alrighty.. i've seen a bunch of these threads, so it should get alot of hits
anyways, i'm looking for some really good struts for the lude.. i live in VA, so there are a combination of types of streets. some are very nice, but then you go downtown and you still have coble stone. i use to own a mini truck before i got the lude, so a rough ride isn't going to bother me unless it's going to break my back on every slight imperfection in the street. had toxic drop shocks on the truck. they had a damn good ride, but handled like it was a race setup.
what are you 4th gen guys running?.. and what do yall like, and dislike about the setup you have? do you auto-x your whip or just speratically drive aggresive? i am really pondering about doing some races as i enjoy driving the lude, but can't afford to get any tickets
i'm pretty hard on my vehicles, but i feel that if i'm going to spend alot of money on something.. then it needs to be able to fulfill my needs!
^well you shouldn't be racing on the street first off.
I've had H&R on stock shocks, tried the ksport coilovers, D2 coilovers (different car though), and my koni + gcs.
out of all of them, hands down koni + gc. if you set it soft, it is super comfortable, then you can set them stiff and have fun. I go auto-x / HPDE events.
you want great ride + unlimited customability? go with koni + gc
you want bling? get whatever else you spend your money on
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"I am a ricer because I have Z3 fenders"
first off, get some ES polyurethane bump stops before you replace yours. don't assume the bump stops are there - i did that and mine werent and still arent. I need to replace them.
I have KYB GR2 gas shocks on my car (ebay, $150 shipped) with completely stock setup, they are a little stiffer than stock, but not rough or anything and it's still "sporty" but comfortable.
I have ridden in cars with Tein, Koni, and KYB AGX. I honeslty like the Tein bettwer, but they are more expensive. The KYB AGX were just as good though for the money.
I'd kind of like to hijack this thread for a moment and ask a question re: Tein coilovers. I was always under the assumption these were the end-all be-all for Prelude suspension; better than other coilover setups, and better than strut/spring setups. But then I heard sort-of off-handedly in an OT post that Teins are not only not the best, but that they suck.
So, now I'm confused.
Thus, my question to you all is: Are Teins not that great? What do coilovers offer over struts and springs?
I'd like to replace my 110k stock suspension rather soon, so input is appreciated.
Thanks!
__________________ Credulous at best your desire
To believe in angels in the hearts of men.
--Tool Books Read in 2008: 16 (Last: Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain; Currently Reading: Cormac McCarthy, The Road)
^teins imo are the norm. they just have alot of "jdm factor" and bling.
there are some good teins out there, we just don't get them in a prelude application
if you look at honda-tech and search the suspension forum for shock dynos of each coilover. you will easiliy see that the koni's have better curves than all the rest. i would find the link but i'm kinda lazy.
so on paper, yes koni beats out most of all the normal shocks / coilovers out there. but again, this is your money and your application might not warrant some koni's or budget.
another reason why is because these are expensive items to purchase. your average enthusist usually won't buy more than one set of shocks. this limits your knowledge and most anything is better than stock. therefore ppl will sit there and praise anything / everything.
edit: trust me buddy, i was there too when i first got my prelude. i was set on some tein flex's. but after further investigation, you will see. i have a friend who rides in his 5th gen w/ flexs + edfc. it doesn't feel too much different from my koni's but this is just around town. i bet all things being equal, on a track/auto x you would notice differences from each setup.
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"I am a ricer because I have Z3 fenders"
Last edited by petern101 : 08-10-2007 at 04:24 PM.
^teins imo are the norm. they just have alot of "jdm factor" and bling.
there are some good teins out there, we just don't get them in a prelude application
if you look at honda-tech and search the suspension forum for shock dynos of each coilover. you will easiliy see that the koni's have better curves than all the rest. i would find the link but i'm kinda lazy.
so on paper, yes koni beats out most of all the normal shocks / coilovers out there. but again, this is your money and your application might not warrant some koni's or budget.
another reason why is because these are expensive items to purchase. your average enthusist usually won't buy more than one set of shocks. this limits your knowledge and most anything is better than stock. therefore ppl will sit there and praise anything / everything.
edit: trust me buddy, i was there too when i first got my prelude. i was set on some tein flex's. but after further investigation, you will see. i have a friend who rides in his 5th gen w/ flexs + edfc. it doesn't feel too much different from my koni's but this is just around town. i bet all things being equal, on a track/auto x you would notice differences from each setup.
Thanks. I essentially want better handling than stock and some quality parts that are going to last, and I'm willing to spend a decent (but not exorbitant) amount of money to get there.
__________________ Credulous at best your desire
To believe in angels in the hearts of men.
--Tool Books Read in 2008: 16 (Last: Michael Crichton, The Andromeda Strain; Currently Reading: Cormac McCarthy, The Road)
the struts ive heard the most mixed reviews of but i am still most interested in are tokicos, namely the illuminas. anyone had lots of experience with these? But then what springs do i get? I know most people say not to get sleeves but id like to adjust my height... I quite enjoy a stiffer ride but really want something adjustable for longer trips.
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Last edited by Mr.Badguy : 08-10-2007 at 07:30 PM.
I've got the agx's and they're decent. I run on settings 3f 4r and I don't think it's very stiff at all. I've done a bit of a road racing as well. The Konis are a tad more expensive but I think the adjustability is worth it.
the struts ive heard the most mixed reviews of but i am still most interested in are tokicos, namely the illuminas. anyone had lots of experience with these? But then what springs do i get? I know most people say not to get sleeves but id like to adjust my height... I quite enjoy a stiffer ride but really want something adjustable for longer trips.
I wonder about these tokicos. Should I expect a stiffer right with these than stock?
Not really the tokico blues are pretty much a stock replacement shock and doesn't offer much of an upgrade for dampening. If your stock shocks are blown then yes you'll feel a difference. It also depends on what springs you're running.
i am running the illuminas. i actually like them and they seem to be good so far. ive had them about 2 years and will drive hard sometimes with them. i think they would be better with some stiffer springs though. i have tein s tech springs. its comfortable and handles pretty good, but there are better set ups out there. i know someone who races scca and they swear by the illuminas, but he races a crx with like 8k and 6k springs.
the full coilover set up can be nice being adjustable and can allow for a better balance sometime as some use them to corner balance their cars for the track. it just depends on what u are looking for. ive always heard good things about konis with the exception of them being a little more pricey.
Not really the tokico blues are pretty much a stock replacement shock and doesn't offer much of an upgrade for dampening. If your stock shocks are blown then yes you'll feel a difference. It also depends on what springs you're running.
I was planning on using the same stock springs. Is it stupid to install new struts and use the same struts. I've heard it both ways. The springs should be good unless I tried to cut them or something. Also that I should just go ahead and replace the springs while I'm doing it. In general do springs wear out?
I'm not particularly looking to lower for the look, but if I would see a significant performance increase I'd be open to it. Can I lower at all with stock 205/55-15. I just got new tires so I'm using them for sure.
Is it stupid to install new struts and use the same struts. I've heard it both ways.
why would you install something and use teh same thing? what you are asking is impossible. shocks / struts are the same thing (for the most part and on our cars, yes same thing)
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmelendez
The springs should be good unless I tried to cut them or something. Also that I should just go ahead and replace the springs while I'm doing it. In general do springs wear out?
don't cut and be an idiot. just buy whatever springs you need. i mean honestly, how much are springs??? like 200 bux max. just get what you need
Quote:
Originally Posted by rmelendez
I'm not particularly looking to lower for the look, but if I would see a significant performance increase I'd be open to it. Can I lower at all with stock 205/55-15. I just got new tires so I'm using them for sure.
it is beneficial to lower but to a certain point. slamming might create more problems than gains. you can lower quite a bit with stock wheels (like almost 3 inches if you really wanted to)
__________________
"I am a ricer because I have Z3 fenders"
why would you install something and use teh same thing? what you are asking is impossible. shocks / struts are the same thing (for the most part and on our cars, yes same thing)
I meant to ask if I should install new _springs_ when I put in new struts.
Quote:
Originally Posted by petern101
don't cut and be an idiot. just buy whatever springs you need. i mean honestly, how much are springs??? like 200 bux max. just get what you need
I'm not going to cut. I will buy new springs if I need them. My question was more about if springs generally go bad? Other than if some idiot cut springs or something is there ever a reason to replace them other than lowering?
Quote:
Originally Posted by petern101
it is beneficial to lower but to a certain point. slamming might create more problems than gains. you can lower quite a bit with stock wheels (like almost 3 inches if you really wanted to)
I'm going to hold off for now. I'm going to use my stock springs on my tokico blue struts I got for $250. I know it will be a pain to go back and change out the springs after the fact but hopefully I won't need to.
In general what should I look for that will tell me I need new springs?
springs do wear out. you have to take them out and put a load on them and measure the resistance with a special tool. honda has a spec on what it should be close to. but they probably aren't worn out at 110k. but there not going to be what your looking for if you want to go stiffer. the strut how ever has a test to see weither its bad or not. the bounce test, you push down on the car above one of struts, if it comes back up and bounces then you have a bad strut. if it comes up and stays then its good.
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