# ALTERNATIVE TO COILOVERS???



## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

i did my searching, but i still don't have a definitive answer, so now i need your help.

what is a good suspension setup, that is an alternative to coilovers? i have my ME rear shock mounts, will be getting the koni bumpstops, then i saw that the Eibachs and HR springs weren't that great for my car, but i hear decent things about the megan racing springs. what do you guys think? i also plan to run sway bars, stage 2 lower tie brace (forgot what it was called exactly), urethane bushings, and strut tower braces...

just an idea


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

oh i almost forgot, i also wanna run AGX's


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

The best srings are the Hypercoil custom springs made specifically for the B14. They require heavy duty shocks like the AGX.

There is a group buy here.

Lew


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

don't have to money now at all, is there another way around in or are the hyperco's my only chance at a good set up. also, its a very conservative drop, i mean only 1"????


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

himbo said:


> don't have to money now at all, is there another way around in or are the hyperco's my only chance at a good set up. also, its a very conservative drop, i mean only 1"????


It depends on what your goals are. If you want handling, these are the best alternative to coilovers. 

If you want a big drop for looks, you will have to give up a comfortable ride and component longevity. More the 1.5" drop leaves less than 2" of total travel, so the suspension bottoms out often. The CV joints are at an angle 100% of the time which shortens their lifetime, especially in high power cars. 

If you figure out how to buy a suspension without any money, let me know.  

Lew


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

dammit! is there a way to shorten the shocks w/o buying them from ME? they are way too expensive; so i figured that i could take them to a machinist to get the them sortened and threaded


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

himbo said:


> dammit! is there a way to shorten the shocks w/o buying them from ME? they are way too expensive; so i figured that i could take them to a machinist to get the them sortened and threaded


Your average machine shop is not going to have the right facilities or equipment to shorten dampers. There are, of course, other places which can thread and shorten dampers (usually Bilsteins or Koni Yellows), but don't expect them to be much cheaper than what Motivational used to offer.


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

son of a moinkey's uncle!!!!! what do you guys recommend to get rid of the aweful fender gap w/o coilovers, but also will perform well


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## ReVerm (Jan 13, 2003)

himbo said:


> son of a moinkey's uncle!!!!! what do you guys recommend to get rid of the aweful fender gap w/o coilovers, but also will perform well


I'm not sure what everyone's obsession is with that fender gap. I, for one, am glad it's there. It keeps debris and ice from getting stuck up there between the wheel and the body, it provides for more air flow going into and out of the wheel well area*, and if you have height adjustable coil-over setups, it leaves a lot more room for you to stick your hands in and adjust the ride height.

Lew already pointed out the only real option that fits all of your criteria at the beginning of the thread. As of now, there is no cheaper way to get everything you want without making compromises to performance or safety. 

Honestly, I think ~650 USD for a HyperCo 300/250 + AGX kit is a bargain for what you're getting. If you find some free time, fire up Altavista BabelFish and translate a few sites from across either pond. You'll be surprised at just how much some of these people are forced to spend to get a spring + damper combo that is very similar to the above.

_* Believe it or not, modern car fenders are designed to suck air into the brake area from the sides of the car through the wheel well. Eliminating this fender well gap restricts the air flow to your brakes and will actually worsen your brake performance. Race cars and many performance cars get around this problem through the use of brake ducts (so for them, it really isn't a problem at all), but they aren't really the best idea for the average daily driving enthusiast who could very easily forget to cover them up when it starts to rain/snow._


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## himbo (Sep 20, 2003)

i hate that gap... but thats just me, as for better brake cooling, i'm planning on setting up brake ducts, but thats after the drop... doesn't tien offer a decent set of springs for our cars with a decent spring rate???


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## lshadoff (Nov 26, 2002)

himbo said:


> i hate that gap... but thats just me, as for better brake cooling, i'm planning on setting up brake ducts, but thats after the drop... doesn't tien offer a decent set of springs for our cars with a decent spring rate???


The Tien SS springs are 168/280 #/in. With a 1.5" drop. They are about the same as Eibach Prokit springs, which suck. They are cheap, though (~$150).

Lew


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