Looking for advise on lowering my car thx fellas

[04nsxguy]

Can anyone on here please help with some advice on lowering my car... I'm looking for advice on what's the best way to go about it I don't know much about the latest and greatest on the market thank you all very much!

 

[jwmelvin]

The "best" has so many meanings as to defy one answer but that answer is KW v3 anyway.

 

[04nsxguy]

The "best" has so many meanings as to defy one answer but that answer is KW v3 anyway.

My car is just a weekend driver but I'd like some help on what to get to lower it about 1.5 inches

 

[jwmelvin]

My car is just a weekend driver but I'd like some help on what to get to lower it about 1.5 inches

I stand by my first answer.

 

[Jinks]

Plus 1. Higher cost than lowering springs but they are 100% worth it.

 

[04nsxguy]

Plus 1. Higher cost than lowering springs but they are 100% worth it.

What's plus 1? I feel like an idiot is that a company that makes parts please give me detailed advice I don't want to buy some sorry stuff for my car I just got it and wanting to to a lot of upgrades thx everyone for helping my stupidity on these things

 

[jwmelvin]

What's plus 1? I feel like an idiot is that a company that makes parts please give me detailed advice I don't want to buy some sorry stuff for my car I just got it and wanting to to a lot of upgrades thx everyone for helping my stupidity on these things

He was agreeing with me. +1 as in add one to the voices in support of the above.

Jinks bought BC Racing coilovers for his car. I have BC Racing coilovers for my car. Jinks realized they are not high quality. He replaced them with KW v3, which are about twice the cost or a little more. I plan to replace mine with KW v3 when I have $2500 to spend on it.

The BC Racing coilovers are, from what I understand, somewhat typical of decent quality cheap coilovers. They behave okay for aggressive driving (I autocross my NSX) but sometimes make clunky noises and are not good at damping higher-frequency vibration. They also rely on high spring rates to control the car, unlike KW, which provide better control with lower spring rates. I have not ridden in an NSX that feels as good as the ones with KW. I have not driven one with KW but trust the opinions of many who have.

 

[Jinks]

Plus 1 on that too. If you live in a state with really great roads, the BC coils are outstanding for the price. They handle very well in corners and you can go seriously low with them.
I usually have friends visit me from several other states and they all say that California has the worst roads ever. Therefore I went with the V3 KW after seriously waffling.

I actually wanted the V3's all along but the bargain price and the reviews here about the BC made me purchase them.
They work great for people they just didn't for me so I regret not saving the $1000 bucks and saving for the V3.

Also, people who use Tien S lowering springs on oem shocks say they handle very well and they only cost about $200 bucks. But you wont get 1.5 inch drop out of them but it will be close.

 

[B-E-A-S-T]

In all of the reading I have done over the years on this site people consistently say that the best riding lowest springs are the Eibach progressive rate springs on the stock perch with Stock Shocks. They lower the car 1.2" Fr and 1.2" Rr but they do not make these springs anymore so you have to find someone selling them...


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[cousindeagle]

I went with a set of buddy clubs just to see how it handled while cleaning up the gap. Im happy. I dont track the car and usually cruise once or twice a month to the local car meets. Im on a budget while restoring most of the older/worn parts for my beast.

 

[Nsxrookie]

Air ride seems to have the best versitlity. But it's expensive and adds weight.

 

[scratch90]

I have heard the KW's are quit a good ride. I probably will go with them in the future. I put in the Tein's before they renamed them to street. Their range of minimum lowering was what I was looking at. It can be adjusted within half an inch of stock height if needed. As for the ride quality, if set to medium or soft, it was pretty close to stock but I would scrape the front lip. So I have it at more than medium stiff setting. It is a bumpier ride. Here is a picture with it adjusted. I have +2 tire diameter, and I recall dropping it between 0.5" and 0.75".

 

[sca037]

For a mostly stock, mainly street-driven car (like our red one) I recommend a set of Bilsteins with your stock springs, but with the circlip set to the lower perch groove.

For a more aggressive and sometimes-tracked car (like our purple one) I concur with the KWv3's.

This is what we've done, and am quite pleased with the results.

YMMV

Brian

 

[asir_nsx]

I went with a set of buddy clubs just to see how it handled while cleaning up the gap. Im happy. I dont track the car and usually cruise once or twice a month to the local car meets. Im on a budget while restoring most of the older/worn parts for my beast.

Where did you get them from? I was on the idea that BuddyClub stopped making them because they are redesigning their materials for the next 3 months!

 

[mwagner10702]

You should also factor in what wheels you are planning to run as you may have rubbing issues depending on lowering height, wheel width and wheel offset. Also what condition are your shocks in? Since the strut assembly is going to need to come out to replace the springs, you may want to consider swapping shocks as well. Someone mentioned running Bilstiens on the lower perch. These in conjunction with the Zanardi springs will give you a drop close to what you are looking for (1.375").

You didn't mention budget. KW3 will run around $2,600 + installation. A set of Bilsteins and Zanardi springs will run around $1000 + installation. The KW3 are adjustable, the Bilsteins are not.

FWIW, I have a set of Bilsteins and Tein S.Tech springs (on the lower perch) and do have some front wheel rubbing on the fender liner under mild to heavy compression (high speed right hand corners). I am running an Advan RGIII wheel (17x8 +38) on the front. I will be swapping the S.Techs for the Zanardi springs on Wednesday. The Teins have also settled a bit which I am not thrilled about.

Here is a (crappy) shot of my car as it sits with the Bilsteins and Tein combo.

 

[boca rat]

Factor in the cost - lowering spring install labor might actually be a little more than putting in BC coilovers, but then coilovers means your ride height is adjustable in case you change your mind. How old are your shocks?

 

[IRVINFLA]

Check this out:

I have been through practically every combination of suspension known to man, so I though I would pass on my experience to help others.

Mine is a 98 Coupe. I’m told that the spring rates are a little higher and the shocks are a little harder on a coupe, but for the sake of this discussion I will assume that all 97+ (except Zanardi, Type S and Type R) are the same. For reference purposes Dali Racing has a good set of charts located here:

http://www.daliracing.com/v666-5/catalog/suspension/more_springs_matrix.cfm

The combinations I describe below are listed in the order that I installed them.

1) Stock Shocks/Stock Springs – (cost = $0). While the stock setup rides and handles good, the ride height is too high (SUV Look).

2) Stock Shocks/Eibach Springs – (cost = $300 + install). Referring to the Spring Comparison Table in the above link, these are progressive rate springs that start out softer than stock and end up harder. As a result they give an excellent ride. They seem to handle a little better than stock probably because of the lower center of gravity. However, in my opinion they are way too low. I was always scraping over driveways and road bumps.

3) Bilstein Shocks/Stock Springs on upper perch - (cost = $530 + install). Referring to the Compression/Rebound Table in the above link, these are progressive rate shocks that are much harder than stock. They did give a decent ride unless you hit high frequency bumps like sewer caps, expansion joints, and chewed up road surfaces. However, the ride height was too high (SUV Look). Handling was on par with stock, except it was a little less confidence inspiring then when the ride height was lower.

4) Bilstein Shocks/Stock Springs on Lower perch - (cost = $530 + install). To solve the height problem above, I had the springs reinstalled on the lower perch. This gave an extremely hard ride all the time. I believe that as the Bilsteins are compressed by lowering the ride height (lower perch) they become harder. The biggest problem, however, is that they became noisy, generating squeaks and metallic banging noises. While others have had this problem and some have appeared to have solved it (at least temporarily) I believe that this is an inherent problem in the design of these shocks. Since the perches are movable, they can move on the shock body, which is what I believe creates the noises. Handling was better than on the higher perch, but was unnerving when hitting a bump while cornering, which caused the car to “skip” to the side.

5) HKS Hipermax Coilovers – (cost = $2,100 + install). None of the above improved the handling significantly. However, the HKS are clearly superior on the track including skid pad, autocross, and road course. They reduce unsprung weight which allows them to follow every bump and keep the tire on the surface. They are also height and spring rate adjustable. These truly inspire confidence. However, they feel very choppy while street driving over bumpy roads. You can watch your passenger’s head bounce around over choppy roads. For my taste, these are great for the track, but not so good for street driving.

5) Bilstein Shocks/Tein Springs – (cost = $530 for Bilsteins + $200 for Springs + install) – This combination created what I feel is a perfect ride height (.7” lower in front and 1” lower in rear). It both lowered and leveled the ride height, but has enough ground clearance for most road surfaces. Referring to the Spring Comparison Table in the above link, these are linear rate springs that are 15% stiffer in front and 10% stiffer in rear. This slightly reduces the tendency for over steer. However, this combination suffered the same symptoms described above for the Bilsteins on the lower perch. It seems the Bilstein Shocks don’t know that they are compressed by using the lower perch or a shorter spring, so the results were as described above for the Bilstein Shocks/Stock Springs on Lower perch.

6) Stock Shocks/Tein Springs – (cost = $200 + install) - In my opinion, this is, without a doubt, the best combination for a street driven car that is only tracked infrequently. It handles like the Bilsteins without the “skipping” over bumps when in mid corner. Had I known this from the beginning I could have saved thousands of dollars. It is not only the best combination (in my opinion) for ride height, handling, and comfort, IT IS THE CHEAPEST! Having said that however, I would be tempted to try the KW Variant 3 Suspension described here:
http://www.scienceofspeed.com/products/suspension_performance_products/NSX/KW_Suspension/Variant_3/

Referring to the Coilover Kits Comparison Table in the Dali Racing link above, these are about 22% softer in front and 30% softer in the rear than the HKS Coilovers. This may be enough to provide an acceptable ride on the street while allowing the better track performance provided by coilovers.

Below is a table that summarizes my results. Note, the cost does not include installation. (Sorry, but the table below doesn't import well)

Combination - Cost - Height - Ride - Handling
Stock Shocks/Stock Springs - 0 - Too High - Good - Good
Stock Shocks/Eibach Springs - $300 - Too Low - Excellent - Good
Bilstein Shocks/Stock Springs on upper perch - $550 - Too High - Good - Fair
Bilstein Shocks/Stock Springs on Lower perch - $550 - Good - Fair (Noisy) - Fair
HKS Hipermax Coilovers - $2,100 - Excellent (Adjustable) - Poor - Excellent
Bilstein Shocks/Tein Springs - $730 - Good - Fair (Noisy) - Fair
Stock Shocks/Tein Springs - $200 - Good - Good - Good

Well, that’s my story. I hope it helps some of you looking at suspension alternatives.

Dave.

I went with the Tein springs on stock shocks on my '92 with 18/19 tire setup. As the three bears said, not too hot; not too cold; ..... just right!

And certainly the best bang for the buck for a daily driver.

 

[wayneside]

I went with Ksport coilovers...great ride! The owner of Ksport has an NSX as well, and I know he loves our cars as well!

 

[03 raw nsx]

KW's are not perfect
http://www.nsxprime.com/forum/showthread.php/178001-kW-warranty-warning

If you are not looking to track of adjustablity....I was really happy with my Eibach Pro springs and OE shocks. Quieter than my KW's. I may switch to Billstiens on lower perch.

 

[gmeads]

I have had three set ups:

1. 92' NSX Coupe - Tein S springs on stock shocks. This set up provided a mild improvement in the wheel gap with the 97' wheels on the car. Ride didn't seem to be much different than stock.

2. 92' NSX Coupe - BC Racing coilovers. This has actually been my favorite set up but only ONCE I got it dialed in. Ride was a bit more bumpy but only bothered me on poor roads with consistent uneven surfaces.

3. 97' NSX-T - KW V3. This is my current set up. I like it so far but I am still in the process of dialing things in. I think I am a bit too low with stock wheels with a 1.25" drop. Like BCs, these provide a much stiffer ride but are not overly harsh.

In addition to each of these I have also had stock set ups on both my 92' and my 97'. There is something to be said for ride comfort of stock shocks that still have life in them. My experience, however, is that time is as much of a factor in the health of stock shocks as the mileage driven. My .02.

 

[Senninha]

For a mostly stock, mainly street-driven car (like our red one) I recommend a set of Bilsteins with your stock springs, but with the circlip set to the lower perch groove.

YMMV

Brian

I'm running the same set up, but have added 02+ rims and spacers, F15 and R25 ... very pleasing, lost none of the comfort but really raised the performance ...

 

[mwagner10702]

FWIW I am running Bilsteins on the lower perch with Zanardi springs and the Zanardi rear sway bar. I love this setup. Lowered the car approximately 1.375" and handles great. The specs on the Bilsteins are very close to the Zanardi shocks so they are well matched to the spring specs. This is a relatively inexpensive combination when compared to coil-overs.

 

[Jinks]

If people here pay 2,600 bucks for KW, your looking in the wrong places.:wink:

 

[8KC30A]

I have the BC coilovers as well, and agree with the statement above that you really need to fiddle with them to get the ride dialed in. I prefer them on the softer side for a little more compliance on the suspension.

That said, I have no doubt that the KW V3 is a superior solution (not surprising given the price delta).