So, I decided to be the guinea pig to try out the coilover kit I have seen online for our RDX. There seems to be 2 companies offering them, SF Racing and JVR but it looks like they are both rebranded from the same manufacturer in Taiwan. I ended up buying the JVR version as SF Racing never returned my e-mails. Now I did do some research on this and decided to make a change on the coilovers by swapping out the springs to a custom set from Swift Springs. They are a well known spring manufacturer and make a quality product. As you can see in the list below the original coilover springs were way off, the Swift springs can be custom ordered to any rate you need so we went slightly stiffer than the Eibach rates (more in the front rate due to occasional bottoming out on the Eibach springs on freeway big bumps). We also opted for the camber plate option with pillow ball upper mount with the coilovers.
Stock RDX Spring rates: F = 171 lbs/in R = 344 lbs/in
Eibach Lowering Springs: F = 190 lbs/in R = 375 lbs/in
Original Coilovers: F = 671 lbs/in R = 503 lbs/in
Swift Springs: F = 280 lbs/in R = 392 lbs/in
Details are below:
Swift Springs are the copper colored ones...
Coilover Specs - Sport version - JVR
Set includes complete front and rear (front 2 , rear 2)
Front and rear rubber upper mounts
Spring rate: F 6kg - 180mm/ R 4kg - 180mm (average : rates vary )
32 Level adjustable Damping
Full Height adjustable
Preload adjustable
Monotube shock
Japanese SAE9254 coil springs
Japanese NOK damper oil seals
Anodized T6-6061 aluminum lower mounts
High viscosity Italy IP F.A. damper oil
High strength JIS G3445-STKM13C carbon steel seamless shock tube
Aluminum anodized Locking collars
Bolt on OEM lower mount brackets
12-month warranty from manufacture date against damper leakage
Now to the install... For the most part this is a simple swap of the factory suspension. There were a few challenges we had to deal with on this but it was about a 5 hour install in total. Issues listed below.
1. Front upper mount has 4 bolt attachment, RDX only uses 3 so we had to remove the extra (its just a press fit). While the 4 bolts can be used as there is a hole in the strut tower for them it makes the camber plate rotated to front and back instead of inside to outside. When you remove the extra bolt you can rotate the camber plate correctly.
2. The indent in the lower coilover housing was off a bit for letting the mount bolt fit through. This just required a little grinding to elongate the indent for the bolt clearance. You are not grinding the actual shock, just the lower housing that the shock threads into so its no big deal.
3. Rear shock mount, the factory shock uses a locating dowel in the wheel hub. The coilover bushing is the same diameter so it will not fit. This dowel is just to make mounting the shock easy and is not structural (its very thin metal) so we removed it. When fitting the coilover shock the factory bolt was a little long to fully tighten it down so we just added two washers on each side of the shock bushing to reduce the play and get a nice tight fit. Realize the vehicle weight is supported by the separate spring and not this shock.
Separate rear spring assembly
4. Its really low...as a matter of fact we set it up for the high setting and it was still pretty low. You could add a little more height from what shows in the pic by raising the lower spring perch but you would need to be careful about the pre-load on the spring. The good news is that you can lower/slam it if you want for those of you that like that look. The rear we kept higher as we preferred a raked look and did not want to go to low. We would have raised the front more if we kept this kit.
We also cut a small hole in the shock tower cover to allow access to the shock dampening control but this is optional as the adjuster knob can be left off.
Driving... it was pretty low and stiffer than the Eibach kit. More sport car like ride for sure. No weird noises or anything and surprisingly no rubbing on the fender even with our 20x10" rims with 275/40/20 tires.
So bottom line there is a coilover kit option for those that want it... my wife was not one of them, so we took the kit out and went back to the Eibachs.
P.S. Anyone interested in a custom coilover kit with low miles please let me know...
So, I decided to be the guinea pig to try out the coilover kit I have seen online for our RDX. ...
Its really low...as a matter of fact we set it up for the high setting and it was still pretty low. You could add a little more height from what shows in the pic by raising the lower spring perch but you would need to be careful about the pre-load on the spring. The good news is that you can lower/slam it if you want...
Driving... it was pretty low and stiffer than the Eibach kit. More sport car like ride for sure. No weird noises or anything and surprisingly no rubbing on the fender even with our 20x10" rims with 275/40/20 tires.
So bottom line there is a coilover kit option for those that want it... my wife was not one of them, so we took the kit out and went back to the Eibachs.
P.S. Anyone interested in a custom coilover kit with low miles please let me know...
Excellent DIY, thanks for all your efforts, write up and pictures. Sorry it didn't work out for you.
How was the quality of the damper? I'm not a fan of the stock dampers and if someone like Koni came out with something I think I'd be pretty interested in swapping out. Also glad I'm not the only one who has noticed that the Eibachs can bottom out at the front - surprised that it does considering it's not that much lowering. The spring rate should have been higher or there should have been less lowering.
How was the quality of the damper? I'm not a fan of the stock dampers and if someone like Koni came out with something I think I'd be pretty interested in swapping out. Also glad I'm not the only one who has noticed that the Eibachs can bottom out at the front - surprised that it does considering it's not that much lowering. The spring rate should have been higher or there should have been less lowering.
Didn't get much of a chance to try them out as it was too low for my wife...only had them on a day.
They are 32-way adjustable, we did 10 up from full soft and it was firm but okay. Did not get a chance to try full soft or hard to see the difference. The build quality seemed pretty good, felt heavy and solid. The specs seemed good other than their original spring rates being so high.
Awesome info! Very interesting read. Do you happen to know if Swift has springs that match oem size/rate?
Yes, Swift Springs offers many different types of springs. These coilovers use a 65mm ID and we use a 8" length up front and a 9" length in rear. See below options available...
Yes, Swift Springs offers many different types of springs. These coilovers use a 65mm ID and we use a 8" length up front and a 9" length in rear. See below options available...
Hmmm. I wonder if a nice Lexus style cushy ride is possible with this aftermarket gear. No doubt this is the opposite of what most of their customers demand, but still....
WOW, thanks! You did the project I tried to put together about a year ago but no one offered springs and coil over shocks…..Swift said no at that time. At what level is the front end on your car? Is there any up adjustment? Do the Acura controls for Comfort —> Sport+ still work kL or is that lost with the coil overs? Does adjustment require a lift or floor jack? Is adjustment accessible from the wheel well or do you have to get under the car?
I lave lots of questions, but likely more theoretical. My wife would not enjoy them, as she requests Comfort setting when we are on the road….DRAT! No fun! That is why God gave them to us, to prevent us from acting age 19…..I am thankful nonetheless.
WOW, thanks! You did the project I tried to put together about a year ago but no one offered springs and coil over shocks…..Swift said no at that time. At what level is the front end on your car? Is there any up adjustment? Do the Acura controls for Comfort —> Sport+ still work kL or is that lost with the coil overs? Does adjustment require a lift or floor jack? Is adjustment accessible from the wheel well or do you have to get under the car?
I lave lots of questions, but likely more theoretical. My wife would not enjoy them, as she requests Comfort setting when we are on the road….DRAT! No fun! That is why God gave them to us, to prevent us from acting age 19…..I am thankful nonetheless.
Not sure of the height but it was noticeably lower than the Eibach. This was at full height adjustment on the lower threaded housing, although you could raise the lower spring perch setting if you wanted to go higher. The suspension on Base, Tech, and A-Spec is non adjustable so replacing it with coilovers does not change the Comfort / Sport / Sport Plus settings. The damper adjustment in front can be changed easily if you cut a small hole in the plastic shock tower cover like we did. The rear you would have to access the shock from underneath to reach the adjustment knob. For height adjustments, you would need a lift or floor jack to get access.
These are designed for a sportier ride, so they are not for people looking for comfort (softer) ride quality.
His hashtags indicate that he is on Eibach's. One of the posts asked if he was on "springs and spacers"? I wonder if folks are going back to spring spacers to get the low look. If memory serves, I seem to remember this being a bad idea due to stress on the compression spacers can cause a bolt to snap and send an unguided missile out of the wheel well. True or urban myth?
I think he was on Eibach's just like us...but installed the coilovers. As you can see from his pics he is pretty low!
As for spacers, I have heard that they can increase load on the wheel bearings. If you use the good quality spacer like H&R they come with the lengthened bolts to support the spacer install. Should be strong enough...
Hey Guys, I encountered some issues with the JVR Suspension during my installation and came across this thread and noticed a major issue in a solution that should not be used. @WunderWagen stated removing the the dowel on the rear knuckle in order to fit the suspension. This is something that should NOT be done. The dowel is typically in place to help with alignment and installation of the shock mount but more importantly to take some of the forces the suspension encounters. Taking the dowel out puts all the strain on the bolt holding it in. If the bolt breaks, the spring will not have any preload to keep it in place. I took my rear lower mounts off and had them machined by a local machine shop for about $75 to match the oem diameter of the rear shock mount hole to match the dowel.
I also encountered the issue where I had to add a washer so the bolt wouldnt bottom out and actually hold the rear lower shock mount in place. I took measurements and sent to JVR for a replacement lower mount as these parts should not have been sent out this way. Seems like they are testing Asian market cars and still selling to the US market which is causing the discrepancies.
Lastly, the stock sway bar end links are not working as it bottoms out on the lower control arm for being too long when the car is lowered. I requested an adjustable sway bar end link to resolve the matter.
Great thing is JVR is supporting and backing up their suspensions so far. Hoping this gets resolved by them but it is a waste of time considering all the extra that needs to get done and this is a known issue.
Hey Guys, I encountered some issues with the JVR Suspension during my installation and came across this thread and noticed a major issue in a solution that should not be used. @WunderWagen stated removing the the dowel on the rear knuckle in order to fit the suspension. This is something that should NOT be done. The dowel is typically in place to help with alignment and installation of the shock mount but more importantly to take some of the forces the suspension encounters. Taking the dowel out puts all the strain on the bolt holding it in. If the bolt breaks, the spring will not have any preload to keep it in place. I took my rear lower mounts off and had them machined by a local machine shop for about $75 to match the oem diameter of the rear shock mount hole to match the dowel.
I also encountered the issue where I had to add a washer so the bolt wouldnt bottom out and actually hold the rear lower shock mount in place. I took measurements and sent to JVR for a replacement lower mount as these parts should not have been sent out this way. Seems like they are testing Asian market cars and still selling to the US market which is causing the discrepancies.
Lastly, the stock sway bar end links are not working as it bottoms out on the lower control arm for being too long when the car is lowered. I requested an adjustable sway bar end link to resolve the matter.
Great thing is JVR is supporting and backing up their suspensions so far. Hoping this gets resolved by them but it is a waste of time considering all the extra that needs to get done and this is a known issue.
Thanks for providing this imformation. I purchased the coils from @WunderWagen but haven't installed them yet. Keep us posted with any upodate from JVR. I will be installing them in the near future.
