lilvinnyb

im looking for stock ride with a drop. Im considering Koni Adjustable shocks and Eibach springs. Opinions will be greatly appreciated.

g0tb00st

you'll never be able to retain the stock ride with an aftermarket suspension setup.

Erik

TLover

Eibach and Koni will make your ride MUCH harsher than stock. Your best bets are A-SPEC or Tein Basic.

ray64105

I thought the general consensus was that Eibach/CompTech springs with Konis on the softest setting was closer to stock ride than TEIN Basics?

Phesto

are you set on getting a shock and spring set up...............I have the Tien SS and other than the creaking I've been getting(about to fix with coil sleeve this monday) I'm happy with the set up.......

JDM5lugHatch

you are correct and it should be.

The koni/Eibach's will be perfect for daily driving and with the adjustable perches you can get the drop that you want. I have run eibachs on a couple cars previously and have always been happy with their products. Currently my Fiance' has an '04 Toyota Corrolla S lowered on Eibach pro-kits and it made a world of difference on her car. Not to mention it still rides pretty much like stock.

aznbo187

iTrader: (1)

Just installed a-spec suspension. Cant even tell a difference in ride quality, but as far as handling.. =)

elee712

Are Tein SS comfortable for daily driving? how is it compared to the koni/eibach combo in terms of comfort?

acb45

If you want to retain the stock ride with a little drop, I recommend the A-Spec suspension. Many people have them here, and they say the ride is just like stock. With the A-Spec suspension, you won't need a camber kit because of the minimal drop. But definitely, get an alignment after any suspension work.

roybiggens

I've read several places that Tein H-Tech's are very comparable to the stock springs. I believe they give you about a .75" drop.

TLover

In my experiece (I've installed suspension on dozens of Honda/Acuras), an Eibach/Koni setup offers a much harsher ride than stock. I'd be very surprised that A-Spec or Tein basics are harsher.

clausda0

this thread is 100% contradictory. could more people chime in please?

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

I have Koni/Eibach Prokit. I also lowered the front spring perches. Previously I had Tein Basics.

As someone has mentioned, there is no way you can keep the stock ride quality on the lowered car, unless you modify the shocks so you can retain the stock suspension travel. But then you'll risk rubbing all over the place.

Ride quality between Tein Basic and Koni/Eibach setups are like night and day. The Tein is very stiff, much harsher than Koni/Eibach, especially for the rear passengers. Your car becomes almost gokart-like. Steering is very sharp, but ride quality suffers.

I tried the Koni/Eibach on full soft, half turn, and 1 full turn front and rear. On full soft, the ride is slightly softer than stock, but handling suffers. The car feels floaty and uncontrolled. Half turn is obviously better, while 1 full turn gives the best compromise between handling and ride, at least for me. I tried 1.5 turn but it becomes too stiff and very close to Tein Basic's stiffness.

I spoke with Mr Heeltoe, an authorized Tein dealer, in this forum about Tein SS. The shock damping adjustability on the Tein SS won't change much of the character. It means, if Tein Basic is too stiff for you (as it is for me), Tein SS won't soften it enough for you. The reason is that both Basic and SS use the same springs. They are way stiffer than regular lowering springs.

I think A-Spec suspension will give you the best ride quality for the least amount of lowering.

Another option is to get Koni shocks, lower the spring perches and use the stock springs. You'll lower the car about 0.6" front and rear. You can adjust the stiffness to your liking.

Another thing about linear rate springs (used on Tein Basic and SS) and progressive rate springs (like most lowering springs) is their intended use. Racers don't like to use progressive rate springs because it causes the car more unpredictable during compression. Usually it makes the car snappy, it feels like the car snaps into understeer or oversteer, not gradually. The springs are stiff from their starting point of travel, so you'll feel every little bump.

Progressive rate springs, OTOH, are more suitable for road use. Progressive springs are soft in the beginning point of travel. It helps absorbing the smaller bumps. Further up the travel, the spring starts to stiffen up and it helps during spirited drives.

For TL application, I only have seen Eibach and Comptech springs, which are exactly the same, like carbon copy. They have linear rate in front. The rear springs are progressively wound but I can't verify if they are of progressive rate.

However, the bump stops in our cars will add progressiveness towards the end of the spring travel, because they are designed to do so. They can be called spring assistance.

OTOH, bump stops on my Tein Basics are just that, bump stops. Their function is to stop the suspension travel and that's it.

gogotl

koni, in general, are very harsh. i have a set for my s2000, and they are much firmer than stock S2000. unless you know specifically that Koni makes a soft set for the TL, i would never experiment with it if stock ride quality is a priority for you.