sbuswell

My suspension is stock and has 142k+ on it and counting. My car is not as comfortable to drive obviously and there is pronounced body lean during cornering. I have stock 16's and 225/55/VR16's on the car now. I want a slight drop as the wheel gap is pretty big, but I do not want to have to buy a camber kit. I've read the H-Tech's are 1.3F/1.2R drop and that sounds good and safe and I have no need for adjustable shocks in the forseable future. Will I have a choppy ride with this setup and are the tokico's reliable enough to last a soild 70k. any opinions on this setup would be appreciated. I am thinking of buying this setup from a member on the black market and both shocks and springs have 10k on them. should they have plently of life left if driven normally?

Leo Type-S

if you want to save money go with tokico blue's. but blistein shocks are much better from what i hear, and have a lifetime warrenty.

didn't the H-tech's get complaints from sagging? or am i mistaken? well, why not look into H&R sports 1.75 f and 1.5 r. they are not too low and most people (including myself) have not needed a camber kit. they are also great quality, one of the best.

but if you're getting a good deal, go for it. aftermarket shocks and springs should last a very long time.

bigjussin

the teins are good springs, but will blow the blues in no time flat...the drop and the rate are too much for them..maybe some s-tech and the blues....i have ha da lot of success with the illuminas, as well as konis...

BraveDemon

Bilsteins are a bit too pricey to pay for if you just want a close to OEM setup. Yes they make wonderful shocks, but you're looking at double the cost of Tokico Blues, and thats for non adjustable Bilstein shocks. Combine the expensive price of the Bilsteins with springs, and you're looking at approximately $700. For that much, you could/should save a little more and get a Tein suspension setup.

I've had quite a few setups on my 03. I had Tokico Illumina's, then Koni Yellows, and now I'm running Tokico Blues. I ended up selling the Illumina's and Yellows because I never really ever changed the shock settings, and figured I could use the spare cash for other mods.

I also had a set of H-Tech's. Yeah Leo is right about this one, my set seemed to sag a bit, but I think it might be because I got a used set. Seller claimed it only had 5k miles on them... but he must've drove his car like a maniac.

I am now running Tanabe Sustec Nf210 springs. I saw them for a great price on Ebay ($75 shipped) and bought them. I like them alot. They give a VERY mild drop. They supposedly drop the TL 1.5 inch all around. Here are before and after pics for you to look at:

Before:


After:


As for ride comfort, they ride pretty much like stock. I got my setup installed by Marcus at Heeltoeautomotive. He installed them and said that a camber kit would not be necessary with the Tanabe's since they gave a very slight drop: he did recommend getting an alignment, but you should do that whenever you swap out suspension setups.

If you want to save TONS of money, and I mean get pretty much OEM setup but slightly lowered at a discounted price, go with: KYB GR2 shocks and H&R Sport Springs. H&R also gives a very mild drop and you won't need a camber kit with those either. And don't knock on the KYB GR2s... they're actually really decent shocks, especially at the price they're sold for.

VA TL-S

I had tokico blues on my old Solara and two of them starting leaking after a few months but a lot of other people have had no problems from what I hear.

sbuswell

I found KYB GR2's for 190.00 shipped brand new, does anyone else have any comments good or bad about these shocks? Do they handle better than stock and are they durable with lowering springs? Right now my car's front wheel gap is a solid 4-5 finger gap(huge). Rear is only a 3 finger gap or a little less. It seems with the tires I am running if I lower the rear too much my tire will hit my rear fender well. I want some good springs that will last and give me a comfrtable ride but also help in the handling department. They have to give a solid 1"-1.5" drop in the front and only about a .5" drop in the rear and not require me to buy a camber kit. Are there any springs out there for me based on my needs? Trust me I have searched my head off. Also if I swap out shocks will that effect my ride height at all? I don't believe so but I have never touched an aftermarket suspension setup before.

fsttyms1

the KYB are a oem replacement shock, it will be just like oem. If you want a subtle drop stick with the H&R OE spring. I would stick with the blues if your not wanting to spend alot of money. They are a better shock than the KYB (which i have and have been a good shock for nearly 100k now)
and no the shock wont lower the car and you wont need a camber kit for that drop