Coilovers do not have a bad ride. It's only bad beacuse people don't know how to match up shocks to them. If you want the perfect setup go for the Tein SS ($850) and if you think about it springs and shocks will cost around $700 so shell out the extra money and get a full system that you can adjust damping and height anytime.

If you don't want an aggressive drop the Eibach Prokit is perfect, lowers only 1.3" inches (mine's closer to 1.5") and you can ride on stock shocks for a while. For those, KYB AGX shocks or Koni Reds are a good match.

Also, all of you who say KYB AGX shocks go well with Ground Control must be kidding. KYBs aren't meant to handle a) that kind of drop or b) that spring rate. The shock isn't valved for that drop and with anything more than 1.75" to 2" the shock will always be compressed which will only lower its life by decreasing the amount of travel it has when it hits a bump.

With springs and shocks or coilovers, don't try to save money by getting ebay material or no name parts. I've heard of springs cracking or shocks blowing within a few months because they were cheap ebay stuff. If you're going for spring and shock setup, you can do Eibach Prokit or H&R Sports (not OE Sports) which will lower your car about 1.5" (the H&R lowers the front 1.75") which isn't so low that you'll be bogged down in snow. If you're going coilovers (my suggestion), do some research on coilovers and how they work. I've had experience with Tein SS and I loved it since I could adjust it for the street or for autocross. Any questions feel free to pm me.