wheel or suspension first?

[ketchup!]

Wheels or suspension first? People keep telling me to go suspension but wouldnt a lowered car look dumb witthout wheels?

[teh DIRT]

nope. i actually like lowered cars on stock wheels

[xEJ20x]

Originally Posted by teh DIRT

nope. i actually like lowered cars on stock wheels

x2

[Little G]

Lower it first....Cause then you can find out what size rims and tires u can have..

[xEJ20x]

Originally Posted by Little G

Lower it first....Cause then you can find out what size rims and tires u can have..

It's a Honda.
So far I've seen Civics dumped on 17s with little problem.

But I wouldn't go bigger than 16s, depending on the roads near you.

[FeeJ]

it looks much worse to have after wheels that dont fit on a stock suspension.

Im back at school and theres this bright yellow fiero with like 18s or something rediculously big on completely stock suspension, the car is HIGHER with theses wheels cuz he made a stupid choice. Ill go take a pic of it iif you want to see what im talking about.

I really need to print out some rice cop tickets and have fun one day for some of the foolishness on my campus

[htheduck]

Suspension first...fit the wheels second.

[01whitejeep]

slam it first

[Juggernaut]

Originally Posted by FeeJ

it looks much worse to have after wheels that dont fit on a stock suspension.

Gotta agree with that.

[CHR!S]

suspension, then wheels

[US_R33]

suspension first w/o a doubt......but please don't just get lowering springs. if you're thinking about either wheels or suspension i would imagine that you have socked away a decent amount of cash for this purchase, do it right the first time and at the very least get a set of Tein coilovers, if not a higher end brand ;) i.e. zeal, aragosta, etc.

[TROLL]

eh, thats really not the answer for most people. coilovers require more maintenence, are usually louder, and are only available in stiff spring rates. its extra money and extra work for someone who doesnt really need a track suspension setup. and while i'm on the subject, coilovers are really only better than a good spring/strut setup when they are corner balanced and also tested repeatedly and finely tuned to find the correct setup... how many coilover owners do that? i admit i havent...
a quality set of springs made to work with yoru stock struts is perfect for some people, or a nice aftermarket spring and strut combo would be an excellent choice. it is better than coilovers for 95% of people in every way... and this is coming from a guy who owns coilovers.
bryan

[US_R33]

i'm going to have to disagree though bryan.......he could run the tein basics (only height adjustable) and he would have a decent damping rate along with a comfortable yet stiffer spring and won't have to worry about his dampers blowing over time AND he'll have his stock parts to put back on the car in good condition when he's ready to sell it

coilovers are only stiff and uncomfortable and noisy is they are not used properly or if the user buys them for the wrong reasons i.e. purchasing a set of Tein HEs and thinking you're going to get a VERY comfortable ride

i had JIC FLT-A2s on my Spec and they were quiet and more than comfortable (i ran them on 2 front and rear on the street......1 being the softest setting) as long as the springs and dampers and tuned together (like in a full coilover system) the car should be comfortable still

he can even go as far as to have Tein install softer spring rates on the Basics and revalve the dampers accordingly if he feels the original spring rates will still be too stiff for his liking

yes its more economical to just get lowering springs and bounce down the road but it wouldn't be my recommendation ;)

Late,
Daniel

[sur4die]

IMHO, if you don't autoX, coil-overs are retarted. for my money, they simply aren't worth it...

[TROLL]

first off, i think the tein basics are a complete waste of money unless your only priority is dropping the car to exactly the height you want... they are fine for show cars or whatever, but unless a coilover has independant height and preload adjustments it just really cant be very performance oriented.

a lot of people think coilovers are better because they are more expensive and height adjustable... but thats not always the case.
go out to an autox and ask around what all the competitive guys are using... you'll be surprised that a lot of guys are using koni or kyb struts paired with a nice stiff spring and reinforced upper mount. there is absolutely no downfall or mismatch of spring to strut if you pick your setup carefully and do your homework.
pillowball mounts which are found on nicer coilovers are noisy by design, and i know from experience that just general road noise transfers into the cabin more as well.
a spring strut combo is like an off the shelf reflash... its pretty good and effortless. coilovers are like a custom tune... and unless you have them setup by a shop at serious expense and corner weighted and adjusted, you're going to be stuck with your own crappy knowledge-less tune, possibly making you worse off than if you had just gone with an off the shelf solution.

but to summarize this thread, i think its clear that everyone thinks you should do suspension first... however what direction you head with that depends on your priorities... do you want the car to look lowered and be as comfortable as possible? do you want it to be stiffer and handle better? thats what you need to figure out...
you'll quickly find that everything is a tradeoff... whether its on price, comfort, or all out performance, you're going to have to compromise somewhere, so whats most important to you?

bryan

[markley02]

Lower than wheels. I hated my coil overs, they were horrible. US R33, have you ever used a good brand name lowering spring??? I know you are talking about a full kit before, but this is a lot of $$$$ for most people. my H&R springs lowered me 1.5" and the ride is almost as good as stock. All I replaced was the springs, still have stock struts and everything. You say lowering springs make you bounce??? Coil overs are a lot worse IMO.

[TehWagon]

agreed, look wise stock suspension w/wheels does not look that great, and will cause you to rush to the nearest computer and order springs. however, feel-wise, i did it in that order, and i def felt the difference just with a wider tire and w/o springs. up to you i guess!

[US_R33]

bryan......i can see you and i will get along very well

markley, yes i have both driven and been a passenger in cars with good lowering springs on them and i personally still feel that a coilover suspension is a better setup

but hey, that's why we mod our cars the way we do right? if we all did the same thing to the same car wouldn't life just be boring?

Late,
Daniel

[WRX27]

Suspension first than wheels 2nd. I did the opposite and have huge wheel gap =-(

[OWENthatsmyname]

suspension.