202009

I've done my research in terms of what I am looking to accomplish and would like for you to let me know if I've missed anything.

I am looking to lower my daily driven 2007 5AT Acura TL ~1.5" all around to eliminate most of the fender gap and to achieve a firmer ride and less body roll.

The car:


The inspiration car/thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/photogr...-858437/page3/


1. Suspension:

Based on what people have done here I was initially leaning towards going for Tein S tech springs + Koni shocks. I have the koni sports on my M3 and on previous cars and have been very happy with them. Lowering the car with S tech springs and OEM shocks or OEM equivalent shocks is out of the question. My options as far as I understand them are S Tech + Koni if I go the spring/shock route.

S tech: $160
Koni Sport: $560
Total Cost: $720

No ride height adjustment, however dampening adjustment is available. Neither of which I need as it's a daily driver.

The other option I've noticed is Tein Street Basis Coilovers

Coilovers: $560

It almost seems that this is a no brainer and the spring/shock combo doesn't make any sense financially with a basic coilover setup from a reputable brand like Tein is $560. I am leaning towards this. Thoughts?


2. Sway Bar:

From my research on here it seem the Acura TL S 20mm solid rear sway bar is the best option for base TL's with a hollow bar up front. A progressive RSA is probably too much? True or false?

What is the going rate for TL-S rear swaybars?


3. Camber Kit

From the sticky on this page and having checked a few of the build threads on here it looks like the negative camber from a Tein S tech drop is approximately -1.3 up front and -1.8 in the rear, which is within the max possible negative camber allowed of OEM specs. Camber kit should not be required.


4. Spacers
It seems most people run 20mm/rear 15mm/front, to me that's a little too aggressive, what is the general consensus 10mm/rear vs 5mm front. Do I need spacers that that bolt up to the hub or can I get away with "plates". Are the studs long enough to accommodate up to 10mm? Any recommendations on brands?

5. Misc

Alignment - self explanatory.

Headlight alignment, the below is what I found as to "how":


Did I miss anything else to do a "complete" job? Any feedback to the above 5 points would be appreciated.

Bonus question, since all pricing above is in USD and I am located in Toronto, Canada, can you recommend Canadian vendors for the above or am I stuck paying the higher USD prices? Either way I am going to do this project regardless of FX, looking to see if there are cheaper Canadian alternatives as I haven't found any.

Thanks.

VisualEchos

iTrader: (1)

Good play, just support the site and buy from one of our vendors. They have your best interest in mind.

You don't need to change the swaybar if you're lowering, that's only if you're wanting different handling characteristics.

Every car is different, you can easily see more or less camber than what you have stated here. A camber kit gives you CONTROL, just like coil-overs give you control.

If you're adding a spacer you need to add stud length, and if you're going past 5mm I would definitely get the bolt-on type over changing studs. On a side note, if you're leaving your camber so aggressive, then 15/20 is absolutely fine. I have 15/20 on my Winter set and had to take some of my negative camber out to get the more flushed look.

You've done your research, just remember that every car is a little different, and since the car comes from the factory with an additional 5/8" gap up front, you'll probably be lowering more than you think, unless you don't care about gap, and I'm not getting that from you. No substitute for coil-overs here, especially at today's prices.

202009

When buying from an acurazine vendor do I follow a link through this website via banner? I want to make sure that if I do end up buying from one of them the forum gets credit as it has been a great source of information.

This is the place I am leaning on buying from, are they an acurazine vendor?

TEIN Street Basis Coilovers Acura TL (04-08) GSA80-1USS2

ggesq

iTrader: (1)

No, they are not.

Excelerate is running 20% off now.

https://acurazine.com/forums/third-g...n-sale-940918/

For future reference : AcuraZine Community - Vendor Directory

VisualEchos

iTrader: (1)

The Excelerate rep (Tom) is as nice as they come. I've done business with him several times, and I'm a very satisfied customer. Send him a PM, the dude shoots straight.

202009

Just to clarify, you are considering the -1.3 to -1.8 camber as aggressive? What would you recommend as "acceptable" camber for a daily driver?

202009

Thanks for the heads up, just saved me some money!!! Will most likely order through them.

VisualEchos

iTrader: (1)

Yes. I think bone stock the front is somewhere around -.2° and the rear is like -1° (I could be a little off on that, can't remember the exact numbers, but they are very tame).

It depends on how you drive (mostly in town, or interstate) IMO. While toe is mostly responsible for tires prematurely wearing on the inside edges, if you come out of your drop @ -2.2° in the rear (which is common, I'm not slammed and one side was -2.6°), then you're definitely going to see increased wear on the inside edges. I noticed it within 10,000 miles. If you don't care about the tire wear, then anything goes IMO, I just prefer a wider contact patch (side to side) as opposed to a longer one (front to back).

VisualEchos

iTrader: (1)

This shot is -2.2° rear camber. Notice the outside edge of the tire that isn't contacting the road surface.


Beef, it's what's for dinner. (Explore) by Andrew Thompson, on Flickr

KJ TL-S

iTrader: (9)

Hey man, sounds like you have a pretty good handle on things.

I came to the same conclusion when looking at buying Konis to use my S Techs with - coilovers just make more sense at that point.

For spacers, with stock wheels, I don't think 15/20 is all that aggressive, and I also use 245/40/18 blizzaks on my A-Specs.