My shocks/struts are worn and need new ones.

I am seriously considering doing new struts (Tokico Illuminas for sure), but am not sure about doing the springs. My mechanic advises me not to do a drop, since he says the car is not engineered to drive lower, but instead is manufactured to factory specs. He says he has a customer who dropped an Audi, and now regrets it.

Do any of you have regret doing the drop? For instance due to harsh ride, bottoming out, weather conditions, wearing out of struts faster, etc...

I am seeking a firm, hopefully smooth ride - I don't race or take curves that fast - so will not need sport springs or anything. I've heard H&R are good, as well as Eibach but those all have a drop of an inch or so.

It's also hard to find springs that aren't made for drop, for example, I'm having trouble finding OEM springs.

At the end of the day the decision is mine, not my mechanics, but I want to hear some of your feedback on doing the drop before I take the plunge and buy the springs.

 

I don't think you'll ever find a mechanic who will actually recommend using lowering springs. If you think about it, there are a lot of drawbacks and not that many positives. I think it just depends on how you personally weight the positives against the negatives.

Pros: Better aesthetics, possible upgrade in handling, decreased body roll, etc.
Cons: Rougher ride, possible bounciness, loss of suspension travel, non OEM spec'd equipment, additional wear on suspension components, etc.

As for me, I think whether you'll be happy with lowering springs depends on what you want/need/expect. I won't even go in to struts, because if you want Illuminas...stick with them. They're the best available at the moment - and I love them. Certain springs will provide a very low drop, but at the expense of very little suspension travel, rough ride/bounciness, and faster than average strut death.

You need to know, that with ANY lowering spring, the ride will be rougher. You WILL feel more of the road, more bumps, more uneven road surfaces. Are you willing to live with that? If you are, how much? The first time I lowered my car I used Tein S-Tech springs and KYB GR-2 struts. I found myself regretting that suspension choice every day, and shortly went back to stock.

I'm now on Tein H-Tech springs and Tokico Illuminas. They are pretty smooth, but definitely not close to a stock ride. On a smooth road, you'll be hard pressed to find any difference (none of my passengers can) but on a rough road the bumps will be much harder. You'll find yourself avoiding potholes like the plague as well as uneven road surfaces. With that said though, H-Techs are some of the milder type springs. For our cars (and your application) it would be a 1.6" drop in the front with a 1" drop in the rear. That was perfect for me. Other milder type springs that should provide a mild drop and that are more "comfort" oriented are H&R springs. Eibachs don't seem to drop too much, but they are widely considered to be very stiff, sometimes harsh, springs.

Now, don't let any of what I've said scare you. That wasn't my intention. I just think you should know what you're getting into ahead of time. Most of the time on this site, people act like dropping the car over 2" on stock struts is no problem and that you can't even tell a difference. Anyone who tells you this is lying. That or the only other car they've driven is a Civic with torched coils.

So, do I regret my drop now? With the H-Techs and the adjustability of the Illuminas (a godsend for control/smoothness) - not at all. But consider what you want before making the plunge.

 

Of course a mechanic isnt going to want you to drop your car, he is used to working on STOCK cars, (probably chevys, etc.) anyway, I think there is a shltload of people in here that and lowered their I's and Max's (properly) and have ZERO regrets. Yes no matter what you are going to sacrifice a little ride quality, but not much if you do the drop correctly (new struts, mounts, rubber pieces, etc) I think your car would look tight as hell slammed on those stock T 17's. Seriously, i doubt you will find anyone in here that has regretted their drop. JUST DO IT

 

Are you freaking kidding me? I have Tien S's on KYB GR2's and have never been happier. the car handles awesome and feels 100x more secure on the highway during lane changing. I disagree with your view

 

LOL...well...then you'd be wrong.


...Aren't you the one who said that your car handled better than a G35 in the other thread? Need I say more?

 

did not say BETTER. i said ALMOST AS GOOD, im not that cocky

 

If you really want to get into technicalities, you said "handles almost like."

But the point here being - if you're making that comparison based on Tein S-Techs and non-adjustable GR2s - then I don't know that your opinion is one to be trusted on this matter.

Even ALL of that aside. When was the last time owned an A33 with Tein S-Techs and GR2s...? The point here is that on the A33, which he has, I've had the experience. Other 5th genners have had the same experience. Perhaps the A32s are different, though I doubt it. S-Techs generally drop too low for vehicles with already short suspension travel (such as ours).

 

well maybe the two generations are different, i've had my share of springs on different cars, eibachs, intrax, tokico's, etc. and the set up i have now i think is great, no hop, solid "Sports car" like ride (comparing to G35) great handling. My car only went down 1.5" all around and ONLY 1.5, nothing more, no sagging. And seriously, do we have better things to do here than argue about opinions, i like it you think it sucks, no big deal , Happy Trails

 

my car was on kyb adjustables paired up with tein s-tech and 18" rims/40 profile, the ride was nice on smooth roads but when it came to uneven,weather damaged roads, i thought something was going to break haha! ( front 3 rear 4) but when my settings were 1 all the way around, it was bearable wherever i was.

 

yeah I say if you're gonna drop it no further than 1.5 inches dropped..
My mechanic told my struts are blown.. though I can only feel a smooth ride. Maybe that's the reason why my ride looks a bit higher than other I30s. Illuminas are on my list most likely will keep stock springs, if not I'm only dropping 2" in the front and 1.5" in the back. I dont want to lose the luxury of my car.

 

illmortal----what is a popcharger??

 

you got PM

 

got the PM'S

 

I use ground control coilovers and eibach springs as low as it will go... A bit bouncy, a bit rough but it looks great and handles excellent on the freeway. If I were to do anything different I'd get the JIC magic setup. $1500+ but it is same drop as I have now if not lower with the addition of many different adjustments. I personally don't mind a bit rougher ride but would like to have it a bit smoother. Depends on what you'd be willing to give and take.

 

A good example of why you should take all advice over the internet with a grain of salt is this thread. One person says GR-2's on S-techs is great and the other hated it. I would tend to agree with Meta, GR-2's and S-tech will look good but that is about the only advantage. Body roll will be reduced but the loss of suspension travel with a 2" drop will hurt handeling just as much.

IMO, very few people will be disapointed in the ride quality of Illumina's paired with H-techs or H&R's. You will feel the road more, but not so much in a negative way.

From the sound of your post, the only springs you should consider are H-techs or H&R's. Other than that just leave the stock springs.

The best thing to do would be to find some local org members who are dropped and ask to get a ride in their car. That is the only way you will know what you want.

 

Damn soo true, good post man, I'd give you a reputation point if they existed.
And from what I've heard H&Rs are great springs. Never heard of H-Techs.

 

if one were to buy the H&R springs and pair them up with the illuminas, is there anything else that would need to be done to upgrade the suspension?

 

strut bar, rear sway bars, any other tie rods/bars. aftermarket strut mounts for the rear for better suspension feel.

 

i like salt

 

what? lol sorry im still drinkin on a boring sunday and i just found your post entertaining.

 

im just makin fun of mike

 

I agree with this statement. Makes Many Good point.

I want to drop on S-Tech and like everyone who is aobut to drop worries about the right setup. I've heard people say there bad but everyone who has them likes the ride and look of drop. I'm going to (when I have money and before I drop) try to take a ride in some S-Techs and GR2 or AGX.

take I30tMikeD advice

 

are all strut bars the same, or is there different qualities

 

I don't think that too many people who drop their car regret it because most on here know what they're getting into. The plus is that you get a lot better handling and a better looking stance. The neagtives are stiffer, less comfortable ride and scraping. A good combo from what you've said you wanted is the H&R/Illumina setup. It should be a firm, smooth ride like you said you were looking for. OTOH is you don't take curves fast than you might just want to stay stock for a more comfortable ride. Why are you looking for OEM springs? If you blew a strut you can still use your original springs no problem. I haven't heard of anyone having to replace their springs because they went bad.

 

There are different qualities but I wouldn't bother with the more expensive ones because I don't see how a higher quality strut bar will make any difference.

 

If one keeps stock springs, wouldn't TOKICO HP STRUTS be better choice over Illuminas? They seems to be the same design, just optimized for stock springs?
Also, if one does the struts, what other parts needs replaced (speaking the rear now) ?

Thanks

 

Im doing front Illuminas and HPs in the rear, also there's gonna be a GD on generic strut bars from Paradox-Systems.

 

I'm leaning to replacing rears with HPs . Not sure I want strut bar. I read somewhere that HP is actually the OEM shock (i.e. Nissan buys them from Tokico). Don't know if that's true, but sounds good to me.

Do I need to buy any rubber parts when doing the rear shocks? Anybody knows what is coming with HPs ?

 

plz let me know when you order the generic strut bar and how good it is ...

raghu

 

Fukk your mechanic... I love my drop, so what I have to change my struts now, big whoopy whooo, i was going to do that anyways...

 

This was a very good thread. I have been meaning to drop my A33 but was very hesitant b/c of the streets around dc/md. With my power mods, my car seems to dip very low in the rear on take off, and this my friends, affects the weight transfer on my car and also gives me this ridiculously long burnout when I am trying to take off fast or coming off a ramp. That being said, recently I have been noticing when i park on flat surface (no hills or inclines) my car sits low in the back, and high in the front kind of a unbalanced look. I REALLY HATE THAT LOOK. I don't know if my JL sub and box is doing this or the suspension in the rear is just that crappy on the A33. Heaven help when i have passengers in the back, my car looks like and old pimp car that sags and I only have 3000 miles on the car. The good thing is that I noticed my wheel gaps on the I35 are very minimal when compared to previous cars that i have owned. So the stock look is not bad, but can be better.

Do you guys with suspension setups on A33s have any issues with the saggy A$$ after upgrading the suspension w/w out subs in the trunk? And what about take off and WOTing from a stand still, does the car still dip in the rear or is that minimized? I wish you guys with A33s (A33 I30s/I35 please) would post profile pics of you suspension.

 

Anyone experience scraping with the Illumina/H&R setup? <1.5" doesn't sound bad, but I wouldn't know.

 

Don't know why scraping was brought up, but it is not an issue with a 1.5" drop and not that big of one with a 2" drop. The only thing I ever scrap on with my Eibachs is parking blocks if I pull up to far and even then most of them I can clear. But there is no scraping on speed bumps and what not.

 

otay. I thought it was relevant to the thread (cause for regret), and I wanted to know...so thats why I brought it up. thanks for the info.

 

[QUOTE=rLx77]My shocks/struts are worn and need new ones.

My mechanic advises me not to do a drop, since he says the car is not engineered to drive lower, but instead is manufactured to factory specs.

This guy was probably a virgin till he got married.

Now he only does it missionary and only when he wants a child.

Drives a Chevy.

Stops at every Yellow Light.

And drinks fckin Tab.

 

Hmm, this guy is a millionaire as well. He owns a very successful auto shop in my town (over 20 years), and has numerous other investments.

Anyway, money is just green papers that someone has accumulated.

 

hmm okay so the eibach pro kit give me a 1.5 drop in front and 1.3 in rear..? this would be good drop rite.. i was gonna get tien but people dont liek the stiffness. is eibach better...?
the prokit 1.5 in front and 1.3 in read. with KYB GR2 ... im okay with stiff i mean not rock hard but stiff is always good.. i feel more stable with the car.... also should i get the Eibach Camber Alignment Kit... or can a alignment shop do this for me...? please le tme know im taking my car in in a week sor so to ge tthe CEL light taken care of and struts/mounts taken care of.. so i wanna knwo what ot get cause its only 100$ labor my mech. charging me when i bring him my own parts...

 

Well I made up my mind on my suspension setup, S-Techs with AGX shocks. A friend of mine purchsed an I30 and ended up getting his suspension done as his first mod. I rode in it and it was sooo much better. I'd recommend this setup to the I30 members. He set the dampeners to soft and it fealt better than stock in comfort and handling, was pretty sweet. Then he set it max stiff and that bad boy was gripping the pavement on the highway on curves. Didn't even feel like we were going that fast @ 135 MPH

 

I know I am super late on this subject, but I feel compelled to agree with you. The H&R springs are great and more comfortable than most springs on the market *(and at a good dam price I may add). Before buying my I35, I was the owner of a genrously modified 5th gen Honda Accord. (Yes I was a Honda ****** LOL) But My first suspension setup on it (I went through 3) was Eibach Sportline with Tokico shocks. The ride was SLAMMED and road worse than a skateboard on cobblestone roads. It was a nightmare and gave me hemmoroids. The second setup I used was H&R springs with KYB struts. The ride was decent, but I the damn struts gave way after 1 year. (I was pissed please believe.) So thats brings me to the best suspension combo I have ever had the privilage of utilizing. Tokico Blues shocks with the H&R springs. It was not as cozy as stock, but I can honestly say it was pretty close. IMO. I am looking forward to going this route again with my I35 in the near future.

 

I had H&Rs and stock springs, and I scraped some of the time. Only occasionally over steep driveways though, not too bad at all.