Cornflake

OK, anybody here tried these yet? My bro has them on his 96 Maxima, but he puts his down to the ground, he actually took out the adjusters and is just using the springs! (Car has a 4.5" drop, looks pretty amazing!) but his bangs and thuds like crazy over bumps. Just wondering if anyone else has any experience with coilovers for the TL and what's good (ie QUIET) and what's not springwise. I have GOTTA get my car lowered next spring and I want to figure out what springs I'm gonna use before that.

unx979

ground control coilovers use eibach springs, so they're pretty good. i think the bangs and thuds are probably results of stock shocks or just bad dampening.

Cornflake

No, it's because he took out the adjusters and the car hits the bump stops all the time..lol.. He's got 3 way adjustable Koni's all the way around.

mctwist159

could some one point me in the right direction please....i want to lower my car, which springs do most of you guys use...? or if i were to get coilovers, would i use stock shocks? i am new at this and i want to do this the right way...

mctwist159

also..when answering my question if you could tell me the usual price ranges for each option please...

Cornflake

Unfortunately i can't recommend my favourite spring company Progress, since they don't make a spring for the 1ST gen TL. I had them on my Integra. Almost a perfect mix of ride height, performance and still maintaining a comfortable ride. I used stock shocks on that car for 4 years, no problem. HOWEVER, the TL is a MUCH heavier car, and using stock shocks with either regular lowering springs or coilovers, while it will work, will cause the shocks to blow out sooner. If you can afford it (I can't right now, so I will have this problem when I finally lower the car next spring), I would recommend going with an aftermarket shock. Also, these cars are bad for alignment, my tires are wearing like crazy on the inside (the 18" rims) and I would recommend getting a camber kit when you lower the car, I am for sure.

mctwist159

thanks man...but also.....what is a camber kit? and what would be a good aftermarket shock?

Cornflake

A camber does just what it sounds like, it allows you to adjust the camber of your wheels. Camber is the angle of the wheel towards the car. When you lower a car, because of the suspension geometry, the wheel will typically angle in at the top towards the car. This in not good as it will wear out the inside of you tires very quickly, also it is more desireable to have more rubber on the ground. The camber kit allows you to adjust the camber and thus create a bigger contact patch and have less tire wear. The most common aftermarket shocks are KONI and TOKICO, but there are many others, and some are better than others. If you go with a TRUE Coil-over kit, you will usually get better performance, however they can be very expensive and there are only a couple out there that I know of for the first gen TL. Hope this all helps.

unx979

a lot of us on this board has the Eibach springs. either the pro kit or the sportsline. the prokits are around 200 bucks and the sportslines are a little bit cheaper. the prokits drop around 1-1.2 inches i think and the sportsline drops it down like 2 inches or so. w/ the pro kit, it's designed so that you can still use the stock shock absorbers, but with the sportsline, you might want to swap out your shocks cause it's definately take a beating.

Cornflake

How do they ride, is the car still somewhat respectable? Or is it too stiff? I have found Eibachs on cars I've been in (mainly smaller hondas andMustangs) to be very bouncy and stiff. That was why I liked the Progress on the Integra, they were progressive rate springs and still very comfortable, but still wrapped corners on rails.

unx979

unfortuantely i can't give you a good comparison of the different springs on the TL's. all i can say is for my experience with eibachs. i have the pro kit and i like it. it's definately stiffer than stock, but i dont' know if you've ridden in a bmw 325 w/ sports package, it's softer than that.

mctwist159

i think i'm gonna go with the eibach pro kit..but i want to keep the acura stork rims..do i still need a camber kit to keep the life of my wheels?

unx979

all depends, each car is different. even though i only dropped mine an inch, i needed a camber kit. others have dropped it 2+ inches and didn't need camber kits. just remember to have your wheels alligned after you do the drop.

Cornflake

can't say I've been in a 325 w/sport, but I have been in and driven a '99 540 w/sport package, what a machine.... I think I am gonan go with the ground control's anyways. If you see a set for sale next year on e-bay,, you'll know I didn't like them!! haha And I KNOW I need camber kit, my car isn't even lowered yet and tires are wearing on the inside, nevermind when I actually get it down....

mctwist159

how much would a cabmer kit cost?