Originally Posted by maguayoko
John,
I'll defer to you on this since you've been there done that. Point taken w/ the lowering first b4 getting the wheelset.
HOW did you go about lowering your ride and still have the Accord drive smoothly. How much did you lower your ride? Do you recommend a particular set of springs, or can I get away w/ having them cut? If the springs are being swapped out is it also a good time to upgrade the struts or other parts of the steering column?
I read a thread from which I understood if one lowered more than an inch that the geometry (camber?) or something causes the tires to toe in or out basically throwing the handling/alignment/etc all out of whack.
The (glove) manual also comments about one's tires wrt the ABS that if the tires/wheels are too big it somehow affects ABS performance.
I'm probably overanalyzing - over to you!
Kelly
Well I don't claim to be an expert, but here's what I can contribute:
Don't cut your stock springs. There are lots of aftermarket springs that are available that are all pretty cheap...$100-200. Most manufacturers make a couple or three types of springs, some are called sport, race, etc. Sport springs will offer a mild drop of 1.25-1.75" or so, basically an inch and a half or so. Race springs are usually around a 2-2.5" Some advertise to lower the front a bit more than the rear to even out the wheel gap (most cars have more front wheel gap just to give the front tires a bit more clearance since they can be turned under suspension compression) and to give it a bit more aggressive stance, and some advertise to lower the front and rear the same.
Lowering springs have to be a bit stiffer so you don't bottom out, and most people that swap springs are looking for a stiffer spring that will decrease body roll and increase handling, plus lower the center of gravity. So there will be some compromise in ride quality. If you are concerned with ride quality, then stick with a "sport" type spring. Eibach Prokit is probably the most popular, but H&R Sport springs, Tein, and others make springs with similiar drop and spring rate. These types of springs will lower the car down to get the wheel gap to a respectable amount without making the car overly rough to drive.
Yeah, you really should get some performance shocks to pair with the new springs because they can react better to the higher spring rate and keep the dampening in check. With some of the softer springs, you can get away with using your stock shocks, but it will likely decrease the life of the shocks and won't handle as well as the performance shocks. The stock shocks probably won't "blow" right away, but you never know, depends on the mileage on the shocks, how you drive, the spring rate, how much of a drop, etc. Basically if you have a 6th gen, your stock shocks already are 3 years old, so just upgrade to performance shocks at the same time, besides...it's the same amount of work (or install cost) to swap the springs alone, or springs and shocks. Look at brands like Koni, Bilstein, and Tokico.
An alternative to buying a separate spring and shock combo is to buy a complete "coil-over" system that has springs and shocks in one. There are lot of brands out there as well. Tein, Tokico, H&R, etc are some off hand.
On our cars, the camber is a function of ride height, so as you lower the car, the negative camber will increase. This isn't really a bad thing in moderation. A bit of negative camber can improve cornering grip, and help avoid rubbing tires in the rear. If it's extreme, it'll decrease straight line grip, and result in excessive tire wear on the inside of the contact patch. But negative camber won't eat tires as fast as incorrect toe settings. Most sixth gen Accords won't require a camber kit up front unless you are lower than 2.0". In the rear, beyond 1.5" requires a camber kit. And I really shouldn't say require because it's not really required, it's just a matter of tolerances for performance and tire wear. If tire wear is your priority, you'll likely need a camber kit, but for the rear only. Search on here for brands like SPC, Ingalls, etc.
After the suspension stuff is installed, get an alignment soon after to get everything set up for optimal tire wear and performance. The toe can be adjusted, no biggie.
Larger wheels and tires shouldn't mess with the ABS other than the fact that you'll have a heavier wheel and tire combo (depends a lot on the wheels, but most larger tires will be heavier due to wider contact patch, and thicker sidewall rubber for increased strength). Because it's heavier, it will be a bit harder for the car to get the inertia going, and for the brakes to get the car stopped. Will you feel the difference in acceleration and braking? Probably only a little, and you'll become desensitized quickly lol. I feel it a bit when I swap from my winter wheels and tires to my bigger wider summer ones. But the added grip, handling, and looks is worth it to me.
A mild sport drop is completely drivable, there will still be tons of cars that are lower than yours from the factory. Some might say that a lowered car will put more stress on other suspension components like bushings and ball joints, but if it's a mild drop the effects will be very small.
A good place to get some good general info about this stuff is the tirerack's tech center.
http://www.tirerack.com/about/techcenter.jsp
Also check out the drop-down menu on this page:
http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/t...jsp?techid=115
Some good test results here than can help you make your decision:
http://www.tirerack.com/suspension/testing.jsp
That's about all I can think of right now lol.