combining a shock absorber with a king spring

hey guys im looking for new shocks and i've currently got king superlows on my dc2

first off, I KNOW kings are shit, but im on a budget and i've already got these so im living with it

my question is whats a good shock absorber to run with the superlows. i've read that the king spring rates are quite soft so getting a shock thats abit stiffer is desirable.

i've also read that koni yellow's dont work well with kings as the spring rate and stiffness are mismatched. Bilsteins make a good shock will they be more suitable?

so yeah any opinions and/or experiences and/or recommendations with difference products will be much apprectiated

thanks guys

kings recommend gt monroe gas shortened shocks for those springs

I thought koni yellows were a very good shock to go with kings?

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Originally Posted by Gio

I thought koni yellows were a very good shock to go with kings?

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see thats what i thought but i've read on this forum that they arent.

Koni yellows are adjustable right? would that mean i can stiffen them up to compensate for the lower spring rate in the kings?

Are you sure that you want new shocks? The reason I ask.. is I made the mistake of spending money on springs, then shocks, and then i realised down the track that I really wanted coils...

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Originally Posted by 95civic

Are you sure that you want new shocks? The reason I ask.. is I made the mistake of spending money on springs, then shocks, and then i realised down the track that I really wanted coils...

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yes i've thought of this too

coilovers are only good for their adjustability, the integra has "coilovers" as standard its just you cant adjust them like aftermarket items

but this is a street car and im set on finding a decent set up by way of a good shock absorber

if i can get the set up right i wont need the adjustability of aftermarket coils

agree with the monroe route...
i asked around before when i wanted to change my shocks and springs...
monroe shocks + kings.. budgetwise...
didnt get around to doing it though... priorities changed =(

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Originally Posted by rbk_212

yes i've thought of this too

coilovers are only good for their adjustability, the integra has "coilovers" as standard its just you cant adjust them like aftermarket items

but this is a street car and im set on finding a decent set up by way of a good shock absorber

if i can get the set up right i wont need the adjustability of aftermarket coils

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I might drive a toyota, but im near 100% sure that your DC2 didn't come with a "coilover" type shock/spring from factory. It's just a shock and spring combo designed for the road (comfort) and longevity.

Anyway, look into KYB short stroke shocks. They are offer a good compromise between handling and ride quality. I run them with Kmac springs.

> I KNOW kings are shit,

Don't dump on them because they're not a premium brand.

For the money, they do the job.
They might sag a bit, but hey tyres wear out, go blame Bridgestone.
Remember they are a close to OEM spec replacement.

Couple these with some worn out original shocks and it was never going to be an optimal setup.

If you wanted super high rates and didn't do the research that's not King's fault.

I believe Kings do custom rates and can accommodate more demanding requests.

Many aftermarket manufacturers (Koni SSK kit & Whiteline from memory) make their springs with similar rates.
The Koni front's are progressive and rears are a fair bit stiffer from memory, but much more expensive.

Koni yellows feature adjustability but in the ranges appropriate for our cars, on the street, Koni red's are equivalent.
This is from my memory of shock dyno graphs, some time ago.

> I thought koni yellows were a very good shock to go with kings?

Koni yellows work well up to about 5-600 lbs spring rate.

Kings/Whiteline/Koni SSK spring rates are about half that.

> Bilsteins

Dont know much about 'em, though I don't think they fit in the budget category.

If stiffer suspension is what you really what, then jump straight to coilovers like Ground Controls where you can choose the spring rates.

> would that mean i can stiffen them up to compensate for the lower spring rate in the kings?

I don't think shock adjustment is an appropriate way to stiffen up suspension.
First step would be to upgrade to ITR spec sway bars and then choose the spring rate you want.
Then the shocks get tuned to the spring rate & fine tuned to balance the over/under steer of the car.

Dialling in too much stiffness in the shock reduces it's reliability.

Nick.

thanks for that breakdown nd55

and i didnt mean to dump on king springs its just that anytime you seem to mention them they get flamed by certain forumers who shall remain unnamed, so i didnt want to create a shit storm as soon as i posted the thread

so koni reds are good says you? i might have to look into them

swaybars are next on the list my friend dont you worry :)

oh and to AE092, a coilover is merely a shock absorber with a spring wrapped around it, its nothing spectacular. People just refer to aftermarket kits as "coilovers" for simplicity's sake

Quote:

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Originally Posted by AE092

I might drive a toyota, but im near 100% sure that your DC2 didn't come with a "coilover" type shock/spring from factory. It's just a shock and spring combo designed for the road (comfort) and longevity.

Anyway, look into KYB short stroke shocks. They are offer a good compromise between handling and ride quality. I run them with Kmac springs.

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this guys on the ball, buy them from the states and match them up with spoon sports springs

> the integra has "coilovers" as standard its just you cant adjust them

I think you'll find most people on here use the term 'coilover' to refer to a much narrower definition than yours.

Ground Controls and Teins come to mind.
It's not really worth arguing about. TomAIEEEtoe TomAHHtoe.

> so koni reds are good says you?
Never used them, went second hand yellows myself.
I just remember when I was doing my research they seemed OK for our applications.

Nick.