I just installed a set of H&R Sports on my TL using the stock shocks and it rode great up until yesterday when I noticed a small rattle at low speeds under 10 mph on small bumps.

I have had h&r products on all of my other vehicles and never had a problem so I decided to double check my work (installation) and see if I may have overlooked anything. No play in any bolts or sway bar links, everything was tight. I decided to loosen the 14mm pinch bolt for the damper because I did not preload the suspension. Anyways, I did that on both sides and as I went to put some load on the front suspension, there was a hissing noise from the shock and small amount of fluid oozing from the shock. (Blown shock)

Anyways, just dumped $250 into the springs. Should I go with koni yellows for replacement shocks or full coilovers?

Would h&r springs and koni yellows be comparable to a quality coilover setup minus the height adjustability? I do not care to adjust my ride height, it sits pretty nice as-is.

What kind of coilovers would the h&r koni combo be comparable to? I don't like to cheap out on parts like this, any feedback an opinions would be appreciated.

 

Those springs feel great with the koni yellows. They made as much difference in handling as the springs did. As for the konis or coil overs- At this point you'll be a couple hundred more to get to the same quality level- but with height adjustment. I'm sure the coilover crew will be here to convince you they are the only way in a moment, but the koni yellow/hr sport setup is really nice.

 

At this point you should just get the Konis. Great combination. There are height adjustments on the Konis, but obviously you won't have as much adjustment as coilovers.

 

anx is right

I hear the Koni setup is very nice, but you won't have as much adjustment as coils.

I'm on Tein Street Advance and couldn't be happier.

 

I'm in this same situation it's between tein SA coilovers or konis with tein s tech springs.

 

You can't go wrong with Yellows.

Any entry coilover for what you want to achieve over the yellows will never give the same ride quality.

As mentioned above, the only advantage over coils is height adjustment.

 

As everyone has said, if you want a lot of room to make adjustments to ride height coils, if not springs.

 

the koni sports are really awesome on the TL. Cheapest place I've found is shox dot com.

 

KONI shocks would be a great complement to those springs. They are on sale too for another month or so. We have them in stock if you want a set. I've linked you below.

FL and FR:

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-100677.aspx

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-105385.aspx

Rears (qty of 2 needed):

http://store.excelerateperformance.c.../i-105386.aspx

 

looks like im goin springs and konis, a little cheaper than coils

 

^ you won't be disappointed!

 

My Koni yellows and H&R springs are in the mail right now, also. I cant wait!

 

FWIW if you have a 6mt you'll probably want to put the front shocks on the lower perch. It give a better rake. Autos are a little heavier and should be more level.

 

I believe that may be more true with the Eibach springs than the H&R.

 

Just saying from when I installed them on my 6mt...

 

Do you have a pic you can post?

The Eibach springs sit higher in the rear so I remember going down a setting on the rear shocks. I wish I could remember offhand which one I used in the front. I believe it was the top one.

 

This is with the HR sports and stock shocks. Its not super obvious, but the gap in the front is a little higher that the rear. Its worth noting I do have a 10" sub and amp in the back. After the konis with the front on the lower perch the front is a little smaller, but its closer and just about perfect.

 

Thanks, I ordered these through you and it is the most awesome setup ever. Very easy to install and top quality! The ride is unbelievable and I am very happy. Superb handling !!



This is set to the middle perch on front and rear



Perfect fit.

 

^that rear spring shot, looks like the spring is upside down! I may be incorrect, but pretty sure. Congrats on the setup!

 

No. It is a spring with a progressive spring rate. It is mounted correctly.

 

Looks wrong to me, the tighter coils go upwards on a progressive spring.

 

I think so too. And the logo is upside down?

 

From HR website-

2) Which end of the spring is up?
H&R springs fit the same way that stock springs do. The shape of the spring is most important.
If the spring is the same on both sides and fits the same either direction, then it is correct to install the spring with the closer coils “up”.
If the spring is smaller at one end and larger at the other, the orientation should match OEM factory installed springs.

 

"up" meaning top of shock? so then his are upside down?

 

Not all progressive springs have the closer coils at the top. Eibach, for example, is one of these. Upon second glance, those are probably wrong. I doubt H&R is supposed to be upside down.

 

That would be the conventional definition of up.

I'm not sure it matters a ton, but those close coils are probably more likely to compress completely and lose a bit of paint- having them up top keeps them away from water and salt, but anything binding in the coils. Huge PITA to redo everything just to flip the spring.

 

haha, well good to know, since this may be the path I go

 

I thought the point of the larger gaps being at the bottom was for ride comfort, then stiffer for when you push it, hence progressive. I would imagine it would ride smoother right side up.

 

Its not like the spring compresses from the bottom up. It compresses across its whole length. The softer part will compress further. In any case I suspect those tight coils are dead coils on this spring- IE all they serve to do is keep the spring from rattling when unloaded. They are probably fully compressed under load.

 

Bump for Legitka.......responding to spring orientation....?

 

I've installed these springs on 2 TL's. That's upside down. Plain and simple.

 

Haha sorry Ive forgotten about this posting after I bought the konis and h&r combo. Yes I had one spring upside down. Damn such a newb mistake! Anyways, thanks guys for the good eye! It does fit better now and rides great. Strange thing and probably the reason I didn't look at this sooner was because it rode great before too. (With spring backwards).

I think I was so excited about getting these on or thinking about installing the shock and all of its hardware correctly I completely goofed on the spring orientation. It's all fixed now!

 

what was your drop on those springs? I was thinking of going with springs and koni shocks as well since ive had that done before on another car i use to have...

 

I've never really measured it but I'd say about an inch and a half all around

 

Small bump but I'm bored. It doesn't matter which way the springs are installed as long as they seat correctly in the perches. Usually the top and bottom perch are slightly different so it can effect ride height if the spring is not completely seated. Otherwise no difference in performance.

If we're splitting hairs, having the heavier tightly coiled end toward the top would reduce unsprung weight for what little its worth.

 

Hows does the h&r springs / koni yellows combo compare to Tein SS coilovers ? I have the Teins but set (.75") higher than recommended and it can get a bit bouncy or harsh at times. I don't want to go lower but I think lowering to the recommended settings on the tein will actually improve the ride quality because or the preload it has now.

Problem is I really dont want to go lower, I'm beginning to wonder if the H&R/Koni would be a better fit for me as the height adjustability is really not something I utilize. Anyone had both setups?

 

This thread raises a good question. From what I understand, the theory is that the body of the car rides on the "lower spring rate end", and then when compressed, it becomes more stiff to keep from bottoming out. The body of the car rides on the soft side of the spring. So in this case it seems most reasonable to mount the spring with the lower rate on top.

But it does seem reasonable that you could mount it either way to some degree because the whole spring experiences compression even under a light load. So in that case, does it really matter which way it is mounted?

The only difference I can see is that if you put the lower spring rate side of the spring toward the bottom, and the top side (being the high rate side) has to move with the body of the car because the low rate side is down on the bottom. So, while this may be splitting hairs, the actual weight of the spring of the high rate side will "weigh down" on the bottom side because the bottom side has the lower rate. And the lower rate side is the end that will compress first. So, the higher rate side on the top will move up and down with the body of the car.

But if you mount the high rate side on the bottom, then with some handwaiving, the top part of the spring (being the low rate side) is the only side that moves. And 1/2 of the spring is unsprung while the other side is sprung, if that makes sense.

Again the difference is minimal. But if you mount the high rate side on top, then most the compressible side is on bottom, so the top of the spring rides on the lower rate side which is at the bottom. So, you basically add a few pounds of spring weight by mounting the high rate side on top.

For me, it makes more sense to mount the low rate side on the top.

 

It makes zero difference which way the spring is mounted as long as it fits in both directions. The soft side will always compress first......because its softer. Either way you look at it, both ends support the same weight.

Springs count as half unsprung, half sprung weight and mounting the lighter side on the suspension end will make a difference in unsprung weight, an unmeasurable difference but still a difference as I said 2 posts above.

 

here is another interesting observation. I said the "car rides on the softer side".. at least that is the original theory when eibach introduced it.. At least it was eibach for me way back in 1999.

But think of this for a sec. Which side of spring moves the most? The bottom side of the shock assembly is far more active than the top. The body tends to move forward without any outside forces. It is the wheel and the lower frame that vibrates over every little bump. So, maybe the lower rate should be mounted on bottom?

I agree with IHC, it really doesn't matter. Even though it is a perplexing concept. Sometimes testing is the only way to reveal real word effects and theory is merely theory.

 

If you "read between the lines", HR is saying, it doesn't matter also!