jahnemann

Hey guys, new here to the rdx part of the site. Purchased my 2008 Rdx approx. 6 months ago. slowly been working through different modifications including sound proofing, front under spoiler, roof rack, wheel/tire change out, tint, etc. My previous vehicle was a lowered Subaru legacy gt spec b. It had Billsteins and Tein s-tech lowering springs. it handled and rode great. Actually even better than the Rdx stock. Even sitting 1/2 at most from the top of the tire. I am trying to get the same combination with the Rdx. I have been doing a bit of research on different lowering options for the rdx. It seems to me their are only three options. Eibach lowering springs, Bc br coilovers, and Megan racing coil overs. I am looking for a lowered look with little to no change in ride quality. this is a commuter car and i dont want it to ride like ass on my horrid city streets. From what i have seen searching through the forum, if i go with coil-overs it destroys tire from rear negative camber. And when watching a video on heel/toe's website, the person behind the video said they ride like crap unintentionally. is ride quality any better/alignment specs any better with the lowering springs? People keep posting pictures of how cool their car looks lowered, but i have no idea if it handles/rides decent. Has anyone upgraded their shocks/struts with the lowering springs and seen positive results? should i just forget all of this and put air bags on the car? input from personal experience with these products would be greatly appreciated. also need to note. i will be running a 20" wheel with 40 degree offset. 245 45 20 tires so want to prevent any rub. wheels and tires are being shipped currently so i don't know how much space i have to play with.

mrgold35

I ran Eibach lowering springs with OEM struts/shocks and OEM tire size on my 08 RDX for around 80,000 miles (37K to 117K). I had the issue of camber being out of specs in the rear; but, I used non directional Conti DWS tires and rotated/cross-rotated every oil change to spread out the wear. The Conti DWS are 50,000 mile tires and I never seem to get much past 35,000 - 38,000 miles with the RDX. I get the full 50,000 plus with the exact same tires on my TSX and MDX. Don't know if it is just the tires I picked or the RDX loves to eat tires. Something to keep in mind if you pick high performance tires you can't cross-rotate.

It felt to me the RDX rode very similar to stock with the 1 inch drop all around. The RDX was our main traveling/commuter/errand car at +20K per year before the MDX. I never felt the ride, handling, and comfort was compromised with the Eibach springs; even with 4 people+luggage+torpedo on top. The sh-awd does a pretty good job in the corner to level out and rotate the rear around. The Eibach springs come in handy when you hit the corners and you can't use sh-awd (like driving down switchbacks or off the power in a curve).

I replaced my shot OEM struts/shocks around 117K and did the group buy Progress RSB at the same time. I decided to try KYB struts/shocks, KYB strut mounts, and new endlinks. I just couldn't eliminate a knocking noise from my front struts with the update. The noise would only occur in tight slow turns of 45-90 degrees (like pulling in/out of parking space). It sounded like the Eibach springs were binding and moving around on tight turns. It might have just been the age of the RDX+springs and adding the KYB combo that didn't agree with my set-up. After months of troubleshooting and replacing parts, I just called it and ordered the entire front strut assembly and put the OEM springs back on (no noise since).

I miss the drop; but, I really didn't feel a huge difference in handling/comfort with or without Eibach springs (still had the Progress RSB in the corners). I now have almost 140K on the RDX and she is just a commuter/errand vehicle for the last +3 years. I think I would still have the Eibach springs still on if I opt'd for OEM struts instead.

Old pics when I first added Eibach (OEM tires):