captainhook Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I currently have an 08 LGT with the SPT cat-back on stock springs/dampers. Anyone that has dealt with the SPT midpipe knows that it resides very close to the ground. Low enough in fact that I've bounced it off the road on a rough patch of highway before. Does anyone have any experience lowering a car with the SPT exhaust? i.e. what springs will/will not work. I've assumed for a few months that I'm going to need coilovers (to be able to fine tune the ride height+dampening so it just doesn't hit), but I figured I'd ask about the springs before making the splash. Anyone have any pointers here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted April 20, 2009 Share Posted April 20, 2009 I have an '08 LGT with the SPT cbe. I am running Tokico HTS struts with Swift springs and have a large sub box and amp racks in the trunk. To make matters worse I drive in NYC at least three days a week. As of yesterday I have yet to see any damage to my midpipe. It might hit something eventually, but not in 14k. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted April 21, 2009 Author Share Posted April 21, 2009 I have an '08 LGT with the SPT cbe. I am running Tokico HTS struts with Swift springs and have a large sub box and amp racks in the trunk. To make matters worse I drive in NYC at least three days a week. As of yesterday I have yet to see any damage to my midpipe. It might hit something eventually, but not in 14k. Hmm, interesting. Do you know what the spring rate is on those swifts? They must be quite a bit stiffer than stock, from what I've read the swifts give a pretty substantial drop on stock struts at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShadowImg Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 If it helps, with stock struts + Cobb springs I ground my downpipe and stock CBE, which sits a bit higher than the SPT mid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 The spring rates on the Swift springs are; Front= 4.3Kg/mm or 241in/ib Rear= 6.6kg/mm or 370in/lb. They are also rated at 1.2in drop in the front and 1in drop in the rear. Swift does not recommend using the springs with stock struts. I would not either. The springs are far to stiff for the stock struts. My Tokico HTS are adjustable and I have to keep them 3.5 and 4 turns from full stiff to keep the springs under proper control. 4 turns out on the rear feels great on the crappy NYC streets, but causes the rear end to break loose to early when driving hard. 3.5 Turns out on the rear causes annoying noise from the struts on the NYC streets (the same noise I experienced with my (non-adjustable) Tokicos on my old SER) but handles great when driving hard. I have been playing quite a bit with my strut settings. In fact I drove today in NYC with the rears set at 4 turns out. I will check my mid-pipe and get back to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Swifts with Konis gave me a -2.13"/-1.5" drop from nominal. I just switched them out for coilovers... The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted April 21, 2009 Share Posted April 21, 2009 Checked my mid-pipe again. Not 1 hit. No signs of damage, scrapes, etc. I am more concerned about my Cobb rear sway bar. On a flat surface you can barely get a piece of paper between the passenger side pipe and the bar. On my ramps they touch. When I changed out my suspension I used the Spec B front top hats. I have read that the spring seats on my front Tokicos might be 1/2" higher than the stock KYB's also. This being due to the fact that the struts were meant for a JDM Spec B. This might account for the difference in drops. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 If it helps, with stock struts + Cobb springs I ground my downpipe and stock CBE, which sits a bit higher than the SPT mid. Jeez, maybe I will be stuck getting coilovers. Anyone have the pinks + stock dampers + SPT cat-back??? I've heard the spring tension is pretty high and the drop isn't as severe with the pinks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisan Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I have the STi Pinks with Konis on my 05 LGT w/SPT Catback, haven't scraped and I drive in NYC and NNJ where there are tons of potholes, etc. -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m sprank Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 I think the ticket is to not use an aftermarket lowering spring with your stock struts. If you go with a strut/spring combo make sure to investigate the exact combo before purchase. That's what I did. Otherwise get some coilovers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted April 22, 2009 Author Share Posted April 22, 2009 *sigh* I guess I'm in for the full boat of the coilovers :/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisan Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 What kind of racing are you doing that would require coilovers? -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 I don't think it's really the racing that is going to require me to buy coilovers, as I only plan to do a few events a year. (combination of auto-x and road course) The main cause for coilovers is that it sounds like I'm going to need that level of adjustability to work around my low hanging midpipe, get the correct drop, address the "saggy ass" appearance, and avoid miss matching spring/damper combinations. Considering I can get the BC BR coilovers installed for $1200, it may actually be cheaper to go that route as well. Generally my friends with the BC BR's have been very pleased with no major failures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisan Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I'm personally a big fan of not using coilovers unless you are racing. But I guess they do have a nice bling factor for folks as well. -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted April 23, 2009 Author Share Posted April 23, 2009 I'm personally a big fan of not using coilovers unless you are racing. But I guess they do have a nice bling factor for folks as well. -mike I'm not really seeing the "bling" factor on the BC BR's, they're just black. Not that I'm after the bling factor to begin with. If I can get away with just buying springs, I'm all for that. What I want to avoid though, is buying something I'm going to be unhappy with and then end up losing money trying to find a winner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pawlwawl06 Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Swifts with Konis gave me a -2.13"/-1.5" drop from nominal. I just switched them out for coilovers... Why was your drop so much more? Swift says 1.5"/1" drop correct? Do the konis contribute the the rest of the drop? I wouldn't really mind it, but I just want to know what to expect from this setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verwilderd Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 I have the SPT CBE and Cobb springs. I've only had them on for about a week and haven't grounded the mid-pipe yet. Dunno if that helps, but they claim to offer a 1.75 inch drop for the front and 1 inch for the rear. I do go over a few bumpy roads, but nothing as bad as up north. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 The main cause for coilovers is that it sounds like I'm going to need that level of adjustability to work around my low hanging midpipe, get the correct drop, address the "saggy ass" appearance, and avoid miss matching spring/damper combinations. This. With coilovers you can get stiffer springs than are available for fixed perch struts, and you can get more bump travel by adjusting your ride height. Win/win. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Why was your drop so much more? Swift says 1.5"/1" drop correct? Do the konis contribute the the rest of the drop? I wouldn't really mind it, but I just want to know what to expect from this setup. I don't know... there was a thread I posted in with my measurements and theories about why... I think it was a Bilstein HD/Swifts thread. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BT4 Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Bilstein HD + Rallitek Springs is a cheap experiment with really good results. It will not drop the car very much at all. The saggy but is just an illusion caused by the wheel well difference between front and rear. If you measure the chasis to a flat surface front and back, they are within 1/16th of an inch. Really good setup for rough roads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captainhook Posted April 24, 2009 Author Share Posted April 24, 2009 Bilstein HD + Rallitek Springs is a cheap experiment with really good results. It will not drop the car very much at all. The saggy but is just an illusion caused by the wheel well difference between front and rear. If you measure the chasis to a flat surface front and back, they are within 1/16th of an inch. Really good setup for rough roads. Perhaps, but it still looks like complete ass IMHO. I like the stock gap between the rear rubber + wheel well, the front gap just needs to shrink by about an inch or so to match it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 If you're keeping the rear height stock (14.4" fender-arch height per the specs) then you only need to drop the front .6" to have equal fender-arch heights (front is 15" per spec). I like a very slight rake towards the front of the car, about a .25" difference. My plan for the coilovers is to give me this stance, plus ~1". http://img222.imageshack.us/img222/1703/img2964cropedbalancedcs7.jpg (My car on Koni/Swifts) The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisan Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 As someone else posted, by making the car visually correct you are not actually leveling the car IIRC. Show v. Go? Could be a case of that. -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Underdog Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 As someone else posted, by making the car visually correct you are not actually leveling the car IIRC. Show v. Go? Could be a case of that. -mike You can tone down the disdain... For my (non-track) purposes, I don't mind having an "unlevel" car. If it feels nice to drive every day and looks good, I'll sacrifice the academic loss of cornering g's due to the weight shift towards the front. Or, I'll set my rear stabilizer to its stiff setting and shift some of the weight transfer to the back again. Besides, does the pic I posted look grossly unlevel and the side rocker? I don't think so... It does however look too low for New England daily driving. The Crimson Dynamo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paisan Posted April 24, 2009 Share Posted April 24, 2009 Just busting balls. But a lot of times a car that looks good isn't necessarily the best handling. Often times they are contradictory actually! Having been in the biz for a while, I've also learned that coilovers are not a good long term daily driven car solution. -mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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