Well, many of you know my dislike for the H-techs that I've had for the last month or two....and now they're off. Installed Eibachs today, and here are my impressions:

- MUCH less body roll in all situations than the Teins
- Handling quality is similar to the Maxspeeds that I had before the Teins
- Ride quality is far superior to the Maxspeeds
- Ride quality with Illuminas at 5 all around is firmer than the Teins, but still quite comfortable, without feeling like a luxury car. Closest spring so far to what a 3-series BMW feels like.
- You can feel the progressive rate, but the change in rate is in the correct part of the spring and is very solid and predictable, unlike the Teins.
- Interesting, off the car, the Eibachs are a good 2-3" taller than the Teins in the front. In the rear, the Eibachs are slightly shorter.
- Since most of you care more about looks: The springs need to settle of course, but right now the fronts are a bit higher than the Teins (about the same as Maxspeeds) and the rears are noticeably lower than the Teins, and WAY lower than the Maxspeeds. Rear end has a bit of a "saggy" look to it, but not as bad as H&R's. When driving, you can definitely feel the front end sitting higher than the rear.
- You cannot install the fronts without spring compressors as you can with the Teins. They are too tall, too stiff.
- I'm also running -1.5 degrees camber now, so that affects things asa well.
- Again, the car leans very little into hard corners now. Nose dive is virtually nonexistant during heavy braking, which was a MAJOR complaint I had with the H-techs, which dove HARD. Same with squat on accelleration - pretty much gone.
- Haven't bottomed them out, but tomorrow I'll see on a couple of the spots onthe way to work where the H-techs always bottomed.

Overall, the car feels FAR more composed and "in control" with the Eibachs. The Teins had a floaty feeling to them and the car just didn't react very responsively. Now....just the opposite. It feels planted and solid.

I also did some autocross-style driving in a local parking lot and the car was predictable and controllable. More on Saturday, when I will be running at a large autocross event...

So, for now:

Eibachs >>>>>>> Maxspeeds >>>>>>>>Tein H-tech

 

On a daily basis what illumina settings do you use? With these springs when you hit a bump or any potholes how would you describe the impact? Would it be something too harsh for an average driver?

 

did you bottom out quite a bit with the teins? I have them on and bottom out quite a bit, ky roads aren't the best though.

 

With my maxspeeds, I ran 4 front 3 rear
With the H-techs, I ran 5 front 5 rear and they were still too soft.
I'm going to try out a few combinations with these, but will probably run 4s and 5s.....will need the higher settings to handle the extra stiffness I think. But we'll see.

I'll have more info. on ride quality when I go to work tomorrow - where the roads are pretty terrible. Here in Burke,VA where I live the roads are pretty much perfect so I didn't get a chance yet to test them out on nasty stuff...

BRINKLEY - yes, I bottomed out all the time with the Teins, even with struts set at 5 and bump stops cut....

 

Come on Irish... show us the "sag". I have H-Techs and I have to agree with all of your posts on the subject. For some of us (shame on us) style > function.

 

pics at night are not very useful. I'll post some this weekend afte they've settled a bit. And they'll get plenty of settling done at the autocross.

 

I have mine either on 3F and 4R, or 4F and 5R.
Eibachs are awesome and they are definitely not harsh like I feared they would be (from what people have said on here)

 

Do illuminas have enough compression and rebound stiffness to control eibachs? Not knowing whether illuminas are stiff enough for the eibach was one of the major reasons I did not get this setup. (Regardless how you'll answer this question, I won't regret that I ordered Boss Chens )

 

yes...you've seen the Eibach spring rates....they're not through the roof or anything. Besides, if Illuminas can't control them, nothing else can either, I'd guess....

 

Eibach final rear springs rate is 346 lbs/in. Illuminas, officially, are not supposed to be used with anything firmer than 315 lbs/in So it all depends on how many coils have to be compressed to get to the final spring rate.

 

Told Yah Irish! They ride great dont they? I am riding around right now with my illuminas at 5/5 and I dont find it bad at all. Like I said Dive and squat especially with the Eibachs is nearly eliminated.

The Eibachs made a bigger difference in my ability to launch hard than going from the stock potenzas to the proxe 4s


BTW you can see in my sig how the back sits a little lower. Its not too bad but I'm REALLY glad I didnt get the H&Rs

 

Man, I would be all over them were it not for the apparently uneven drop.

 

I have eibachs and illuminas as well and i love them. They are much firmer than stock but not harsh. I've never had problems with bottoming out and ride on some pretty nasty roads. I have mine set on 4f 5r almost all the time. The look is great as well, not too low, and no where near the suv look.

 

let us know if the fronts end up setteling a bit, id hate to see front jaked up and back real low. im also wishing i would of went with the eibachs instead of h techs, but mainy cause they bottom out (thankfully on the bump stops). but i dont think the handeling is so bad with teins, i like the ride, way better than stock, but no where near coilovers. good luck dude!

 

really, it's not THAT uneven. It's more even than the H&R's, that's for sure.

seriously, the drop looks almost exactly like the guy's listed on housecor's site with Eibachs, but just a tiny bit higher in the front since they haven't settled yet.

 

How much of difference does this make?

 

gives some extra grip into the corners - I would run more, but this is as much as I am willing to do so I don't wear the tires unevenly. I run -2.5deg when autocrossing.

 

Yea, everytime I hit a bump the front thumps hard and you can hear the glove box rattling and what not. I haven't cut my bump stops, but I am going to have to. Thats my only complaint, seeing that I am not as experienced as Irish and I also came from a stock setup.

 

hey irish im running 4F/5R with the eibach and illumina set up and it feels great. at first i was running 4/4 and it felt like the rear was a little floaty, but now it feels super nice. also the pic in housecor site looks excatly like mine too as you can see at my pic below.

 

The Law, do you have auto or manual? The guy on housecor's site, does he have auto or manual? Irish, you have manual and I doubt the springs are going to "settle" much. This is the thing, I just started a thread about this in 4th gen...springmakers design the drops to look good on autos, which are almost 60 pounds heavier in the front. So put aftermarket springs on a manual and they're going to look a tad too high.

 

im an auto

 

eibachs are probably one of the best springs out there...in terms of handling and comfort...i rode on some with tokico blues (which fu*kin suck) and they were smooth nevertheless!

 

Now everyone is comin out sayin they are smooth. I, as did irish, thought from previous info that the EIbachs were some of the harshest springs. The only reason I tried them was because I got them for a great price. I am so glad I did try them cause it really is the perfect spring for me and I dont like a harsh ride on my daily driver.

 

i actually thought they were harsh as well...i came from the 4th gen crowd 2yrs ago...and over there, they say eibachs are pretty stiff...i'd assume the same for 5th gens (I have read it as well)...until i tried it out for the first time...it wasn't bad at all....felt real smooth...very similiar to a stock setup, but handled oh so better!

 

hey Irish, any updates?

 

the ride quality, in my opinion, is now superior to the H-techs. Not quite as "cushy" but much more "solid" over bumps....no bottoming EVER. In the last autocross they performed admirably as well. Overall, VERY happy with the ride and performance. I could go for them being 1/2" lower in the front, but they still look fine, so I'm not sweating it. Looks come 3rd behind performance and ride IMHO.

 

Thank you Irish for taking the time out and posting your results for the three different springs (four if you count stock). I have been watching your threads, as well as Dr. Klop's and others, and I am still up in the air as to what to go with. Illumina's are the obvious shock choice, but when it comes to spring choice, it looks like we need to decide on whether to go with price (Maxspeed), or looks (H-Tech), or drivability (Eibach). Too bad there does not appear to be any manufacturer yet that can cover at least 2 out of those 3 categories. Unless of course you buy the Eibachs and cut the fronts.

Anyway, my apologies for not really adding to this thread. I just wanted to say thanks for your efforts. This and other threads like it do help.

 

Good luck getting the maxspeeds anytime soon. I tried to get them recently and found out they are on back order for a couple of months. I went with (H-Tech), good or bad they are in the garage waiting to be installed.

 

Well if you are saying that the 3 catagories that one would judge a spring on are ride quality, handling performance, and the look of the drop than the Eibachs in my opinion would probably get very good marks in all 3. When it comes to ride quality, as Irish said they are quite nice, the car rides like a true sport luxury sedan (think M3 or G35), and performance really starts to become more and more noticible the harder you push the car and the drop is pretty nice. I would say even a third of an inch up front would suffice to make it look perfect but it deff doesnt have a saggy *** look. You can only notice the front looks higher than the rear if you get up close to the car and its pointed out to you.

BTW if price is of concern. Many people have been buying used Eibachs for under 150$ off ebay lately. I got my set for 100$

 

how is everything holding up now?

 

I'm actually curious about this as well. What's the verdict on the Eibach's after it's settled and you've driven through a few rough roads.

I myself just ordered another set of illluminas to math up with my maxspeeds. Just wondering as to wether I should stick with the Maxspeeds or swap them out for some Eibachs. (remember I'm dealing with NYC warzone roads )

 

Well with more time on the Eibachs I can say I might have gone for a softer spring if I lived in NYC (And I meen the actual city not the burbs) When I bring my car into boston sometimes it can get kinda brutal. Thats about the only time anyone riding in my car would notice that the suspension is modified. If you live in the suburbs like me however they are generally very good. The roads I drive daily are still prob in the top 70% in terms of worst roads in the US and the Eibachs are very acceptable. Like I said no one has even noticed the car has suspension mods at all untill I pointed it out to them. WIth boston and the big dig and in general terrible road conditions you experience some butt clenching hits, but I think that would happen on stock suspension as well. If you are dealing with maxspeeds in the city already though, chances are Eibachs will feel much more comfortable to you based on Irish's comments about them. Add in some SFCs and it makes for a ride that is prob much better than your experiencing now.

BTW Irish when are you gonna get some SFCs? Just get the stage 1, I swear it gives the car higher limits in the corners and makes the car more predictable, not to mention does help rotate the back end a little, which is good for those auto X events. When I am going through hard transitions on the back roads the back end will drift out ever so slightly its great fun.

Hey I said you'de like the Eibachs, I was right wasnt I?

 

Could the difference between 4th & 5th gen be down to weight? Meaning that the Eibach's feel stiffer on the former because they are lighter? Or is it down to chassis stiffness? Would be interesting to compare the spring rates between generations.

 

Irish why are you still not on coilovers?

 

IIRC he doesn't want to compromise ride quality (plus it cost more.. ), which is why he got rid of his Maxspeeds

 

That and the fact that they have a less ridgid chassis probably doesnt help either.

But I am guessing Eibach took this into account and made the spring rates for the 4th gen Eibachs lower than those for the 5th gens, at least I would imagine, who knows

 

Thanks, for the input. I do live in the burbs but I drive to the city ALOT. Right now I've got Maxspeeds upfront only on stock struts. The ride is suprising comfy as compared to my illumina/h-tech setup from my previous MAX. (then again, I had 18 chromies on that car vs 17 stockers on this) I'm just worried that once I throw the Illuminas on, the ride is gonna get alot rougher over the said warzone roads.

 

My H-Tech/Illumina setup (3F,3R) is perfect for my NYC streets. I almost never bottom out.. probably because I dodge just about every pothole.. but when I do hit an occasional manhole (pothole x10), I dont bottom out as badly as u all make it sound.. im gonna try a 4F,4R setting next just to compare, but i really dont want to because the roads here are fu<<ed up and that will only make my ride stiffer... besides H-techs have the most aggressive stance offered of all springs for a 5th gen (1.6F,1.0R).. I like em.. I hate saggy asses

BTW.. I'm rollin on 245/35/19

 

Deff DONT be affraid of the illuminas, with any spring including stock springs they will make your car ride equal or better than stock shocks. If I find myself in the city all the time after college I might consider taking the Eibachs off and putting stock springs back in there, but I would never, go back to stock shocks.

 

Tru. I guess I have to remind myself that with any wheel size upgrade = decrease in ride quality. IT's funny, I hear complaints about the Eibach sag, but after looking at your page and a couple others, it's not something that's obnoxiously obvious. I guess if you're rolling with 200lbs of stereo equipment than yeah, you got a problem.

I guess I'll give the maxspeeds a couple months and see how they hold up with city driving. Stock Rear is staying though I compared stock and maxspeed rear while off the car and the stocks feel alot stiffer (plus they appear to be the same height )
Thanks again Sciff for the input.