Thank you, It's been updated

 

you guys with the tanabe gf210's.....how much worse is the ride?? how about high speed handling??
im interested in springs for now, but dont want anything thats gonna make my teeth rattle.
thanks....

 

The Tanabe's really aren't that much worse than stock. I would say they are 15% harsher than stock. I have an autocross this Sunday, so I won't know till then how they improve handling. Just gut feel on the highway though, I would say there is less body roll and the car is a little more responsive to steering input than before. I will report back after the autocross for more detail.

 

Tri-Bar,

Maybe you should also change the spring rate on the RS*R springs?

RS*R down spring:
http://www.rs-r.com/products/suspens...wn_springs.php
spring rates: front=246 (4.4kg), rear=325 (5.8kg)
drop: front=1.4in, rear=0.8in

RS*R Ti2000 spring:
http://www.rs-r.com/products/suspension/ti2000.php
spring rates: same as RS*R down spring
drop: same as RS*R down spring

I have personally called RS*R USA to verify that these numbers are correct.

 

im looking for something that drops the front end to shorten the gap between the tire and the fender.......i want to improve handling if i can but i think just by virtue of lowering the center of gravity it will improve....i dont really wanna drop the back much, not as much of a gap there stock......and i dont want my teeth rattling when im driving around....
what do u guys suggest???

 

just looking at spring rates and drops, maybe the tien high techs might be for me.....
anybody have feedback on those??
thanks guys

 

I had the high techs. I really liked the way they made the car look and I didn't think the ride quality was bad. Until I got in another stock Evo going down the roads I always take to work, then I realized there was a good bit of difference. I still don't think they are that bad. They get bouncy fairly quick, I put about 6,000 miles on them and it seemed like they were starting to overpower the factory struts already.

 

Ok, here is my autocross report on the Tanabe GF210's:

I will start by saying that I took 1st place in street tire class today with the ESP index out of 43 cars in front-wheel drive street tire class. But, I did that last event without the springs, so maybe they didn't help much.

I do think that the car rolls less than before, but I am not totally in love with the springs yet. They will take some more getting used to. I don't know if it is from hearing other reports on this forum about the turn-in response, but I did kind of notice a little slower turn-in than stock. And, yes, I did have the car realigned. Oh, by the way, lowering the car did not let me dial in any more front or rear negative camber. That stunk.

The car does seem a little easier to toss around because there is less body roll. I think I should ultimately be able to drive faster with these springs. In a couple places it felt like the stock shocks were being overpowered a little bit to the point the car bounced a little bit coming over a bump as opposed to dampening out the bump. Driving the Evo with these springs and my Hotchkis rear swaybar do make the car more fun to drive. It pushes less and sticks better. I still get significant rear wheel lift from what some people have said. I heard reports of up to 6". That is what I had before the springs but after the Hotchkis bar.

I give these springs a thumbs up so far especially for $130, but I will find out more long term.

 

what do u think of the ride quality, whitet777??
im thinking of just going coilovers, but dont want the ride quality to suck either.....

 

I stand by my prior statement on ride quality.

 

Has anyone installed the ralliart springs? I really like the lack of drop(good for a stock shock) and the front to rear rate balance.

 

I am running a set H&R springs. I don't have the spring rate and they won't release it. I would say it is about 20% stiffer than stock. Going through fast and small bumps, the car is noticeable bouncier; but the ride is more stable and firm on the freeway and around corners. I havn't done auto-x with it yet, so don't ask me about its performance under extreme condition.

The springs should be settled by now after 2000 miles. I measured the car from the wheel center to the fender, it is now 13-3/4" front and rear. For those who use the ghetto way to measure wheel gap, I can slip in 2 of my medium sized fingers between the stock tires and fender. My car stock was 15-3/8" front and 13-7/8" rear.

So far I am happy with my purchase, but I wish it lower my car a little less. I guess coilover will be my future mod though.

 

??.. So you dropped 2" front and 0" rear... thats a bit unusual.

 

It could be the way I read the fender lip to the measuring tape... but it is more like 1-5/8" (close to 1.5 in) front. And sure less than half an inch on the rear. Anyhow, the car seems to have the same wheel gap front and rear now.

 

I tried to replicate the sitting position of the car and how I hold my camera. It was just the shadow that I could not avoid at the time I took the "H&R" picture.
Here is a pic of my stock car and after I installing the spring. I took the "after" picture almost a month ago... just about 1 week after the installation.