As some of you know, I have been trying to find a really good suspension setup thatll allow my car to keep the factory alignment settings and be a little lower/stiffer. I first decided to go with some tein Stech springs and use my factory shocks since my car only has 24k miles, but that didnt work. The front springs align fine, but the rears wouldnt. I didnt want to buy tires every other month, so I decided to change them again. This time I ordered the zanardi springs and had planned on using them with the factory shocks. Everyone said that this was a bad idea, so I listened and ordered some koni yellow "sport" shocks. After working on them here and there, I finally got them on along with the zanardi springs and WOW what a difference. The car handles so much better and the road feel is amazing. I can finally enjoy my new wheel/tire setup with peace of mind, knowing that they "should" wear evenly and the fact that my car handles a lot better is just a bonus. Thanks for all the advice!
Springs and shocks....what a good investment
- Thread starter d1 guy
- Start date
Can you post some pics of your car with the new setup?
What was the total cost of the shocks and springs? I am considering the Bilsteins with stock springs on lower perch.
What was the total cost of the shocks and springs? I am considering the Bilsteins with stock springs on lower perch.
Great to hear it's worked out for you. I highly recommend the Koni/Bilstein & Zanardi spring setup for the best fitment and increased performance.
Bilsteins/Konis with OEM springs are a great option for simply lowering about .875" and keeping the feel 100% stock. I really believe the Zanardi springs, although a bit more aggressive, really enhance the performance of the car and are an excellent mod. It will decrease comfort slightly but if you can handle it it's worth it.
Yeah Ill get some pics and prices up this afternoon or tomorrow. The front springs havent settled yet, so it looks high in the front. Ill be glad when the do settle because it looks bad right now. Ill take some pics anyways and everyone can give me their opinion. Thanks guys.
Ok the springs were
Part Number: 51401-SL0-J02 = $80.52x2
Part Number: 51401-SL0-J01 = $93.74x2
TOTAL FOR SPRINGS = $348.52
Ill have to find my reciept on the shocks and Ill post it later today.
It seems I have a problem though. The fronts are a lot higher than the rears. I have about a 2.5" gap between my front tires and my fender and about a 1.2" gap between my rears. My car looks like it is slanted up in the front. I thought they just needed settleing, but as Ive read other peoples posts, it seems to be a common problem. What is the fix for this? I tightened all the bolts up on a lift and Ive noticed that this seems to be a problem as well. What do I need to do to fix it? Thanks
Part Number: 51401-SL0-J02 = $80.52x2
Part Number: 51401-SL0-J01 = $93.74x2
TOTAL FOR SPRINGS = $348.52
Ill have to find my reciept on the shocks and Ill post it later today.
It seems I have a problem though. The fronts are a lot higher than the rears. I have about a 2.5" gap between my front tires and my fender and about a 1.2" gap between my rears. My car looks like it is slanted up in the front. I thought they just needed settleing, but as Ive read other peoples posts, it seems to be a common problem. What is the fix for this? I tightened all the bolts up on a lift and Ive noticed that this seems to be a problem as well. What do I need to do to fix it? Thanks
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My car had that nose high sensation when it was on stock shocks and springs. I went Tein RE though to lose it a bit.
Do you have Bilsteins installed? If so, then the rings the springs sit in are installed upsidedown. My mechanic made that mistake and my car looked like it was a 4x4.
No, he's got Konis...hmmm...
Something's definitely installed incorrectly. The springs are not the culprit--they're Honda parts and should lower ~.5" themselves. Unless they're installed backwards or upside down or some other weird way. The rear gap seems about right and the front is about 2x too much.
I'd take the car back to your mechanic ASAP. If you did the install yourself you did something wrong...:frown:
Thanks, that link is where I was reading to begin with. I loosened the lower shock bolts and drove it around for a minute and it dropped about a 3/4 inch and then I bolted it up. It later dropped another 1/2 inch. It is getting better. Im pretty sure everything is correct now. It still needs time to settle. Ive only put 40 miles on it since I had the springs installed. Im happy with them and the feel is great. I was just worried for a moment 
Maybe in a month or so, theyll be settled and completely correct. Ill get some pics up later.
Maybe in a month or so, theyll be settled and completely correct. Ill get some pics up later.
I'm not convinced these shocks have been installed properly. Shocks don't settle--springs do and very little in reality--the Zanardi springs might settle 1/4" at most. These are stock Honda Zanardi springs and should be plug and play.
Your front end still looks way too high and so does your rear for that matter. I'd go through the install again and follow Larry B's instructions regarding when and how to tighten the mounting bolts very carefully. You might even want to call him up or email him while you're doing it--he's happy to help any Prime member.
I have done it once and so has my shop. The first time, the suspension was in full droop on the lift. The second time, it was tightened on the drive on lift. It has to be correct because there isnt anything else that could be wrong. The second time around, we followed the thread instructions. The top hat and everything bolted up fine. Side by side, the konis look exactly like the originals length wise and the position of the notch for the perch is in the same spot. What could be the problem then....the springs?
The springs are of different lengths and different spring rates right ? Did you assemble the wrong springs on the shocks ? It is a tremendous pain to wedge the assembly into the rear arms (or the front I don't remember very well) when you have the wrong springs attached (from my experience of installing them myself a couple years back). I remember making this mistake and had to reassemble the shocks which was a complete pita. Maybe I did something else wrong. Mine did settle very soon after wards though. I can measure my final settings and let you know when I get back to my car.
I keep playing with the settings on these shocks and am never sure what I am messing up. Remember to always keep your tires at spec pressure or your tire will start taking up some shock absorbing duties and the konis will be scratching their heads. So far front at 2 turns from full-soft and rear at 2.5 turns from full-soft seems to be the best.
I keep playing with the settings on these shocks and am never sure what I am messing up. Remember to always keep your tires at spec pressure or your tire will start taking up some shock absorbing duties and the konis will be scratching their heads. So far front at 2 turns from full-soft and rear at 2.5 turns from full-soft seems to be the best.
