I just got my wheels installed last week. Let me know what you think, but no 4x4 comments please as I am currently looking for a suspension upgrade. What do you think?

The picture is:



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I will post a review on the tires in the tire/wheel section after the next tank of gas, but lets just say I have no regrets.

I asked earlier about the suspension, but now it is a pressing issue. As a brief introduction, since the car had 9 miles on it, it had a stereo installed almost directly over the rear axle which resulted in the rear end sitting 1.25" lower than stock. One of the problems in replacing the rear suspension is that it would involve removing the entire stereo which is not an easy task. So, what I would like to do is at the least lower the front of the car. My highest priority is for ride comfort, followed closely by appearance. Adjustability is not important as long as the above are met. Can someone give me some insight. Thanks.

For those wondering why the rear struts might be hard to access, the picture below should explain it.

 

another 4x4 spider rider!

 

so you are trying to lower the car but you can't get to the rear struts. you are fukked, to lower the rear you have to get that strut out............

 

Rims look good. I have to say though that the front wheel gap does not look that bad in that pic. H&R's give the best ride comfort wise. If you haven't already, check out Housecor's site. http://www.innerbean.com/housecor/

 

rims look great but I would take the time to remove the stereo and do a nice drop, maybe coilovers

 

I would do illuminas with tein H-tech springs for a couple of reasons. 1) the H-techs aren't a severe drop in the front and the ride is pretty comfortable. 2) the H-techs don't drop the rear as much, which is prob pretty important since you have all that extra weight in the trunk. 3) the illuminas are adjustable which will give you more ability to control how the rear feels with the stereo in there. Once you have it set you don't have to worry about it.

just my .02

good luck and post pics when your done.

 

The rims aren't one's that I'd personally choose, but I think they look good on the car. The dark accents and polished lip really set them off. Looks good- nice job!

 

wow i think they really look good. i'd say the next best thing to m migs especially with your color car. as far as a drop, i don't think it looks 4x4ish at all. it looks good how it is and the best part is you'll have a car that still rides correctly and won't cost any extra $.

 

A lot of people just lower the front with Maxspeeds or H&Rs to balance it out. That may be an option.

BTW, great looking wheels. Looks awesome on Gray Lustre.

 

thanks for the input, i had never heard of anyone only lowering the front. anyone know why housecor went from progress drop to stock to h&r fronts only?

 

Send him a PM and ask him....

I'd say drop the whole thing... don't just do the front... get Illuminas with Maxspeeds, H&R's or H-Techs...

 

I went from Progress to H&R because I had problems with bottoming out on the Progress from time to time. Unexpected potholes and expansion joints just hurt.

The H&R's ride a little stiffer than the OEM springs, despite what people say about them riding "stock". However, the H&R's still produce a very compliant ride and, strangely, offer superior handling in my opinion. BTW - I dropped just the front, even though I had a full set of struts/springs because I liked the stance. Pics on my site. This would certainly solve your access problem.

Oh, and the rims/system look impressive! Xtant? You're obviously got some $ to throw around. Good work.

 

thanks for the insight housecor. You have a great site with great information. That system is going on 5 years old now so thanks for the compliment.

 

After browsing Housecor's site I think I may have made up my mind.

I'm thinking HTechs with Tokico Blue's. I like the little added drop the H's have over H&R but if someone would like to chime in and say how the ride difference is going to be. Also, if the Illumnia's are that much better I'll move up to them but I really don't see myself adjusting them so if the Blue's ride about a 2-3 like Illumina's there is no reason for me to spend the extra money. Thoughts appreciated.

 

just do it right the first time then you wont have to hurt your pretty "little"sub box. i wish i had done a good drop all at once but you live and learn. oh and i have a huge sub box as well.

 

first, you gotta drop that puppy even all around- which means if you are going to change your front springs/struts, you are better off changing them all around for ride quality and control. yeah you are right the equipment in the trunk is gonna be a pita! i have a custom flat box that takes up all my trunk space but is a flush mounted look and i had to remove all that to get the rear shocks on! good luck on gettin the equipment out, just do it carefully! next imo, i think those spiders are going to look good on an s.tech drop with illuminas- just my.02 but you can choose what you like, but it is very important to match the springs/struts all around! don't just drop the front and leave the back stock , you will not be satisfied with the quality of the ride, controlling the ride, and probably the look of it as well! save time and money by doing it right the first time! peace good luck bro

 

xstant - I'd highly recommend the H&R's for your application. You're running very low profile tires so you could risk bending a rim if you don't have sufficient travel to avoid bottoming. I had extremely rare bottoming issues on the H&R's - only on very large potholes or extreme road irregularities. Unless you've gotta have that "slammed" look I think the H&R's would be the best call in terms of long term durability/comfort for anyone with a heavy system and large rims. Also, keep in mind struts are generally only warranted for a 1.5" drop. FWIW.

 

I really appreciate the input. I was looking at the Teins H's because the larger front and smaller rear drop. It seems that everyone is recommending the H&Rs, so I'll probably go with those. What about the struts? If I'm not worried about adjustability, are the Tokico Blue's going to give a good ride?

 

If you don't need the adjustability, the blues should be a great choice. Or [insert gasps] you could even try running the H&R's on stock struts. Keep in mind the blues are merely OEM replacements. I've been considering doing so. The nice thing is many people sell stock struts cheap so if you happened to blow one, it'd be cheap to replace.