Any of you guys running just springs on a stock shock? Looking to do this jus for now..getting a good deal on H&R spings? how much do they lower the car and is the ride still nice?

 

I have that set up it seems to run fine for now but I do know that one day or the other the shocks are going to blow out... I'm saving up for a coilover so till that time I will ride with these~~~ the look of the car and everything is great~~ but ride comfort will be more stiffer....

 

sounds good. thanks man

 

Check out the suspension section. Theres alot of info on H&R Springs there. I had H&Rs and had rubbing issues up front. The car was very low with them installed that I bought some coilovers and raised it up. I couldnt be happier. Other people have these installed and have absolutely no rubbing issues. Search in the suspension section and you'll get alof of good info.

 

Go and read up on Howard Coleman's posts - he recommends Eibach springs with stock base/touring shocks as one of the best suspension setups for an FD.

Regardless, any spring with a conservative drop (an inch or less) should be kosher on the stock shocks. An extreme drop will not only hurt ride and performance, but will likely kill the shocks.

Dale

 

I just installed rb springs and am running 18s with no rubbing unless i hit a big speed bump too fast.

 

Ive been running Eibach Pro springs for a little over a year now with stock shocks and I like it. Its pretty stiff and the ride height is about right.

 

The only problem you will encounter - as akiratdk said (sort of) - is that your shocks will wear out faster since they are always slightly compressed. Also you may hit the bump stops if you hit the odd bump because there is less travel. But if your shocks are OK then there are no problems. Just be aware that you may need to look for new shocks some time in the future and then you should look for ones that match whichever springs you choose.

Cheers

 

i do not recommend H&R springs as they are progressive rated. that means they change spring rate in the middle of a corner. high performance driving is all about being linear so you can drive the car at the edge of it's capability. the FD suspension is designed linear for that reason.

you should have NO shock problem running the stock shocks w either Eibach or Tein springs. do not discount the performance transformation available w this simple inexpensive setup. you can often find used Eibach springs off the classifieds of this forum.

don't buy the H&Rs just because you can get them cheaper....

good luck,

howard coleman

 

Listen to Howard!! he has the experience with every type shock/spring on the FD, you or I can imagine. He helped me out and I decided yo go with the Tein S tech springs and stock shocks(soon to be koni or KYB),so good advice is to go with what he says.

 

Yeah howard is correct,

The shock doesn't care where the valving sits.

Problems only exist if they are hitting the bump stops (presuming you have stock ones and didn't trim them) due to the shortened travel available.

I know Tien is a good brand - typically a too firm for Australian conditions -roads- though (well the coilovers are anyway). Not heard of the other brand in OZ though... but I am not an expert

 

I'm currently running Swift Sport Mach springs on stock struts. So far so good. I don't have any rubbing issues and the drop is decent. I'll try and post a pic sometime.

http://www.swiftsprings.com

 

Howard, the FD H&R springs are linear, they make progressive springs for other applications but not for the FD. I called H&R and asked them, they are rated at 25-30% increase in stiffness and 1.25"drop all around.

I run them on touring shocks with new upper mounts and lower rubber spring seats, no rubbing issues at all.

I track tested them at Waterfordhills track in Michigan (along with RB swaybars) and they kept the car planted and controlled with very predictable handling characteristics. I'm no suspension expert but I've had a great experience with them at the track. I highly recommend them.

 

thanks for all the feed back i really appreciate i have now a guid line to work with i think i might end up going with a full coilover suspension now.

 

Sorry, but I don't agree with this statement. Not trying to get into a flame contest here, but who did you talk to at H&R? In addition to having personal experience with FD H&R springs on the track (along with many other people including howard and manny), I've personally tested a set of them. They are most definitely progressive-rate springs. Eibach FD springs, on the other hand, are linear-rate even though most of their other non-FD applications are progressive.

I completely agree with Howard on this: I don't like progressive-rate springs for the track. But if your car will mostly be used on the street, with an occasional HPDE, then there are plenty of people running H&R's that are completely happy with them.

I run Eibach's w/ Koni yellows on street and track.

-Rob

 

My experience differs from you on this. I use stock shocks, H&R springs and stock unmolested shock tower bushings (aka pillowballs) and have no rubbing whatsoever on 17x9 SSRs rims running 255/40/17 tires.

For street and track use the H&Rs are fine. Depending on your skill level and uses it might not matter. I will defer to howard's knowledge as more of a subject matter expert on this however.

There are various threads in the suspension section on this already. Why don't you search and check them out.

 

i had tein s.techs
they seem to feel just like stock with a small drop

 

I'm not sure who I talked to, it was some time ago. They said the suspension travel in the FD with their lowering springs was too short to benefit from a progressive rate application so they made them linear.

May I ask how did you test them? Do you have access to a spring dyno? I pushed the springs at the track to the limit of my tires and did not experience any change in spring rate or behavior.

 

Eibach springs on stock R1 struts.

 

Sure, I tested them used a standard satec load-testing machine. I programmed it to calculate applied load and compression length. From this, it's really easy to calculate and graph the spring rate with regards to compression. I tested both the front and rear H&R spings, along with the stock springs. My plan was to test all of the available FD springs for spring rate, lateral rate, float displacement, and envelope circles (all of which usually differ from what the manufacturer states). But my project got cut short when I got side tracked with other jobs. I should have the time to finish it up sometime this winter. I wasn't planning on releasing any of the results until I finished, but I'll see if I can locate the disks to show my data thus-far.

-Rob

 

Nice, I'd love to see the results for the stock and H&R springs. Did you find them to change in rate suddenly like a jump in linear rates or progressively like a logarithmic increase with compression?

If it's a sudden increase in rate then I'd agree they're not best for track use and could actually be dangerous if the limits of the tires are reached at the moment of rate transition.

If it's a gradual increase in rate with compression, getting stiffer as the springs get compressed, I'd say they're perfectly suitable for track use and could even be better than linear springs of lower rate at the track and linear springs of higher rate on the street.

My track experience with the H&R's did not indicate any sudden change in rate, if any. They actually felt like stock but stiffer. I had run at the track with RB sways and stock springs/dampers before and can compare the difference with only changing to H&R's.

 

Back from the dead!

I had a question for you guys on stock touring suspension with Eibachs. Would you recommend cutting the bump stops or not?