lowering springs vs cheap coilovers

[cyrus_b]

hey guys

i know this topic has been done to death but i wanted some specific advice:

i have a 07 GT (non spec b) and i want to lower it. no track use, would like to keep the ride reasonably comforable and if handling improves that would be great. i do want it to be fairly low compared to stock, probably as low as i can reasonably go without scraping into most speed bumps or driveways.

i know that if money were no option, coilovers are the way, but if i were to go just springs i want to choose the best option.
i know i can get KMacs custom made, but i havent heard great things about them. on the other hand, iv heard eibach and tein make some good springs.

my question is, because i dont have bilstein shocks, if i put in the tein springs, will my car sit even on the front and rear, or will one be higher than the other (as iv heard there've been some issues)? what are the best springs for my purposes?

id like to avoid the excessive cost of coilovers, unless someone can recommend a cheaper brand (like D2 or Ksport) that gives an average ride and is less than say $1500. otherwise, id prefer to save the cash and use springs.

for the record, iv currently got my stock 17s on, but definately will be changing to something 19 or 20". i do actually really like the stocks, but need something bigger and different. also, is it best to do wheels then springs or the other way round? if i get bigger wheels, will that hae the effect of filling up the wheel well? (this is one reason im lowering the car)

and most specifically, does anyone have any contacts in melbourne where i can get a cheap price for this gear??

thanks for any advice guys

[smythie]

Subie boy has a set of K-Sport (?) coilovers in his 2.0R. Were apparently a lot more affordable than Teins and the like. He seems really happy with them for what he bought them for - lowering and just around town.

Bigger wheels will help fill the wells pretty well - increasing the rolling diameter will do it a bit better too but will mess with your speedo

[teK--]

If you go "fairly low" on stock dampers then they will not be performing very well and also will deteriorate very rapidly. Unless you're happy to put up with a very poorly damped ride that will feel like a pogo stick, then you should delay spending money on big wheels/tyres and instead invest in coilovers or even some entry level dampers such as the KONI Sports.

That, plus the fact that before too long your dampers will start leaking oil and you will have to replace them anyway. Better to do it properly the first time and save yourself paying twice for the labor of changing over struts/springs.

OTOH if you are happy with a mildly lowered spring say no more than 30mm lower, then you can run stock dampers for the meantime with OK performance as long as your car hasn't done more than about 40-50KKms already. You'll be good for another 30-40KKms before the dampers wear out.

[CJ1177]

defiantly do the wheels first especially if you are going to lower the car, the reason is because the last thing you want to do is have the car sitting at a nice height but cant fit the wheels under the guard, then be forced to find a different set of wheels that are your second or less choice.

19" or 20" may not necessarily alter your speedo it's all about keeping your rolling diameter the same or near to it, i.e. if you go 2" larger in diameter you just need to pick a tyre profile that has 2" less profile while still maintaining the same diameter

for me one of my reasons to go coil over is I have had lowered springs on all my previous cars & i have never been happy with the way they sat (one end higher than the other or just not low enough) then after a few years they would sag & be even more out of wack. where as coil overs you can dial in the exact height your after.
apparently K-sport aren't too bad if your on a budget & don't intend to track your car.

[Arith]

Be sure not to wait too long between new wheels and the lowering. Because when you get new wheels, the focus of people's attention will be in that area, and they'll notice the huge fender gap straight away. IMO, low profile tires combined with stock height = looks like a 4WD.

[Sentinel]

Be sure not to wait too long between new wheels and the lowering. Because when you get new wheels, the focus of people's attention will be in that area, and they'll notice the huge fender gap straight away. IMO, low profile tires combined with stock height = looks like a 4WD.

+1

[Jimmy S]

I've had 2 sets of "HSD" coilovers in previous cars and been very happy with the ride and quality they give!

--> http://www.hsdcoilovers.com/

They start from around $1350? for the base model and are around $1500 for the intermediate model with adjustable top-hats...

Very good value IMO, and they will go as low as you want!

[drndrn]

Jimmy,

HSD don't actually have a kit for the lib. Well not on their application list anyways.