BluNosr2

So I am *maybe* considering a very mild drop for my 06 RL, hopefully an inch or even a bit less.

I know when you change springs you are changing spring rate and the shock/strut + spring combo really needs to work together. And, I like the current ride of the RL so I really want to avoid sacrificing the ride quality/comfort with a stiff setup. My sports car has that so it's not really what I want from my daily driver.

I haven't seen much mention of anything besides the A-spec setup on here - what are people running when dropping their rides?

Chas2

A-Spec is new springs and shocks, and drops the car about .75 inch which sounds like exactly what you are looking for.

For nearly 3 x the money, you can do just about what ever you want, including something like 22 levels of shock valve adjustment from an electronic controller in the car (or manually if you do not want to add the controller) from pillow soft to rock hard. The springs are adjustable for height, but you have to do that with wrenches. See post #172 https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...=498194&page=5



The least expensive mod is probably the H&R lowering springs which are about a 1.4 inch drop.

These are the two most popular lowering mods that I can think of.

23109VC

from what I've read the two most popular options are:

1) Acura aspec
2) H&R springs.,

a few people have bought both and used the struts from teh Acura aspec kit and tossed out the acura springs and used the H&R springs instead..that gets the bigger drop.

if you surf around you will see photos of both setups. the H&R will lower it enough that you look "lowered".

to me, the aspec IS lower than stock..but it's not "so low" that "looks" lowered. it just is lower and subjectively is bertter looking than stock.

i have neither, and cant' speak from personal experience. only from extensive reading here.

your needs sound like you want aspec. nothing more.

what is your other "sports car"???

I have an older boxster and love it...although it's actually for sale.. tired of maintaining and paying for three cars...

knv8

i have the aspec setup, it sometimes it is a bit harsh on bad roads. i have been wondering how it would be with aspec springs which would lower it a bit, paired with the stock shocks. this might work since the ride quality would not be lost but you will have to deal with the floatiness.

or maybe the stock shocks might feel different with the lower springs. you guys have any thoughts on this setup?

ReverendOlaf

One thing to consider is tire type and size. 18" tires with stiff sidewalls, or just about any 19" or 20" will give a noticeably harsher ride and combined with a stiffer suspension setup (with less travel) may go beyond your tolerances.

One nice thing about the A Spec setup is that you get new dampers, which you may benefit from after 4+ years. I'm thinking of going A Spec, as I think my '05 has started to show its age with the dampers, and A spec is an upgrade, not just a replacement. It's also a paired setup vs just going with springs. Ether way, let us know what you go with and what you think of the setup.

BluNosr2

Yeah my interest in a mild drop is more to do with possibly going with 19's. I know the ride is going to get stiffer from the lower profile tires anyway, but I also don't want a "bouncy" combo of springs with stock shocks.

Basically I am looking for a modest drop that hopefully maintains a lot of the stock RL ride quality - or at least as much as possible.

oh, my other ride is a 91 MR2 Turbo, somewhat modified

white05rl

There a new Aspec kit on eBay for $475 and that includes S/H

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/2005-...Q5fAccessories

037

I would go for the A-Spec setup if you want a mild drop and save the ride quality. If you want decent drop and harsher ride, H&R springs are the answer.

here's mine on H&R and 18" wheels:



and yes, the back did rub for me on hard bumps but that's probably due to low wheel offset (+32)

23109VC

so you think H&Rs on stock dampers is harsher than aspec?

i had read other people say the exact reverse..that aspec is harsher than just H&R on stock shocks?

which is it people?

Chas2

A-Spec and 18s will probably do you fine. 19's and a 40 profile is definitely more harsh.

I have read, but do not know for certain, that with H&R, or any lowering spring actually, and a damper not designed for the spring height, results in a shortened damper life because the damper is more compressed than designed for.

23109VC

so I'd be better off to just go with aspec vs H&R and stock shocks?

i recall some pepole here have basically said that running aftermarket springs on stock shocks was fine, but other have said they noticed some bounciness and decided to upgrade the dampers.. I believe supergreen.. who left the forum and bought an EVO..was of the latter who upgraded dampers..

i like the idea of getting an OEM setup like aspec...but i honestly think the H&Rs look better as they are a bit lower...

I like the look of H&Rs on 19s.... I like the RIDE on my stock suspension and 17s...

i want my cake and I want to eat it too... guess you can't "have it all" can you?!?!?!

maybe aspec + 18s would be a compromise....

Chas2

Well 18's because there is a LOT of choice in 245/45-18, not so much in 245/40-19, and if price is a consideration, 18's are less expensive.

The A-Spec suspension definitely sharpens the handling, and the roll is controlled much more. It will be a firmer ride than stock.

SSjTrunks112O

How about the aspec + oem 17's??

ichi d

i have this setup and i find it a lil stiff with the oem 17s, but all my cars have been lowered so im use to it. if u dont want it bouncy then aspec is not for u as other members mentioned, it can be bouncy on bad and uneven roads.

u might be better off going with aspec springs with stock shocks.

23109VC

i'm going to meet up with a local AZ member who has the aspec setup on stock 17s... and go fro a ride. no better way than to try it out!!

ichi d

the rl shouldve came with the aspec in the first place.

SSjTrunks112O

It's still abit softer than aspec + 18's though right?

knv8

i went from aspec and stock 17, to aspec with 18 aspec wheels. not much of a diff in quality. i think tires have alot to do with the ride quality, so 18's with my nexen n7000 for example is ok. super low pro tires might be a diff story.

23109VC

if I go with 18s, I may put on pure summer tires like PS2s... i ran PS2s on my S60R and noticed the ride got smoother/quieter than with the Pirellis it had before.... I've always been impressed with Michelins... PS2s woudl make it stick like nuts... albeit they may wear out a lot faster...

i'm considering 18s and 19s now... but i'm sort of leaning toward 18s with aspec suspension... going all OEM and buuying the aspec wheels.... then i'll do PS2s on the RL... see how long they last... if they wear out way too fast I coudl swap to A/S +...

i live in so cal. i never see snow and if i did go to the snow, I hav an MDX with all seasons.. so I would take that vehicle.. my car will see only sun and some rain. so summer tires woudl work. the only drawback from my standpoint of the summer tires is the faster wear... on a heavy car like the RL i can imagine PS2s would last 10-15k max.? i know Acura put on PIlot sports onto the 18" wheel setup, so it's not like there is anyhting wrong with putting "sports car" tires onto the RL...

i love how the 19s look on an H&R drop...but I also like the OEM look of 18s on aspec.
i'm stil on the fence...

bluesxtreme

I just got my A-spec suspension mailed to me, planning on installing it this weekend with a friend. I'm on stock 17's so I'll report back how big a difference there is.

SSjTrunks112O

Did you buy it on eBay or somewhere else?? How much was it?

bluesxtreme

I got it from Delray Acura -> www.acuraoemparts.com . This is my second time ordering from them and there were no issues except their customer service is hard to reach.

Paid $600 + shipping. You can find cheaper on ebay but I preferred to buy from someone i knew.

SSjTrunks112O

How much do they charge for installation?

23109VC

keep us posted! i'llbe interested to hear what you think...

bluesxtreme

I'm doing the installation with a friend this weekend. Since he's done struts and shocks before it shouldn't be a problem. I also read it's a lot easier with two people. I'll let you guy know how it goes.

Chas2

There is an excellent DIY with pictures...you do not have to remove the back deck as the official Acura instructions note...and deal with those nasty C clips...mess with airbags, etc.

bluesxtreme

Yup, great help with the DIY forum. I'm also gonna upgrade the sway bar to the '09 version while i'm down there.

23109VC

bluesxtreme-

did you get it installed yet? i just took a ride tonight in an RL with aspec and it was a pretty firm ride.. handling was a LOT better than my OEM car, that's for sure. cornering was virtually flat.. that part i liked... but for my tastes, not sure i'd like the firmness on a day to day basis... it's very subjective.. i haven' tmade up my mind yet.

let us know what you think once it's in!!

ichi d

23109vc, just get the aspec springs then or go with H&R's if u dont like the firmness.

knv8

ichi, you know someone with aspec springs and stock shocks? i was wondering about that combo.

bluesxtreme

Okay, finally have a chance to sit down and write my thoughts after driving a day or two with the new setup, I'll write about installation first and then post setup.

Install
Overall it was fairly easy except for one really stubborn section and I definitely recommend two people to do the job. Even with an experienced "modder" it took us about 5-6 hrs, part of it due to getting stuck. If you are good with mechanical stuff it's pretty straightforward and you should have no problem navigating the whole process.

The fronts went quite smoothly since the shock & spring are together. It wasn't until we got to disassembling the rear lower ball joint that we ran into issues. The darn thing just would not budge and "pop" out as the DIY said. The technical manual was no help as it listed a special ball joint remover tool to help get it out. Eventually we just took the other end of the lower arm out and it was cake after that. After that we did the sway bar at the same time and that was the easiest part.

Post Setup
Boy is this upgrade worth it. I liken it to going from a regular Audi to a S line Audi. If we were looking at a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the hardest:

Original: 3ish
A-Spec: 6-7
My IS 250: 6-7
Audi S4: 8-9
Friends WRX STI: 9-10

So it's a significant upgrade, no more bounce from going over bumps and railroad tracks. Sway bar makes a big difference too as the back feels great. I would say 85-90% of body roll is gone and the car no longer feels heavy unless it's a really fast turn. It was everything I was hoping for though there are only two things keeping this from being perfect handling IMO:

1) The front could really use the stiffness from a new sway bar ( too bad this is not easily accomplished)
2) A heavier steering feel would go a long way to the feel of driving this car.

Note i'm on the OEM 17" tires though I have this running at 40psi/38psi F/R. There's no harshness to the ride but definitely is a tight feeling, it's a good compromise. Lower profile tires will probably stiffen the ride slightly so I hope to upgrade that later on.

I also got my alignment done this morning which really solidified the feel of the car though my tech said it wasn't too far off.

23109VC

i just read your post. very different description from what I just observed when I test drove in an RL with aspec on 18" aspec wheels. the RL I drove was very firm and in my opinion, really harsh. on rough pavement it bounced REALLY hard. not bouncy like floaty bounce, but almost like it crashed over hard bumps. due to how stiff it was..

i'm wondering if tire size / brand tire / and other factors can play a role in how the suspension feels???

from how you describe it - it sounds like exactly what i want... but from the test drive I had two days ago - your description sounds very different...

drive yoru car over bad pavemetn and tell me if it feels harsh? i drove the RL on some smooth sections and honestly, on smooth roads it wa sokay, but on rough stuff - WoW - it just bucked/bounced and shook me hard...

?? now i'm really puzzled...

bluesxtreme

The OEM 17" wheels and tires are a lot softer than 18" a-spec low profile tires. I'm not surprised you had a harsher ride. Anything stiffer than what I have would probably translate to what you are saying. Tire pressure also makes some difference as I went from the recommended 36/34psi to 40/38psi and it stiffened up quite a bit!

I do prefer a stiffer ride as i'm used to S4's, and my old TT. I never found those overly harsh but I can see how someone would feel that way. You should keep with your own observations though since everyone's experience is subjective. Maybe you can see if anyone has a-spec with OEM 17's?

Why don't you try playing with your PSI first and see how that affects your ride, 2psi change isn't much but 4psi or more will be noticeable. Are you on OEM 17s or 18s?

23109VC

I'm on oem 17s. I'm goingto check out an rl with aspec and 17s soon!