desiracing

I have 20s, and I had the Tein SSs installed about 2 months ago, and since then I have not been happy with my ride quality. I am looking for a soft ride, and even with the softest settings on my dampeners, I have no luck. Many people mention that their rides with 20s and Tein SSs are like stock, but I don't see that.

The car is lowered about 1.2in at the front and 1.3in at the rear. The only thing I can think of is lowering it 1in even all the way around and see if my ride smoothens out, because the springs won't be as compressed. I will try that this weekend. If this fails, then I will maybe go for the A-Spec suspension, and that I know is close to stock ride quality.

Anyone have suggestions for me on how to make my ride more soft (i.e. daily city driving)?

Those with A-spec suspension and 20s, does the car still look good, even though it is only lowered 0.75in?

Thanks in advance.

Adamo0926

I can't imagine a set of 20" rims giving a "soft" ride no matter what you do. I only have 18" and notice the a harsher ride(not too bad though) from 17" stock and that is without a drop.

Anyone who says they have 20" inch rims and have a ride that feels as soft as stock is on some kind of acid trip....

Costco

Did you ride on 20s with stock suspension? you probably would have felt it then too. theres less suspension travel because you're lowered on 20s. and the sidewall of your tires is thin - they absorb the bumps for the most part

whatjones911

Yes he is right. With 20's your ride will suffer alot from stock. I hear that the Tein SS can ride softer than stock on 17's not on 20's.

HOw many miles do you have on the Tein SS?

desiracing

Actually I did ride on stock suspension with 20s for about a month, and it was pretty damn good compared to now. Mind you that with 235/35/20s, the little bumps I could feel but they don't bother me, but the major bumps, slants or dips in the road were absorbed well by the stock suspension. But now with the Teins and lowering, the little bumps are still the same, but the bigger bumps shake the car and the people inside....overall, its rough driving it. And since my experience with stock suspension was good with my 20s, I am leaning towards the A-Spec suspension.

Guys, I am not picky with ride quality, but at the same time there is a certain expectation when installing such components in a car as nice as this one. I have driven lowered civics prior to this car, so I know what to expect, but my current setup is below my standards...which really sucks.

whatjones911, I have put about 2700 miles on my Teins.

CL Platano

You can set the dampening on the Tein SS to an OEM feel 20's or not.

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

I had Tein Basic last year on the OEM 17". I know Basic dampers aren't adjustable like SS, but the springs are exactly the same. I felt the ride was too harsh for street use.

Now the SS has adjustable dampers but with the same springs, I expect the ride quality will be very similar. The adjustable dampers can help somewhat, but with very stiff springs, Tein cannot soften it too much without losing composure (ie floaty or bouncy).

I spoke with a few people who track or autocross their cars and they agree that coilover should NOT be softer than stock. Coilovers are usually intended for race purposes and in order to improve a car's track capabilities, it has to be much stiffer than stock.

Stock suspensions are usually designed to give a good balance between handling and ride comfort with a concentration towards comfort. That's why they come with long suspension travel, sometimes progressive springs (which are not desired on the track), softer bushings, etc.

Of course, some stock suspensions are designed for track, right out of the box, like the ones on Z06, some NSX variances, most Ferraris, etc.

One more thing, there is no way a lowered car can be softer and also handles better at the sametime, than stock. Less suspension travel, plus stiffer springs and shocks will stiffen your car, period. Plus if you have super low profile tires, you'll feel more bumps on the road.

IMO, if you want a lowered car and can still retain your 20" wheels, get a set of Koni shocks and aftermarket springs. Most lowering springs are progressive so they are more forgiving on the street.

Of course, this is just MHO. I know some people like their coilovers, comfort wise. If I were 10 years younger, I'd probably be OK with it, too.

lembowski

iTrader: (1)

Is anyone riding this way? 20's and an A-Spec suspension? I'd love to see how it looks.......I was planning on going 19's and keeping my A-Spec, but if I can go 20 why not

whatjones911

If you dont want your Tein SS i'll take them...haha

I got a-spec suspension but might consider upgrading to Tein SS....maybe

desiracing

Finally the Teins are working like they should. As I mentioned in my original post, I was planning to raise my car this weekend. The idea was to slightly reduce the spring compression, so the ride quality would be softer. So I raised my car to stock height. In other words, my car is the EXACT height it was when it had the stock suspension and stock wheels. From before, I had measured the distance between my garage floor and the top/center point of each fender, when I had my stock suspension and stock wheels. Now, I made my car match those exact measurements with my Tein SSs and 20s.

The ride quality has improved significantly...I have driven around for a couple days and I am impressed. I have my dampeners set to 10 all around. I haven't tried softer or harder settings yet, but I am just so glad its improved.

The car doesn't have the slammed look, but its also doesn't look like a 4x4...so I guess its just right. None of my friends noticed I had raised the car, so it looks good. I did add 3mm spacers in the rear, to make my wheels stick out since I had raised it anyways. I might increase that to 6mm, but then I will have to change the studs. The car looks clean though.

BTW, I am not going to go for A-Spec suspension anymore...now I got my moneys worth with the Teins. But, I am curious to see what a car with A-Spec suspension and 20s looks like.

260 HP

iTrader: (3)

I'm just wondering, if you raise the car to stock height, why don't you just keep the stock suspension then?

desiracing

"I'm just wondering, if you raise the car to stock height, why don't you just keep the stock suspension then?"

Putting on 20s with 235/35/20 tires will raise the car because the overall wheel diameter increases compared to the stock wheel diameter. When I had my 20s on with stock suspension, my car was about a inch higher. Now, I used the Teins to lower it an inch, which brings it back to stock height.