Springs on '17 Hatchback?

totopo

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Hey man, How are the springs? i was told they were a bad idea because the ride would be bad and the car would be very bouncy. Is this true?
Since spring rates and dampers have to match, when people make spring kits they can't make them too stiff, or else you get pogo'ing and it feels super uncomfortable. Stock cars have a decent amount of available bump travel engineered into them, since the requirements of the car needs to consider when you load it up with people and cargo.

So let's say the car has 5" of bump travel, but only needs 3.5 and has 1.5 spare for when you have cargo. When you lower your car, the springs are usually just a little bit stiffer, so you'd like let's say only need 4.7" of bump travel instead of 5, and then you lower it down so you have no reserve left when you have cargo and actually hit your bump stops a little more frequently, and bottom out a little more frequently.

Then people drive it by themselves and go, hey, it doesn't feel too bad. But when you have passengers or cargo you are bottoming out your suspension and riding on your bump stops all day. It is bad for basically every suspension component and bushing and bearing and your shocks will wear out quicker and eventually you will start getting pogoing and your car will feel like crap and drive like crap, but hey, it looks cooler to you.
 

ost.rod08

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Since spring rates and dampers have to match, when people make spring kits they can't make them too stiff, or else you get pogo'ing and it feels super uncomfortable. Stock cars have a decent amount of available bump travel engineered into them, since the requirements of the car needs to consider when you load it up with people and cargo.

So let's say the car has 5" of bump travel, but only needs 3.5 and has 1.5 spare for when you have cargo. When you lower your car, the springs are usually just a little bit stiffer, so you'd like let's say only need 4.7" of bump travel instead of 5, and then you lower it down so you have no reserve left when you have cargo and actually hit your bump stops a little more frequently, and bottom out a little more frequently.

Then people drive it by themselves and go, hey, it doesn't feel too bad. But when you have passengers or cargo you are bottoming out your suspension and riding on your bump stops all day. It is bad for basically every suspension component and bushing and bearing and your shocks will wear out quicker and eventually you will start getting pogoing and your car will feel like crap and drive like crap, but hey, it looks cooler to you.
So springs arent the way to go? how about coilovers?
 

totopo

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So springs arent the way to go? how about coilovers?
So it really depends on your goals and expectations. Springs might be the way to go, you just have to understand what you are getting yourself into. Basically, there are tradeoffs everywhere and it depends on what you want out of your car and how deep your pockets are. Springs will lower your car, and feel okay for a while before you beat all your suspension bits into dust. It also probably won't help your performance at all. So they are like pay less now, enjoy your looks, and damage your car.

ince they come with their own shocks, coilovers have higher spring rates than just springs. However, they are almost never actually stiff enough. for like a 2" drop you usually need about 100% increase in spring rate, and that gets real unpleasant real fast. Coilover companies know this and so make it as stiff as they think people will tolerate, but let you lower your car a lot past the bump travel you actually need. So depending on how much you drop it, you are still doing damage to your suspension parts, but at least your shocks will be okay for longer. Given equal ride height, the coilovers are usually better than springs because they have stiffer shocks and so can have stiffer springs.

The OEM shocks aren't great, and better designed shocks (k&w, koni, bilstein, ohlin) can give you more control of the car and better comfort but I don't think any of the real digressive will built shock companies make civic options yet.

Lighter wheels can also help. Every % less unsprung weight you have you basically need that % less spring. So if you swap to like 16" rpf1's, then you can lower your car that much more on whatever coilover setup you get, or if you go for springs it will help lessen the amount you bottom out. If you get heavy rims and lower your car....
 

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So it really depends on your goals and expectations. Springs might be the way to go, you just have to understand what you are getting yourself into. Basically, there are tradeoffs everywhere and it depends on what you want out of your car and how deep your pockets are. Springs will lower your car, and feel okay for a while before you beat all your suspension bits into dust. It also probably won't help your performance at all. So they are like pay less now, enjoy your looks, and damage your car.

ince they come with their own shocks, coilovers have higher spring rates than just springs. However, they are almost never actually stiff enough. for like a 2" drop you usually need about 100% increase in spring rate, and that gets real unpleasant real fast. Coilover companies know this and so make it as stiff as they think people will tolerate, but let you lower your car a lot past the bump travel you actually need. So depending on how much you drop it, you are still doing damage to your suspension parts, but at least your shocks will be okay for longer. Given equal ride height, the coilovers are usually better than springs because they have stiffer shocks and so can have stiffer springs.

The OEM shocks aren't great, and better designed shocks (k&w, koni, bilstein, ohlin) can give you more control of the car and better comfort but I don't think any of the real digressive will built shock companies make civic options yet.

Lighter wheels can also help. Every % less unsprung weight you have you basically need that % less spring. So if you swap to like 16" rpf1's, then you can lower your car that much more on whatever coilover setup you get, or if you go for springs it will help lessen the amount you bottom out. If you get heavy rims and lower your car....
dude thanks you are the best im trying to drop just about an inch or a little more and this explains it all!. Ill just go with coilovers. i would rather protect my car than save money. Do you know any good coilver brands?
 


totopo

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dude thanks you are the best im trying to drop just about an inch or a little more and this explains it all!. Ill just go with coilovers. i would rather protect my car than save money. Do you know any good coilver brands?
I don't think any of the reputable (ie non asian) companies make anything for the civic yet.
 

totopo

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Do you guys know about bc racing? Are those good?
Depends on what you call "good" One of the multiple different brand of shocks made by a taiwanese factory. Probably pretty similar to all the other taiwanese coilovers available for the civic. Generally not great qc, so what you actually get out of 4 shocks is kind of up in the air. Springs are not really linear compared to swift/hyperco. The shocks are not digressive at all, so usually not enough damping to control body movement and too much damping at high speed for bumps. I mean, if you aren't tracking the car, they are fairly acceptable. And you can play with the crappy dials to see which of the not so great setups you can tolerate more. Won't be as comfortable as properly digressive shocks. Won't be as comfortable as OEM. Some people like the overly stiff settings though, and it kind of makes the car feel more responsive, even if it comes at the sacrifice at maximum grip. The best bet would be to try to go to local meets and ask for ridealongs in various setups. Comfort can be a relative thing.

Performance wise? Not as good as real coilovers. Compared to OEM? not sure which comes out on top.
 
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teebee288

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Hey, can you post a link to the spacers you used? I just lowered mine and desperately need them lol.
I bough on ebay, i live in canada, so the link is not good for you,(i think you are in the u.s). Just search for 20mm spacer hubcentric wheelcentric 5x114.3 bolt pattern, 64.1 hub 12x1.5 stud. If you are in the u.s you can have it for 100-150$
 

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Do you think Eibach or any company is going to develop aftermarket shocks anytime soon for our FK7's? I have the the Pro-kit, love the drop but kinda regret not going for the sportlines for the that little extra drop.
 

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Do you think Eibach or any company is going to develop aftermarket shocks anytime soon for our FK7's? I have the the Pro-kit, love the drop but kinda regret not going for the sportlines for the that little extra drop.
pretty sure aftermarket struts/shocks are coming soon, I have sportlines w/ 9k and no issues at all. I trimmed the front bump stops per the directions but not the rear, no camber kit either and no abnormal tire wear either.
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