Hello all, I've read a lot of "upgraded shock with spring vs. coilover" threads on here. To make a long story short, after a couple weeks of bad handling and clunking noises on uneven roads, I learned today that both of my rear struts are leaking. Not the worst thing that could happen, since I wanted to upgrade eventually anyways and at almost 90K miles, it's time for the originals to go.

I am considering the Tein Basic damper set from Road///Race or their Progress springs and KYB shocks. Road///Race gave awesome customer service with the Progress sway bar that I bought from them previously. I am also tired of fighting with ebay sellers with my ongoing feud with the headlights. So, even if someplace else might sell for a little less, their customer service makes it worth it. And with all I've read recently about counterfeit products (fake Teins) it's not worth the risk out there.

I don't really want to spend much more than a grand installed but I do want it to handle better than stock with not too much worse than a stock ride. I'm just wondering if I really need adjustable coilovers for a car that will probably never see a track, and that I am unsure that I will need to adjust after the first adjustment. I do drive "spirited" most of the time, but it's all street driving so I'm not sure how much suspension I need. This suspension needs to stay somewhat girl friendly, but I don't want to drive stock, especially with the handling improvements that I have achieved with the sway bar and EBC's.

I also want them to last a long time and be quiet. I've read of Kurt's noise problems with the Progress springs. Has anyone else had these issues? Has anyone had this exact setup with the KYB's? I think that even though the Teins are more expensive, the shocks might be better matched to the spring and last longer. What do you guys think? I don't normally allow cost to restrain my parts selection too much, so I'm not just gonna go shock and spring just because it's cheaper. But are they softer than the Teins which are supposedly permanently set to the SuperStreet's middle setting between hard and soft? I'm also not just going to assume more cost is better, especially when I have to also afford a wedding next year. These seem to be the best two options for an ES driver who likes to go fast but doesn't have a track on which to get crazy. Opinions? Experiences?

 

If you don't drive aggressively, springs and shocks might be a good idea.

 

What do you consider aggresive? I've made my fiance' sick with fast turns before, but I'm not dangerous. I do like the fast turns though.

 

i've been looking for a thread like this!

 

I would consider aggressive driving things like autocrossing, tracking the car, doing canyon runs, etc.. If you don't need to adjust your height, why pay the extra cost of Teins or Ksports? Same goes with dampening adjustment, if you're not going to use it, don't pay for it.

 

i've got to say that you should get the TEIN basics. i have them and i love them. you could even do this install yourself to save some money, our suspension is really easy to work on. having access to air tools will make it much easier.

you might not even have a ton of trouble getting the camber bolts out since you live down south.

 

I don't do any of that (there aren't a lot of canyons or touges in Florida, lol) but I am kind of aggresive in traffic. I've always driven a little faster than surrounding traffic (since college, when I was always running late). I was just beginning to look into autocross before the strut problem appeared, but the information I've seen hasn't looked very local. I'm not really pushy on the road, I just drive like I've got places to go and things to do. Pardon the cheesieness, I'm just saying that I like to drive fast, but I'm not a dick about it.

It seems as though I'm beginning to lean towards the Teins because of future possibilities and because I know that the springs and struts are matched. I just didn't know if there was anything that I was missing by not going with the Progress/KYB option.

Feel free to keep responding, I may have to either sell my videocamera or start freelancing it again to pay for this, so I have a little time.

 

What you have to ask yourself is will you actually need to adjust the height of your car? If no, don't bother with the Teins since you will be paying for a feature you don't need. If you actually plan on autocrossing, you might want something with dampening adjustment so you can stiffen it up while racing and soften it while driving around town.

 

But do you think the KYB's would hold up with the Progress springs as well as the matched Tein set would? I'm willing to pay a little more for some longer service life. And have others run into the noise problem with the Progress springs? My gut feeling is "no" because of the good performance their strut bar has given me, but I'd like to hear from some people who have them on their cars, just in case. Noise could just be a slight mistake in installation.

When I put my sway bar in, I had to grease it twice to get it to be quiet. It creaked like a wooden ship at first because I supplemented the included grease with aerosol spray-on grease and didn't realize that a puddle would just wash it away. I had to regrease with a tub of white lithium grease and then it was quiet. This seems unrelated, but I'm just saying something small being wrong can cause something larger and more annoying. But I'm open to hearing how the Progress springs have or have not worked for people.

 

I think the KYB are a slight improvement over stock but since no one has that exact setup (at least with long term experience) it's anyone's guess.
On an unrelated note my progress sway bar still squeaks and I've had it for 2 years or so.

 

I'm glad to be reading a thread like this. I purchased Ground Control Coilover sleeves (adjustable spring kit) when I bought my car because I knew a guy that worked there and gave me the kit for $225. He is now gone, and they no longer make the kit. My kit is semi-defected only on one of the adjustable sleeves; the front passenger side. It makes a popping noise every time I turn, so basically I hear the spring turning as I make a turn.

I am lucky enough right now to be able to drive my moms second car to work so I don't do any further damage. But I really want to get something good and reliable as I do a good amount of commuting in my car and would like a smoother ride. When I was looking into full coilovers, they were pricey, as I expected. RRM sells the Tein Basics for $899, then IF I pay for install, it would of been expensive. I'm now willing to through out the cash, I want a smooth ride with no noise. I'm tired of cutting around the corner to get something decent that ends up being Garbage. I know that I had to maybe cut some bump stops or something like that to put in my Coilover sleeve kit, I didn't do it myself cause a family friends shop did it for me real cheap and I was pressed for time. Which brings me to my conclusion....

I basically just want to know, if I should "sack up" and buy some coilovers to solve my suspension issue regarding noise and ride, whether Tein or Ksports. Or should I just buy a Skunk 2 coilover sleeve kit and some KYB shocks. Advice needed, as I would like to fix my situation soon. I'm a newly hired, over worked auditor, pressed for time, who needs some helpful advice on what to do with my suspension on my 2003 Lancer ES with minor mods.

 

Well the thing you need to be aware of is that the Skunk2 system is not a real coilover kit, it's just a sleeve. I would personally recommend full coilovers since you can adjust the ride height and the dampening, assuming you go for something like the Ksports or the Tein Superstreets.

 

I asked ROCK for his opinion on my situation and he said the Tein basics would work best. By the time you figure the cost of struts+springs, it's almost the same price. They (Road///Race) run them on their shop car and they are pleased with them. "Good ride, but a nice handling package"

I considered what ambystom said about not paying for a feature that I don't need. But, to me paying a little more for a set that is definitely matched vs. the other that may or may not be. I'd rather pay a little more for the sake of reliability (plus I can slam it if I decide to show it). I am really hard on this car and I'd rather protect it from myself than save a little money. As always though, I do appreciate the advice.

To Phony Evo: I would agree with ambystom that Skunk2's system is just a sleeve, the same thing that you already have, maybe with a bit better quality. I would also say to be cautious when considering the Ksports, since that is definitely paying for something that you might not need. Ksports have adjustable pillowball mounts, which are really cool, but not really needed on a street car. I think I read somewhere that you don't need camber adjustment (to compensate for the car squatting) unless you drop the car something like 2" or more. I wouldn't all out slam a street car anyways, because well... the street isn't the track. It has speedbumps and potholes and road debris.

I don't know how much mechanical experience PhonyEvo has, but I've heard that all of the Teins have very good directions that come with them. If you have some tools and happen to decide on the Teins, look at the directions and see if it's something you could do. I have to consider this option because with the cost of the suspension, the pulley, the motor mount and a non-crushed filter(still trying to solve the engine movement crushing the filter problem), I'm already looking at more than $1200 with an alignment. That's a lot of money for me. I have to pay for a wedding next year, so if I can save some money doing it myself (already do brakes, oil, tire rotation, etc.) I'm gonna buy an electric impact wrench and go for it.

P.S. ambystom01> If you wanna get rid of that squeek, buy a small tub of white lithium grease and a box of rubber gloves. Take the bar apart and lube the hell out of everything, I mean everything (oozing from the bushings), as you put it back on the car. If you just used what came with it, you probably didn't use enough. It took me two tries (once with the wrong grease) but my bar is silent now.

 

I already have progress springs installed and i am not liking them at all. I would go with nice set of coilovers systems such as tein, K-sports and NEX.

I do understand that KYB shocks and springs will improve your handeling a little bit but it is not going to be as best as coilovers. Also KYB shocks are eventually going to blow out in the future which is not good....i wouldn't like to keep replacing my shocks often. Springs will not give u height adjustment; however, coilovers will give u an option to adjust the height where u feel comfortable. Height adjustment also helps u to improve the look of your car where u can make ur car lowered from the front and little higher from the back. Being PROGRESS SPRINGS user, you dont really have that option and u will be stuck with the same height forever.

My progress springs make my car look higher from the front and lowered from the rear which looks really funny..... I recommend that u do more research on what coilovers are the best. Dont just go for TEINs because there are some other great companies with same quality coilovers and lower price.

I am planning to upgrade to K-Sports coilivers set up which only costs less than $700.00 and lots of people have great reviews on them as well....especially EVO guys and honda guys. A little more reasearch will not hurt you......

 

I've heard to avoid the NEX. Could just be hearsay, but just so you know. Oh, and don't worry, I've been doing alot of research. I trust Tein over Ksport because they have been around much longer than Ksport. That's just me though. If I had more money (in case of emergencies), a track, and more time I might consider trying the Ksports. Not to discount the Evo and honda drivers (I can't believe you look up to honda drivers,lol) but I've worked with a shop for about seven years. I've seen alot of well marketed new products that lots of people think are great in the beginning. It's in the long run that you really see the strength of a product and a brand. I could mention a few brands that have risen and fallen in the last six years within a couple of years, but I really don't want this to turn into a rant fest. Not to sound cheezy but, trust history, not hype. I'll trust the word of someone from a well-established shop over someone who just recently bought a new product. From personal experience, you see all the bad when working in a shop. You see all the stupid things that can go wrong and what can also go right. Again, I'm not saying Ksport are bad, they're just kind of new.