Lowering & Coilovers Chat 1998 1999 2000 2001 CG Accord Coupe

[hughezee]

On 12/3/2019 at 3:05 PM, Laird_Scooby said:

However, in their Ashika range, gas pressure shocks for mine are about £23 each or the Japanparts are about £38 each. Have you heard of either of those two makes Stu and if so, are they any good?

Ashika & Japanparts are the same company and the same parts, I have used their rebranded generic parts a few times no problems or quality concerns as of yet?

[DeanoCoupe]

I've got 3 original shocks and one Stu supplied car done 66k... I've got different springs front and rear but think they are both lower just be nice to have a fresh set up once the rear frame is done. Front splitter, different wheels and I will be happy 😃

[Laird_Scooby]

On 12/3/2019 at 3:55 PM, hughezee said:

Ashika & Japanparts are the same company and the same parts, I have used their rebranded generic parts a few times no problems or quality concerns as of yet?

Thanks Stu, when i did a bit more digging on that Autodoc website, i noticed they were the same part number but the Ashika parts were cheaper for the same thing. Might go for a pair of those, got a 2 year warranty so should be reasonably ok i reckon.

[hughezee]

On 4/4/2015 at 2:01 PM, hughezee said:

Eibach springs on the 2.0es Coupe CG4 are spot on and the apparent stiffer Spax springs on the V6 CG2 are much better in my opinion and cheaper to replace if longevity is the Spax achilles heel ??? 

Well, I am not pleased with the SPAX springs and the miles I have covered, they've not sagged like some H&R's I have seen, but still, it looks a mess IMO and the EIBACH hold up much better.  So I have ordered a new set of EIBACH springs as I have already tested these in the past and the SPAX were better, but this kit all the springs are progressive rate, unlike the kit I tested with had linear rate on the rears.🤨🤔

Additionally, I have fitted a set of MTS springs that Mike supplied for his coupe, let's see how they hold up by comparison?

[MIKE_RAVEN]

1 hour ago, hughezee said:

Additionally, I have fitted a set of MTS springs that Mike supplied for his coupe, let's see how they hold up by comparison?

Can't wait when I see her.

[hughezee]

1 hour ago, MIKE_RAVEN said:

Can't wait when I see her.

I have had my fun 😄 just waiting on a couple of bits from the USA and I'm done 👍

[Kieran]

On 10/4/2017 at 1:34 AM, hughezee said:

 

New front shocks KYB K341257, re-used the rears and all sitting on an EIBACH PRO KIT 40mm drop, the best drivers combo so far IMO, I've tried a few and settled on Koni shocks and SPAX SPRING 35mm myself as I load my coupe with my Pro Audio tools.

 

Just ordered this exact kit hughezee, can't wait for the results!

[hughezee]

3 minutes ago, Kieran said:

Just ordered this exact kit hughezee, can't wait for the results!

Great stuff, you won't be disappointed and are you using the old shocks as they might not last long on the new springs?

[Kieran]

No I've gone for full front and rear kyb shocks and the eibach springs, was going to just get the fronts but with the age of the car I just decided to take the hit.

[Logohotrod]

When I was chief engineer back in the 90's at Torque Developments PLC , the Jap car specialists  we imported suspension kits from all over the planet and was the HKS main dealer. What was not available from the spring , ARB suppliers like HKS , Koni , Eibach etc for vehicles we had them made or made ARBs ourselves from EN34 spring steel and had them heat treated , or modified coil over types to accept race springs .

I modify shocks by draining them and installing high pressure Schrader valves after adding bosses to accept the valves. The shocks can then be filled with the measured amount of oil drained with either a standard viscosity or higher viscosity oil and gassed with nitrogen or air ( air is mostly nitrogen and makes little difference in its function of suppressing foaming ) at 1 bar or higher as is required depending on final use via the new Schrader valve. The sealing system in KYB or other quality single or double tube shocks is normally pretty good for a so called '10-20%' or higher upgrade in bump rebound performance. 

I run in a limited formula sport and have used this method to alter the original shock rates with great success and standard Chapman Strut type coil over types receive what are called steel bearing collar shaft adapters weldedon in order to fit more common size 2" ID diameter race springs of various rates . My race car is built for short oval and not one corner has the same spring/shock rate on either 'axle pair'.

Just a thought should nothing be available for this model in the he future .

[Harry93]

Need some helpful opinions. Want to get rid of the "Stilts" look on the car. I was planning on going the coilover route but the costs are too extreme, don't want to get cheap ones, as what you pay is what you get, in terms of quality. BC racing coilovers are almost £1k and they are budget entry, but they are of reputable quality. So shocks and lowering springs seem more sensible in terms of budget and reasonable comfort ride.

Currently on some cheap eBay lowering springs 35mm on stock shocks, running on 215/40/17s, no difference in lowered height. Was thinking of getting Koni sport shocks and Eibach lowering springs 35mm front and 30mm rear. Seems a reasonable setup in terms of ride quality but would this still be riding high for 17s? However I have come across h&r cup sport suspension kit. They have a 60mm drop at front and 40mm drop at rear. This would deffinetly solve the ride heights on both ends however to what extent will I ruin the drive quality? The dampers are adjustable. I am not looking to throw the car around corners and race, just want a reasonable ride quality with a low stance. 

https://www.demon-tweeks.com/uk/h-r-sport-suspension-kit-h-r31026-1/

[PTR200S]

So you are on 35mm lowered springs but it's still too high ? 🤔🤔🤔

Do you not have speed humps round your way ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Realise you are on 17's and 40 tyres but I presume the car looks lower than standard? Your tyre / wheel combination drops it 30mm diameter from standard, 15mm drop..plus 35mm on the suspension

60mm seems a bit excessive for road use, ???????

[Harry93]

54 minutes ago, PTR200S said:

So you are on 35mm lowered springs but it's still too high ? 🤔🤔🤔

Do you not have speed humps round your way ? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Realise you are on 17's and 40 tyres but I presume the car looks lower than standard? Your tyre / wheel combination drops it 30mm diameter from standard, 15mm drop..plus 35mm on the suspension

60mm seems a bit excessive for road use, ???????

... unfortunately not, no difference since fitting springs and changing to 17s. Maybe it's because they are sitting on standard shocks? I am not dead set on the h&r kit, but it is tempting if I can get the rear to sit lower and even/level with the front. 

 

 

[PTR200S]

Are you sure the replacement springs were 35mm drop ???

Or maybe the original springs were already "short" ??  Cut maybe or just tired perhaps....

Is the second pic the dropped version ??

The car looks great from over this side of the screen , by the way!!

 

[Laird_Scooby]

The original 205/55/16 tyres would have been 632mm diameter (195/65/15 is 634mm just for comparison) and the 215/40/17 is 605mm so 27mm less diameter which would drop the car by ~1" although the gap between tyre and arch would be the same, maybe slightly bigger with the 17s because of the smaller diameter. A 225/45/17 works out at 635mm.

https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

Leading on from what Pete suggested, i'd say the original springs were probably worn/tired or someone had cut them hence the new springs not showing much difference.

The bigger tyres (225/45/17) would restore the speedo accuracy and possibly help to fill the arches making it look lower but would increase the ground clearance by about an inch again which isn't a bad thing if you have potholes and/or speed humps to deal with ever.

What is your ultimate aim?

[Harry93]

2 hours ago, PTR200S said:

Are you sure the replacement springs were 35mm drop ???

Or maybe the original springs were already "short" ??  Cut maybe or just tired perhaps....

Is the second pic the dropped version ??

The car looks great from over this side of the screen , by the way!!

 

Thanks. 2nd one was after the drop. But I agree what @Laird_Scooby said about the tyres filling the arch gap. I guess having skinny side wall tyres won't really help even if it was lowered properly. 

[Harry93]

1 hour ago, Laird_Scooby said:

The original 205/55/16 tyres would have been 632mm diameter (195/65/15 is 634mm just for comparison) and the 215/40/17 is 605mm so 27mm less diameter which would drop the car by ~1" although the gap between tyre and arch would be the same, maybe slightly bigger with the 17s because of the smaller diameter. A 225/45/17 works out at 635mm.

https://tiresize.com/tyre-size-calculator/

Leading on from what Pete suggested, i'd say the original springs were probably worn/tired or someone had cut them hence the new springs not showing much difference.

The bigger tyres (225/45/17) would restore the speedo accuracy and possibly help to fill the arches making it look lower but would increase the ground clearance by about an inch again which isn't a bad thing if you have potholes and/or speed humps to deal with ever.

What is your ultimate aim?

Agree with you on that. Ultimate aim is to get the car reasonably low (fill gap arch) but not to an extent that the tyres are rubbing on the arches. 

[Harry93]

Finally made the decision regarding the suspension and choose the coilover route. Tein Street advance Z. I thought I might aswell take a chance on some reputable coilovers rather than spending the same amount if not more on aftermarket shocks and springs and not quite being satisfied. Quite chuffed with the quality. 

[AhsyV6]

On 2/2/2023 at 9:53 PM, Harry93 said:

Finally made the decision regarding the suspension and choose the coilover route. Tein Street advance Z. I thought I might aswell take a chance on some reputable coilovers rather than spending the same amount if not more on aftermarket shocks and springs and not quite being satisfied. Quite chuffed with the quality. 

What’s the update with these mate? Really looking forward to seeing the coupe with these installed. 

[Harry93]

40 minutes ago, AhsyV6 said:

What’s the update with these mate? Really looking forward to seeing the coupe with these installed. 

Unfortunately priorities have stopped me from getting them fitted and setup. Hopefully I will get it sorted before summer starts. 👍

[Harry93]

I kept my word, and finally managed to get the coilovers fitted and adjusted. I was originally thinking of changing my tyre setup before I started fiddling with the suspension, but I couldn't justify spending money on new tyres considering the condition of my current ones. Also in my opinion I thought the 45s looks just a little bit big on the sidewalls for 17" alloys, so decided to keep my current setup.

I thought it would also be a good idea to replace the strut mounts and bushes. I didn't take any photos of the old shocks but they looked in desperate need of replacing, the lowering springs however were not cut as some suggested. Difficult to tell from the photos but the car got dropped by an inch & 1/2, two finger gap between tyres and arch.  

Above is some comparisons of the ride heights. Bottom one is on 15" with lowering springs, middle is on 17", and top one is final result after installing the coilovers. 

As for the quality of the ride, I could instantly tell the steering was a lot firmer and solid, original shocks felt like steering a boat, alot of oversteer and body roll, but that's probably because of their condition. All the control arms and bushes have been replaced except for the shock absorbers till now. I originally thought this would be a mistake considering I would ruin the quality of the ride, but seeing as they have damper adjustments I can honestly say the ride quality hasn't been as bad as I thought. As I am on incorrect tyres I don't think I can criticize the ride quality and can only think they would be better on the correct tyres if on the correct damper settings and ride height. 

Speed humps do seem to be a problem now, considering I have gone low 🤦‍♂️, but a little bit more practice and I should master them 😅. But overall I am happy with the the final result both appearance and ride quality.

Some after shots:

Now, seeing as I have got this far, all it needs is the factory bodykit to finish off the look 👌👍😂.

[hughezee]

Looking Sharpen 😍

[Harry93]

1 hour ago, hughezee said:

Looking Sharpen 😍

As always, thank you 👍

[AhsyV6]

What a significant difference and improvement in the looks department……looks lovely mate! 
 

I was pleasantly surprised that the ride quality wasn’t compromised after I had mine done and was very impressed in the improvement of the handling, steering and cornering. 
 

Being on adjustable coilovers does that mean you could take it lower? 

[Harry93]

2 hours ago, AhsyV6 said:

What a significant difference and improvement in the looks department……looks lovely mate! 
 

I was pleasantly surprised that the ride quality wasn’t compromised after I had mine done and was very impressed in the improvement of the handling, steering and cornering. 
 

Being on adjustable coilovers does that mean you could take it lower? 

Thank you Ashy. It has helped the look of the overall stance since fitting them, the alloys also blend in better with the appearance compared to before, looked a little ricy. 

The Koni shocks are still a better route of maintaining that OEM ride quality. I am sure the damper settings can also be adjusted from the top mounts although I have read that with some units they have to be fully disassembled in order to adjust, I may be wrong?

The coilovers are fully adjustable, so I do have that freedom of altering the ride height and changing the damper settings. Currently on recommended factory settings.