I bought my X second hand and the person before me put Eibach lowering springs on it. I currently DD the car but will be hoping to get to an open track day or two this summer.

My question: do the lowering spring effect the handling of the car negatively? Do they decrease the life of the factory suspension? Recommendations for equal to or better the suspension mods vs. stock.... Less then $1500

Thanks

 

Lowering springs will wear out factory struts. Lowering the vehicles center of gravity helps. Not all springs improve handling. I recommend Swift springs.

 

Depends on the springs. Some lower the car too much for their rate, so what you lose in roll-center height isn't made up for elsewhere. But Eibachs are OK.

Again, it depends in the springs. The two main ways that lowering springs hurt the suspension is by allowing the car to bang the bumpstops and by being too stiff for the rebound seals. As above, Eibachs are OK.

In that price range, KW V3s.

 

Wait, where can I get KW's for $1.5K.

I'm interested.

 

@: Iowa999 - so I should feel comfortable driving the car under this setup, thanks for the info. Just so I understand better, what about the Eibach springs make them okay to use?

Side note, what would you recommend for brake modifications? Pads, rotors, etc... Budget conscious but not afraid to spend if it makes sense.

I was thinking of getting cross drilled and slotted rotors along with aftermarket pads. Again, car is DD with potentially 2 track day events over the summer.

Thanks for the knowledge!

 

If you look at the sticky on springs, you'll see that the Eibachs aren't much stiffer than stock. This is why I say that they aren't going to blow the rebound seals in the shocks. Yes, you might be a bit under-damped, but you won't hurt the shocks.

As you know, they don't lower the car too much. The best way to see this is to climb under the nose and look at the lower lateral control arm. If it's angling down from hub to chassis, the car is too low. If it's flat, that's not great, but OK. If it angles up from hub to chassis, you roll center is still nice and high.

As to brakes, I'm not the one to ask, as I have small, rally brakes. But, in general, I'm not a huge fan of cross-drilled, slotted, uber-fancy rotors. A set of Centric blanks that I can have turned or just throw out is my preferred approach. Your real issue is going to be getting pads that won't fade on the track but also don't make sounds like a hog-farmer's abattoir on the street. [I'll wait while you google.] That's where you need a real expert and/or two sets of pads.

 

about handling, dont expect too much i have an Eibach springs on the KYB struts. ( GSR suspension)
And i just did some spirited driving , well... feels as a stock suspension and very loose over 100mph even on highway.
We did cut the rubber bump stops, so the suspension will have a longer travel. As Eibach recommended. I think you must do that. So check if they did when they installed it. if not you can cut it with a box knife very easy. Slow speed they feel OK, and give you a feel of being great or better then stock. When you put them in a test , they seems to me just as good, maybe a bit better then stock., nothing major. But nothing as good as a GOOD coilovers would give you.

Anyway, KW V3 would be a lot better option, if you looking for handling vs springs ( ANY).

 

Go with H&R Sport springs! Lower your evo just enough to get rid of that 4x4 look and perform great at the track!

I did it and my Evo is my DD

 

How much did it affect ride COMFORT? I know that is a relative term since our cars have stiff suspension from the factory, but as a DD is it very noticeable?

 

Folks should be very careful about discussing ride "comfort" when one person has an MR and the other has a GSR. The Billies on an MR are not only better shocks in terms of strong and consistent low-speed damping that the KYBs on a GSR, they also blow-off cleaner and, thus, have a nicer ride. I'd hate for someone with an MR to be told by someone with a GSR how nice a certain aftermarket part was for them, only to discover that it made their own car worse.

 

Good point...I know the GSR and MR use different suspension but wasn't even paying attention to that aspect in the discussion. My biggest issue is the front wheel gap. I would just like a more level appearance but if it is going to make the handling/ride suffer too much, then I will stick with the current setup. I know a lower stance is not going to keep the exact same feel over undulations in the road but I don't want to be bouncing all over the place either...

 

So, what are considered to be "good" aftermarket springs for the MR given the Bilstein shocks?

 

I had the H&Rs and they did not last long on my GSR. Gave it a teenager donkey ride. Very uncomfortable. For the KYBs (stock struts) that drop is to extreme. Went to Swift Sports (mild drop) and absolutely love them. Better performance over stock and smooth handling at high speeds.

 

^^This^^

 

or, you could just break the bank and get COILOVERS! lol but that get pricy