DON’T BUY LOWERING SPRINGS | Here's why
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- čas přidán 26. 08. 2019
- Lowering springs are the most affordable way to lower your car. But just throwing some lowered springs onto your stock suspension isn’t necessarily going to give you the performance benefits you are looking for.
In this video, I discuss why it’s so important to pair lowering springs with matching shocks and struts. I’ll also talk about the advantages of fully adjustable coilovers and why you might consider those instead.
BMW 330xi suspension/ wheels:
H&R Sport lowering springs
Bilstein B8 shocks and struts
VMR V801 19x8.5 +35 front, 19x9.5 +35 rear
Continental ExtremeContact DWS 06 235/35/19 front, 265/30/19 rear
Scion FR-S suspension/ wheels:
Tein Flex Z coilovers
Cosmis XT-206R 17x8 +30
Continental ExtremeContact Sport 225/45/R17
#suspension
Bilstein shocks and struts courtesy of www.fcpeuro.com
Tein coilovers courtesy of www.kiesmotorsports.com
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I've been on Tein springs with factory struts for over 2 years with no issues. It rides near stock comfort. Springs are perfectly fine for a daily. This video needs to be labeled "Cheap Springs are bad"
Thats what im sayin bro, lol. These fools be trippen. Im on d2 and have lost zero to no comfortability..
Yeah I have a 04 impala ss with Eibach lowering springs and put them in 3 months ago and it rides 10 times better and has way better handling... I can go 80 on an on ramp compared to 40-50
Just bought my Teins for my eclipse Spyder lol
Also depends on if you got it new or used. If the previous owner beat the shit out the car for 80k miles all on stock suspension then sold it to somebody that immediately threw some Springs on there, those worn shocks are going to be much more prevalent
@@mattm5786 thanks for this because i spun out on an onramp once lmfao
If your on a budget i rather do shocks and springs than buying cheap coilovers 🤔
Whittleturtle _ ^^^ this is super important
Where can I go to find shocks and springs? I have a 2015 golf and I want to lower it 1 1/2 inches.
Exactly I rather buy springs and shocks to lower the car a bit than buy cheap coilvers that can be blown anytime
But if want better coilovers have to pay for a high price
Shocks for my slow ass Veloster are 500 bucks and springs are $300 so might as well get some BC coil overs for myself or d2.
This guy is one of the most genuine guys I have seen on youtube. I do a Subaru but I like watching Justins videos
I appreciate that!
Lowering Springs because I drive a non turbo Mazda. Also because I'm 34 with two kids 🥴🥴
Edited: every quarter someone asks what's an NA Mazda 🙄🙄🙄
What springs are you running? And did you get any shocks?
I'd like to know was well. I have a 3i
Me too mate
King springs. I think they're an Australian brand but h and r /eibach seem to be rated better. It was a 12 model
@@ayske1 yep Australian, Eibach would be my go to.
The correct lowering springs will work with an OEM struts and you won’t loose suspension features such as adaptive dampening. You will loose it with coilovers.
I own new Swift sport which is pretty high and pretty comfortable, want tolower it just 2-3cm s ill probably go with Eibach springs. Want just lower look, as much of the same comfort as possible, and if there is advantage of passing through curves better, than OK :) What do you think about it.
Really? because I have a 2015 Lexus GS 350 f-sport and was just thinking about doing RSR superdowns I like using Sport+ mode
Thoughts on GTI springs on a stock Golf suspension? very little difference in ride height in my mind.
Yeah I have adaptive damping and lower springs is the way I am going. I’d bag before I d use coil overs
Yeah like the d2 springs I bought were tested with the factory shocks and struts for my car. 2019 kia optima.
Actually lowering spring paired with the correct shocks will still give you much better performance and handling than cheap coilovers.
This is literally what i've been looking for, the answer, thank you for a simple and straight forward video.
Running H&R springs and Koni shocks on my Legacy GT and couldn’t be happier. Way better than any coilover at the price point of this pair (about $800) and it’s very comfy, looks lowered, and handles better than a cheap coilover from BC or Tein. You lose some of that “riding on rails” feeling you get from using rubber top hats rather than the hard ones on coilovers, but it’s much better for NVH and I’m already at my threshold with an exhaust and engine/trans mounts.
Always so amazed about the video quality it’s insane thank you Justin 🙏🏻
I have the Eibach pro kit lowering springs on a 2018 GTI. Had them installed about a month after purchasing the car brand new, at about 1k miles. It’s a mild drop, about an inch which isn’t really extreme on the stock shocks. Obviously coilovers are better as stated in the video, but wanted to comment that lowering springs will work well too, assuming your shocks and struts are newish. I’m at 20k miles today, and they feel fine. Not too harsh, and still has the new car ride feel.
I'm running bilstein b8 with eibach prokit. I have a new car and was running just the prokit springs. The ride quality wasn't bad since my shocks were still new, but when I swapped out for the bilstein, it was night and day. Ride quality was noticeably improved and can definitely feel it on the rebound.
Very helpful, helped prevent me from just jumping right in to sport lowering springs, going to save the headaches and just go straight to coilovers on my BMW 530
After several years of trying to tuff it out with H&R springs front and rear on my 2012 Fiat 500 I finally had to replace them with my original stock springs. The H&R ride became increasingly more harsh. Even though I replaced the struts and shocks the ride was still very stiff and harsh but less bouncy. It’s a relief now to have restored the stock ride.
Definitely had to get coil-overs for the FRS. Loved the adjustable & easy installation.
Crisp clean well delivered explanation. Thanks.
Great video, literally was thinking of coilovers but was gonna go the cheaper route with lowering springs. I thought man how is the ride quality gonna be and is it worth it in all. This video helped me realize its better to save up and get coilovers. Helpful video man, keep it up
Glad I could help!
Did you buy them
Excellent video! to the point, simple and informational!
Thanks for posting, was thinking of getting h&r springs but after watching this will get bc coilovers.
I had lowering springs on my Ford Ranger years ago and the ride was more unsettling, until I invested in some belltec nitro and it improved quite a bit. I was really in budget at the time
I got Eibach lowering springs, and got new oem shocks and struts at the same time, and was AMAZING on my Mazda 3. No roll, no bounce, stiff, and worked great.
I'm just gonna share my opinion based on what i've experienced. I've had both coilovers and shock plus sport springs and i'll definitely recommend a good set of shock and spring and here ir why:
On one hand you're stucked to the height but on the other hand you're perfectly confortable that the spring rate and the shock will get the best combo you can get because it was projected for the best compromise between ride comfort and performance.
And these examples are for Koni Sport/Bilstein B8 + Eibach Sportline/ Prokit or H&R
When you're buying a coilover you basically buying a set of spring and shock that will have to deal with a large set of height configurations and it will never get the job done like a good set of springs and shocks.
It is just not possible, unless we're talking about a KW or Bilstein or Koni and so on but most of the coilovers will much better give you a good looking car than a comfort and performance balanced setup ;)
Thanks for explaining bro
Great video again 💯🚘
I bought some AGX struts and H&R springs for my 98 Impreza L Coupe. I haven't installed them yet so I've been watching videos about the pros and cons, so thank you for this video.
Watching and understanding the whole video is important 😂! Good advice bro
Great video Justin 👍
Im just looking for aesthetics, i just wanna lower the car. Springs it is!! Just saved myself 1300$
calinikka4life how did it work out?
In about 3 months you will need new shocks. Trust me. Been there done that.
@@jpizel1070 Yo are talking nonsense, you cant generalise like this. There are lowering springs 2cm, there are 5cm and more, thre are different cars, 900kgs, 1800kgs, different susepensions etc.
Just did this, and it runs like Sh*t... lol, definitely should've gone coils.
Yeah i got springs thinking i saved myself 1300$ it rides like Shitt, bouncy , bumps hit hard , gonna look into BC Coils !
i needed this vid in my life lol
Thanks a lot that advice just saved me lots of headache 😊
I like that info on lowering springs.... Cuzz I was 2nd guessing on buying lowering springs. But NOW, I think I'm gonna stick to my 1st decision, Coilovers, all the way bruh! Thanks! Keep up the good work!👍
Been on new h&r race springs paired with new bilstein touring struts and shocks and have had 0 issues. Goal was aesthetic drop without sacrificing ride quality. Perfect pairing imo.
Stuck with the stock ride height and went with the Bilstein B6 for my E90 330i sport package, but love the overall balance. While not as cool looking as your 330i, I'm happy not having to slow to 2mph for driveways or speedbumps and still supple enough for long road trips. Great job with all the videos - even some of these more basic ones!
So you really like the b6 shocks? I want to get eibach pro kit and bilstein b6 shocks for mine. Basically to lower but not be a harsh ride for my 08 330i.
I just installed lowering springs and bought cheap oem generic shocks for my E46, worst decision ever, specially the back end bounces really bad, now I need sport shocks for the back at least (and will pray it matches the spring rate!) you’re absolutely right, save extra money and get the preassembled system
Sad to hear that. So what lowering springs have you put on( any know brand as eibach or h&r or maybe sachs sport?) and your OEM generic shocks are Sachs aluminum?
-Im asking cause I'm exploring options for my e39 stock suspension.
Thanks
Currently considering of lowering my 3.6L Passat, and going to 19" wheels. Great advise! Thanks.
I was considering getting some Eibachs and keeping my current Sachs shocks, but now I realise I should just save up and get the full kit. Thanks, dude ❤❤
kw v1 on my e90xi, just lowered them some more. love it
Thanks for an informative video. I'm looking into some mods on my Mazda 6 2018 stationcar, and with 19" rims, chrome-delete and a bunch of other things, it quickly adds up. I was told that when it being a stationcar, it isn't (in any way) a performance car and the "ride quality" will not suffer that much when using 30mm lowering springs - however, they do wear the shocks faster than buying a complete kit. Coilovers, or shocks and springs are almost 5x or 6x the price of springs - so I'm thinking i'll just go with the springs at first.
Depends on what you want honestly. Springs is good for a daily if you want to lower and keep the ride smooth. Coil overs is if you want to either slamm and or adjust to a perfect fit but it’ll be a much more rough ride imo
Bro lowering springs are fine just buy ones from a reputable brand such as tein and make sure they are designed specifically for your car
Had Eibach Pro kit on B4s, everything installed on the same time. First 2000km ok, after that increased loss of ride quality, traction, premature wear and started to bottom out and bouncing back and forth on bumpy surfaces. Bought later the right dampers for the springs, the B8s. Totally different experience. No bottoming, very controlled ride, superb traction and much better ride quality.
Glad you posted this at 3am, gonna get some coilovers right now
Did you
I want to run tein endurapro plus shocks with tein lower springs on my wrx sti sedan, do you think that us a good setup?
I had kw coilovers but the back always sat 2 low and couldn't go any higher...I now have the B12 pro kit and I love it. Just give them a few days to settle 👍
Love your videos!
Thank you!
Nice video, but I am completely happy with my eibach springs and sways on my wrx and it's done quite a few track days. Only got bouncy after being on for 60k miles, probably dead struts
Got my Bilstein b14 installed on my f33. performance and looks is great i love it .
Nice!
Eibach sportline kit with new KYB Excel-G struts. As you said, I had previously put them on stock shocks and the ride was hella bouncy, so I bought these new KYBs and now the ride comfort is pretty decent. They were also pretty cheap compared to the coilovers :)
Correct springs will work with OEM struts and not cause unneeded wear as long its in the OEM strut travel range. Coilovers are harsher even if you can adjust the dampening, Springs will allow you to keep the OEM ride quality. You also need to consider why you are lowering your car is it for tracking or just closing wheel gap with some cornering improvement. Installing coilovers and living in an area where there are speed bumps, poor roads, potholes, curbs etc will just cause you headaches this is why you would consider springs with OEM ride quality but just be prepared to "eventually replace your struts in another 35K miles or so.
Straight forward and to the point. thank you for this
You'll be alright with factory shocks and struts on lowering springs.
Yh its and if its ur first car u dont wana spend more on suspension than ur car
If the shocks are in good condition and the springs are not too low, then yes
If u ain't track racing your vehicle lowering springs work just fine
@@ao8271 LOL YE.
You will be alright until you realize it was a bad decision and go back to stock. They hurt performance just for looks.
Ran hr springs and matching struts shocks on my old e36 loved it. Now running hr race springs and konis with adjustable camber plates and adjustable rear control and toe arms in my e39 540i love it. Spent more on it that I could've gotten a decent set of coilovers but the way my e36 was I kept with springs and matching struts
2 years with godspeed springs on my 2014 Hyundai sonata no issues yet and ride didn’t change much at all, but thank you for the advice!
Answered my questions I thought I needed springs and the coilovers you actually just saved me a ton of cash 👍
Good information.
I have Eibach suspension on my e90. It sits really nice and i do get a lot of compliments on it. The ride quality is absolutely amazing and my car loves the corners. Literally no body roll at all. No problems with it in the 3 years i’ve had it. The only con is i am pretty low, but i got used to it, just have to remember not to fly over a speed bump lol.
What shocks do you have?
Cosmin C I believe Bilstein shocks with Eibach lowering springs. Rode incredibly well for the money. Sadly sold the car though.
What do you think of Sachs shocks with the same springs? They recommend standard or sport springs on this model of shocks. I don't have the budget for Bilstein shocks and I only want sport springs just for the look.
Hi Justin,
A couple years ago as an experiment I bought a set of lowering springs brand Megan Racing from Amazon for my 2009 E90. Let me tell you that for $150 totally worth it, Im riding 1.8" lower than before and the ride is very comfortable.
What shocks did you use if you dont mind me asking you?
The video was very helpful, coilovers 👍🏾
Casually filming in your underwear!
You're hilarious man! haha
I was debating on whether or not to leave that part in lol
Dont push yourself so much😅 Your videos are great in your casual way.
haha
Just ordered ARK springs for my 13 Genesis. Can’t wait to see how she looks
Had 40 mm lowering springs on my prelude 97. Had 400 xxx km on it. Shaved off about 3 secs of my time at zandvoort. And the ride was still excellent imo.
I have a set of inverted Bilsteins on OEM springs. The Bilsteins helped a lot. I like them over Konis for cost of rebuilds. Monotube Bilsteins tend to last much longer as well. For street use though unless you're willing to release some of the gas pressure a Koni twin tube setup just does a lot better at absorbing the smaller imperfections, but big bumps can be just as brutal. A problem that I find with lowering springs is that they are designed mostly around stock dampers and they lower the vehicle too much with too low of a spring rate. Lowering a vehicle effectively changes the geometry of the suspension and can negatively impact performance, regardless of if it's a coilover. My issue with coilovers are generally ability to get dampers rebuilt, the quality of the damper, valving, and the lack of travel. On some applications you gain space for wider wheels and tires and in my case you lose wheel and tire clearance. Sway bars also play a roll in the balance of everything as do wheel/tire weights, etc. Lowering springs aren't inherently bad for street use, but on my model it actually effects toe, roll center movement, camber curves, etc. Very smart people design these suspensions and some thought should be put into how it all works before deciding to alter it, unless your function is purely aesthetic. Lowering springs were great on some of my cars, and detrimental on others. It's a pretty deep subject, but those that put in the work can find something that matches their needs.
Just bought some TruHart struts for my 93 Accord wagon. Gonna be getting some lowering springs soon. Thankfully was told about getting performance struts over OEM shocks to put the lowering springs on.
Just casually trying to decide how I wanna lower my civic hatch and then all of the sudden I see my hair salon in the background 😳
that’s actually dope
Great succinct video. I learned that 1) lowering springs aren't a good idea generally. 2) I can't AFFORD to lower my volvo properly. 3) It's cool when your car has the sexy, lowered stance, but it ain't THAT serious, I'll use the money I DON'T spend lowering for gas.
Got Tein S Tech on my CRX w KYB and work great so far. Getting some for my Del Sol and will use top hats that add about 1 inch extra travel for strut,
what KYB shocks you installed?
Great video man, what coilovers package are good for f82 m4?
If you want to lower your car slightly and on a budget $300 usually gets you some quality lowering springs. Coil overs start at about $800 on up but are adjustable. I've used both in many German cars and found H&R sport springs work just fine. Though adjustable coil overs are a nice option I rather save the extra cash for other parts for the car like tires.
As long as a respectable brand is used for springs the ride isn’t bouncy, what makes a bouncy ride is cutting or heating the factory springs simply because the spring rate changes and you’re also weakening the coil by heating it, and cutting them also changes the spring rate.
Mk6 Gti with kw coilovers. Excelente ride, handling, no problems at all.
What’s up Justin I appreciate the video and now a day everything is on a budget. But I recently acquire some Monroe shocks for my Chrysler Crossfire and i put them on and didn’t even realize that I would need lowering springs would you be able to recommend some proper lowing springs that would be good with the Monroe springs once again and thanks again for a good info
Thank you man 🙏
great video !
Thanks!
I went with stock struts and ebay lowering springs on a mostly stock 2000 gs-r. Other than the comfort level it improved the car's handling. That may not be due to the spring but because the lower ride height. Still there is nothing wrong with lowering springs if you consider what they are, a cheap alternative to other things. Just dont expect a stock strut/shock to last as long with lowering springs.
Lowered my 2004 suburban with 3-4 lowering springs and belltech street performance lowering shocks great ride and look.
Great video. Agree 110%
Originally put lowering springs on my MK7 Golf R @ 10k miles and the struts were trash by 20k. The car road great before. Just upgraded to KW V2's and the ride is as you said, night and day better! It rides very close to stock with a little more sporty stiffness but still soaks up bumps all while being nearly an inch and a half lower. I highly recommend getting purpose built lowering springs and doing it right the first time so you don't have to do the job twice. 👍🏻
Thank you for this I was gonna get some springs for my accord but i want it to be stiffer so I’ll just grab some coils
A lot of variables to consider, like what the car is worth, whether you plan on keeping the car, and what kind of car you want to lower. On one of my cars, a Mini Cooper S, I purchased it used and knew the value of the car would drop like a box of rocks, even though I was keeping the car I wasn't going to spend 2K on Bilstein PSS9's and in a few years the cars value nose dive. My second point is, the ride quality on the coilovers would have definitely been best, but consider the size of or length of the wheelbase, it was going to be on the rough side either way. I asked for the advice of my Mini independent shop and he advised me to just get H&R sport springs if I wasn't committed to spending a couple of grand on quality coilovers The ride is not bouncy but if I hit a pothole it definitely hits the bump stops. I also have MKIV R32 with Bilstein B16 coilovers and I wouldn't consider anything else.
I put Eibach lowering springs on my 2010 Challenger RT and dropped it 2” on some 22” rims. It looked AMAZING! But… It made my car very bouncy and wore out the control arm. Even after taking the 22s off it was still a weird ride. When I get my Stinger I’ll just throw some coilovers and 20s on it and call it a day.
I am on stock shocks for now. But I am running H&R sport springs. And I have 112,200 miles and the ride is starting to suck! But they look good and take turns good!
Well said Bro❤👍
I run vwr springs and bilstein sport struts and shocks on my mk6 gti. Amazing combination in my opening
Ran H&R super sport springs on my A90 Supra and they were solid. Sold the car so not sure of any long term issues but I was happy with them.
A tip for breaking nuts. Heat it up with a blow torch and spray water on it. The rapid expansion then contraction will get it everytime.
Im running Bilstein B4s w/ my factory M-Sport springs. The B4s were meant as an OEM replacement so I'm okay with running my M-Sport suspension springs.
But why even change your struts if you're running M-Sport springs?
i drove 4 years with a 1998 corolla with Vogtland lowering springs 30mm front and back, starlet with 40mm springs, yaris t sport with 40mm springs and a daihatsu charade with 40mm springs. always gave me good feedback on the nurburgring. So yeah i will keep running on lowering springs with stock shocks but with my current car i will do lowering springs with new shocks. Once i had a Civic hatch with a D2 coiloverkit but it was a very expensive kit.
I have a BMW 535i M-sport from 2016. Upcoming saturday I am going to install my new BC Racing coilover kit together with new 20" Ström ST3 rims. Can't wait! :D
Justin how does your 330 ride with the 235 260 staggerred set up? Considering it since I also got a 330 and love the look of yours :D
This is great advice but what if you have adaptive damping system & there's no support with coils or just way too expensive. Would springs be a better option ?
Eibach pro kit lowering springs on stock suspension on the Volkswagen Vento. These were designed to work with stock suspension. It's pretty good from my experience but coilovers are just different.
Evan Thomas How are Eibach lowering springs compared to Cobra lowering springs? Even I am planning to get them for my Vento.
@@prshntydv14 I've read they're not very good unless you get some Koni shocks along with them
They weren’t designed to stock dampers, they just work with them but not in an optimal way. It just fits and works, but if the dampers werent sport dampers in first place it would be just a matter of time to have premature wear. How much time...? Well that would depend on the road condition where you drive.
Evan Thomas I have on my bmw 3series eibach pro kit over 6years...now on my new 3series buy again and its great...
@@fernandofragoso4118 That's probably not true. If peoples stock shock are acting up after 20,000 miles, Eibach would have been sued to hell by now. Eibach springs are progressive, which means in normal driving (95% of the time) they are putting a load on the suspension which is similar to stock springs. It's only when you are really pushing the car, the higher spring rate kicks in. So unless you are tracking the car, Eibachs springs are reliable and won't cause excessive wear.
Nice video, I’m running a eibach pro kit with truhart arms and Godspeed rear camber bushing an the ride has change so much. I wanted to have a factory ride with a lower car. What you recommend and think?
Been running raceland for two years now on my 06 gs300. Got them bc I didn’t have tons of money but still wanted the whole coilover set up. For $500 the feel is still good, not as soft as stock (bc it’s a Lexus) just a tad tighter. Doesn’t compare to bc coils on swift springs but for 1/3 of the price and lifetime warranty I think is a great buy
zip ties compressing the springs, when you go over bumps they snap off and sound like back fire which is a free added bonus.
As much as I’ve spent to make my coilovers actually lower my car properly I could’ve bought some lowering springs and gotten new shocks and would’ve been a lot lower for about the same 3-400 I was already in on these crappy eBay coils
I love the beginning to the video forgot how nice your rims are
Thanks!
Asombroso, que rápido subiste de subscriptores.
Enhorabuena, este contenido lo aprecio bastante.
Saludos.
I'm gonna give lowering springs a shot an get a quick alignment and if the ride is shit I guess later down the road I'll buy aftermarket shocks. But doing it this way makes me feel like I'm saving money rather than dropping $5-700 in one time on some coilovers that might not even be that good.
Another one ☝️ hey dude you’re bmw is ageless still looks fresh.
Thank you!
Thank you 🙏🏽
I drive a Honda Accord Type S Euro (Acura TSX in the US) with Eibach lowering springs only, for 5 years, and my car is behaving way better than with the factory ones, never had any problems with handling or shocks, they are actually original factory ones from 16 years ago.
The coil overs I’ve seen have a Tiny, in turn Stiff, springs. Compared to a lowering spring, which uses as much space as possible in between the perch and strut. Matched with a good shock, it’s perfect for the street, which 99% of guys on here are shooting for.
The knock on lowering springs doesn't really apply to modest one inch drop, such as the TRD lowering springs designed for the BRZ/FR-S/86. Any set of lowering springs that only drop an inch or less won't affect the shock travel issue significantly.
This is exactly what I was thinking. In my head I was like there is no way that dropping a car an inch on the stock shocks and struts just all of a sudden fucks the whole thing up. Its just not possible. I feel like this is even less of a problem when using springs on newer cars that have adaptive dampers and much newer components.
I’m all for what are you using it for! If your gonna auto cross or track a car then coil overs for sure. If your just gonna daily the car and want that wheel arch gap to go away the spring option will hurt your wallet a lot less.