basics
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basics
hi, can somebody pls. explain to me the basics on what to do when changing your car's wheels. i mean the lowering, suspensions, and the shock absorber stuffs. what's to and not to do. i'm really not familliar to those things (shock absorber, coilover, suspensions, etc.) so i would really be glad if someone would take the time out to explain these things to me. btw, i'm changing my wheels from 15 to 17. thanks again.
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Joined: Sep 2000
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From: CO
Well, I'll take a stab at this; although, I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for. :happysad:
The consensus is that if you lower your car by putting coilovers or lowering springs on, you need to also upgrade your struts because the OEM struts can't handle the shorter travel very long and will eventually fail (sooner than later). Changing your wheels does not imply that you HAVE to upgrade your springs/struts, but a car with stock suspension and 17" wheels looks goofy.
Shock absorber (aka strut) is the shaft inside of the spring. It keeps the car from bouncing up and down and never stopping when you hit a bump. It "absorbs" the movement of the car (up and down).
Coilover is has a couple of meanings. First, civic's/integra's (and others') suspension setup is referred to as a coilover system because the coil (or spring) sits over (or outside of) the strut. Second, the aftermarket 'coilover' comes as two different kinds of products, both give you the ability to adjust the ride height of your car by moving the adjuster up or down the threaded sleeve (see pics). One is a 'system' that comes as a strut and coil as one assembly. Commonly known manufactures of such systems are JIC, Tein, Apexi, and many more. Here's a picture of one of Tein's coilover systems:
The other is a 'kit' that is just a threaded sleeve with a coil (or spring). Commonly known manufacturers of such kits are Skunk2, GroundControl, and numerous cheaper brands usually seen on Ebay for ridiculously low prices. Here's a picture of the Skunk2 coilover kit:
Suspension is the term used to describe all of the components on the car that make up the suspension. I.E. lower control arms (LCAs), springs, struts, upper-A-arms, braces, etc.
I hope that clears up some questions.
The consensus is that if you lower your car by putting coilovers or lowering springs on, you need to also upgrade your struts because the OEM struts can't handle the shorter travel very long and will eventually fail (sooner than later). Changing your wheels does not imply that you HAVE to upgrade your springs/struts, but a car with stock suspension and 17" wheels looks goofy.
Shock absorber (aka strut) is the shaft inside of the spring. It keeps the car from bouncing up and down and never stopping when you hit a bump. It "absorbs" the movement of the car (up and down).
Coilover is has a couple of meanings. First, civic's/integra's (and others') suspension setup is referred to as a coilover system because the coil (or spring) sits over (or outside of) the strut. Second, the aftermarket 'coilover' comes as two different kinds of products, both give you the ability to adjust the ride height of your car by moving the adjuster up or down the threaded sleeve (see pics). One is a 'system' that comes as a strut and coil as one assembly. Commonly known manufactures of such systems are JIC, Tein, Apexi, and many more. Here's a picture of one of Tein's coilover systems:
The other is a 'kit' that is just a threaded sleeve with a coil (or spring). Commonly known manufacturers of such kits are Skunk2, GroundControl, and numerous cheaper brands usually seen on Ebay for ridiculously low prices. Here's a picture of the Skunk2 coilover kit:
Suspension is the term used to describe all of the components on the car that make up the suspension. I.E. lower control arms (LCAs), springs, struts, upper-A-arms, braces, etc.
I hope that clears up some questions.
