i have decided to dump my whole "skunk2 on tokico struts" plan which i posted earlier. however i do need help because im going crazy. i hear so many diffrent opinions from you guys, friends, and people at the local performance shop i go to. i just work really hard for my money, like most of you do, and i dont want to spend hundreds of dollars and find out it was the wrong setup and it turns out to be @!#$. im hoping if i give you guys some info you can help me choose a suspension.
Heres the deal: i have a budget of 500 - 600$ to spend for my suspension. i dont want the absolute BEST suspension, but i think for 500$ i could get a pretty decent suspension. and yes, 500 - 600$ is AFTER saving up, and its not that i dont want to keep saving, its that i do also want to build my engine internals and interior.
heres what i need: struts/coilovers that work together and MUST be capable of up to a 3 inch drop. (i dont care if the warranty is void on the struts, factory warranty isnt a big deal, because where i get these parts from, the guy gives me his warranty for life, so im set there) and i do want coilovers for the adjustability, not lowering springs.
what kind of ride i want: i want somehwhat of a smooth ride, although i wont get mad if its a little bumpy. i can handle bumpy. but i definatly cannot handle bouncy. i dont want any leaning or bouncing of any kind, even if it means the ride will be a little rougher.
i dont only want to lower my car for performance, but also for the looks of a slammed car.
tell me what you guys think!
I am in the same boat as you i would like to know what the best u can get and then a step below the best. i can not have lower spring in pa the roads sucks and i will be getting a kit.
im thinking of going with the ground effects coilover kit (which i can get for about 300$) but the question is what struts would be decent on those?
Your only option then would be GC's and Koni Reds if you can find them. You might get away with KYB AGX for a little while before they blow at 3". Even then it's going to be over the price mark. You can't fool around with coilovers, because the crappy ones aren't going to cut it.
Just suck it up, buy some sportlines and Koni's, and you won't blow your shocks, it will be warranted, cost less than ground controls, and they're low enough.
I'll be straight-up honest here. The only option if you want a 3" drop is to go with an air ride solution and you can't afford it.
Coilovers can not give you a streetable 3" drop. There's just not enough travel left in the system when you go that low. You'll be practically riding on the bump stops.
Anything lower than about a 2" drop becomes unstreetable unless you only drive in nicely paved suburbs or something.
For the price you're looking at, I recommend you get some KYB AGX dampers and Eibach Prokit springs and just be happy with the 1.5" drop you'll get.
If you want to go lower, you have to spend more. Ground Control and Konis will give you the drop you want if you're putting it in shows and stuff while allowing you to ride at 1.5" - 2" drop on the streets with acceptable performance.
Bounce comes from dampers that can't handle the job you're giving them.
oh ok.
what if i use ground control coilovers on KYB AGX struts...do you think AGXs would be ok if i dropped them 2 inches max with ground controls?
if i just ride around for a few hundred miles on the softest setting with the AGXs (like i have read in a few other posts), and then im thinking if i just set them to firmest and then drop them 2 inches then i should be fine?
i like the eibach springs but i really need adjustability.
I don't think the AGX's can handle it. I suspect that the AGX's MIGHT last with a 2" drop when using Sportlines or some other progressive rate drop spring but I don't think they'll stand a chance with the higher rate coilover springs.
They specifically say not to use them for coilovers.
Again... if you need the adjustability, then you need more money. That's just the way it is.
If it makes you feel any better, some of the good solutions for other cars can cost a LOT more than what you'll pay for GC's and Konis.
That's one of the things that hurts our market is that people don't realize what things should cost. You seem to honestly think that $600 is plenty of money for a good suspension setup. I say that anything less than a grand is a bargain you should be more than happy with.
AGX's were not meant for coils. They were designed to withstand a 1.5" drop at the most with spring rates around 150-200. Coilover spring rates are closer to 400.
On a 500-600 budget the best your going to do is AGX's with Pro-kit springs. Droping your car 3" is stupid anyways. Best handling is at 1.5".
Zach wrote:AGX's were not meant for coils. They were designed to withstand a 1.5" drop at the most with spring rates around 150-200. Coilover spring rates are closer to 400.
On a 500-600 budget the best your going to do is AGX's with Pro-kit springs. Droping your car 3" is stupid anyways. Best handling is at 1.5".
they can Handel rates up to 400 but they don't like dig drops i ride at 2" drop
so far but i dont think they will last. when they blow or October i will get some koni yellows re-valved and shortened maybe DA
see ya!
I love my AGX and Pro kit combo.. its very nice. I've been playing with the settings and wow!
If price were not an option and IF you could save a little over 300 more then sign up for the GP on the Gravana coilovers. A lot say it is the best coilover out for our car now. It will give the adjustability, plus you can control the damping.
Go here
Just a suggestion if you want to spend the extra cash. But there might be a little wait as only 12 of 25 are signed up for it. Get your name on and only 12 more are needed to have it go through.
It's a good deal, you would be saving over 500 bucks if you were to buy the coilovers MSRP.
Just a thought...
for maybe $100 more, you could do the goldline springs on Tokico D-specs, with a nice drop and nice ride with 16 way adjustable struts
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^^^^ thats what I just purchased also
^^^^^you get em installed yet?
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It may be needless for me to repeat what everyone has already said. But I'll do it so you have one more vote for the direction.
A 3" drop is rediculous. You don't need it, and you won't want it later. I have a 2" drop on my setup and it's almost too low. So, my suggestion is to go with something more reasonable.
AGXs and the Eibach Prokit is one of the cheapest setups you're going to find. That was one of your criteria, money.
Your other criteria is height, Koni Yellows and Ground Control coil-overs are going to get you as low as you can go without air-ride, which I can't speak to, and it's certainly cost prohibative.
You mentioned that you didn't care about warranties, but you should, and if you are smart you will. Your mechanic can't go about replacing crap because you broke it, I'm sure his "warrantee" only covers his work as a mechanic. And you obviously can't afford to go around replacing bad parts right and left either. So pay attention to the warrantees.
You don't want to be riding on a blown suspension either. Some people may say "it's just bouncy" but they have no idea what they are talking about. It's unsafe, and it's not comfortable. It sucks, I laugh and avoid cars I see going down the highway with blown suspensions.
Eazy wrote:^^^^^you get em installed yet?
na not yet the struts actually just came in today. and I havent even been home to see them yet
does anyone have a few pictures of what a car looks like with the AGX / prokit combo installed?
i want to see how low a cavalier will look with that kind of a drop.
also, what would you guys think of a tokico-D / ground control setup?
im thinking of just getting some sportlines now. it says i can get around a 2 inch drop, which i think would be fine. how would the sportlines do on AGXs? or is it worth the extra money to put the sportlines on tokico Dspecs?
i just want to make sure the AGXs wont blow if i drop it 2 inches with sportlines.
Go with the D-Specs, that way you'll be sure.
but the sportlines will fit on the d-specs, right? want to make sure because i know some lowering springs are only made for certain shocks.
for the price of D-spec's i would get koni yellows
see ya!
I know for sure the Sportlines make a great combo with the Konis. I just haven't got any real experience with the D-Specs yet.
What's the word on those? I know Tokiko makes quality stuff. What are the d-specs designed for?
the sportlines drop 1.7 in front and 2.3 in back from what i have read, right? just making sure its correct info.
also, im pretty sure im going to be going with the sportline / tokcio Dspec setup. i have heard that tokico put good work into thier shocks, and read good reviews on a few diffrent sites.
just the fact that they are 16 way adjustable means somthing in the way of quality. and i like the fact that the tokico Ds come in thier own housing, where-as you have to mount the yellows in the cars stock housing.
