Lex-Luther

Hey guys I am close to pulling the trigger for some lowering springs and a set of 19's. I wanted the forums opinion on which spring set up everybody thinks are the best, Eibach Pro-Kit VS. H&R Sport Springs. Especially the ride quality is what I am searching for as both have a different level of drop.

Here is a comparision:

Eibach: Front 1.0" / Rear .8"
H&R : Front 1.4" / Rear 1.3"

onihc

iTrader: (1)

assuming you will be using stock shocks, Eibach will give you the better ride. you will lose suspension travel with the lower H&R.

Dj Rando

I have eibach on my 350, and love them. Just beware that they do settle a LOT

Nicelex13

hmm meaning the drop is more like 1.3?
I had Stechs on my is300 and they said 1.3 but it was much more like 1.7

al503

All of the springs I've had experience (tein, RSR, eibach) end up with a lower drop than advertised. I just add .2" to .5"

mwaull

i am considering the eibachs as well . . . just dont know if i want to do that or go all out and get coilovers . . . i think i may just save the money though and go with the eibachs. . . from what i have seen they are a perfect drop.

Darin45

H&R's by far..... They are better quality, IMHO...I've had them on most of my Vw's and my Audi and I've never had any problems with them. IMO, Eibach used to be great years ago but has not been as "aggressive" since. they only offer merdiocre drops and are pricey for the spring kits. The H&R's also may give you an approx. drop amount, but trust me...it will look good on the car...

rys

I am partial to H&R, and would recommend them with the right strut to go with them.

If you are after a soft comfy ride, I'd go with Eibachs. If you want a sportier ride, I'd go with the H&Rs since they have a higher spring rate.

-Brian

mwaull

anyone have some ideas on the best places to get either of these springs as well . . . i will probably be lookin to get some eibachs soon maybe and need to know where those rock bottom prices are

Lex-Luther

I use to also love H&R when I had them on my M3 when I had H&R race springs. After which I then bought a Porsche Carrera 2 996 ,when I added the H&R sport springs it slammned the (exclamation !@$) out of it. It would bottom out the front suspension even on the slightest bumps and the ABS would always kick on. Also the front tires felt like a snow sled going over bumps. I had them taken out after 3 days and bought the factory sport suspension European version since the US version didn't lower the car any. Point of the story is I wasted money finding out the H&R where not very suited for the P-cars.

Okay second story my '02 BMW 540i sport went with H&R coilovers and it was perfect it drove smooth and was just enough to stiffen a big car like that. Fast forward to now I have a little Jetta VR6 as a commuter with the H&R cup kit. This is by far the worst suspension I have ever had. I called Steve at H&R and was told the set up is stiffer than the coilovers. Mind you I just commute and needed something to zip in and out of traffic not go racing in. I even had to replace two tires because I bubbled them hitting bumps on the road ,now Bridgestone RE050 225/40-18 are not cheap by no means. So far the H&R are a wash 2 bad expeirences and 2 good ones, both goods where with BMW's. My biddies BMW had Eibach and you guys are right 1.5" on that turned into 2".

SUMMARY:
I don't know what gives anymore?? I just want to get a modest drop so when I go with 19"s I don't get the 4x4 effect..... Also taken in consideration that I drive in the SF bay area which have some of the worst freeways that look like Pikes Peak dirt track, simply horific. Anyways It seems certain cars are more suited than others to different tuning brand. Now since I was a loyal BMW/German car fan previous to my IS350 I am at a loss as to which tuning brands work best with the Lexi's, Thank guys in advance for helping a guy out!! It seems I should be asking "after the springs settle which springs give the least amount of drop??" Do H&R settle more than Eibachs??

rys

The H&R coilovers tend to be at the limits of the spring rate for comfort, any higher, and you might as well have a "track car" (being that the ride on normal streets would become unbearable as you mentioned).

Something to note however, based on ride quality, there is usually a sweet spot on the coilover height for ride comfort. The reason I say this is because most coilovers preload the springs in order to adjust the ride height, so it changes the way the car handles a bit based on at which height the vehicle is set.

-Brian

Smooth1

Something to note however, based on ride quality, there is usually a sweet spot on the coilover height for ride comfort. The reason I say this is because most coilovers preload the springs in order to adjust the ride height, so it changes the way the car handles a bit based on at which height the vehicle is set.

-Brian[/QUOTE]

Hey Brian
I am little confused some people say that the coilovers have a harsher or more stiff ride, and other people say that with the coilovers the ride can be fine tuned and actually ride just like the stock sport suspension or a little better.

rys

Well, in the case of H&Rs specifically, they are a little harsher, and that's due to the spring rate that they tend to use.

JICs, the spring rate as they usually ship them is usually conservatively low for a coilover setup.

The more degrees of adjustability, the more control you will have over the quality of your ride. The JIC FLT-A2 coilovers have so many degrees of adjustability, that they can be tuned for an almost stock-like ride. Some people have had luck using the Tanabe NF springs, although I personally do not recommend that particular product due to problems that I've had on other vehicles.

For a stock ride, leave it stock, the lower the car goes, the higher the spring rate SHOULD be, because the less clearance between tires and chassis/body, or between chassis/road, the more likelihood of damage. Higher spring rates will keep the tires from slamming into the wheel wells/fenders, as well as the chassis from slamming into the road (in extreme drop circumstances).

To respond to your question, a lot of the varying opinions you are hearing have mostly to due with the different spring rates that each coilover manufacturer uses, and the degree of adjustability available in a coilover setup. In the H&R setups, they generally don't allow you to adjust the damper, so the only changes in the suspension are typically in height. Tein offers a slightly larger degree of adjustability, followed by JIC, which in my opinion, offers the most adjustability out of any setup so far.

I'd recommend seeing the product pages for different manufacturers to see the adjustable settings for the dampe, and spring rates for each product.

-Brian

lexy250

iTrader: (4)

eibachs suck period...after extended use on stock shocks you will have lots of sagging and ride becomes a freaking merry go round....up and down up and down...i have had these on a few cars..i personally would never order these for a car =P h&r's no say cause never used em.

mwaull

That is why you can get the prokit springs. . . and either buy the sport shocks/struts from the dealership (if you had lux) and then just wait til ajustable shocks, etc are available for the IS