My 02TL-S needs some suspension help now that I've hit 103k on my H&R + stock shocks. I'm primarily a commuter and often have the kids in the back seat. The 3yo girl has a lot of potential. The 18mo old . . . will have to play football. Kids need their brain cells.

I was planning to get the Pro System Plus (springs, shocks, sways) but my local shop is pushing the Tein Basic +/- Eibach sways.

I have no intentions of adjusting travel, compression, dampening, etc. I'm not interested in Tein SS, KSport, Nex, etc. I'm perfectly happy w/ 2inch drop in front and 1.5+ in the back. I'm currently lower than that and it's eating up a new set of Yok W4s (rear).

Right now I'm leaning towards getting the Tein Basic and saving the sways for a later date . . . if ever.

 

get the tein SS its worth it to be able to dial up the shocks when loaded with kids, and you set them for where you like it and works for everyone and thats the usual place- never has to be touched if you dont want to.
That will result in better ride than the basics

It sounds like you need a liitle softness to the ride these day, and a rear camber kit!

 

Thanks for the advice but I guess you don't have kids. I seriously doubt sixty pounds worth of kids in the back isn't going to make or break between one suspension and another. To the contrary, I don't want a suspension so firm that it disturbs their ability to read in the back seat . . . OK the 18mo old just looks at pictures.

I have no intentions of EVER bothering to adjust shocks (height, dampening, etc). Not interested in EDFC. If the TL-S weighed about 500lbs less, I might think of it as a sports car but there's no solution for portly weight, a heavy nose, and a 40ft turning radius. I'm just looking for the prudent option. That's the reason why the choice is between Tein Basic and Eibach Pro System Plus. Granted, I'm open to other suggestions given the above parameters.

I already have camber kits on front and rear. When I said I was already low . . I meant LOW.

 

I'd go with the full Eibach set up. I think the drop is perfect (1-1.5 finger gap all the way around), the ride isn't harsh, and the sways will make it handle a lot better. But you must not be that much lower than the Eibach set up right now, the only way is if you have the H&R race, which isn't even that much lower than the Eibachs.

 

It's pretty low. I had to get my rear fenders rolled for 225/45 tires on 17x7 rims ET40. They did a 1st rate job and I STILL rub on the occasional interstate transition.

Obviously, no suspension is perfect. It's encouraging that the Eibach set was designed to work together. $800 shipped plus installation at the dealer (plus a free loaner) seems like a good investment in a car I plan to keep for another 80k. A lot of people prefer Tein coilovers, though. I've pretty much decided to focus on Tein Basic vs the complete set from Eibach. I just don't want to pay a couple of hundred extra for the Eibach installed if Tein Basic is a better (and cheaper) option.

 

I would go with Tein. Although I have the SS, it rides better than any other lowered car me or any of my friends have been in.

 

Are you on H&R race springs? With my Eibachs I didn't have to roll my rear fenders, and I have 225/50 tires. All I needed was a rear camber.

I must say again, upgrading your sways will improve your handling a lot.

 

I decided to go with the Tein Basic. In part it was so I could have a more moderate drop so I stop rubbing . . . and might even get the car in the driveway.

Thanks for the advice.

 

No surprise. I'm on H&R OE, and 225/45/18 on 18x7 offset 42, and with the rear bumper trimmed (not just the tabs). Loaded with rear passengers, the rear tires (when brand new) will just slightly scrap the metal fenders. But once the rear tires have worn down a bit, there is no more scraping. So with your 7" wide rims and offset 40, you definitely need to get the rear fenders rolled.