bTwix

I've had both comptech springs w/ factory shocks and an a-spec suspension. Both setups had comptech RSB, a-spec wheels, and Yoko ES 100. The car handles great with both setups, with the a-spec a little more forgiving over very bumpy roads (lots of small potholes, cobblestone streets, etc.).

With the comptech springs I had uneven rear tire wear (tech called it cupping) and the tech said that the comptech camber kit (http://www.comptechusa.com/store/product366.html) would not have helped (which I'm not so sure about). The aftermarket shop that did the install should have installed the camber kit anyways. In any event I swapped out the comptech springs (which are now sitting mounted to factory springs in storage) for an a-spec suspension. The tire noise has gradually gone away.

I have only one complaint with the a-spec setup. The front drop is so small it doesn't look very good (3 large fingers). I like the idea of being able to put snow chains on the front, but when was the last time I did that anyways?

I liked the look of the comptech front drop and the a-spec rear drop the best. I like drops where the gap is even on both front and rear. The a-spec fronts have a much bigger gap in the front (3 fingers) then the rear (1.5 fingers). The comptech rears had maybe 0.5 finger gap and the fronts were about 1.5.

So I'm wondering if I can mix and match (comptech fronts and a-spec rears) to get the visual drop I'm after without affecting handling performance / stability / tirewear?

Also, what should I use for the front shocks in the mixed setup?

I'm thinking about pulling the a-spec front shocks and using them with the comptech front springs since they should have a higher dampening rate than the factory shocks the comptech fronts are currently mounted to.

Also, I haven't seen anywhere you can buy a-spec replacement shocks by themselves. What are we supposed to do when they're used up, buy a whole new a-spec suspension?

pinina

iTrader: (2)

I'm thinking of doing the same thing. i have the a spec now & am thinking of changing out the spring to the Tein-S. I just wonder if the aspec struts will do the job.

Pure Adrenaline

iTrader: (2)

There's more to suspension than just ride height.

I personally recommend against mixing-and-matching suspension components, because they are not set up to work together like that.

For instance, springs from company A could be stiffer overall than springs from company B. By mixing-and-matching A springs in the front and B springs in the rear, you're creating understeer. Vice versa, oversteer. Not to mention over bumps, it will soak up the irregularities at different rates and could make the chassis unsettling/unstable.

If it's proper ride height you want, then get coilovers. Don't mix-and-match springs, unless you do research on those springs and make sure of the spring rates to be certain the range won't be too far off.

chusteveb

I'd venture to say that you would be fine to mix it up as long as the application is for the same car. A lot of people put comptech or other aftermarket springs in combination with their factory struts on their car. So to put comptech or other aftermarket springs in combo with the aspec struts on the TL would yeild the same percentage of risk; no more, no less.

TurboSam

coilovers anyone?

SweetJazz

Do you have a MT or AT? If you have a AT then you could get the MT A-Spec suspension and that will lower the front a little more so that the gap is even all the way around. There are a couple of threads on this topic. If you want the front to be lower than the rear then get some Tein S-Tech or H-Tech springs. The S-Tech is too low in my opinion.

bTwix

That's what I was afraid of, thanks for the info.

I have MT and got MT ASPEC package (at least that's what the box said). However since the front drop is less than the rear, I'm wondering if they swapped an AT set of springs into a MT box? I'll post some pictures in a couple days so you can see what I'm talking about.

Maybe I'll just have the comptech drop put back on with the camber adjuster.

chusteveb

Are you telling me that the Aspec suspension is a different part number for the AT vs. MT? I have a feeling it is. I have the Aspec suspension that I added to my 6MT TL but I couldn't tell you if it was the aspec for an AT or MT. The rear height settled less than 1/2 inch lower than the non-aspec. As for the front it settled less than 1/4 inch from the non aspec.

If the MT aspec suspension is different from the AT aspec suspension would it be in the spring itself or the strut or both? I'd venture to guess just the spring to compensate for the extra weight in the AT.

If this is the case, is the difference in the aspec and non aspec in the spring or strut? Seeing how the ride quality changed but not the ride height maybe I can use my non aspec springs coupled with my aspec struts.

I know the part numbers are different for the struts on the non aspec vs aspec but are the springs?

bTwix

http://www.flickr.com/photos/53862275@N00/

So after looking at everyone elses pictures, this looks pretty normal for an ASPEC drop. I just wish they dropped the front so it had an equal gap as the rear. At least it handles well and looks relatively stock.

I searched for h-tech drop pics but came up empty. Anybody have some? How do they handle? What shocks are you running them with?

SIK TL

I have noticed the same with mine and was considering the spring swap myself. Please update as to a solution...

dezzzmond

IMO, I recommend keeping everything with the same brand. From what i have experienced and seen, the TEIN is the best for an agressive suspension setup. If you mixed and something happens to go wrong, warranty issues will come into play.

xedap1998

One of my friend has a SCION TC and he took it to a muffler shop and they use the torch to heat up the springs to lower the car..and well it lowered a lot...i was thinking of getting aspec have have the show torch the aspec springs to get a little more drop

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

Heh, heating the springs to lower it even more (read: sag) is stupid. Sorry for the lack of words.

If you know just a tiny bit of metallurgy (sp), you'll know that heating your springs will destroy the spring rates, weaken the component considerably, and may cause it to break. Newsflash, if you don't want to be caught driving the car when the spring breaks.