[karanvirsandhu]

O.K. after reading all those threads regarding springs, my head hurts :vomit:
I need some advice: Please help!
right now i have koni red shocks and ground control coilovers installed on my car. I also have katana destiny 18X7.5 rims. I am not happy with the ride at all. The ride sucks big time. Its too bumpy for my taste. It doesnt feel like I am driving a legend. It feels more like I am riding a mule or something.
I want to change the coilovers. I was thinking about putting eibach springs, but i am not sure how the ride is going to be? So, please give me some advice about what should i do and what kind of springs should i get?
Also, i installed those red koni's about one and half year ago. Do i need to change the shocks also or I am still good to go? Because my friend was telling me that i dont have to change the shock. so i dont know.
I like soft ride where i dont have to worry about hitting a pothole and flying out of car like a rocket or crossing the railway tracks.
all the comments are welcomed. please reply

Thanks a bunch.

 

[blah]

if you want a lowered ride but still a posh ride then just get a set of OEM springs, they still have the soft ride and you can probably get a set of them for really cheap

 

[Merlin the Wrench]

read a good book on how car suspensions work before you make any more unwise decisions. There is no magic bullet to car suspensions that works in any one environment. Many times I hear people here saying do this or do that but they lack a basic understanding of the physics involved.

I suspect that the factory springs and shocks are very close to what is needed on the street. Stiffening up the rear sway bar would probably reduce the understeer a little, but few cars are designed with neutral steer for if they were, when one spins and leaves the road ass-backwards and hits a tree, the heirs would file suit against Honda and say that the car caused their Fred to lose control. When one understeers and leaves the road in a straight line and hits a tree, the heirs will say Fred was traveling too fast. Most all cars are designed with under-steer to avoid lawsuits even though it reduces performance.

Also reducing the unsprung weight would help with the ride, as well as the acceleration and braking. Unfortunately light rims are usually made of magnesium alloys that shatter if you bump a curb too hard. "Mags" as we call them for street cars are usually aluminum, which is heavier than magnesium or titanium.

The springs should carry all the load and allow the car to float over bumps at the design weight, ride height, spring travel and car speed. The shocks should absorb all the energy leftover after the bump without overheating, and allow the springs to get ready for the next bump. The sway bars control the weight transfer from side to side in a turn. This assumes that the center of gravity is higher than the pavement and that the roll center was properly designed by Honda. Someone here may have laid out the suspension parts on an engineering blueprint to see if the roll height is the best it can be. Lowering the car by tampering with the springs may actually make a car's roll height worse. It takes a set of engineering blueprints to adequately determine whether raising or lowering a car will improve the handling. Many professional race teams have different cars for different tracks because there is no one "perfect" set of values for ride height etc. Then practice, practice practice and time each run. Tweak here, there etc and do it again. There may be a professional race track near you that rents the track in partial day blocks where you can play with different shocks etc to see which feels better. Remember that you will usually need more clearance on the street than at the track.

Considering all my years experience I chose to leave my Legend mostly stock. The main reason for doing so is the car's weight. The car is too heavy and the suspension too weak to be a racer. Add to that the brakes are not adequate for racing either. In my opinion, it just takes too many modifications and tradeoffs to improve much upon what Honda designed. Heck, I got tapped on the right front fender on the freeway in my 1992 by a gal who changed lanes without looking, and the suspension folded under the car. Had that been my old jeep. it would have barely scratched the paint.

 

[karanvirsandhu]

changing springs

First of all I want to thank you guys for your input.
I am thinking about getting Eibach springs. but i dont know what kind of springs they have and what kinda ride they give. I don't want to put on the OEM springs. I want something that gives me little sporty ride but still smooth. That way i dont have to about the bumps and potholes and the rail tracks.

I need some input from the guys who have the Koni red shocks and Eibach springs combination.
Also, i was wondering if i should change those koni red shocks too. Because they been on the car for almost year and half and have approx. 25 K miles on them.
Please reply.

 

[LegendGS]

It sounds to me like the Koni/Eibach setup is what will meet your needs. The Eibachs are quite soft, but are stiffer than stock. They'll ride closer to stock also because they're progressive, whereas the Ground Controls have a linear spring rate. I'm running Eibach and Konis on both of my Legends and I think they work well for me.

PS. Unless your shocks have worn prematurely, you don't have to change them.

 

[mrkeith]

Merlin the Wrench--thank you for the quality post.

k.

 

[91LSMAN]

It sounds to me like the Koni/Eibach setup is what will meet your needs. The Eibachs are quite soft, but are stiffer than stock. They'll ride closer to stock also because they're progressive, whereas the Ground Controls have a linear spring rate. I'm running Eibach and Konis on both of my Legends and I think they work well for me.

PS. Unless your shocks have worn prematurely, you don't have to change them.

:werd: I've got the Koni/Eibach setup on my Legend. (1-week) It's very close to stock feeling.

(Sig is still at stock ride height.)

 

[karanvirsandhu]

hey "91LSMAN" thats a nice ride you got there. what kind of rims you got on that puppy? are those 18? and if they are, how much gap do you have between the tire and the fender?

 

[swift]

It sounds to me like the Koni/Eibach setup is what will meet your needs. The Eibachs are quite soft, but are stiffer than stock. They'll ride closer to stock also because they're progressive, whereas the Ground Controls have a linear spring rate. I'm running Eibach and Konis on both of my Legends and I think they work well for me.

PS. Unless your shocks have worn prematurely, you don't have to change them.

What do you mean by progressive vs. linear?? Eibach "lowering" springs are defianently not performance oreinted...

Now i dont mind bumpy ride because i used to have a truck, but if i have it i want the performace handling like that of JIC and a camber kit. just my two cents.

 

[LegendGS]

Progressive springs get "progessively" stiffer as the spring compresses; basically, there isn't a constant rate. Linear spring rates have basically one rate regardless of how much the spring compresses.

That said, ground controls come with linear spring rates, but you can couple it with a set of tender springs to achieve a more progressive rate.

 

[91LSMAN]

hey "91LSMAN" thats a nice ride you got there. what kind of rims you got on that puppy? are those 18? and if they are, how much gap do you have between the tire and the fender?

Thanks.

The rims are the Club Linea Misterio-17x7 in chrome. (+52 offset)

Before the drop I could stick my leg in the wheel well.

I have a 2-finger gap up front and 3 in the rear (I think) with the recent drop. (Little more on the passanger side, my car has always been slightly higher on the passanger side, even with the OEM suspension)

 

[Rude-Boy!]

Pat, you got some sick shoes!!!!!!! :2cool: :2cool:
can you please update your sig so we can see what it looks like with the drop...thanx a lot, dude

 

[karanvirsandhu]

Hey guys i was wondering if I am gona have to change the shocks also if i change the springs because i have drop zone coil over and red koni shocks right now. someone was telling me that I am gona have to change the shocks also. i dont see the reason why i am gona have to change the shocks?
please reply

thanks

 

[LegendGS]

Check my first reply.

I thought you said you had Ground Controls.

 

[karanvirsandhu]

ohh sorry about that... i didnt pay attention to the last line in your first reply. i missed it the first time.
yeah i thought i had bought the ground control coilovers...but i just found the box they came in, they are drop zone coilovers and they suck big time.
I think i am gona go with what you have konis/eibach. so do you know a good place to get for cheap?

 

[LegendGS]

Try www.shox.com.