Ground Control on S14

[hpmachine]

So I want to lower my car. I'll be perfectly honest and say that it is mainly for aesthetics. I don't auto-x and *GASP* I don't drift... LOL. Once in a while I drag race (yes at the track). That being said, I think most coilover setups are not what I want. Tein Basics seem okay because they have a relatively low spring rate and I could drop the car to my satisfaction. But 6kg/mm at all 4 corners still seems high for me because I'm daily driving on NJ roads and I don't want my ribs knocking together. So I'm very interested in the Ground Control setups. Mainly because I can still get low spring rates. BUT they can only drop your car 2" at max. I'm assuming you could go lower but you'll risk blowing your shocks. Is that correct? The other thing I've read is that most people prefer the Koni Yellows with the GC setup. But that might be a tad out of my price range right now. How do you think the agx's will hold up? How about the cheaper (and unadjustable) GR2's? Out of curiosity, what is the difference between those cheap ebay coilover sleeves and the GC sleeves? I'm sure the springs are the main difference but what else? Oh yeah... what if I bought a set of Tein basics... could I swap out the stiffer springs for a set of softer Eibach springs with the same height and i.d.???
Modified by hpmachine at 8:10 PM 3/18/2008

[float_6969]

Are you wanting adjustability in the ride height, or do you want to lower it and leave it?

If you're ok with just lowering it and not raising it back up, I'd go with a spring and strut combo.

The Sportline AGX combo is tried and true, but kind of on the stiff side. Prokits are much more friendly, but don't lower nearly as much. Even if you did just go with the GC (ground control) coilovers and go with a regular aftermarket strut, I think you'd be alright.

I'd stick to the real GC stuff though. The GR2's aren't really much of an upgrade vs. stock. The AGX's are the way to go for a "plug-n-play" strut. If you don't mind a little fabrication, the Konis are MUCH nicer and you'll be REALLY happy with them.

Cheap and easy = prokit/H&R/etc + AGX'sSlightly nicer ride and quality, change the AGX's to Koni's.

Hope that helps.

[hpmachine]

Thanks for the input. The spring and strut combo would be ideal for me because I'd like to 'set it and forget it'. However I am willing to use an adjustable suspension to get the look I'm after. Most after-market springs will only drop the front of an s14 about 2" at most. I'd like to be able to go another 1/2" lower. But I don't want crazy stiff springs. I guess I'm trying to have my cake and eat it too. Has anyone ever done anything like buy a set of coilovers with say 8k/6k springs and swapped the springs for something softer? Kinda like frankenstein coilovers?

[float_6969]

Going that low with a stock strut just isn't feasable long term. It may work for a while, but you'll shorten the life of the strut. AFAIK, the sportlines will get you down pretty close to that, but you'll have to trim/remove the bump-stop.

Also remember that at a 2.5" drop you're now needing camber adjustment as well.

[hpmachine]

Ok thanks for sticking with me on this. I'm thinking more seriously of buying some entry level coilovers and swapping softer springs onto them. Like buying a set of Megan streets and then putting softer springs on them from Swift or Eibach. Like maybe 4K front / 3k rear... I guess the question then becomes, will the valving be able to handle the new spring rates? I'm a little unclear on this. Would the softer springs be easier or harder on those? They are adjustable so would it matter? Oh.. here's a little side note. I ran sportlines and gr2s on my s13 for 25000miles with NO problems. Granted I didn't drift or auto-x it but it withstood the daily abuse of NJ roads with no problems. Was I just lucky?

[float_6969]

The problem with most off the shelf coilovers is the compression is WAY to high, and it's not usually adjustable. The rebound is what you adjust. Going to a softer spring on a dampener that's got too much compression is going to be hard on the dampaner. Basically the dampener is going to start acting as your spring. This will cause the fluid to get hot after a while and the performance of the dampener will fail.

What was wrong with your sportline/GR2 combo?