hello,
I am 17 years old and just bought my EM2
I am thinking about lowering my car, but I want it done right. It is a 2002 ex coupe 5 speed stick. It is bone stock for now but I am getting ready to start putting money into my car. So far I love my car to death, but i want to know what to use to lower it.
Do I need lowering springs and struts, or should I just get coilovers? I want to drop my car 1.5"-2.0" max. I know with that kind of a lower that I should get a camber kit front and rear.
I would appreciate any help out there for my car. Also help with picking out wheels for summer and winter.
I have no problem spending the money over time to make my look good and to make sure that it will keep up the same reliability that the civic is known for.
What's your budget? That will help narrow down your search greatly.
They cost the same because they offer the same results and performance (generally speaking) out of your choices you posted, the skunk 2 would be better than tein basics. Like others will tell you, there are better setups out there than the basics. Tein was one the first to make a big impact as an easily available coilover in America with great quality and with supply and demand its overly priced with todays competition.
Choosing between a full bodied coilover or a strut and coilover sleeve combo comes down to the specific specs you need out of the system. One is not better than the other.
They aren't the same. The Skunk2 spring rate is way too high for the Tokico HP struts. The ride would really suck with that combination. The Tein's would actually be a better choice if you're comparing those 2. But yes, there are better setups out on the market than Tein's. They are OK, but just over priced for what they are.
I don't see why you would need adjustability, UNLESS you plan on dropping it really low in the summer, and then raising it up in the winter. If this is the case - yes, go with some sort of adjustable coilovers (full or sleeve).
As far as camber kits go, I couldn't tell you. When I lowered my car, it was recommended to get camber kits if you dropped lower than 1.5", but recently I've been hearing a lot of people say that you don't need them. Do some more research and see what people are saying. If you intend to go low, talk to people who have done it, and see what they did (I personally have front and rear camber kits).
IMO, unless you're driving a tracked car, or need to raise up for winter snow and go really low in the summer, they're just not worth it.
People need to be aware that although you may be able to adjust your ride height at any time with coilovers, you will need an alignment whenever you do so. Raising or lowering affects camber which also affects toe. Your best bet is to find the right height for you, get it aligned, and leave it.
Camber kits are a bit more necessary for the 7th gens and up because of the MacPherson suspension. So that "don't need camber kits when lowered" does not apply to every car. I could get away with being 2" lower on my 4th, 5th, or 6th gen Civics with out a camber kit(which I have room to speak on since all of those cars are in my possession and are lowered with no camber kits), but if I had a 7th gen, I'd consider one at that height or lower (might get an alignment first and see what the specs are before I made a decision, but that's me).
@ joe, I am thinking about going down 2.00" max. Would that height be ok if using my car as a DD? And if I do a strut and spring combo, what do you suggest for a good set up on a DD. I want to put 17" wheels on in summer and then 15" steelies on in the winter.
So would 2" be high enough to clear both sets of wheels?
And also, are there users who have an em2 that are lowered with a good stance? Your car looks great, I want it to look something like that
Lowering 2" would be fine. May sound like a lot but it's not that bad. Sure you have to take a little extra caution driving around but it's really not that low.
As for wheels and clearance, that really depends on the width and offset of the wheels, not so much the ride height.
