Handling after lowering a GSX

[robmea]

Hi, My name is Rob, I dont yet own an Eclipse but i am looking for a GSX. But to the point, a couple of my friends have told me that lowering a 2g GSX will greatly sacrafice the handling. Is this true?

Thank you all for your help!!!

 

[nightspeed87]

yea if you lower it too much, but if you lower it the right amount then no it will help the handling because giving you a lower center of gravity, and letting less air get under the car at highway speeds....
Just dont lower it too much, a mild or lite drop is all needed....

 

[robmea]

Thank you very much for your help it is much appreciated

 

[Gamble97]

Does anyone know the exact reasoning it will handle worse if it's too low?

 

[talnteddriver29]

Also, if your gonna install a lowering kit, Please Please, spend the MONEY and do it right the first time. Material Strength play a big role.

Do it the right or do it twice.

 

[nightspeed87]

If you drop it too low then you will also have to match the struts to the height of the springs or you will have a horribly bottoming out, and bouncing ride that will get passengers sea sick ( trust me i know from experience ) And if its too low the struts wont have time to absord the energy applied to the springs to therefore it will cause a bottoming out affect and say your cornering and it bottoms out it could also cause you to loose steering control slightly from that. Also its not healthy to have your car scraping everything that goes under it, especially on a awd car, theres simply more down there to worry about. But the good thing of lowering, is the less air under you the more on top of you, other wise known as downforce, and it will do you good at high speeds... ( Unless your bottoming out at highspeeds which could be unsafe if its a deep enough hole that you fly into at over 90mphs for example. ) I wouldnt recommend more than 2 in drop.... Thats what I have, anything more could be leaning to the more extreme size, and you will be riding like all those hondas you see burning their tires on their fenders and wearing their tires unevenly because of their extreme drops, and messing their camber angles up and etc. ( Also remember to pair your tires according to the ride ht you want because that will effect also... ) good luck picking springs ( and struts )...

 

[BOOSTJUNKIEGSX]

I bought my 2g gsx lowered 2 inches front back and the appearance is awesome but like stated you will have to do it right. I have no camber kits and the tread wear on my tires is uneven resulting is new tires having to be replaced due to metal coming through within a minimal time. Driving my car in the rain sucks! Even with an awd if there is a heavy downpoor i find myself going slower than most cars due to Hydroplaning. So spend the money and do it right. You will be happier in the end.

 

[igs]

Lowering increases the roll couple which is why the car will handle worse. 2G's also have very little front suspension travel so you will be bottoming out.

 

[THEBEAST]

everyone keeps saying .. "do it right". What really is doing it right? What is the real cost?

I guess I want to know what to do on my car... like everyone else...


I have a 2g gsx. I just replaced the struts. I am getting 18 in rims and I want to lower the car. Will these new struts be messed up? What really needs to be bought and installed to lower this car. Someone walk me threw the whole process and realize you are talking to a newbie that doesnt know too much about cars in general

 

[DGajre777]

Answers to most of the questions in this thread can be found on the thread linked here which is in the FAQs - http://wwww.dsmtuners.com/forums/showthread.php?t=169437

For a 2G GSX, the best affordable "do it right" combo is Eibach Pro springs and Tokico Illumina shocks/struts. You can get both for under $600 shipped on ebay. If you have money, get Konis. An alignment after install is not an option.

 

[xSojooxShotzx]

Sorry for thread stealing...

I recently aquired a parts car and it came with Tein Flex coilovers... Is that the same as buying shocks and springs? What else would I need to do a safe drop?

Howie~

 

[SnowBird]

Lowering too much will result in bottoming out and "bouncing", you dont want to do that if you want to try to steer or brake. Doing it right-what I think doing it right cheaply in my opinion is getting drop struts, 2 inch springs, stronger endlinks, sway bars (optional
) but you HAVE TO get a F/R camber kit and get an ALIGNMENT. ALIGNMENT. Bottom line.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

everyone keeps saying .. "do it right". What really is doing it right? What is the real cost?

I guess I want to know what to do on my car... like everyone else...


I have a 2g gsx. I just replaced the struts. I am getting 18 in rims and I want to lower the car. Will these new struts be messed up? What really needs to be bought and installed to lower this car. Someone walk me threw the whole process and realize you are talking to a newbie that doesnt know too much about cars in general

You're right someone needs to just lay it out for you. I'll tell you what I know and you can take it from there

- Don't lower your car on stock shocks/struts. Your shocks will blow in no time.
- Tokico HP's are very low end shocks that will also blow when lowered.
- gr2's are very low end shocks that will also blow when lowered.
- AGX's are low but not that low end shocks that still blow for many many unsatisfied owners.
- Tokico Illuminas are good mid-end shocks that are affordable and can competently put up with a reasonable drop say 1" to 1.5". They are a great match for Eibach Prokits. They also have a lifetime warranty.
-Koni Sports (Yellows) are the ultimate in cost and performance. These will take almost anything you can throw at them. Also come with a lifetime warranty.

-Eibach Sportlines an any other spring out there that drops more than 1.5", 2" etc are not for us. People use them cause they look cool. Great you car looks awesome but performs and rides like complete shit. Skip the big drop.
-Eibach Prokits are great springs that lower anywhere from 1.25" -1.5". They are RRE's recommended spring (combined with Illumina shocks).
-H&R OE's are great, they're a 1" drop. These are what I'm going to mate with my Illuminas I think. Great for increased handling while still allowing optimal shock suspension travel and driveability. It sucks to have half the city off limits because your car is too low.


And thats all I have to say really. Read the Handling forum, listen to Jtoby and continue to read and learn and read and learn some more. Good luck!

P.S. anyone who disagrees with me.. bring it on!!

 

[DGajre777]

You're right someone nees to just lay it out for you. I'll tell you what I know and you can take it from there

- Don't lower your car on stock shocks/struts. Your shocks will blow in no time.
- Tokico HP's are very low end shocks that will also blow when lowered.
- gr2's are very low end shocks that will also blow when lowered.
- AGX's are low but not that low end shocks that still blow for many many unsatisfied owners.
- Tokico Illuminas are great mid to high end shocks that are affordable and can competantly put up with a reasonable drop say 1" to 1.5". They are a great match for Eibach Prokits. They also have a lifetime warranty.
-Koni Sports (Yellows) are the ultimate in cost and performance. These will take almost anything you can throw at them. Also come with a lifetime warranty.

-Eibach Sportlines an any other spring out there that drops more than 1.5", 2" etc are not for us. People use them cause they look cool. Great you car looks awesome but performs and rides like complete shit. Skip the big drop.
-Eibach Prokits are great springs that lower anywhere from 1.25" -1.5". They are RRE's recommended spring (combined with Illumina shocks).
-H&R OE's are great, they're a 1" drop. These are what I'm going to mate with my Illuminas I think. Great for increased handling while still allowing optimal shock suspension travel and driveability. It sucks to have half the city off limits because your car is too low.

And thats all I have to say really. Read the Handling forum, listen to Jtoby and continue to read and learn and read and learn some more. Good luck!

P.S. anyone who disagrees with me.. bring it on!!

^^^^ This about sums it all up. Good post!

A note about alignment. With a 1" drop on Eibach Pro springs, you can fix the rear negative camber with a few washers. An alignment shop should be able to get the front end back to specs after the drop.

 

[TSIMonsteR]

Coilovers are better then shock/spring setups anyday. Think about it, then you get to choose your ride height, stiffer spring rates, and they are custom matched to work together. At this point, I would go with either Megan or K-Sport coilovers anyday over the typical spring/shock combo! Alot of people around here have been going with the K-sport coilovers. Really nice (only $700 shipped), here is a link- http://www.ultrarev.com/Ksport_Kont...stem_Mitsubishi_Eclipse_1995_1999-p31234.html

 

[xSojooxShotzx]

So,

Just buying coilovers are just a better idea than the shocks/springs?

I'm kinda new to suspension upgrades, and I was wondering what else do you need. The posts above mention camber kits, and various other things. If you do get coilovers, what kind of problems could you face?

Howie~

 

[TSIMonsteR]

Yes. You can adjust all sorts of things, including height. Ride is a little more stiff because of higher spring rates, but have more settings for different types of driving. The performance and handling is excellent. 1 million times better handling! And you can adjust your camber with these without a correction kit. Means, you can drop it as low as you want, and put the biggest wheels you can fit under the car and then adjust the camber easily to match. With coilovers of this quality at this price, IMO it would be utterly dumb to get a shock/spring setup instead!

 

[Low Impedance]

eh, im leaving my car at stock ride height using stock springs with Koni Yellows, then using better roll bars. i found that i like the ride quality of stock, still handles great and i can still get a jack or a lift under my car to work on it.

 

[1990talon]

Yes. You can adjust all sorts of things, including height. Ride is a little more stiff because of higher spring rates, but have more settings for different types of driving. The performance and handling is excellent. 1 million times better handling! And you can adjust your camber with these without a correction kit. Means, you can drop it as low as you want, and put the biggest wheels you can fit under the car and then adjust the camber easily to match. With coilovers of this quality at this price, IMO it would be utterly dumb to get a shock/spring setup instead!

I would have to disagree. how can you be certian that you have them all adjusted exactly tthe same. also you cant lower it as low as you want you will still blow shocks and get worse handling if you slam it to the ground. you also have the fact that the spring rate is not correct for the ride hieght. coil overs are a minimal step up from cutting you springs in my opinion. IMO spring shock setup is the way to go.

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

Anyone have a picture of 1" drop on a gsx.

I'll tell you a combination not to get:
Progress Sport Springs
tokico blues (nonadjustables)

I believe my shocks are done. The drop is 1.5. Prob. settled to a bit lower.

As for coilovers being the best, some people will argue that of course, but you said camber adjustable, arent those only for the front? Do they also have the plates for the rear?

 

[fwdturbobov1996]

I picked up a white 95 tsi awd. Has 18" Rota Subzeros. Black with polished lip

Only mod the car has are tokico illumina struts. Was wondering what spring would go well with this strut. Who has them? Postitive? Negatives" Any suggestions. I was thinking about trying out the gf210 2g springs that are advertised at the top of the site, any reviews on them yet?

Would like to lower about 1.5 inches and keep ride quality and handleing decent, car handles pretty good right now.

 

[PieEyedPiper]

I picked up a white 95 tsi awd. Has 18" Rota Subzeros. Black with polished lip

Only mod the car has are tokico illumina struts. Was wondering what spring would go well with this strut. Who has them? Postitive? Negatives" Any suggestions. I was thinking about trying out the gf210 2g springs that are advertised at the top of the site, any reviews on them yet?

Would like to lower about 1.5 inches and keep ride quality and handleing decent, car handles pretty good right now.

Those springs are exactly what you're looking for. The drop will end up at around 1.5" like you want and the price is pretty much unbeatable. Also look into the Eibach Prokits for comparison (springs rates, drop if they ride lower than advertised).
This and much more information can be found in the Handling forum.

 

[fwdturbobov1996]

Now camber kits. I imagine after the springs settle my rear wheels will be pointing in

 

[speedmaster747]

Handling gets compromised as soon as you change the suspension's geometry.

I stronlgly recommend to re-align the car.

On an all wheel drive to have the feel of a RWD (taking in consideration tires will wear quick)

Adjust the camber to -1.8 to -2.0 degrees negative in the front with a total positive toe out of + 0.50 degrees and in the rear -1.1 to -1.2 degrees of camber with -0.25 of toe in. This will make the car come out of the turn quick and will feel like a rear wheel drive car.

 

[Dragon TalonTsi]

I disagree on some of these posts. I have the Kyb GR-2 setup, and my shocks have lasted with all the other mods I have on mine, along with the Eibach springs... Check out my profile, and I have yet to replace the shocks since I did the swap...