Car bottoming out on almost every road repair

[Ron1999]

Like mentioned in the title - car has 95K miles, stock shocks, Eibach lowering springs (PO installed, not me)
Car is literally crushing on every road repair going faster than 30MPH, hitting the bump-stop on every road cress.

I will say, it is the infamous 495 here in VA-MD-DC area, so road quality is third-world-level at best, but still.
my stock S2K will go over the same roads with not much pleasure, but way less drama.

The shocks does not leak at all - all dry and nice.

Any ideas about a solution?
Any way to raise the car somehow?
Would a set of Bilstein make the ride better more bearable?

 

[mwagner10702]

Likely the Eibach lowering springs have blown out your factory shocks. If I was you, I'd get a set of factory springs and pair them with a new set of B6 Bilsteins. The Bilsteins have an adjustable perch that allows you to lower the car slightly over 3/4". This will give you a nice stance plus a near-factory compliant ride that should closely match your S2000 ride.

What wheel / tire setup do you have?

 

[Ron1999]

Can the Eibach work with the Bilstein?

 

[mwagner10702]

Can the Eibach work with the Bilstein?

I am not familiar with those specific springs, however since they are "lowering" springs you would probably want to install them on the standard upper perch if pairing them with the Bilsteins. They may have settled over the years so it is really hard to know what the stance / ride would be like with the Bilsteins.

The safe play is a set of factory springs and Bilsteins on the lower perch. Many on the forum have gone this route with satisfactory results.

 

[pvmike]

^ Agreed. Eibach/Bilstein will not improve your ride. If you have stock wheels, I'd consider a complete OEM or Zanardi setup.

 

[mwagner10702]

^ Agreed. Eibach/Bilstein will not improve your ride. If you have stock wheels, I'd consider a complete OEM or Zanardi setup.

The NSX-S / Zanardi suspension is probably the gold standard for OEM Honda suspension setups. Mita Motorsports has a package available that includes everything you need to refresh your suspension. The major benefit being the springs and dampers are a matched set.

https://www.mitamotorsports.com/product/oem-honda-nsx-s-zanardi-suspension-set/

If there is a downside to this setup it is the ride height when compared to what you might be used to from your Eibach lowering springs. With this suspension the car will ride slightly higher (might be a good thing in your case) but will deliver a much better ride experience.

 

[Honcho]

Eibachs are well known to sag. They were the OG lowering springs for the NSX back in the 90s along with H&R. Many, many owner reports here over the years complaining about the sag lol. Both options drop you 1.25 inches. Using OEM springs on the Bils lower perch, as suggested, will drop you about 0.75 inches, which is perfect for the NSX IMO. It also allows for a little more shock travel before you hit the bump stops, so you will perceive a better ride.

I agree with @mwagner10702 that the Type-S system is the best overall option for the NSX. It's just firm enough to give a sporty feel, but compliant enough to keep the NSX OEM comfort. It's really, really good and I recommend it to all owners that don't want to fiddle with adjustable suspension/coilovers, etc. It fits OEM-level perfect and is plug and play. It will also last 100k miles. That's a big deal too, as those of us with the fancy race coilovers are going to have to rebuild around every 20k. We're using race car parts on our street cars, whereas the Type-S is a passenger car part with the required durability.

However, the Type-S is $$$$ compared to the OEM spring/Bils combo, which will get you about 80% of the way there.