I recently bought a silver 03' CL with Navigation and plan on doing some mods to it very soon. I would have liked to buy an S but I bought the car slightly used and got a good deal. I bought the car with 600 miles on it and only paid $24,500. A rich chick bought it and decided that she wanted a BMW instead. Anyway, the car needs wheels really bad and I need some suggestions on what I should do to my suspension. I'm planning on getting 18x8 rims with a 225/45/18 tire. I would like the car to handle a little better but I don't want to ruin the ride quality too much. I'm sure it will handle alot better with just the wheels but do you think it will be enough? It's not like I'm going to be taking sharp turns at 80mph but I just want to be able to have some fun around turns without the car riding like crap. Would you recommend getting the Comptech springs for it? Will there be too much of a gap in my wheel wells if I don't install springs? Also, could someone tell me how to find out what my offset would be. Do I need to decide on what wheels I'm getting first? -Thanks

 

As far as springs go, get them...Your car will look totally lame with nice wheels and a big fat gap in the wheel well. I have comptech and i love the way they make the car perform. The drop is good but not extreme. Its got a little rake to it which i think looks cool. Plus, if you put people in the back, it wont be slammed. I have 18x7.5 Konig's with a 45 offset. I dont know if the offset for the CL will be the same though. You should really try to do both things at the same time...save your money and dont be in a rush. You should also decide on the wheel you want and remember that the offset will dictate the type of wheel you get to some extent.

 

Hey Congrats!!

You should get the coilover's and definately need sways & strut bar if you're going to do sharp turns. Good Luck!!

 

First off...might I recommend the sister-website...Acura-CL.com. Second...if you want springs that add to the look plus the performance without sacraficing the ride quality, definitely get Comptech springs. The CT springs offer a wonderful improvment to cornering, turning, acceleration, and braking. Yes you will have a hideous gap without springs! But be warned that the CT springs are only a modest drop. You can check out the pic in my sig for an idea. If you want something more adjustable, I would recommend Tein Coilovers which will allow you to adjust to any height at any time you so desire. With 18" wheels you will higher off the ground with the CT springs. As far as what wheel to get...everyone has a different prefernce...as far as myself, I like something simple like Racinghart M5s or the Racinghart C5s.

 

heres a question........i have h and r sport springs in my car...and am gettin 18's very soon. i need to change up my shocks...but i wont be doing that for some time...now if i have a pretty decent system (like 2 L7s), would the back of te car look real low? what about iwht 4 people in the back.?????????

 

also if i was to get the koni yellow shocks....and i drove em on the 'firm' setting..how much more of a drop would i get??and, how is it adjusted? finally, are there any other suggestions anyone has????????

 

Yea, your back will be sagging. The system you have...depending on how much everything weighs back there, shouldn't be too bad...but with 4 people... . What are you trying to do by the way? Smuggle some people across the border? I would recommend the Tein coilovers for adjustability. But how do you like the ride quality with the H&R? I have CTs and they work perfectly for me.

 

ride quality is great...and it looks great..i was just sayin that with 4 people for the rare occasions i put 4 in it............but if its only 2...and a system in the trunhk...would it sag noticaebly? and what about drving around on koni yellows on the firm setting...would that make a difference in height? i dont wanna spend close to $1000 plus install for teins....thats alot of $

 

If you get 18x8, I would suggest 235 tires so that the sidewall is flush. If you get 225, the sidewall would go inwards. Not a good loo, not good for handling,and the tires won't help prevent you from curbing your wheels. Maybe even go with 245's. The offset, I know for the TL people should get at least a +45 with 7.5" wheels, and the offset would need to go up the wider the wheel gets. Pretty hard to find real high offsets, unless you have the money.
As for springs, it doesn't sound like you are going to be too agressive, so no "need" for sways, but they are great if you like to improve cornering. Comptechs are decent, but who makes them? Plus, they are only linear, not progressive, also, so they do not perform as well as other brands. The raked look means the front wheel gap will be less than the rear; good for when you have weight in the trunk or backseat. Plus, they are a lot more expensive. H&R Sports give a level drop, front and back (1.75"f/2"r), and the front drop for them is comparable to the front of the Comptechs. H&R OE's give a less drop. Eibach Pro Kits give a slightly lower drop than the H&R Sports, f & r, and some people say the rear wheel gap is less than the front; not usually a desirable look. The Eibach Sportlines are even lower.
If you're not going to hit corners real fast, no need to change out the shocks.