I need help! I want to lower my 2011 TSX sedan just a little bit. I have been looking at the Ebiach Pro-Kit and the Tein High-Tech Luxury Master springs. From the research I have done I can decide if I need a camber kit or not with these two setups.
I have lowered 3 Civics in the past (so not new to lowering with springs) and have never used a camber kit. I have mostly used the Ebiach Pro-kit. From my research Acura’s seem to be a bit more sensitive to suspension changes. Is this true?
I have also never used coil-overs , as they have scared me in the past as having rougher/stiffer rides. I’m looking to try and retain the stock ride quality with a slight drop. Is this true about coil-overs?
Thank you guys for all the help!

 

I would like to know as well, I just purchase a 2010 White CU2.

 

From my research it seems that Eibach Pro Kit is well liked here, no camber kit needed, just alignment. As for coilovers, Tein SS is the way to go with Camber kit. As of today I am thinking of going with the Eibach Pro Kit, however you may the coilovers since it will give you the lower drop. I am fine with the 1 inch drop from Eibach, because ride quality is something I do not want to lose.

 

I went with the tein h tech springs no camber kit needed, I liked the tein as it droped the front 1 inch and rear .7 inch, so gives the car a nose dive look which I like, the eibach is 1 inch all around giving it a more even looking car, and since the front end is high to begin with the car did not look right to me, also the h tech ride like stock, and so do the eibach as my friend has them and I drove his car, so basically will come to you and what look you want

 

I had both the eibach pro kit and the Tein SS coils....the eibach pro kit does give it asmall drop but the ride was stiffer.......The tein ss coils is quite possibly the greatest thing ever....it is pretty much stock but lower...and a little stiffer but an amazing ride. In other words..

Eibach Springs = decent drop but hard ride

Tein SS = nice drop great ride but a lot more expensive

 

If you can live with only 1/2" of a drop, KONI yellow shocks with stock springs can accomplish that very nicely, and will ride and handle better than stock. It depends on what your priorities are -- amount of lowering and height adjustment, ride quality, handling, price, etc.

Stan

 

Putting just koni yellows with stock springs will not lower it 1/2 inch...only aftermarket springs or coils will lower the car...

 

how about these versus the TEIN H-Tech springs???? "zar" above says they ride like stock but also says that about the Eibach.

 

I would be fine with ˝” lower because I just want to get ridof the fender gap. How does just replacing the shocks lower the car?




I’m really interested in keep the ride quality more so thanhow low it can go and I would rather spend more up front then have to re do itlater because I don’t like the ride. Thank you for the replies. I really have a lotto consider now.

 

Look at post #7.....:

 

I saw that, just wondering how Stan thinks it will lower the car...

 

Me too.....Lol

 

KONI shocks have grooves in their bodies so you can set the perches to stock height, or 15mm lower. I have mine on the lower setting, so the car is lowered 1/2" (15mm).

You probably found my other thread -- I'll have the pictures up in a week or so when I get back to the States.

If you are concerned about ride quality, like I was, I recommend the KONIs. I considered the H&R coilover kit too, but what won me over on the KONIs is the fact that I could use stock springs for most OE feel -- with the H&R, you are stuck riding on what the Germanians decided is best, which I don't always agree with. Ride quality is somewhat subjective, but to me the car rides a lot nicer than it did stock, partially due to a better damper and partially due to spring not being preloaded as much. As far as handling goes -- it is a lot better as well, much more controlled. Win win to me, really, other than the cost.

My car is a family car, Woman and 7-year old ride in it and have no problems at all with ride quality, and some of our roads are complete shit. Sometimes I do with for stiffer springs and ride height adjustability, but a $400 Ground Control kit would solve that (or, a $200 set of Eibach or H&R springs). Thing about springs though is most are progressive, and my experience taught me that I prefer a linear rate spring.

Stan

 

If you want to PM me your email address, I'll send you a couple of pictures.

Stan

 

EDIT: okay, I won't be rude. PM me your email address, I'll send you pics of my car lowered 1/2" by just installing KONI shocks. Or, wait 'till next Sunday to see pictures of the install process.

If you really want to get into this (I've done a lot of suspension work in my life lol, more than everyone on here combined), you could lower the car using stock springs and shocks/struts, you'd just need thinner tophats. Or, you could re-weld the spring perches lower on the shock/strut. Not gonna get into ghetto ways of cutting or heating up springs.

Stan

 

Let's see if these pictures can be attached..

Stan

 

Hate to keep re-posting, but the time limit on the edit is too short.

OP: the things you have to keep in mind about most coilovers are:

a) their shock bodies are shorter than the OEM damper to allow for lowering (this isn't the case with Bilsteins H&R uses due to German standards requiring that aftermarket damper will be same length as stock), so you have less damper travel.

b) for the $1,000 set you get a lot of stuff -- dampers, springs, sometimes even tophats -- so they have to skimp on something. This usually ends up being the damper. You can get the nice $2,000+ coilovers, but they will be more race-oriented and you really don't need to be using something that sophisticated on the street.

I won't talk bad about TEINs because I never ran them, but I considered TEIN SS pretty hard and decided to stick with the KONIs (personal choice though, and this is my 4th set, so experience speaks volumes too). I've also had a set of BC Racing coilovers on an LS400 and found them to be pretty damn good, but I very much doubt the dampers would last as long as KONIs without having to be replaced.

For lowering springs (I've tried dozens), my experience is that most are just that -- _lowering_ springs, and that's what they concentrate on mostly. Exception to this in my experience is Swift springs, but they aren't available for our car or else I'd be running them already (I've bought and ran 3 sets). I've ran the ProKit too (also on the Lexus), and it was very nice, but a bit too low and soft. 2nd gen TSX is VERY low to begin with, I scraped driveways even at stock height.

Again, a lot depends on personal preference and choice, just trying to share experience and edumacate some ^^ based on what I've learned.

Stan

 

and where would you get these?

thanks!

 

Thank you for the information. This seems like a good choice for me. This to is my family car wife and new born on the way, so I dont want a rough ride like I had in some of my past Civics.

 

Tein SS are not hard.....feels better than stock, even when lowered 2 inches.... still don't believe a drop is possible with only changing out shocks/struts...anyone else wanna chime in...

 

I haven't seen any for the TSX, I was just saying it's possible (you could make your own..) For Miatas you can get such tophats. For Subarus you can get camber plates that will lower or raise the car.

But, I pasted pictures above.. you don't have to believe it, but it is a fact. Whom are you looking to chime in, someone who will agree with you against me who has done it with his own hands on 4 of the cars he owned? lol

It is also possible with a strut setup. I currently have a '99 Volvo V70XC with KONI yellows, and their perches are also lower than stock so the car is lower in the front than it was with the OEM struts

I did it on a 1990 Miata, too (with KONI yellows and stock springs). And, on a 1997 Passat (Bilstein HDs). I have pictures, but since my server is down I hate to keep tracking them down locally here and re-sizing them so I can attach them just to prove my point.

Stan