hemants

I've been doing a search for about 3 days on springs so I thought I would post my observations. These are not first hand observations rather a summary of anecdotal reports from members.

I have covered topics relating to lowering your car but have not included coilovers, shocks, sways, or track suspensions.

1. The easiest and cheapest way to lower your ride is to use aftermarket springs.

2. Most aftermarket springs can be used with stock shocks but shock life may be reduced by 20-30% depending on how bumpy your roads are (but that is true anyways - the bumpiness of roads is probably the greater determinant on shock life no matter what).

3. If you drop less than 2 inches you probably do not need a camber kit. Once you get springs installed, you can do an alignment right away but it may be better to drive for a week or two and then go in for the alignment since springs do settle a bit.

4. All springs will affect ride quality but the only REAL noticeable discomfort seems to be when encountering bumps.

5. Brands : the most popular are Comptech, Eibach Pro Kit, H&R OE, and H&R Sport Springs. I will discuss individually.

Comptech : According to comptech, lower 1.25"/1" front back, according to acura-tl 1.75"/1.5". Not surprisingly, anecdotal seems to be around 1.5"/1.25". These are reported as the most comfortable springs but they are the most expensive. Allegedly, these are the only springs specifically designed for the TL (and not carried over from the Accord). If anyone can confirm this without starting a flame war it would be appreciated.

H&R OE : 0.75"/0.5" front/back according to H&R. Anecdotal seems to be more like 1"/0.75" possibly because the TL is heavier than the accord which these were originally designed for. I have seen pictures of H&R OE lowered TL's and they look almost as low as comptechs. NOTE : Even though the drop may be less, these are a stiffer handling spring than Comptechs by many reports.

H&R Sport Springs : 1.75"/1.5" according to HR, 1.75/1.75 according to Acura-Tl.com, anecdotal seems more like 1.75/1.75 and visually, because the initital front gap on the TLS is larger it "looks" like the back is lowered more. Ride is stiffer than Comptech and stiffer than Eibach according to reports as well as a TireRack test but performance is the best of the group on the track.

Eibach Pro-Kit : 2.1"/1.6" according to Eibach. Also allegedly desigend for the Accord (Like H&R). A Softer spring than H&R sport but stiffer than Comptech. Haven't seen a direct comparison to H&R OE but I'd imagine that it would be stiffer.
Those seeking a big drop with minimal chg in ride quality are best suited to Eibach's. However, there is the occassional report of noise, creaking, and sagging (this is also true of H&R but from what I can see, less so) and there is also a potential need for a camber kit.

That is all for now. I wish this info was available to me when I was searching, it would have saved some time. BTW for those who have researched, I'd be curious if your take on your data mining was basically the same.

Yaron2

cool .... thanks for all the useful info.

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

That is good info... I'd just like to comment on a couple of your observations....

1 - The only way to lower your car is with aftermarket springs. There are no other alternatives. Cutting the springs is NOT an alternative, therefore, there is no other way to do it w/o aftermarket springs.

3 - I know you said probably..... but I have the H&R Sports which drop about 1.75" and I need a camber kit. My rear wheels are ever so slightly angled, so the camber kit is on the way.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the lower you drop the car... the stiffer the ride will be.

hemants

"Another thing to keep in mind is that the lower you drop the car... the stiffer the ride will be"

Not entirely true - in terms of drop Eibach > H&R Sport > Comptech > H&R OE

In terms of stiffness : H&R Sport > Eibach > H&R OE > Comptech

according to my research

I agree with you on cutting springs though eek! bad idea

ClarkeTL-S

So who has the Eibach Pro-Kit with front and rear camber kits installed?

I wish someone can tell me if I really need a camber kit for the front. I don't want find out later on, that I need one for the front, I'd rather have the install done at one time.

Thanks!

FLAcuraTLS

Let me clear something up for this obviously confused member..Hemants, your summary was almost on target except for one thing..Anybody that has H&R sport springs can tell you that the ride on these springs is almost stock..I drove in my best friends TLS that has the eibach pro-kit and let me tell you the ride was absurd. I have the H&R sports in my TLS and the eibachs dont even come close in ride quality. The eibach springs are the worst ride of all the springs you talked about and I am speaking from first hand experience. And if you dont believe me, ask another member (ElegantTLS) who had eibach and switched to H&R sport. Also the worst feature of the eibach pro-kits is the fact that they are known to sag in the back from day one. Seeing pictures of TL's with eibach springs shows just how bad they sag.

hemants

Thanks for the info FLA.

You first hand testimony is definately more valuable than my second hand search engine conclusion.

P.S. I heard that H&R is redesigning their springs specifically for the TLS/CLS. This may solve the problem of the springs dropping more than specified (the spec is for the Accord after all).

Ray_Khan

some more info comptechs spring rates are linear 260 lbs in front (same as stock) and progressive in the rear. I can't remember the range, but it's something like 160-240. From my experience, progressive rate springs are bogus...there really is no progressive..or linear. Spring rates do change as the spring is compressed even on linear springs. But to advertise that they change SUBSTANCIALLY as to affect handling dynamics of the car under different load is way off. F1 tried to develop true prograssive springs for years with no luck..so I doubt anyone else. has. Either way, comptech's rates are similar to stock, so the ride ought to be similar....although the shock travel will not be the same with stock shocks since the car is sitting lower. This might add a little bounciness to the ride since there is more upward leeway for the shock to move now. Sport shocks are helpful in that they are usually a little shorter to accomodate a drop in ride height, so they don't have as much upward travel as stock shocks.

If you want to lower the car for looks wth a little perforance, a fixed height setup is fine. If you want more performance and can sacrifice soem comfort, than a coilover is the way to go. Having a perfectly matched shock to spring can't be beat. Coilover manufacturers use spring rates that will tend to be higher than the usual aftermarket springs on the market, adn match them with shocks that have dampening amd compression characteristics to really get the most out of the springs. Manufacturers will sometimes use adjustable valving shocks, so you can tune in the performance/comfort you like. You would be surprised how nice the rde can be with high rate springs with the right shocks. I know plenty of guys running 600 lbs front 700 rear with Audi S4's (similar weight and weight distribution to a TLS) with pretty comfortable rides. The performance is really amazing. The ride is not quite stock, but better than any of the fixed height setups out there with light years more performance. Some companies even offer coilovers with different shock options like a touring vs track shock so people who just ride on the street can have more comfort. I've found that even thoguh coilovers are more expensive, they are worth it to me since the matched spring and shock combo really works well to maximize performance and road feel. Comfort isn't as big a deal to me though.

From a financial point of view consider this....buying just springs if you think that they are going to cause your shocks to wear otu prematurely isn't the best way to do things. If you are paying for install and alignment, then you have to pay twice. Seems more worth it to get the right shocks from the get go and do it right the first time. This is assuming that aftermarket springs are going to wear out your shocks. I don't know how many miles people have been getting out of their stock shocks with aftermarket springs. LIke I said earlier, comtech's rates are similar to stock, so I doubt they wear the shocks much more. Just throwing something else out there to consider.

Pictures and ride height numbers are great for asthetic purposes, but feel is altogether subjective. Harsh to one is fine to another. Some like a more neutral feel that none of the aftermarket spring manufacturers seem to deliver. All use higher front spring rates than rear. Which is fine for most who can't handle a neutral car or one that oversteers. And for most people who will rarely push there car to the limits of handlign anyways. But my point is don't just take peoples' opinions here...try and find someone locally to take you for a ride so you can feel the difference. It sucks to drop the $$$ on parts adn labor only to be unsatisfied. I've been through this before. Good luck.