S14 suspension questions

[silver420sx]

I have some basic suspension questions that I was hoping to get some help with.

I have an S14 with KYB AGX's (adjustable dampening, not ride height). Im running 18x9.5 +22 wheels with 225/40's up front and 255/35 rear. Aside from Tein tie rod ends (outers), the rest of my suspension is stock. The purpose of the car is to be a mean daily driver- a 100% street car. Ride quality is very important to me, and the roads around here can be pretty s*** at times. I recently had an alignment done, and the shop that did it recommended that i buy adjustable RUCA's, as well as camber plates for the front. My camber on the front was -1.9 on one side and -1.3 on the other.

Here are my questions:

1. I know what camber plates are, but ive only really ever seen them used on nicer coilovers.. what are my options for a spring/strut combo? Will they allow me to correct my camber problem? How concerned should I be with my camber not matching L+R?

2. I'd like to drop the front of the car just a smidge more. The KYB AGX's arent a very aggressive drop, and Ive still got about an inch of wheel gap on the fronts, and probably a half inch in the rear. Im ok with a little wheel gap, as Im not trying for the "slammed" look. Like I said, ride quality is key. Im looking to go about a half inch lower. I know my three basic options are cut the springs, replace the springs with different ones, or buy coils for the front. Cutting the springs is known by all to be about the most ghetto thing you can do- but ive talked to some people that say if you only cut like one ring off and dont go crazy, the ride doesnt suffer terribly. Since Im only looking to go a 1/2" lower, i didnt rule this out as a possibility. Can anyone offer input on this? I'm not opposed to replacing the springs up front, but I'm unsure of how to go about shopping for them. Im not 100% sure what springs i currently have, so with no basis of comparison, I dont want to buy springs that are either too low or too stiff. As for coils, I know this is the ideal setup for adjustability, but coilovers are notorious for being a rough ride. If I went this route, id be pretty nervous shelling out 3-500 bucks for a pair of coils only to have them not be what I want. Money is also a big factor- if I could achieve the same, or near the same ride quality without having to get coils, obviously that'd be my first choice.

3. RUCA's- I know what they are as well, but have never shopped for them before. I have NO idea what to look for when buying them. I'm completely done with Megan racing, so please dont recommend anything by them. Looking for legitimate parts, not knock off s***. Ill post up my rear specs from the alignment in a bit, but I'm just trying to get an idea of how high on the priority list these should be (ive got a leaky rear main seal on my KA and an SR waiting in my garage, so Im trying to get the finances together to swap the SR in before my leaky rear main causes me to not be able to drive my car anymore). Since this is a daily, i cant really afford any down time.

Thanks a ton for any insight or suggestions.

[REDLN]

I don't know much as far as cutting or selecting springs to fit your bill. i do know which sus arms to buy. Imo go with spl you can't beat what they do with their arms bro. Even though battle version and kazame are even with spl from what i see. Spl wins simple buy they are made in the USA, their cs, warrenty/ turn around time, and their made in the usa i love saying that. i have spl ruca's and toe arms i'll tell you i love em bro. If you get ruca also get toe arms and have em lined up at the same time bro. this is just my opinion.

[Hoffman5982]

If you have kyb's with oem springs, then you aren't really dropping your car any.

3-500 for coilovers isn't going to get you even decent ones. expect to pay 800+, 1000+ if you want soft ride quality. As far as arms, I have godspeed RUCAs. They do just fine for me, and if your just planning on daily driving with little to no track time(although people have tracked them and they did fine) they are a good low priced option. Everyones going to tell you to go with the $400 arms, but if you aren't driving the sh** out of your car, there's absolutely no need.

I used to have Tokiko blue struts with eibach pro springs. They ride quality felt about as soft as oem. I now have stance lx coilovers, and theyre great for dd, but they will cost you 1100 bucks. If you choose struts/springs over coils, I recommend new sway bars if you want less body roll

[Gabes13]

Sounds like you have stock springs. Get some Rsr springs or something similar for a small drop. That "should" suit your needs. Maybe a sway bar too. For camber plates, check out Tein. They have some front pillowball camber plates. If you're feeling baller, get some HKS camber/caster plates. A little more money, but they adjust caster too. As for rucas, you might want to invest in a pair. Everyone and their mother will say SPL is the best, so check them out if you have the cash. Part shop max, Peak Performance and Battle Version are all good too. Check out some of our sponsor for product info and pricing

[silver420sx]

If you have kyb's with oem springs, then you aren't really dropping your car any.

3-500 for coilovers isn't going to get you even decent ones. expect to pay 800+, 1000+ if you want soft ride quality. As far as arms, I have godspeed RUCAs. They do just fine for me, and if your just planning on daily driving with little to no track time(although people have tracked them and they did fine) they are a good low priced option. Everyones going to tell you to go with the $400 arms, but if you aren't driving the sh** out of your car, there's absolutely no need.

I used to have Tokiko blue struts with eibach pro springs. They ride quality felt about as soft as oem. I now have stance lx coilovers, and theyre great for dd, but they will cost you 1100 bucks. If you choose struts/springs over coils, I recommend new sway bars if you want less body roll

Theyre not OEM springs, their Eibachs. They dropped the car about an inch. Im looking to go down another half inch. I know theyre Eibach springs, im just not sure if theyre sportlines or what.

$3-500 was my price for FRONT coilovers. My rear is fine, I dont need to upgrade those at the moment, as I dont need the extra adjustability back there. It'd be nice to have, but $1000 for coils just isnt gonna happen right now. $300 for front coils probably cant even happen right now to be honest. My last setup was the tokico blues with tein springs.. these feel almost the same, maybe a hair lower.

As for the godspeed arms, I'm good on that. After having a Megan Racing tension rod completely snap on me in under 2 months, I just dont trust these knockoff companies for suspension components. I know lots of guys run em, but safety is important to me. The last thing i want is a suspension part failing on me during my daily commute, of which 90% of it is spent at 80mph+. Ive been there- it sucks. Ill buy stupid parts like radiators or exhausts from knock off companies, but my suspension needs to be legit. (lol, says the kid who's asking about cut springs, hahaha).

I do plan on upgrading my sway bars though- im doing the rear one this week sometime. My buddy has a track s14 with a beefy rear swaybar and wants to go back to stock, so im trading him straight up.

[silver420sx]

Looks like the most common setup for the KYB AGX's is the Eibach Pro-kit, so I would assume that's what i've got. Based off of that, can anyone recommend a spring that will drop me about another 1/2"? The pro-kit is supposed to be just a little lower than stock. But I had sportlines on my integra back in the day and it was SLAMMED. Not looking to go THAT low, if thats how the sportlines are for 240's. Im looking for the middle ground between pro-kit and sportlines.

[numbnuts240]

Ill buy stupid parts like radiators from knock off companies, but my suspension needs to be legit.

your logic seems a tad flawed. i, personally, haven't bought any after market suspension products, but i hear too many amazing reviews about spl products.

[silver420sx]

Ill buy stupid parts like radiators from knock off companies, but my suspension needs to be legit.

your logic seems a tad flawed. i, personally, haven't bought any after market suspension products, but i hear too many amazing reviews about spl products.

Hows that flawed? An exhaust is an exhaust, if its made improperly or doesnt fit right, its not the end of the world. Either make it fit, or bite the bullet. Thats the risk you take when you buy a knockoff part. I can afford that risk on something like an exhaust, because im confident in my abilities to make it work if it doesnt fit. That, and the fact that im not RELYING on it to keep me safe. I mean, I'm relying on my radiator to keep my motor safe, but with knockoff rads, you usually know right away if somethings not right. Either it leaks, or it doesnt, and Mishimoto has gotten much better over the years. I dont know if you could even consider them knockoff anymore. Plus with an ECT gauge, I'd know if something went wrong while driving it.

Anyway, point being- Ill buy knockoffs that dont compromise safety. Suspension components are safety related, and Ive already had bad experiences with brands that make knockoffs. You know what they say- "Do it once, do it right."

[silver420sx]

Also, Ive noticed that at high speeds when i hit a bump, the rear wobbles a little bit. Nothing drastic or anything, just a little wobble. It'd probably make me a little nervous if i felt it at 120+, but I never drive that fast. But just out of curiousity, this is something a rear sway bar would help with?

[silver420sx]

Bippity boppity bump

[Amtk240]

Also, Ive noticed that at high speeds when i hit a bump, the rear wobbles a little bit. Nothing drastic or anything, just a little wobble. It'd probably make me a little nervous if i felt it at 120+, but I never drive that fast. But just out of curiousity, this is something a rear sway bar would help with?

It seems as if your car is trying to tell you it wants to get sideways!

Sway bar may help a little, but a bump is a bump and the stiffer your car is, the more you will be able to feel the effects of hitting a bump.

[silver420sx]

Also, Ive noticed that at high speeds when i hit a bump, the rear wobbles a little bit. Nothing drastic or anything, just a little wobble. It'd probably make me a little nervous if i felt it at 120+, but I never drive that fast. But just out of curiousity, this is something a rear sway bar would help with?

It seems as if your car is trying to tell you it wants to get sideways!

Sway bar may help a little, but a bump is a bump and the stiffer your car is, the more you will be able to feel the effects of hitting a bump.

I mean, its not like a normal bump wobble. Its almost like a "shimmy." The back end feels like it wobbles side to side, whereas the front tracks completely straight. I can stiffen up my AGX's (and the difference from one setting to another is quite noticable), but it doesnt seem to affect the rear end wobbling at higher speeds. Its subtle, but i've driven this car for 45k miles, so i know how it drives pretty well.. Ive just never had a car wobble side to side like that before.

[numbnuts240]

something is loose. maybe your subframe bushings are completely shot. a sway bar won't fix a shimmy, it'll reduce body roll.

[fiznowler]

something is loose. maybe your subframe bushings are completely shot. a sway bar won't fix a shimmy, it'll reduce body roll.

Listen to this guy^

[numbnuts240]

something is loose. maybe your subframe bushings are completely shot. a sway bar won't fix a shimmy, it'll reduce body roll.

Listen to this guy^

in general, probably the WORST advice you can ever give someone. every once in a while, it's ok, but mostly not.

[fiznowler]

Meh.... I generally am on the same page as you are and I am still alive. These little red blister/bump things are starting to worry me though.

[silver420sx]

something is loose. maybe your subframe bushings are completely shot. a sway bar won't fix a shimmy, it'll reduce body roll.

Awesome, thanks. Is there a definitive way to tell if the subframe bushings are shot? I mean- if i get underneath it and look, it should be pretty obvious to me? Or do i need to take it apart to tell? Is there anything else I should look for specifically?

I really appreciate the help, by the way.

[numbnuts240]

they come and go, i wouldn't worry too much.

[numbnuts240]

something is loose. maybe your subframe bushings are completely shot. a sway bar won't fix a shimmy, it'll reduce body roll.

Awesome, thanks. Is there a definitive way to tell if the subframe bushings are shot? I mean- if i get underneath it and look, it should be pretty obvious to me? Or do i need to take it apart to tell? Is there anything else I should look for specifically?

I really appreciate the help, by the way.

they'll probably be all cracked and s*** looking. it's a pita, from what i've read, to do the subframe bushings, but totally worth it. my car feels solid, and it's all oem, but i still want to do mine, i just don't have the time.

[silver420sx]

Think itd be easier to pick up a used subframe, put the bushings in that, and swap it in? I have to basically drop the subframe to do the bushings anyway right?

[numbnuts240]

easier? no. less downtime for the car? yes.