on a budget...need opinion on shocks/struts
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
on a budget...need opinion on shocks/struts
i've did a little research and i've found that many of you guys would spend more money for the best quality of struts/shocks. however, i'm on a tight budget and my car is only for commuting. my shocks are out and i need to replace them, however i'm unsure of what to invest in. i guess my budget is $250. what is the best strut/shocks that i can get with that price? i was going to get some tokico blues for about $220 shipped but was reading on here and began to doubt them. or should i just get the kyb gr-2 for alot less?
my car is a 96 civic ex coupe, lowered on generic coilovers, lowered about 2". another thing is that when i lowered my car, i broke the strut nut on top, of the driver side strut, due to too much psi on the air gun. at the time i didn't have time or money to buy a new one so i went to pick-n-pull and got a strut from a 92-95 civic. i noticed that when i completely drop the car to the max, the driver side was still lower than the passenger. i drove it for a while like that and i noticed my driver side rear tire began cupping (had uneven tread). i'm thinking its because of the 92-95 strut on the driver side front and the unbalance of the car? is this the cause of the cupping? and if i get new struts would i have the same problem again?
so things i want to know:
1. best struts/shocks under $250 for commuting
2. will cupping be eliminated after shock replacement?
3. how bad is it after installing skunk2 front camber kits? how far and fast can i drive after installation and before alignment?
any help would be great....
my car is a 96 civic ex coupe, lowered on generic coilovers, lowered about 2". another thing is that when i lowered my car, i broke the strut nut on top, of the driver side strut, due to too much psi on the air gun. at the time i didn't have time or money to buy a new one so i went to pick-n-pull and got a strut from a 92-95 civic. i noticed that when i completely drop the car to the max, the driver side was still lower than the passenger. i drove it for a while like that and i noticed my driver side rear tire began cupping (had uneven tread). i'm thinking its because of the 92-95 strut on the driver side front and the unbalance of the car? is this the cause of the cupping? and if i get new struts would i have the same problem again?
so things i want to know:
1. best struts/shocks under $250 for commuting
2. will cupping be eliminated after shock replacement?
3. how bad is it after installing skunk2 front camber kits? how far and fast can i drive after installation and before alignment?
any help would be great....
Member
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
From: Northern VA
Hey Tuby,
I was in the same situation as you about a year ago -- I have a 98 Civic that I use for commuting and my shocks were out and needed replacing too. If $ wasn't an issue, of course I'd be a) driving a different car or b) suspension of my choice. BUT I'd much rather invest mods in my IS300 than my Civic so I went the Tokico Blue shocks/spring combo on eBay. I previously had Tokico blues on my 5th gen Accord and didn't have much complaints about them especially for the $ I paid for them. I also got a set of Omni Power camber kits from eBay too. All in all, not bad especially for the price I paid. It's not as low as I wanted but def much better than stock height.
So to answer your questions:
1) To my knowledge, Tokico blues is your best bet for your $
2) Replacing your shocks should do the trick
3) Depends on your tires -- I've always gotten alignments done everytime I swap out my suspension and have it checked several months later once your shocks/springs settle.
GL man!
I was in the same situation as you about a year ago -- I have a 98 Civic that I use for commuting and my shocks were out and needed replacing too. If $ wasn't an issue, of course I'd be a) driving a different car or b) suspension of my choice. BUT I'd much rather invest mods in my IS300 than my Civic so I went the Tokico Blue shocks/spring combo on eBay. I previously had Tokico blues on my 5th gen Accord and didn't have much complaints about them especially for the $ I paid for them. I also got a set of Omni Power camber kits from eBay too. All in all, not bad especially for the price I paid. It's not as low as I wanted but def much better than stock height.
So to answer your questions:
1) To my knowledge, Tokico blues is your best bet for your $
2) Replacing your shocks should do the trick
3) Depends on your tires -- I've always gotten alignments done everytime I swap out my suspension and have it checked several months later once your shocks/springs settle.
GL man!
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
great...thanks bro...hey, another question...integra shocks will fit civic's right? just that i won't use the oil hose brackets? don't know why but integra shocks cost less than civic on ebay...tokico blues 90-93 integra and 94+?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 14
Likes: 0
ok...i got my shocks but i ran into a problem...
hey guys, i need help. i decided to go with the tokico blues due to limited funds and daily commuting only. i bought a set of tokico hp's for a 90-93 integra and when i went to install them, my stock wishbone, where the shock goes into, is too big and won't safely secure the shock. do i have to get an integra wishbone and can it fit my stock civic LCA or should i just sell the shocks?
also, i bought a set, will the back fit perfectly or do i have to do some modifications....i stopped once i noticed that the wishbone was too big for the tokico shock....
hey guys, i need help. i decided to go with the tokico blues due to limited funds and daily commuting only. i bought a set of tokico hp's for a 90-93 integra and when i went to install them, my stock wishbone, where the shock goes into, is too big and won't safely secure the shock. do i have to get an integra wishbone and can it fit my stock civic LCA or should i just sell the shocks?
also, i bought a set, will the back fit perfectly or do i have to do some modifications....i stopped once i noticed that the wishbone was too big for the tokico shock....
EM1 Crew member #74
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 890
Likes: 0
ok...i got my shocks but i ran into a problem...
hey guys, i need help. i decided to go with the tokico blues due to limited funds and daily commuting only. i bought a set of tokico hp's for a 90-93 integra and when i went to install them, my stock wishbone, where the shock goes into, is too big and won't safely secure the shock. do i have to get an integra wishbone and can it fit my stock civic LCA or should i just sell the shocks?
also, i bought a set, will the back fit perfectly or do i have to do some modifications....i stopped once i noticed that the wishbone was too big for the tokico shock....
hey guys, i need help. i decided to go with the tokico blues due to limited funds and daily commuting only. i bought a set of tokico hp's for a 90-93 integra and when i went to install them, my stock wishbone, where the shock goes into, is too big and won't safely secure the shock. do i have to get an integra wishbone and can it fit my stock civic LCA or should i just sell the shocks?
also, i bought a set, will the back fit perfectly or do i have to do some modifications....i stopped once i noticed that the wishbone was too big for the tokico shock....
Sell them and get the correct ones.