Optimal drop for daily EK Hatch

[Chriskoss]

Hi guys
In the market to lower my ek hatch and throw on an ASR brace, sway bar and front strut
Now because the car is my daily and only daily, I don't want it to be 'slammed'.. I just want to fill the gap a little bit from the tyre to the fenders and use my 15'' rims with 50 profile tyres.
I don't want to scrape on driveways or have to worry about speed bumps much.
So out of experience what do you guys reccommend an optimal drop height would be?
Ive read up on these springs :
Skunk 2
Spoon
Tanabe sustec pro GF

All apparently give 1 to 1.5'' drop.. is that okay for a daily?

Kind regards

Chris

[Importsneezer]

1-1.5" drops are fine. Imo its still high, but like you said, no scraping, shouldn't be a problem.

[Chriskoss]

Thanks man
what lowered springs do you have in your ek1? can you comment in regards to comfort etc? and how much drop
thx

[Importsneezer]

im running buddyclub N+.

cant exactly tell you how much of a drop it is. my standard exhaust is roughly 9-8cms off the ground.

comfort is alright.

[Oz_Striker]

I'm running tein s tech springs with skunk 2 sports shocks on my ek1. Modest drop and still a very comfortable ride. Don't scrape on anything

[chauster]

I'm running cusco zero on my eg. Its the worst daily driver and i scrape on everything. =D

[GReddy_es]

i've got King low springs in my missus's EK sedan..dropped alil..but imo not quite enuff..maybe the superlows might have been a better option

[Oz_Striker]

I'm running cusco zero on my eg. Its the worst daily driver and i scrape on everything. =D

lol classic/awsome :p

[flipfire]

2.5" is a good drop IF you have good shocks. If not just go with 1.5" and worry less, hardly notice the drop though.

[Chriskoss]

Thanks for the opinions guys, much appreciated
Flipfire : thats what im really after. A barely noticeable drop so it doesn't compromise my daily driving much. I measured the 1.5'' drop from the tyre to the guard, Think it will look ok with some 50 profile tyres. Not after the slammed look.. just want some tighter steering and lower stance
I will look at the prices of king springs vs. tein springs/spoon etc. If there's not much of a price difference I might go a beter branded spring just because :)
thanks all!

[flipfire]

I have a EK comparison pic of stock, lows and superlows posted somewhere here.

I had lows was barely noticeable so i got it changed to superlows (2-2.5") and it still had like a 2 finger gap. This was still excellent for daily driving, except my shocks sucked ass.

[Lbarbz]

you need 1.8" min in my opinion.
I have coilovers and i have them set to around a 2.5" drop which is about a fingers width with 16" and 205/45 tires
But if your going lowering springs i would suggest new shocks just as your old basic ones will fry themselves quick quick.

[Woodzy]

This might help me out as well, i'm thinking of getting Rota boosts in 16x7 +40 something offset for my cxi hatch, what coilovers/ride height should i look at?

[Lbarbz]

I got a pair of Tein Super streets from the states for 900 US and there really comfy and they will have enough drop easily

[Chriskoss]

900 for tein coilovers? not bad. may aswell pay 500 more and get coilovers.. but i dont want a bumpy ride in my daily
ahh the decisions

[Alvis]

Sounds like you're pretty sensible mate - I recently just installed Spoon sports progressive springs on my EK1 (-20mm drop) and I couldn't be more happier.

While it's still riding on stock shocks atm (the other benefit of not dropping too much and is stated on the Spoon website as being designed for stock shocks) the ride comfort is brilliant (firm and not harsh at all), corner speed entry and power through is fantastic (also have front tower bar, no rsb yet), braking has improved and the car is not upset by bumps mid-corner at speed. Often what coilovers will do to you.

I hope you don't mind me posting these pics (I can remove if you like), but I thought it would relevant for you to see how much my car has dropped after installation - it has 2 finger gap at rear and 3 finger gap at front (I have small fingers lol) :)

Tyres are 195/50/15.

BEFORE:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m579/apalmucci/My%20Civic/P1060082edit.jpg

AFTER:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m579/apalmucci/My%20Civic/P1060105edit.jpg

BEFORE:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m579/apalmucci/My%20Civic/P1060096edit.jpg

AFTER:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/m579/apalmucci/My%20Civic/P1060115edit.jpg


Alvis

[jks24]

900 for tein coilovers? not bad. may aswell pay 500 more and get coilovers.. but i dont want a bumpy ride in my daily
ahh the decisions

not all coilovers are that stiff

[Lbarbz]

Ok Tein SS are very nice for the street. They are not as stiff as most coilovers there designed for the Street and comfort and still give you that extra bit of performance and appearance

http://i53.tinypic.com/t8te9f.jpg

(This was About a 2.4" drop mayby a bit more)
Hope it helps

[MikeyG]

slam the slut untill the rim is tuckin


















































































and add ITBS

[Chriskoss]

Alvis, thankyou so much for the pics. Gives a real good example of how much those springs lower a car.
20mm drop looks wicked. I'm liking it alot. very nice car.. saw it in your build thread too.
where'd you source the springs from if you dont mind me asking.

[Chriskoss]

p.s lbarbz very nice car too. how much of a drop did the tein SS's give you (or what have you got them dropped to?)

[Lbarbz]

In the pic up up top its about 2.4" drop but at the moment i got it on the lowest at the front and about 10mm left on the rear which is about a 3.1" drop ill post some pics up tomorrow for you.

[Alvis]

Alvis, thankyou so much for the pics. Gives a real good example of how much those springs lower a car.
20mm drop looks wicked. I'm liking it alot. very nice car.. saw it in your build thread too.
where'd you source the springs from if you dont mind me asking.

No problems mate, always helps when you can visualise it :)

This is the website I bought them from - actually a NZ company so friendly on the dollar conversion ;) was $400 delivered to my door. It's at the high end of the spring range, but quality over price pays off in the long run.

http://www.fortyone.co.nz/


Again, depends what you want (my drop is EK9 height) - a lot of guys still think this is too high, but again it's personal preference for me it's perfect compromise between performance and practicality :)

OH, and this is a pretty good thread to read up on, has some info on spring rates, example pics of drops etc etc so might be worth a squizz if you get the chance

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?142824-Bang-for-Buck-ek9-springs-shocks-on-Em1-Ek4

Alvis

[Lbarbz]

I remember when i was looking to buy suspension i was original just going to get springs but luckily i didn't cause i would of been disappointed in the end.

How much of a drop do you want ill set my coils to roughly that height and ill post some pics that way you make the right decision.

[Chriskoss]

I remember when i was looking to buy suspension i was original just going to get springs but luckily i didn't cause i would of been disappointed in the end.

How much of a drop do you want ill set my coils to roughly that height and ill post some pics that way you make the right decision.

That'd be frikkin awesome if you could man!
Im looking at a couple of springs atm
Tein S.Tech which is apparently 2'' drop
and the spoon ones that Alvis kindly told me about
Also skunk2 ones if they make them (not certain)

So if you could set it to a 2'' drop all round, that'd be amazing!
thankyou so much everyone

[Lbarbz]

Ok on the tein website they say its a 1.9" at the front and a 1.7" at the back for the S Techs so i did that.

Now they this are most probably not 100% correct how i set my coils but they should be ruffly the same.

http://i52.tinypic.com/148f6nm.jpg
http://i51.tinypic.com/2vtbrli.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/2d7t4yu.jpg
(I think i made this a couple of mm to high)
http://i53.tinypic.com/a4wgad.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/r1ygia.jpg
(That is a 100mm board at the lowest part of the car so its legal just in case you are wanting to keep it legal)

Now this is about a 3.2" at the front and a 2.6 at the rear.
http://i55.tinypic.com/mb38tj.jpg
(Basically i have to go on a angle to get over some speed bumps or the front just gets owned)

I have a camber kit so the wheels had a bit of positive camber when i raised it so it may look a bit weird.

In real life i say it looks lower than it dose in photos that just my opinion
This is with 205/45/16 tires also
Hope you can now make your decision :D

[Alvis]

Very nice to see others going to a fair bit of effort to help others out - nice work Lbarbs +1 :)

Should have all the info to make a decision now!

[Lbarbz]

I think the skunk 2 springs are around 2.5" btw so just half the wheel to fender gap from those pics and thats where they will sit

[Oz_Striker]

That'd be frikkin awesome if you could man!
Im looking at a couple of springs atm
Tein S.Tech which is apparently 2'' drop
and the spoon ones that Alvis kindly told me about
Also skunk2 ones if they make them (not certain)

So if you could set it to a 2'' drop all round, that'd be amazing!
thankyou so much everyone

i don't think the tein s tech springs give that big of a drop, when i bought mine they were rated to give about 1.3 to 1.5 inches of drop front and back for memory. Unless they updated them or something

[Lbarbz]

http://www.tein.com/tech_info/h98.html

You talking about the Tein High Tech by chance?

[Chriskoss]

nah S.Tech. But if the hi tech gives a 2'' drop roughly all round that might be a better option
and lbarbz once again thankyou so much for those pics. It looks perfect for my personal preference at that height! Now all I need is some of those rims you've got and im set

[Lbarbz]

no High techs give a 1.5" and 1.3"
S Techs give the 1.9"

soz i confused you

[flipfire]

http://i52.tinypic.com/148f6nm.jpg
http://i56.tinypic.com/2d7t4yu.jpg

This looks about 1.5" to me...

[outatime]

get eibach pro kit springs! gives the car a 2 finger gap on all corners plus it feels like stock on rough roads and it will improve the car's handling..

the tein stech is no good because the front sits a lot lower than the rear. the car will look funny.

I know these from experience since I've tried both! do yourself a favor get a brand new one from the US. would cost u under 500 delivered.

[Lbarbz]

get eibach pro kit springs! gives the car a 2 finger gap on all corners plus it feels like stock on rough roads and it will improve the car's handling..

the tein stech is no good because the front sits a lot lower than the rear. the car will look funny.

I know these from experience since I've tried both! do yourself a favor get a brand new one from the US. would cost u under 500 delivered.

Yeah i agree with outatime, the Eibach are one of the best springs out there and since you don't want scraping they the pro kit will be perfect which are around the same as the Tein High techs. But the Eibach's are a better product!

[Chriskoss]

Ill take your word for it outatime and lbarbz! Thankyou so much. You've saved me alot of headache's and wasted money then! cheers

[EK1.6LCIV]

my cat is 100mm from ground, optimal

[vp17]

I'm in a similar situation but a friend mentioned King Springs.

Any comments/reviews on these springs?

btw, loving the drops on those civics, espeically Lbarbz.


Also, got this from honda-tech.com - prices in USD.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2967448
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For $450 you're pretty much stuck with non-adjustable shocks and lowering springs.

I don't know what year/model civic you have so I'll asume it's a '96-'00. Either way, these setups are around the same price and performance for any model '92 to '00 civic.

Shocks:

Skunk2 Sport shocks. $300 Shipped on eBay. Seems like they can handle being pretty low but I've heard many mixed things about these shocks. Looks like a lot of people tend to run stiffer springs with these shocks. I'm personally not a HUGE fan of Skunk2 products but they aren't the worst.


Koni STR.T shocks. $300 shipped on eBay. Seems like these would be better suited with a fairly mild drop and on some fairly soft springs. Probably ideal for a comfortable street car and if you aren't really looking for killer handling. Koni makes great shocks and has an amazing reputation, I always recommend them.


Eibach Pro-Damper shocks. $300 shipped on eBay. I honestly haven't heard anything about these shocks. BUT, I do know Eibach makes some great suspension products and has a real good reputation. I have no idea how these shocks would ride but from their website, it seems these shocks can handle a fairly decent drop and fairly high spring rates.


Springs:

Tein S.Tech springs. $150 shipped on eBay. These are a very popular lowering spring.They offer a pretty good drop, around a 2" drop, a lot of people tend to like the stance they get from them. They also ride pretty smooth as they work well with stock and aftermarket shocks. These springs will do just fine with any of the shocks mentioned above. Although the Skunk2's might be the worst matched with these springs.


Eibach Sportline springs. $180 shipped on eBay. These have a decent drop, 1.6" drop, but are fairly stiff springs. You'll get better handling but the ride will most likely be more rough. For these springs I'd suggest getting the Eibach shocks since those shocks are probably better tailored for their own springs.


H&R Sport springs. $190 shipped on eBay. Similar drop to the Eibach Spotline springs, 1.5-1.75" drop, but these springs are a tiny bit stiffer than the Eibach Sportlines. Any of the shocks should work well with these but expect a fairly harsh ride compared to the other springs mentioned.


Progress Sport springs. $175 shipped on eBay. These offer a pretty mild drop, 1.5" all around. Progress is a great suspension company and has a good reputation. These springs have similar spring rates as the Tien S.Techs, they probably ride about the same but just don't lower as much. This would probably be the best street spring as they are soft and don't lower the car much. It would offer smooth handling, a little better performance over stock and you wont have to worry about scraping on anything. As with the Tein S.Tech, the Skunk2 shocks probably aren't the best with these springs.


Skunk2 Springs. $460 shipped on eBay for their shock/spring combo. These drop the car quite a bit, 2"-2.2", and are very stiff. This is quite an extreme spring setup and probably not the most comfortable ride for a street car. If you want to maximize your handling for cheap, this might be a decent setup. I imagine the Skunk2 shocks offer a harsh ride with most other springs because they are probably tailored for very stiff springs like their own. These would probably offer the least comfortable ride out of all mentioned.


Tokico Springs. Probably the cheapest if you can find them without shocks. These offer a very mild drop, 1.5" all around(similar to the Progress springs). They are very soft springs, a little stiffer than stock though. I do not know the spring rates but I have these springs on my daily driver. They offer a very comfortable ride on the street and with a mild drop I never worry about scraping on anything. They work great with stock shocks, the Tokico blue(OE replacement shocks) and would probably work best with the Koni STR.T.


A couple of other shocks are the Tokico HP and KYB GR2. These shocks are OE replacement shocks and would work well with the Tein S.Tech, Progress Sport and Tokico springs. These run anywhere from $200-300 for a set.

Hope that helps some.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

[mattsrea]

I'm in a similar situation but a friend mentioned King Springs.

Any comments/reviews on these springs?

btw, loving the drops on those civics, espeically Lbarbz.


Also, got this from honda-tech.com - prices in USD.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
http://honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2967448
--------------------------------------------------------------------
For $450 you're pretty much stuck with non-adjustable shocks and lowering springs.

I don't know what year/model civic you have so I'll asume it's a '96-'00. Either way, these setups are around the same price and performance for any model '92 to '00 civic.

Shocks:

Skunk2 Sport shocks. $300 Shipped on eBay. Seems like they can handle being pretty low but I've heard many mixed things about these shocks. Looks like a lot of people tend to run stiffer springs with these shocks. I'm personally not a HUGE fan of Skunk2 products but they aren't the worst.


Koni STR.T shocks. $300 shipped on eBay. Seems like these would be better suited with a fairly mild drop and on some fairly soft springs. Probably ideal for a comfortable street car and if you aren't really looking for killer handling. Koni makes great shocks and has an amazing reputation, I always recommend them.


Eibach Pro-Damper shocks. $300 shipped on eBay. I honestly haven't heard anything about these shocks. BUT, I do know Eibach makes some great suspension products and has a real good reputation. I have no idea how these shocks would ride but from their website, it seems these shocks can handle a fairly decent drop and fairly high spring rates.


Springs:

Tein S.Tech springs. $150 shipped on eBay. These are a very popular lowering spring.They offer a pretty good drop, around a 2" drop, a lot of people tend to like the stance they get from them. They also ride pretty smooth as they work well with stock and aftermarket shocks. These springs will do just fine with any of the shocks mentioned above. Although the Skunk2's might be the worst matched with these springs.


Eibach Sportline springs. $180 shipped on eBay. These have a decent drop, 1.6" drop, but are fairly stiff springs. You'll get better handling but the ride will most likely be more rough. For these springs I'd suggest getting the Eibach shocks since those shocks are probably better tailored for their own springs.


H&R Sport springs. $190 shipped on eBay. Similar drop to the Eibach Spotline springs, 1.5-1.75" drop, but these springs are a tiny bit stiffer than the Eibach Sportlines. Any of the shocks should work well with these but expect a fairly harsh ride compared to the other springs mentioned.


Progress Sport springs. $175 shipped on eBay. These offer a pretty mild drop, 1.5" all around. Progress is a great suspension company and has a good reputation. These springs have similar spring rates as the Tien S.Techs, they probably ride about the same but just don't lower as much. This would probably be the best street spring as they are soft and don't lower the car much. It would offer smooth handling, a little better performance over stock and you wont have to worry about scraping on anything. As with the Tein S.Tech, the Skunk2 shocks probably aren't the best with these springs.


Skunk2 Springs. $460 shipped on eBay for their shock/spring combo. These drop the car quite a bit, 2"-2.2", and are very stiff. This is quite an extreme spring setup and probably not the most comfortable ride for a street car. If you want to maximize your handling for cheap, this might be a decent setup. I imagine the Skunk2 shocks offer a harsh ride with most other springs because they are probably tailored for very stiff springs like their own. These would probably offer the least comfortable ride out of all mentioned.


Tokico Springs. Probably the cheapest if you can find them without shocks. These offer a very mild drop, 1.5" all around(similar to the Progress springs). They are very soft springs, a little stiffer than stock though. I do not know the spring rates but I have these springs on my daily driver. They offer a very comfortable ride on the street and with a mild drop I never worry about scraping on anything. They work great with stock shocks, the Tokico blue(OE replacement shocks) and would probably work best with the Koni STR.T.


A couple of other shocks are the Tokico HP and KYB GR2. These shocks are OE replacement shocks and would work well with the Tein S.Tech, Progress Sport and Tokico springs. These run anywhere from $200-300 for a set.

Hope that helps some.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

This helped alot for me, thanks alot vp17! I was planning on getting the Tokico Shocks and Tien springs (lay back around $600USD) which drop by 1.9F and 1.7R and i was wondering if it'll be a good height preferably like 10cm from the ground up to my type R lip. My stock height sits like this http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/2463/28102011159.jpg


Does anybody have any suggestions for ride height on an EJ8? Thanks guys

[mugen_ctr]

since were on the topic of optimum drop, heres my old setup on kings low...

Im not sure on the drop but it was definate 2 finger gap all around, but remember its also the size of the rim and package which also effect the over all ride height, not just shocks/springs.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/5720/74522028.jpg

[mattsrea]

since were on the topic of optimum drop, heres my old setup on kings low...

Im not sure on the drop but it was definate 2 finger gap all around, but remember its also the size of the rim and package which also effect the over all ride height, not just shocks/springs.

http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/5720/74522028.jpg

Oh that looks fine, but are you serious thats kings low? o.o It looks like superlows. But yeah i got 15" Axis Og rims (from jdmyard) with 195/50 tyres that i will be installing in about 2-3 weeks time. The current stock ones i have in the pics are 14" so i assume with the wheels and tyres coming in soon a 1.5"-2" drop all round would be fine?

[mugen_ctr]

Oh that looks fine, but are you serious thats kings low? o.o It looks like superlows. But yeah i got 15" Axis Og rims (from jdmyard) with 195/50 tyres that i will be installing in about 2-3 weeks time. The current stock ones i have in the pics are 14" so i assume with the wheels and tyres coming in soon a 1.5"-2" drop all round would be fine?

yeah just lows, super lows drops it much more than that, if i recall its just lil over a finger gap, and than super lows is tires touching guards.

As far as ur specs go, they should be fine, but it really depends on ur rim specs, if they are 15X8 +25 and tires, than u prbs might need guard rolling to be safe, but someone else can clarify on that..... But the ride height shouldnt change that much

But the more low u go, the more risk of blowing shocks, and loosing ride comfort. I personally loved the lows, as they were perfect for dd, smooth and comfortable. But if u want more performance, imo, go the tein Stech, there more suitable for the occasional squirt.

[mattsrea]

yeah just lows, super lows drops it much more than that, if i recall its just lil over a finger gap, and than super lows is tires touching guards.

As far as ur specs go, they should be fine, but it really depends on ur rim specs, if they are 15X8 +25 and tires, than u prbs might need guard rolling to be safe, but someone else can clarify on that..... But the ride height shouldnt change that much

But the more low u go, the more risk of blowing shocks, and loosing ride comfort. I personally loved the lows, as they were perfect for dd, smooth and comfortable. But if u want more performance, imo, go the tein Stech, there more suitable for the occasional squirt.

Yeah they are 15x8 +25. And i was thinking of going with the tien stechs like i said (drops F1.9" R1.7") along with tokico hp shocks. So i assume it should be alright along with the 15x8 +25 rims. I don't plan on going to low as i wanna drive without worrying about the fact of scraping my lip lol. Saw it at JDM meetup and i was like nahh thats too low for me lol

[viinnh]

hey guys i just photo shopped this
http://i43.tinypic.com/33kul95.jpg
running 14" steelies with like something tyres lol forgot the size , i pretty much want this height. can anyone tell me what drop this would be ?

did not want to make a new thread dont want any finger gaps just sitting perfect

[mugen_ctr]

Yeah they are 15x8 +25. And i was thinking of going with the tien stechs like i said (drops F1.9" R1.7") along with tokico hp shocks. So i assume it should be alright along with the 15x8 +25 rims. I don't plan on going to low as i wanna drive without worrying about the fact of scraping my lip lol. Saw it at JDM meetup and i was like nahh thats too low for me lol

should be fine man, if u really love ur lip, u would never lower it an than use it as a DD LOL....


hey guys i just photo shopped this
http://i43.tinypic.com/33kul95.jpg
running 14" steelies with like something tyres lol forgot the size , i pretty much want this height. can anyone tell me what drop this would be ?

did not want to make a new thread dont want any finger gaps just sitting perfect

thats like kings super lows or ultra low, one of the two lol.... atleast 3-3.5 inch drop??? not sure lol, but running them springs is pushing the boundaries of any oem shockers... to even run a ride height like that safely u would defs need good shocks designed for low ride height, and not just any type of after market shockers...

maybe koni shockers + koni GC coil sleeves is what ur looking for, an for that price, even entry level coilovers is even another alternative.

[mattsrea]

should be fine man, if u really love ur lip, u would never lower it an than use it as a DD LOL.....
LOL! okay alright thanks for the tip (Y) hahaha

[nguyenimproved]

Do the stockies actually stick out that much? If so, how!? I wanna slam my ek1 on black stockies.

[tsol0811]

Do the stockies actually stick out that much? If so, how!? I wanna slam my ek1 on black stockies.

spacers or rebarrel ur stockies

[EK4VTEK]

hey guys i just photo shopped this
http://i43.tinypic.com/33kul95.jpg
running 14" steelies with like something tyres lol forgot the size , i pretty much want this height. can anyone tell me what drop this would be ?

did not want to make a new thread dont want any finger gaps just sitting perfect

this looks like kings super lows. about 2 to 2.5 inch drop. had them on my EK with bilstein shocks but wasnt low enough for me so i switched to coilovers lol. but ur OEM shocks are not gona last with them springs on. you need some heavy duty shocks. bilsteins HD were really good.