Lower my civic?

[LXDriver]

What do you guys think I should lower my civic with? Because I do want to lower it cause its sitting in 15's @ OEM height but I am also on a bubget, so it kinda has a catch. I also dont want to lower it a lot so that I have to go around speed bumps and all that stuff. Please help with some suggestions guys.
This is my baby right here. (sorry 'bout the wallet on the hood, didnt c it there when I took the pic)

Some of the things I got planned for it are: (nothing big)
5% tint on all back windows
About 20% tint on fronts
Exhaust (muffler)
K/N or AEM CAI

 

[bud6770]

Just a muffler and dark tint? oh no, this is all wrong.

Anyway F&F are good budget coilovers.

 

[ekracer_83]

how much are you looking to spend? coilovers are good, they just happen to butterfly your wheels and then you gotta spend more money to get camber kit to adjust to keep the wheels straight. for the rear wheels, you can do the washer trick. i got mines for 300 off from ebay which is ground control. i said save the money and buy some good set when you have enough money. it' will be worth your money and time.

 

[Kensai]

Forget all of the things you got planned for it cause it's a big mistake. Just lower it instead. Function Forms Type 1s are about $600...

 

[EK|B]

You can also resort to springs if you don't want adjustability.

 

[ocdjg]

If you want to lower your car but on the cheap you got a couple of options.

1. Get some SI springs. They will drop you .25 - .5" lower than stock.
2. Get Eibach Pros. That will get you about 1-1.25" drop over stock.

I've had the Eibachs paired with my stock shocks and I never once had a problem. However for a true performance oriented suspension that is not the best route to go for. If you are looking for pure performance than a good coilover system would be needed.

As for your other ideas my advice is to NOT throw on a muffler and call it a day. There is no reason to throw in a large muffler to you stock piping other than to be loud and annoying. If you are not planning on going F/I I see no reason to mess with the stock exhaust at all. For the CAI, that will get you very minimal HP gains if any by itself. To really help you car breathe you would need to then upgrade your headers and exhaust as well. But again, those gains are minimal and not worth it imo if not going F/I. As for the tint, I say go for it. Having just the rear tinted and the fronts not tinted sucks (even though thats the legal way).

 

[LXDriver]

Thanks guys about the options to lower my ride, but now I want to know the difference between coilovers and just springs, what is better for just a daily driver. And the other things I want to do to it (for example the muffler) are simple little things cause my civic is just that, a DD. And about what ocdjg said about the headers, I dont know if you can do that stuff here in cali and still keep the car street legal

 

[ocdjg]

Thanks guys about the options to lower my ride, but now I want to know the difference between coilovers and just springs, what is better for just a daily driver. And the other things I want to do to it (for example the muffler) are simple little things cause my civic is just that, a DD. And about what ocdjg said about the headers, I dont know if you can do that stuff here in cali and still keep the car street legal

Coilovers = adjustable and way more customizable = more $$$ ($1000+)

Lowering Springs = non adjustable and may require performance shocks (depending on brand and who you talk to = cheaper than coilovers ($100-$500 for springs only average)

In my case I just wanted a lower looking ride and not a handling beast. The Prokits were perfect. They dropped my ride, and I never had a problem with my stock shocks. The handling seemed to have improved slightly too. IMO this is a good option if money is tight and you are not looking for a vast difference in handling performance.

 

[96EJ6EX]

Cali is real strict on what you can do with your car. Putting a full exhaust on your car can be good if you get the right stuff. It has to have a cat converter and your headlights have to be a certain height above the ground. Coilovers are better for a DD because you can soften them up and lower your car. Lowering springs are going to make your car bounce in the long run.

 

[ocdjg]

Cali is real strict on what you can do with your car. Putting a full exhaust on your car can be good if you get the right stuff. It has to have a cat converter and your headlights have to be a certain height above the ground. Coilovers are better for a DD because you can soften them up and lower your car. Lowering springs are going to make your car bounce in the long run.

I somewhat disagree. Any change to your stock suspension will yield a different feel altogether. To me, my ride was not bouncy at all. In fact it felt less bouncy than stock. However the ride was harsher than stock, but thats what your going to get when you throw in a stiffer spring or coilover.

And yes Cali sucks when it comes to mods. The only way a mod like headers or an intake are legal in Cali is if they have a C.A.R.B. exempt sticker or stamp on them. I know AEM is CARB legal.

 

[LXDriver]

Ok then, I think springs are a good choice based on the info here. Do any of you guys think ebay springs are good or not? cause they are around 50-60 bucks and I think they are a good price, but first opinions are better than jumping the gun

 

[whoopnip]

Do any of you guys think ebay springs are good or not?

No. Generally eBay springs feel like you have a sack of rocks for a suspension system.

 

[EK|B]

lol don't listen to the guy that told you to get Si springs. They might even raise your car. Reason being that the rates are different to hold up the heavier B series engine that the Si's have. You most likely have a much lighter D, I hope you can figure out the rest.

 

[obracer12]

ground controls and koni's.. best bang for the buck with being adjustable and ride quality just my 2 cents

 

[UCCRacing]

Slap a set of Eibach's on it, get an Alignment and BE DONE...No need for all the other junk UNLESS you want it slammed... MY 2 Cents

They are easy to install and designed to work just FINE with your stock suspension set up...

Ebay Springs = FAIL

 

[CamelNo.9]

lol don't listen to the guy that told you to get Si springs. They might even raise your car. Reason being that the rates are different to hold up the heavier B series engine that the Si's have. You most likely have a much lighter D, I hope you can figure out the rest.

Si springs will definitely push your front end up. I had the same problem with a small-block Chevelle when I put big-block springs on it; the thing stuck way up and drove terribly. You could, of course, get the Si springs anyway, then get a massive body kit that scrapes the pavement to make it look lower

 

[XeroReboot]

I had my coil-over so low that i could barely fit a finger between the tire and the fender, it looked GREAT, but dammit the slightest pothole, rock, hell even a bug would make the wheel smash the wheel-well and it was annoying as hell, not to mention sharp turns would snag on the fender as well. Just make sure for drivability purposes if nothing else you don't go too low. I had to have them raised a bit, now I can get about a finger and a half in between the tire and fender, still looks smooth, but the handing and rubbing issues are gone. Just keep it in mind.

 

[EK|B]

Si springs will definitely push your front end up. I had the same problem with a small-block Chevelle when I put big-block springs on it; the thing stuck way up and drove terribly. You could, of course, get the Si springs anyway, then get a massive body kit that scrapes the pavement to make it look lower

Good posting.

 

[whoopnip]

I had my coil-over so low that i could barely fit a finger between the tire and the fender, it looked GREAT, but dammit the slightest pothole, rock, hell even a bug would make the wheel smash the wheel-well and it was annoying as hell, not to mention sharp turns would snag on the fender as well. Just make sure for drivability purposes if nothing else you don't go too low. I had to have them raised a bit, now I can get about a finger and a half in between the tire and fender, still looks smooth, but the handing and rubbing issues are gone. Just keep it in mind.

Have you tried rolling the fenders?

 

[Sweet-N-Sour]

just go looking at people's ride and see or ask what their drop on and see if that kind of a drop is suited for you. I asked a member about his h&r sport, and it just about made up my mind on which springs i want. haven't ordered yet though, Lol