I will be finally upgrading my suspension soon after all these years, but I'm braking the bank and getting coilover's so those are out. I have decided to get the Eibach sway bar kit and H&R OE Sport Springs. I am down to making a decision for the shocks.

Are Tokico's better than GR-2's on H&R OE springs? I could search for hours, but would rather not. Looking for opinions from members that have either setup.

Lastly would a stiffer shocks, springs and sways wear your ball joints faster?

 

gr-2 are soft and so are OE's , I always use tokico blues and love them. good perf and comfortable ride, also designed to handle mild drops. i think OE with blues would make it more worth your while. i have tanabe 1.5 drop and tok blues, and it rides almost as smooth as stock type s but more firm in the turns and braking. gr-2 are like replacements for tl-p shocks, i would not consider it an upgrade.

 

Tokico Blues FTW!

 

Does the 1.5" drop suck in the winter for you? I am concerned about dropping that much because of shitty winters in New England. What are your thoughts?

Also I have 225 series tire on and would worry about rubbing. Do any of you guys have a drop of 1.5 or better with 225's on?

 

225s clear in front easy. In the rear slight dremmeling of a fender tab is required on most drops

I went 235 18s and needed REAR fender modification/rolling/cutting to get real clearance on bumps

 

where on the fender do you cut the tabs?

 

i have 235's on my type s wheels no rubs at all. the suspension i have is very subtle. i actually feel like its more planted with better weight balance with this setup even in the snow its seen.

i would not even worry about OE springs and tok blues. its such a mild drop. its actually how the car shoulda been stock. i never have issues with bottoming out or scraping in areas other then the oem suspension would have acted the same. look at tein h tech and tanabe springs also they are in that same class as the hr oe's.

and if you really wanna enjoy it, get eibach sways or even just a rear sway only. get that when the weather gets better, its trickier in the snow, but if you get used to it, its a non issue. and its a fast install.

 

cool so sways are easy to install?

 

you can do the rear with jack stands, sockets, allen keys or needle nose vice grips. tok blues, new springs, and a rear eibach will make you fall in love with your car again. and its reasonable cost too.

 

KYB GR2's are OE replacement shocks. TOKICO HP's are designed to work with a lowering spring and are valved a little more aggressively than OE (20-50%). So the TOKICO would be a better setup.

If you need a set let me know.

 

I am definitely set on Tokico Blue's now and I'm defintely getting the Eibach sway bar kit F&R, but as I've searched I've found a few springs alternatives to the H&R OE's. I want a pretty comfortable ride with increased handling and I can't go too low as the roads in Maine suck ass, especially in the winter and I'm running 225 tires and I don't want to rub.

Here's the choices:

1. H&R OE's .75/.50
2. Tein H-Tech's 1.0/1.0(roughly)
3. Tanable NF210 1.2/1.0(roughly)

What do you guys think and please suggest some others. I'm looking for about a 1.0" drop F&R a little less or a little more is OK.

 

I would go with the Tanabe NF210. It's a decent drop, comfortable ride, and good quality.

 

i second that, but im biased i have them.

it drops the front a little more then the rear, it has an aggressive lean. its not too low by any means, but eats up that huge fender gap nicely and rides great with blues.

here is mine

 

JMAL. You have 215 tires right? any rubbing issues at all?

Do you guys think 225's would rub with the tanabe's?

 

that pic is with 215's but then put on 235's. neither rubbed at all. if you have a rim narrower then 7.5" dont get 235. they kinda splashy on a rim that is narrow(oem type s @ 6.5"). i think 225 is good and what ill get next. but it really depends on what wheels you have.

 

Could the Tokico Blues handle the H&R Race Springs? I know you said they can handle a drop but could they handle one as drastic as the Race springs (2.20F/1.75R)? Since they have a lifetime warranty might as well, right?

 

I have Eibachs (2.1F/1.7R) on Tokico Blues and they work fine.

 

^^ do you bottom out with that setup?

 

Tokico Blues can handle the race springs.

I had that setup a year ago.

 

I've only scraped once after dropping the car, and that was from going up a bump a little bit too fast. But otherwise, never.

 

Yes technically they could but I wouldn't recommend it. The only shock that I think can even come close to handling that drop (and I don't think any shock is really capable of handling that drop) is KONI Yellows.

 

I got my Tanabe NF210's and Eibach sways today. Monday I get the Blue's and will have everything hopefully installed next week or weekend. To boot I also got a RT CAT and in a week or so I'll have some brand new Kaixen 5000k's.

 

nice we are gonna have the exact same setup. your gonna love it, esp the sways. hope you have nice tires, your gonna give them hell. drive it for a week before you get it aligned, let it settle a bit. take before and after pics.

 

My tires get great traction, 225's. I'm dying to feel the difference in ride quality, handling and especially cornering.

Do you really need to wait a week before getting an alignment? I was planning on having that done at the same time.

 

I got everything installed last Thursday and my car handles great. Very firm in the corners, tight steering, very inutitve now. Big improvement over stock. Ride quality is a little firmer but it levels off quickly so that makes up for almost. I also feel that my car doesn't lift up much at all when accelerating from a stop or at slow speeds. I now have a 2.5 finger gap in the front and about the same in the rear. Do you think the Tanabe's will drop a little more after the break in?

 

yes, they actually settle a lot. mine are 2 finger in front and like 2 1/4 rear and i have skinny fingers. it closes up the gap great. and i would wait for an alignment if you didnt already do it. yeah its a great balance of comfort and agility, i am very happy as well. enjoy

 

Pictures!