Lowering my 05 Civic, Springs vs. Coilovers?

[DreadAngel]

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?

1) Incorrect - According to my experiences with a fair few BCs including BR... Track should not be too far apart however street wise the Koni setup gives you confidence which cannot be said for the BCs

2) Yes

3) So far from majority, it would seem the case, only people complained about Koni are those that dump their cars on their guts which they're not designed for.

[Honda_FD]

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..

pm me When you are free.
I can get you BC BR Gold Edition for $1250 Brandnew with 12 month Warranty.
Located in Melbourne aswell so shipping fee or long waits wont be a problem

3) So far from majority, it would seem the case, only people complained about Koni are those that dump their cars on their guts which they're not designed for.

+1
I went BC BR Gold cause my car is a Carpark Whore. Sits there and looks pretty.
Custom spring rates to 10:8 with max damper isnt as bad as people say it would be. I've taken people in it
and they dont find it back breaking or anything. Even the girls dont complain... As much..

[lilthug]

Does anyone know a good supplier for KONI in Melbourne?

pm senna

they can post to melb no problems

[curtis265]

you won't need to use the warranty on the konis

[Honda_FD]

pm senna

they can post to melb no problems

Suspension City in North Melbourne next to Typre Power. Ask Tyre Power North Melbourne.
They do alot of Suspension work and well known for their Stanced cars.

[mysterious_7]

This thread has been a great help, thanks for everyone that contributed. I appreciate it.

I'll be placing my order for the Ground Controls from the US today, I asked if they can send them via sea shipping, it should bring shipping costs down from $90 to around $40 and they'll take 4 weeks to arrive vs. 2-3 weeks if I go with air shipping. (I don't mind the wait, what's an extra week gonna do for me ).

I tried looking for Ground Control dealers in Australia but couldn't find any, does anyone know any? Or do they have to be ordered from overseas?

And with the Ground Control springs you get to choose custom spring rates, I have no idea what that is or what rates to go for? :/ Can anyone shed some light please?

And last question, are there any other height adjustable springs worth having a look at other than Ground Controls? Tein may be or any other Jap made stuff?

pm me When you are free.
I can get you BC BR Gold Edition for $1250 Brandnew with 12 month Warranty.
Located in Melbourne aswell so shipping fee or long waits wont be a problem

Thanks man, I'll make you my first point of contact if I had a change of my mind and decided to go with the BCBR's coilovers

pm senna

they can post to melb no problems

I pm'ed him this morning, thank you

Suspension City in North Melbourne next to Typre Power. Ask Tyre Power North Melbourne.
They do alot of Suspension work and well known for their Stanced cars.

I'll email them tonight after finishing work, thank you

[Honda_FD]

And with the Ground Control springs you get to choose custom spring rates, I have no idea what that is or what rates to go for? :/ Can anyone shed some light please?

Most coilover systems come with 6kg front and rear.
Which is a bit stiffer than stock with max damper.

But if you plan on lowering the car alot then go a little higher.
Mines 10:8 on max damper. Not as bad as people say it is...

[DreadAngel]

And with the Ground Control springs you get to choose custom spring rates, I have no idea what that is or what rates to go for? :/ Can anyone shed some light please?

And last question, are there any other height adjustable springs worth having a look at other than Ground Controls? Tein may be or any other Jap made stuff?

What options do they give you or they'll do whatever you want?

How low are you planning to go? What other mods are you planning for the car?

iirc your ES Civic suspension layout is same as the EP3 so it has:

F - Macpherson
R - Double Wishbone

So be mindful that Macpherson once you start bumping up the spring rate, it will be ~2x sensitive/harsher than your DWB. I'd personally go a softer front and a slightly harder rear spring to balance.

As for what spring rate, its a lot to do with your personal tolerance and expectations. I'd go with a softer overall setup then use swaybars, tires, bushes and slightly more aggressive alignment to get the car to handle better rather than use stiff springs to eliminate body roll and sharpen car response only to lose confidence in the car due to its overly sensitive nature.

When I say overly sensitive nature, think of an unpredicted bump in the road while cornering. You don't want the car not to react to it harshly by bouncing over it thus car isn't in full contact with the road making anything [Steering, Braking or Accelerating] a bit of an issue. You want the car to absorb the bump while remaining in full contact with the road. This is a one off situation to illustrate but when we all go for a spirited drive and push it hard, we want the confidence that the car will remain planted in all situations

[mysterious_7]

What options do they give you or they'll do whatever you want?

I am not too sure, they didn't specify, the lady just asked me if I had any desired spring rates in mind!

How low are you planning to go? What other mods are you planning for the car?

Other mods that I'll be getting soon are gonna be rear sway bar, front and rear strut bars, sometime at the end of this year I'll get EP3R/DC5R brakes kit (May be JDM DC5R Brembos if I found a good deal? :P) and in the far future a k20/K24 swap after that D17 starts getting tired


That's the kinda of low I am after if that'll help reach a decision on what spring rates to get.. about two or one and half fingers gap between the tyres and the fenders

[DreadAngel]

I am not too sure, they didn't specify, the lady just asked me if I had any desired spring rates in mind!

Other mods that I'll be getting soon are gonna be rear sway bar, front and rear strut bars, sometime at the end of this year I'll get EP3R/DC5R brakes kit (May be JDM DC5R Brembos if I found a good deal? :P) and in the far future a k20/K24 swap after that D17 starts getting tired

That's the kinda of low I am after if that'll help reach a decision on what spring rates to get.. about two or one and half fingers gap between the tyres and the fenders

Hmmm... Ok...

Probably best to get springs on the soft side since we're not 100% on the K20 swap [Far future most likely change afterall]. Moderate drop like that... I'd go probably around...

F - 3.5-4.0k
R - 6.25-6.75k

NB: Higher spring rate at the rear to account for the Sedan shape, these above spring rates are modified from my work with EP3R.

[Civic1990]

Definitely best to go for coilovers over springs. At least you can adjust the ride height if you're not happy with the clearance or ride quality.

[curtis265]

Definitely best to go for coilovers over springs. At least you can adjust the ride height if you're not happy with the clearance or ride quality.

My neg finger itches