Cheap Suspension?

[fAt_sUnNy]

Hey guys,

I have recently become a Eclipse owner. I just bought a 95 Eclipse GS-T with some performance mods. Everything on the car is fine except for the coil overs. They are made by Matrix and everytime I go over a little crack in the street it feels as if I hit a bigass pothole going 50. It feels really horrible and I don't think its too good for my car either.

I want to know what kind of coil overs I should get where I wont be spending a lot of money but being able to adjust my ride height and have a stiff but comfortable ride when lowered by more than a inch.

I have been considering the Ground Control Coil Over kits for Eclipses. What kind of struts should I use in the front and back?

I dont know much when it comes to suspension so I would like have some things cleared up.

 

[Spartan302]

Go with some kind of adjustable shock/strut. IE koni yellow (i believe are the adjustable) or kyb agx. I don't have experience with either of these, so check previous posts to see how people like them. But if you're going with coil-over suspension definitely get adjustable shocks and struts.

Keith

 

[pneumo]

Most coilover kits allow spring changes, so maybe you just need to get lighter rate springs. Check the spring for any numbers written on them and post them here in this thread. Those numbers should tell us about the spring rate and length. I'm sure some board members can make some recomendations.

Also make sure the ride height isn't slammed as low as it can go. DSM's don't have a whole lot of travel and a slammed suspension will put it on the bumpstops. Typically a drop of 1 to 1.5 inch is the best compromise in handling and ride quality.

 

[jtmcinder]

Originally posted by pneumo
Most coilover kits allow spring changes, so maybe you just need to get lighter rate springs.

The odds are that the opposite needs to be done. eBay coilovers often come with rather low spring rates (sometimes as low as stock), so, when the car is lowered, you slam the bumpstops when you hit a pot-hole. The only solutions to this are to raise the car back up or increase the spring rates.

To test whether or not this is the problem, conduct a zip-tie test.

- Jtoby

 

[TERBOLASER]

sorry to jack your post but I have sum ccoil over I got free ive been thinking about using. the number ( I guess this is the spring rate) on the front ones is 450p and its 350 p on the rear coil over springs. How will these ride. and I was l wonder about the gr-2 kyb shocks I heard that the only difference between those and and the stock shocks is the damper length gr2 have shorter dampers. and of course gr2 are gas charged I thought. so I you reduced the damper arm lenght on stock struts couldnt you use them with out blowing them out. ( I know it sounds stupid but its just a theory I was cooking up since the reason shocks blow out is because the damper get depressed to far say 2 inchs further when you drop a vehicle 2inchs. Im just wonder More importantly im interested in the spring rate values of 450 fronts and 350 rears.

 

[jtmcinder]

Some kinds of thread-jacking are cool; others are not.

You have a 1G. This thread is about coil-overs on a 2G.

Your suspension issues are very different from those for 2Gs. For example, you have different motion ratios from a 2G, so your spring rates should be different. It would be confusing and misleading to start talking about 1G spring rates in a thread about 2G rates.

If you want to talk about spring rates for a 1G, start a new thread.

- Jtoby

 

[Laser-man]

zip tie test explain, i dont have a clue and am sure some other people dont eather. thanks

 

[TERBOLASER]

Haha yea i gues it would be smart to at least jack a thread that was fopr the same generation car ill start my own post thanks any ways i wouldnt want to confuse any one

 

[jtmcinder]

Put zip ties around the shock shafts, just above the shock body.

Drive around.

Look to see where the zip ties have moved to. If they are wedged into the bumpstops (or even within a 1/4", IMO), then you are too low for your current spring rates.

- Jtoby

 

[MikekiM]

I just saw these on sale over on fatwallet. Vogtland spring and koni shocks, are they any good?

http://www.purems.com/products/specials.php

 

[greenmachine97]

I got my tokico kit ofr 365 shipped. that included new struts/shocks, and 1.5" lowering springs. and i am very very happy with it so far. if you have any questions, just PM me.