bureau_c

My shocks are shot, so I ordered some Tokico Illuminas based on a combination of what I've read here and the price. I have stock wheels and tire size is stock, although if I actually replace all four at once next time I may go from 225 to 245 like everyone else. I'm planning on retaining the stock springs. Am I going to severely regret that? I don't track the car and there are no larger wheels in my foreseeable future, so this should work OK, right?

jds

rynberg

Springs are cheap and are obviously easier to replace if you are changing the shocks at the same time.

I think you need to ask yourself:

1) Are you happy with the way car handles? Do you want to reduce body roll? Increase sharpness of handling?

2) Can you live with a stiffer ride?

3) Can you live with a lowered car? Everybody likes the looks of lowering, but with my new HKS springs, it's a damn PITA to get in and out of my driveway now...

Don't feel pressured to get springs. If you want flatter, sharper handling and are willing to accept the decreased ride quality and other negatives, then go for it!

bureau_c

Those are all good questions! To be honest, I AM pretty happy with the way it handles, although better is still better. The ride feels pretty stiff as it is, although I would probably trade marginally stiffer for much better handling...not sure if it works that way though!

I thought about the Eibach Pro Kit springs, because they only lower it a small amount and aren't supposed to be too bone-jarring...but then some of the things I read almost made them seem too cushy...I certainly don't want to get poorer handling and a cushier ride.

jds

rynberg

I'm going to post a full review after I get a full alignment and attend an auto-x and road race in the next two weeks but I'll give you a preview on my new HKS Sport springs and Koni shocks.

The springs lower a good amount but slightly less than the Eibach and H&R (less than an inch). They are progressive but are a bit stiffer than either the Eibach or H&R. With the Koni's on full soft, the ride is noticeably stiffer than stock but is not punishing. The downside is the shocks are not in 100% control of the springs at that setting. With the Konis set to 1 full rotation to "hard", the handling is way better than stock, with very crisp responses and great turn-in. However, the ride is too harsh for daily driving IMO.

All in all, I would rate the HKS springs very highly, but I want to try them in a track situation before giving my full approval....

The only place I've seen that has the HKS springs is Rotary Extreme (and they're pretty cheap too).

bureau_c

Any idea how my Tokicos compare to the Konis? If I were to use the Tokicos set to full soft along with the HKS springs, would it be "noticeably stiffer than stock" too?

jds

adam c

iTrader: (2)

Yes, it will be noticeably stiffer.

Decision time.

Your car comes from the factory as one of the best handling cars ever produced. It's pretty stiff already, if you compare with almost anything else on the road. I had a 82 GSL with suspension techniques springs, and Illunmina's. I always drove the car on the softest setting. It was still very stiff. When I bought the FD, it was so nice to have a great handling car that didn't make me cringe at the site of a bump. I suggest that you just get the Illumina's. You probably wont want it as stiff as they can make it anyway.

Please let me know what you do, and how you like the results. I am considering getting a set of Illumina's to go with my stock springs too.

Thanks, Adam

bureau_c

Decision time indeed! I think what I'll do is put the Illuminas on with the stock springs, if for no other reason than that I have the shocks sitting in my living room and I don't have any other springs. The worst that can happen this way is that I decide I wish I had upgraded the springs, and I have to do the job over again. A pain, yes, but not the end of the world. I've got to do something, I'm tired of bouncing around on dead shocks.

I'll post an update when I get them on.

jds

adam c

iTrader: (2)

I'll look forward to seeing that.

jpandes

Buy my Eibach Prokit Springs. $125 shipped. They are progressive and have a nice comfy ride. They lower your car about an inch all the way around. The work well with the Tokico's. They handled much better than stock TOURING suspension. Sorry, I can't offer a comparison with the R1 suspension.