What are the benefits of going with coilovers?

[Blk4drSI]

I am about to buy some wheels and Im going back and forth about getting a drop and camber kit or just going with some coilovers. What are the benefits of going with the coilovers rather than the drop and camber kit? Just adjustability? Or are there other factors? Would you still have to get a camber kit with coilovers? I have always stayed on the performance side of things, but I wanna try and learn more about the suspension side so any info would be appreciated. thanks

[exhaust_note]

Originally Posted by Blk4drSI

I am about to buy some wheels and Im going back and forth about getting a drop and camber kit or just going with some coilovers. What are the benefits of going with the coilovers rather than the drop and camber kit? Just adjustability? Or are there other factors? Would you still have to get a camber kit with coilovers? I have always stayed on the performance side of things, but I wanna try and learn more about the suspension side so any info would be appreciated. thanks

What are you gonna do with the car?

Daily, AutoX or Circuit?

I do all 3 and springs suit me fine. I had coilovers on my last car and there is no need for them.

My Setup:
Comptech Springs and camber adjusters. For now
Koni Yellow's once they are released.

[Blk4drSI]

See, thats what Im trying to figure out. I have a dakota r/t with hotchkis front springs and rear leaf springs with custom tuned bilstein shocks. It was over the top. I just trying to figure out is coilovers are just a status symbol, you know, you buy them just so you can say that you have them. If it is, I dont care about that, I just want a little better handling without comprimising too much of the ride quality. What are koni yellows?

[truflip]

I would like to know this as well before I blow my savings. Thanks!
Mine will be just for daily driving and to improve drivability of the car :)
no AutoX, no Circuit..

[duy2006si]

I do daily spirited driving and I got my megans because I didn't want to worry about replacing my shocks later if springs were installed. They also turn so much better. Megans FTW

[truflip]

^^ im not suspension friendly. could u explain more? did u get megan coils?

[Blk4drSI]

Yeah, I might do autox sometime or another, but that is not the reason why that I wanna do my suspension. I just wanna know if they are really that much better.

[Toxis]

I wanna do it for the bling. hahaha

[dt07Si]

Originally Posted by Blk4drSI

Yeah, I might do autox sometime or another, but that is not the reason why that I wanna do my suspension. I just wanna know if they are really that much better.

If you look at my threads and posts I have been trying to figure out what I want to do for a suspension setup on my Si also.

My SI is daily driven and occasionally I will auto-X it.

I had coilovers on my GSR and I purchased them thinking that they were a better alternative then springs and struts, which they may have been. But that car was also daily driven and it was a "manageable" ride but nonetheless it was rough by most peoples standards and I by no means want my Si to ride like me Teg did.

So far I have basically determined I want something that is height adjustable, and I would like to have an adjustable dampener. Which leaves me with two options

1. a Full coilover like a Tein SS, Buddy CLub N+, or Function and Form Type II

all of which I'm afraid are geared more towards track use, or in general have to high of spring rates for a comfortable ride on uneven road surfaces.

2. Ground Control sleeved coilovers on the stock strut until the Koni Yellows come out.

Which I would be able to go with a custom spring rate on and once the Koni Yellows are available have amazing dampener adjust ability.

The only other option is going with the HFP suspension setup for the sake of not voiding your warranty and still improving your suspension.

I am not personally in a huge rush to make a decision, so what I am gonna do is wait until I can get a ride in a couple SI's I know f locally with coilovers and see what their cars ride like on the street and take it from there.

Hope that helps a little.

[Hondasi15]

I had coil overs on my first civic..I never really used the adjustability feature..I ended up Fing up the thread on the springs..so it got to a point that I had no option of adjusting them..I took my car to a honda specialist garage(Acutech)..and they told me it was the weight my car had put on the coil overs that messed up the thread..and I had to do a camber kit regardless.

[streetmachine02]

coilovers, depending on the brand and style, basically a 4struts and springs that have up and down capabilities of about 2 inches. some coilover sets come with a dampening system that tightens or softens the ride . if you buy springs, eventually the stock struts will go out. and you should buy the part to fix it, in the long run you'll pay close to the same price as you would if you just bought coils. have a nice day.

[atruhondagrl]

If you intend to go with Tein basics, don't. I recommend coilovers for folks who wanna do autocross, road racing, or just some seriously spirited driving. Hobby drivers. That kind of driving would give you a chance to really use adjustable coilovers.

I have Tein SS with the EDFC. I love being able to adjust them. Then again, I spent 4 years driving the curvy roads of Italy so I love a nice curvy drive and knowing I can push it a little more. Basics will only give you height adjustment and in my opinion, you can save $ by just getting springs if that's all you want.

I like my Teins and miss being able to drive the car daily. You have to look at your driving style, what your plans are and how much is just too much before you make that decision. But most of all, get something you'll enjoy.

[Blk4drSI]

Originally Posted by dt07Si

If you look at my threads and posts I have been trying to figure out what I want to do for a suspension setup on my Si also.

My SI is daily driven and occasionally I will auto-X it.

I had coilovers on my GSR and I purchased them thinking that they were a better alternative then springs and struts, which they may have been. But that car was also daily driven and it was a "manageable" ride but nonetheless it was rough by most peoples standards and I by no means want my Si to ride like me Teg did.

So far I have basically determined I want something that is height adjustable, and I would like to have an adjustable dampener. Which leaves me with two options

1. a Full coilover like a Tein SS, Buddy CLub N+, or Function and Form Type II

all of which I'm afraid are geared more towards track use, or in general have to high of spring rates for a comfortable ride on uneven road surfaces.

2. Ground Control sleeved coilovers on the stock strut until the Koni Yellows come out.

Which I would be able to go with a custom spring rate on and once the Koni Yellows are available have amazing dampener adjust ability.

The only other option is going with the HFP suspension setup for the sake of not voiding your warranty and still improving your suspension.

I am not personally in a huge rush to make a decision, so what I am gonna do is wait until I can get a ride in a couple SI's I know f locally with coilovers and see what their cars ride like on the street and take it from there.

Hope that helps a little.

Yeah man, that helps alot. I am going to do alittle research on these koni yellows that I keep hearing about. See, what Im debating is, if I buy springs and a camber kit, is that going to make something else prematuraly wear out and cause me to spend the same as I would if I just went with the coilovers. Also, should you still do a camber kit with coilovers. Also, where is some good places to look for coils for cheap(or less expensive). thanks for the info.

[exhaust_note]

dont cheap out when it comes to this.
if your gonna do it do it right.

if you go the route of springs, get aftermarket struts. do be a fool and rock your stock struts of they blow out.

ill already put a nice amount of cash on the side for the day koni yellows come out.

[sickyute]

right now ....

u have no aftermarket struts ....

so ur choices would be ... Tein super streets or Tein Flex ... i'd go no other way ... they both have extremely good ride quality and soak up bumps nicely even on their stiffest settings ... but when u toss them around they are stiff enough to handle it ...

if u are going to get just springs ... then wait till u have some choices of aftermarket struts (like konis or bilsteins etc) ... then mix and match to ur preference ...

IMO tein flex would be just as good if not better as a spring and strut combo just used for spirited driving and a daily driver ... and would still be good for track use.

[Blk4drSI]

Thanks, Im gonna look at the teins today. If I was to get some coilovers, would 18 inch wheels still not rub when the coilovers are on their lowest setting? Im going for performance, and I cant figure out what would be better all around, 18's or 17's because they have a little more meat.

[sikassdrummer]

I ran magic jic and they were fully adjustable .I couldnt believe they list at 1500.00 and i got them from a friend for 350.00 they looked so sick! This was in my 03 nissan spec-v install took about 2 hours with allignment.
pros took a turn great

cons , rode like some one just chopped your factory springs bumpy as hell. ,everytime you adjust them you are moving your allignment settings ,
they are way overpriced . The piston or damper is massive about 4" in diamater and you might as well just weld your frame together and not even use struts , In my oppion it is a wase of money and they make your ride to rough and uncomfortable .I did use on my 07 ex coupe the tien s tech's and retained the factory scocks and struts and i get a great ride no bottoming out and it is smooth ,I also added the H brace and rear tie bar . I have been working at a shop for the past 6 years and 90% of people that lower their cars just do springs and a camber kit and ask any certified mechanic they will tell you thats the way to go .1 alignment ,and most cases factory struts even with the car lowered will last 50 to 80k miles ,so why waste your money on something I can gaurentee you will regret?

[sickyute]

Originally Posted by Blk4drSI

Thanks, Im gonna look at the teins today. If I was to get some coilovers, would 18 inch wheels still not rub when the coilovers are on their lowest setting? Im going for performance, and I cant figure out what would be better all around, 18's or 17's because they have a little more meat.

i have 18s and i don't rub ...
the height of the suspension isn't what's responsible for ur rubbing ...
it's the dimensions of the wheel u choose .... the offset and the width will be the culprits ...

a safe bet would be 18 x 7.5 with a 45mm offset or higher and no rubbing .... but u'll still need to run stock camber (-1.3) or more in the rear and u can do stock front camber (+/- 0.3) or even a lil more ....

the best performance though doesn't always come with it at it's lowest setting ... actually, u can make the car handle worst than stock with the setting at it's lowest if u don't have other supporting mods ...

[dt07Si]

Originally Posted by Blk4drSI

Yeah man, that helps alot. I am going to do alittle research on these koni yellows that I keep hearing about. See, what Im debating is, if I buy springs and a camber kit, is that going to make something else prematuraly wear out and cause me to spend the same as I would if I just went with the coilovers. Also, should you still do a camber kit with coilovers. Also, where is some good places to look for coils for cheap(or less expensive). thanks for the info.

I'm glad I could help.

Here are a couple links to other threads here on 8thcivic where Greg and Chris from Red Shift Motorsports better explain the advantages to say a GC sleeved coilover paired with a Koni strut as opposed to a pre built one piece coilover.

Buddy Club coilover thread

'06+ Civic Si Ground Control sleeved coilovers

This isn't to say that some one-piece pre-built coilovers can outperform a GC setup but what it really comes down to is what you intend on using your car for atleast IMO.

EDIT:

sickyute: judging by your above posts and from what I remember correctly you had Tein Flex's on your FG, how did they ride? Did you daily drive on them? Correct me if I am wrong but the Flex's have a higher spring rate than the SS's, right?

[sickyute]

flex have a highr spring rate than SS for sure .... but u won't know it until u throw it into a corner or something ...

i had the SS before i had the flex so i know ... i also had the megans too :) ...

it was my daily driver and i had the flex on the stiffest setting from day one and u'd never know it until i decided to throw it into a corner or hit a speed bump at too much speed or something like that ... other than that it pretty much was like stock but more composed and the ride was smoother if not the same ...

i currently have those same flex's from my fg on my fa5 ... still on the stiffest setting too .... rides like a dream.