Need help with strut/spring decision

[Mike93]

Here's the deal, my SHO's suspension is beyond horrible. I'm needing new struts and while I'm at might as well get some lowering springs. My car is a daily driver and will never be autocrossed or driven hard enough where I need to have the absoulte best performance pieces out there. I would love to get Konis but my college budget says no. I've looked at KYB GR-2's but am seeing mixed reviews. Some say they work great, others say after a year or two they go to ****. So who is right? What I want is a lowered ride height with great handling and a comfortable ride. Any opinions and suggestions you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Mike

 

[RI-SHO]

I wouldnt get my hopes up about comfort, anytime you lower the height you always sacrifice comfort.

I have had the SS/KYB combo for over 2yrs and little over I could already feel signs of them not being as responsive as they used to be new. But if your budget doesnt allow I would defitnaly go with the KYB's just because they will do the job for less $$. Now I cant really praise about my comfort because i'm riding on 18x8 rims - 235/40/18 tires and 2.5"/1.75" drop which really doesnt give much when I hit bumps. On inclines I can actually get one the angled wheels that has less load just to stay up in the air and spin by slowly tapping the brakes of course.

 

[Mike93]

If I could get 2 solid years from whatever strut I'd be fine with that. I have just under 2 years left in school ao I figure when I get a job I could upgrade to Koni's then.

Also comfort to me is something that doesn't make you clench your teeth everytime you see a bump coming up. I like a firm ride, but also want to have some suspenion travel there too. I will also be running the stock slicers with 225/50's on them.

I want something that I can drive aggressively on on the street, will GR-2's make this happen? With whatever strut I get I will probably go for Eibach's, heard alot of good things about these in terms of handling and comfort.

Thanks

 

[shojuan]

Given your description of what you want out of the car for the next two years you will probably be very happy with the Eibach/GR2 combination. The GR2 has a lifetime warranty too, although that would be a PITA to exercise unless you had two sets to swap back and forth while a worn out set is in warranty claim. 2 Years without track and autocross and you should be fine.

I had an Eibach/GR2 combination on my old 90 (later a 91) Camry. They were lighter cars so maybe durability wasn't as much of an issue. I found that the comfort level actually went up considerably (and that was switching from a 185/70-14 tire to a 205/60-ZR16 on 16X7.5" rims!). They Eibachs firm up very quickly when taking a corner or even just changing lanes so you really do get the best of both worlds as far as comfort and handling. On that car the handling was outstanding. Lightyears beyond my stock SHO's suspension.

I still can't decide whether to go with Eibach/Koni or Intrax/Koni on my SHO. I'll have to drive in somebody's car with Intrax. I plan on taking my car to the track but I don't want to sacrifice highway comfort to the point where I don't like the car as a daily commuter. The wife has to like it too.

Really Mike, you'll probably be very happy with Eibach/GR2. Especially since your stock suspension is worn out.

Rick

<small>[ October 13, 2002, 05:12 PM: Message edited by: shojuan ]</small>

 

[PROPHET]

the intrax and kybs will give you a much stiffer ride than stock,you will loose that nice comfortable ride feel.Too stiff for unibody ,You get that good feel back when you combine the intrax and kybs with sub frame connectors and front and rear strut tower braces.Totally nice driving experience.