just Eibach, Progress and Sprint.

Now Gold Line, Tenzo-R, K-Sport, Tein, #1, SSC, etc etc have springs for our cars.

 

lol, weak sauce. I put about 450-500 miles on my car a week. Bought it brand new Oct '06, now has 38,700 miles on it. Im about to cut back though, b/c two friends just got hired on with me, so we'll be carpooling, so i'll cut that number in half probally.[/QUOTE]

i bought mine in oct of 05 as an 06 model and its got 105,000 on it now.. and still put 700 to a 1000 on it every week.. it has been a good car though to already have that kinda milage on in and still hasnt givin me any problems..

i ended up orderin the progressive springs.. cant wait to get em on my car..

 

What kind of crack smoking coilovers did you have?
Mine are fully adjustable for height and stiffness. When you're racing you crank'em on for that kind of ride and when you leave the track you can set them back to comfy ride.
Thing is, my car is set to max all the time AND I have full trans/motor mounts. I can feel every bump in the road. LOL

 

i bought mine in oct of 05 as an 06 model and its got 105,000 on it now.. and still put 700 to a 1000 on it every week.. it has been a good car though to already have that kinda milage on in and still hasnt givin me any problems..



i ended up orderin the progressive springs.. cant wait to get em on my car..[/QUOTE]

Its Progress, not Progressive. Progressive sells car insurance.

Anywho, yeah I feel ya on the mileage. Mines an '07, and if I wasn't gonna do the carpooling thing here soon, I'd probally have 100k+ in another two years. But yeah, I'm really hoping to start cutting back on driving as much as possible. When I used to go out with friends, we'd all drive b/c we all wanted to show off our cars. But now, I take any chance I get to ride along with somebody. I also have my girlfriend come to my place more now, rather than me going to her place, simpy b/c she drives a lot less on a daily basis.

 

Its Progress, not Progressive. Progressive sells car insurance.

Anywho, yeah I feel ya on the mileage. Mines an '07, and if I wasn't gonna do the carpooling thing here soon, I'd probally have 100k+ in another two years. But yeah, I'm really hoping to start cutting back on driving as much as possible. When I used to go out with friends, we'd all drive b/c we all wanted to show off our cars. But now, I take any chance I get to ride along with somebody. I also have my girlfriend come to my place more now, rather than me going to her place, simpy b/c she drives a lot less on a daily basis.[/QUOTE]

yeah thanks for the correction on the progress springs.. dont know what i was thinkin when i said progressive. lol but the car has held up really great to have that many miles on it in that short period of time so i really cant complain but it does kill any resale or trade in on it though...

 

no mods will really help resale. If you take the car to a dealership to trade it in you are much better off putting the car back to stock. If you sell the car to someone through the news paper or craigs list then it might help you get a few extra bucks, but don't count on it.

Always take anything off that you can when you trade in a car.