Bang for Buck: ek9 springs/shocks on Em1/Ek4

spoon dampers are made to work with spoon springs I.e. valved correctly so no adjustment is needed, perches in the stock locations to give the appropriate drop
koni's are made to work with stock springs up to about 500lbs springs so I've heard(probably why they give you the ability the adjust the dampening) and also slightly height adjustable as well to give the desired height

correct me if I'm wrong nzmac :)

Spoon springs installed today guys - here are the before and after shots + install photos :)

I'm yet to take it on a 'nice' drive but initial feelings around town were really good. It's not too stiff at all (for those who don't want a 'harsh' ride), and I have to say it really hasn't lost any of that OEM comfort - I guess that's the advantage of a progressive springs as opposed to a coil over.

The initial drop without settling so far is -17mm. I think when I take it through the twisty bits it might settle in a bit, and hit the hard spring rate for a firmer ride. ANYWAY, here are some pics of the install at my friends mechanics garage (labour = $90).


INSTALL PHOTOS:
Taking the front assembly out:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00989edit.jpg


http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00990edit.jpg


http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00993edit.jpg


Stock front spring vs Spoon Sports front spring:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00991edit.jpg


Removing stock front springs:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00992edit.jpg


http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00994edit.jpg


Cut down bump stops:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C01000edit.jpg


Installing front Spoon Sports springs:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00998edit.jpg


http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00995edit.jpg


http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00996edit.jpg


http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C00997edit.jpg


Removing stock rear springs:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C01005edit.jpg


Stock rear spring vs Spoon Sports rear spring:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C01003edit.jpg


Rear spring installed:

http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C01002edit.jpg


http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...C01006edit.jpg




BEFORE:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060082edit.jpg

AFTER:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060105edit.jpg


BEFORE:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060091edit.jpg

AFTER:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060109edit.jpg


BEFORE:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060089edit.jpg

AFTER:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060108edit.jpg

BEFORE:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060096edit.jpg

AFTER:
http://i1132.photobucket.com/albums/...060115edit.jpg


The drop is only subtle, but keeps the car practical and just looks that little more tucked :) What do you think?

seems reasonable if you don't wanna drop too much I guess

definitely not the kit you're want if you're after a massive drop(eibach sportlines are probably what you're after, or what I'm rocking right now - h&r sport cup kit)

these are perfect for my application - i'd say spot on with CTR height which is best compromise between function and form; but if you want a massive impractical drop, these aren't the springs for you

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alvis

these are perfect for my application - i'd say spot on with CTR height which is best compromise between function and form; but if you want a massive impractical drop, these aren't the springs for you

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I would of went the pro kits bit lower. I had pro kits excellent springs for daily and even better on windy rds. I went down waterfall to rnp with them but I wasn't using stock shocks: skunk2.

so far I'm really happy with the result for what i was after :) I'll see how the shocks go, if they start to suffer from the drop I'll change them out; but hoping to get at least another 30k out of them :)

but due to driveway i didn't have a lot of room to work with in terms of a drop, and given Spoon's reputation in suspension, brakes and all those types of components it worked out well

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Alvis

Ok guys, while maths is not my strong point I've been able to source some spring rates in lbs/in and convert them to kgs/cm so we can see how stock ek and EK9 spring rates compare to Spoon and a variety of other aftermarket springs on the market:

What we can conclude is the Spoon progressive springs are almost twice as hard as stock EKs (EX model), and while they are firmer in the front than CTRs, Spoons are a little softer in the rears.

For 96-00 Civics

Front (kgs/cm)~ Rear (kgs/cm)

96-00 EX 2.9~ 1.4
99-00 Si (EM1) 3.6~ 1.8
CTR 4.3~ 4.3
Spoon Progressive Lowering Springs 6.5~ 5.5

H&R OE 5.0~ 3.4
Eibach ProKit 5.2~ 3.4
H&R Sport 5.9~ 5.0
Eibach Sportline 5.5~ 4.9
Gold-line GL 5.7~ 3.4
Gold-line GPS 4.9~ 2.9
Koni RSK Suspension kit 2.75 - 3.66~ 4.8
Neuspeed SofSports 4.6~ 2.7
Neuspeed Sport 5.0~ 3.2
Neuspeed Race 8.7~ 7.1
Skunk Coilovers -old 7.1~ 5.4
Skunk2 Coilovers - new 8.9~ 7.1
Spoon Full Coilovers 5.4~ 4.3
Spoon Progress Coilovers 6.3~ 4.5
Spoon Progressive Lowering Springs 6.5~ 5.5
Ground Control Coilover 6.8~ 5.0
Tein RA/RE/RS 14.0~ 10.0
Tein HT 20.0~ 8.0
Tein HG 6.5~ 2.3 - 3.5
Tein SS 8.0~ 4.0
Tein Flex 9.0~ 5.0
Tein S. Tech 4.2~ 2.5
Tokico Illumina Kit 4.5~ 2.2
APEX'i WS 8.0~ 3.2
SSR Cup 7.0~ 5.0
SSR S1 8.0~ 8.0

http://www.ek9.org/forum/suspension/...rings-ek9.html

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So Tien S. Tech would be the most comfortable springs? im after coilovers that are the most comfortable and allow me to customise the height of the the car. I dont wanna snap my spine in half over a bump =.=

^ not necessarily just springs, hardened bushes make a great different along with shock dampening

yeh I was at first worried my spoon springs would be too hard, but I'm surprised even though as you say they are stiffer than EK9, they aren't harsh at all. I am still running stock EK1 dampers however, but there is no shaking of the cabin or things creaking or rocking around

- that's not what I wanted anyway - I wanted a 'nice' drop not a dump, but also something that had been researched and tested as a high quality product specifically made for the 96-00 model (as opposed to 92-00 which you see on some).

I could easily recommend Spoon springs to anyone, but if you're after adjustable height that's a different story. Personally, I don't know why people need to spend so much money on coilovers for the road. Track yes, daily driver no IMO.

Just my 2 cents :)

yeah people want the ability to adjust though

I got over it pretty quickly, this will be my last suspension setup until I move on to another car later this year :)

so when are those koni yellows arriving?

haha, yeh not yet man lol ;)

what kind of car are you looking at buying?

next move will be an evo7… so close