Lowering my 05 Civic, Springs vs. Coilovers?

[mysterious_7]

Hey everyone,

How do I go regarding lowering my 05 ES1 Civic 5MT?

I've done a lot of research and I found out that most people recommended aftermarket springs if the car doesn't see the track much or if I don't care that much about performance.

I rarely ever track my car, may be something like once a year or so, but I always go for some spirited drives every now and then on my way back from work. I usually finish work around 11pm and the streets are clear at this time and I gun it around roundabouts and bends on my way home... etc.

At the moment the car only has 117,000km and the stock suspension are in perfect working order, both factory shocks and struts seem to have at least another 70,000km to go before they give up. Only problem is, car sits way too high on them and the handling is nothing to be proud of car leans way too much in corners and steering lacks good control and direction. (I used to drive my brother's R34 Skyline GTR a lot before it got stolen, crashed and written off, so I can easily distinguish a good handling car from garbage)

My concerns are:

1) I heard that coilovers have shorter life span, I heard my build will last less than just going with springs and aftermarket shocks, is that true? And if that's true, how short are we talking? 25,000km?

2) Everyone is talking about how painfully uncomfortable coilovers are, specially on long highway trips. I'll be at least driving up to Sydney once a year or so (I live in Melbourne). Someone on the civicforums.com was saying that he had the most painful trip of his life driving interstate in his EK Civic with coilovers.. He said he was extremely fatigued after 6 hours of driving and had to soldier on for another 4 hours till he reached his destination.

3) Cost, for my needs is it worth it to spend that kind of money on coilovers? Or should I just go with Tein or Eibach springs and may be KYB/Koni shocks?

4) I am afraid to go with aftermarket springs and not get the low I am after, I heard that aftermarket springs would give you a max of 1.5-2 inches drop and it seems that my car will be needing more than that (check photos below).

Here are some photos of the car



These are some massive wheel gaps




Can easily fit 5 fingers between the fender and wheels



About an 85mm wheel gap

[NeedVtec]

People will say get coil overs, do it once do it right etc
But if you're after a mild drop than springs will be just fine, even better if you match it with a aftermarket shock combo. IMO, and what I have read on the interwebs springs that drop the car more than 2inches will rapidly decrease your oem shock life so if you want a >2inch drop better off with coil overs.

[Honda_FD]

It all comes down to personal preferences.
Countless threads on OzHonda debating Springs VS Coilovers and its a never ending debate.

Both system has its up sides aswell as down sides.

The main thing that are good about coilovers is that its Height adjustable, Damper adjustable all in one unit

But for your setup I would go for some Ground Control Springs. They are springs that can be adjusted like Coilovers
but uses your standard Shocks. Making the price less than half the price for a full coilover system.
And then maybe go for some Koni Damper Adjustable shocks later on in the future.

Ground Control Springs + Koni Shocks would be best.
But like I said. Its all about personal preferences

And as of comfort. You will eventually get used to it. My car has coilovers with Custom Springs
and I honestly dont think its uncomfortable at all. And if your friends complain then you can simply put the damper down
and if thats still uncomfortable then tough luck. Most shocks on lowest damper is almost as soft as stock.
You build your car to what pleases you. Not others.

Plus, Having a girl with a nice set of boobs in a stiff car... I aint complaining lol

[Jasemas]

Just get aftermarket struts with oem springs

[mysterious_7]

OK, so I am back from overseas and I've been researching a lot about "coilovers vs. springs", and I decided I am going to go with coilovers mainly coz it's gonna work out to be about the same price or a bit cheaper anyway..

If I go with Ground Controls and Konis:

Ground Controls are $346 AUD + shipping $89 AUD = $435

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/231013658...84.m1423.l2649

Koni Yellows for my car are $800 AUD, so all together that's $1235 for a Koni Yellow shocks and Ground Control Springs setup.

While if I go with coilovers,

I'll probably go with BC Racing BR series, costing $1299 with free shipping, from eBay (JustJap).

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/131095053...84.m1423.l2649

Or I can save $100 and go for the BC Racing entry model coilovers the V1 Series, they are $1,199 with free shipping, from eBay (JustJap). Worth it?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/131095679...84.m1423.l2649

Are there any other options I should consider in this price range? In terms of performance, would a coilover setup work out better than going shockers and springs separate?

The car would rarely be tracked, but I still wouldn't mind having a decently fast street car.. May be not fast yet until I do a K-swap and get rid of that D17 engine but a nice handling car would be fun to drive for the time being..

[curtis265]

the koni/gc will have a much better damping capability than the BCBR's and will be able to handle better over bumps than the BC's.

the BC dampers also have half the lifespan of that of the konis.

I am biased as i had 100000k old koni's lol


there is no difference between the two, they are both essentially 'coilovers' but the konis are just better dampers

[DreadAngel]

the koni/gc will have a much better damping capability than the BCBR's and will be able to handle better over bumps than the BC's.

the BC dampers also have half the lifespan of that of the konis.

I am biased as i had 100000k old koni's lol

there is no difference between the two, they are both essentially 'coilovers' but the konis are just better dampers

He noes...

[mysterious_7]

Now I am really confused :S

How much longer lifespan we're talking? 10,000km?

The KONI and BCBR's are both rebuildable, so they can both be run again after they're used their initial lifespan, correct?

[DreadAngel]

As long as the shaft is ok, you can always replace seals and the gas/liquid in them.

I know this is true for Koni but BCs no idea...

[DreadAngel]

Are there any other options I should consider in this price range? In terms of performance, would a coilover setup work out better than going shockers and springs separate?

The car would rarely be tracked, but I still wouldn't mind having a decently fast street car.. May be not fast yet until I do a K-swap and get rid of that D17 engine but a nice handling car would be fun to drive for the time being..

If you're only on the street, all the more reason to go for something that dampens better. Circuit you can get alway somewhat with stiff as hell coilovers which are underdampened because of the road conditions you're on however this becomes a big issue when you're on Aussie roads which are ****.

As long as you don't go to extremes with the Koni + GCs [Damper rate and height], they'll be much much better for the daily drive.

[EKVTIR-T]

would you choose a soniq,hisense lcd tv or samsung,panasonic,sony ??

i would prefer the reputable quality brands

[mysterious_7]

Ok, so to make sure I got that straight,

1- BCBR's coilovers are going to provide the same track and street performance as KONI shockers and Ground Control springs combo, yeah?

2- KONI shockers are of higher quality than the shockers that come with the BCBR's and have better damping capabilities on street bumps and the lovely Melbourne potholes than BCBR's, correct?

3- KONI shockers and Ground Control springs setup will have an overall longer lifespan than BCBR's before the shockers require rebuilding, yeah?

Does anyone know a good supplier for KONI in Melbourne?