Hey guys! Summer is approaching which means more income for me, and I’ll be upgrading my integra’s suspension. I’ve been doing a lot of research on different setups, and I’m stuck between 2-3 options. 1) Just new OEM struts w/ Tein S Tech Springs. 2)Function and Form type 1’s. 3) KYB GR2’s with H&R Sport Springs. My main question is, would the H&R’s be compatible with KYB’s (they’re supposed to be close to OEM replacements, right?). It’s hard to find anyone with that SPECIFIC setup. If not, what would be a good spring for KYB’s? I’m tempted to just do FF Type 1, because they’re $630 shipped, which is close enough to a set of 4 springs + 4 struts/shocks. My car is just a DD, sometimes spirited street car, no track plans or anything. Also plan on doing extensive replacement of bushings with ES bushings. Thanks in advance!
Okay I did find some info and the GR-2’s apparently suck with a lowered suspension, so I guess that leaves the question of what spring to get with illuminas or blues.
never lower your car on stock sturts regardless if theyre brand new or used. theyre not designed for that and will blow prematurely. the best set up is koni/ground control. you get height and dampening adjustment along with more customizing options than you will know what to do with. if youre on a budget then finding them used is good deal or if you want to be patient, save your money and do it right the first time then i suggest going koni/gc. brand new it can be had under 1200.
Thanks man! Yeah I don’t plan on lowering on stock struts, so as my first (and second) post said, I’m trying to figure out the right combo, since there are so many combinations possible. And yeah, Koni/GC is what I keep seeing on here, along with F&F. That isn’t really in my budget, but I’m not going to go ebay coils either, for sure. I was thinking Tokico blues with Tein s tech’s or H&R Sports.
personally, i dont suggest using tein lowering spings. i dont have any first hand experience with them but from what ive read around on other forums, the s and h tech springs are no good and are priced accordingly. the main thing that they say is the spring is WAY to soft and the ride quality is crap.
if you are dead set on not just saving up for a long trusted set up like the koni/gc then i would suggest f&f from the list of options you have there. i wouldnt use them myself but… you know =\
I put Tein H Tech’s on my first civic, and I personally liked the ride, I thought it was a little stiffer and actually more comfortable than the springs I took off (I’m guessing they were stock and worn out). The only other experiences I’ve had are a KYB AGX/H&R combo, and my best friend’s Megan coilovers (which were too harsh for me). I’m going solely off of this forum haha. I can’t make up my mind, I keep going back and forth between different setups. I’ve combed over this forum for weeks trying to see what people say about different setups, and I can’t seem to decide. I appreciate your input though!
From my own experience of riding in friends cars with the F & F’s, they aren’t much different than any other no name or ebay full coil (blackworks, blox, raceland, ksport etc). They leave much to be desired, even for the price point. The KYB AGX / H & R combo is a decent choice, but it’s still mediocre considering you are “upgrading”. I had the out of the box GC with AGX for a long time and once I upgraded to GC/Koni I couldn’t believe I wasted all that time on mediocre shocks. I’m a strong advocate for Koni/GC’s with custom spring rates. I have a buddy with the H & R’s on his DA and they ride okay, but like all springs you get what you get. If the rear is sitting lower than the front it doesn’t look right to you (or the opposite) you are stuck with it. If you’re going to spend $630 on the F&F’s, why not just save up a bit more and get something great instead of just good? I’ve seen some used GC/Koni’s for 800ish.
I prefer illuminas. You can’t beat them for the money. I have had 3 different types for spring on them (OTS GC’s, H&R 450f/375r and currently on S2 10kf/8kr sleeves) I have auto crossed with the latter two setups for several years and have no desire to change after going to the 10k/8k sleeves. The extra dampening of the illuminas provides all that I need. I’m betting if you road in the the same car with the same exact setup and only switched between yellows and illuminas, you wouldn’t know the difference. IMO at least the difference wouldn’t be significant.
If I could do it all over again I would buy illuminas. Either way you won’t be dissapointed!
630 $…?
Hey THMotorsports just quoted $ 790.00 for Koni/GC…save up the extra 100 bucks!