So you want to lower your car

[Jims 86LXI HB]

First thing, you'll need to give in to the fact that if you want to do it right it's going to cost money. If you can't afford to buy the right parts now, DO NOT buy the wrong one's now and just settle for a crappy ride. Get it right the first time or your gonna end up spending more money to get it right down the road.

The right parts are out their. Be real carefull. I see plenty of post's from people that claim the wrong parts are just fine, like stock even. These peope either have gotten used to the bounce or they simply do not know any better. The 3rd gen accord is a great car, DO NOT SETTLE. You and your car deserve better.

1. When thinking about lowering decide if you want coilovers. Get coilovers because you will actually need to adjust the ride height more than just once. Get coilovers cause you want a certain spring rate and that's the only way you can get it. Or get coilover's so you can dial in the drop height front to rear in a way that please's your eye. Not all coilovers are the same, some are to stiff to run with even Koni struts. Do not try and run coilovers that are stiffer than what I've listed the Ground-controls at, unless your willing to invest in REVALVED Koni's or REVALVED Bilstein H.D.'s.

2. If a spring is what you want, decide what drop height you want. Look at the post I did that show's how much stiffer than stock those various springs are. BE VERY CAREFULL, some springs are stiffer in the front and weaker in the rear, AVOID THEM your car's handling will be worse with more understeer and the they won't carry a load as well as the springs that are stiffer in the rear.

3. If you want to maintain the softest ride possible get the softest lowering spring possible. That would be the neuspeed/H&R springs.


Part 2 will cover that strut's to run with lowering springs.

[Jims 86LXI HB]

All lowering springs and all coilovers are stiffer. You need to install struts that are likewise stiffer. The struts need to control the stiffer spirng, get it wrong you you'll have bounce, excess brake dive during braking, you'll have less responsiveness for emergency lane changes and your car will rock the rear suspension (dip) with every gear change on a manuel equipped car. Plus they the pavement get ruff the strut will not be able to control the spring/tire and you'll lose grip, that includes hitting a bump mid corner

Tokico H.P.'s and Bilstein H.D.'s do not have the needed stiffness for duty with lowering springs, they are ONLY SLIGHTLY stiffer than stock. The are only Hi Performance or Heavy Duty with a car running stock springs. DO NOT use the in the front of a lowered car. (Keep in mind that the Bilstein's can be used with stiffer springs when they are revalved.) Kyb GR-2's are not valved stiffer than stock. They are OEM replacement struts and also should only be used with car's with stock springs.

The tokico's (or the Bilstein's for that matter) can be used in the rear with lowering springs. I would not use them in the rear with rear springs stiffer than 250 or 240.

The Koni's do have the stiffness to control all but the really stiff coilovers that are avaliable. They are the strut of choice. If all you car about is how you look in a lowered car and care nothing about how the car rides and drives, go ahead and get whatever strut please's you. But when you wonder why you car no longer drive's like it should, or you test drive a newer car and you wonder why your's does funny things, just remember,....I told you better.

What if your thinking about those cheap coilovers that are really stiff, stiffer than the Ground-Control coilover's? I'll tell ya right now, the ride will be stiff. For struts, even the Koni's DO NOT have the stiffness to ride and drive right with those stiffer coilover, like Dropzone or Skunk2's. Get revalved Bilstein H.D.'s or revalved Koni's for those coilovers. I can't stress how important is is to do this with coilovers that stiff.



SPECIAL CAUTION TO THOSE THAT WANT TO BE LOWERED BELOW 2.25"!!!
If you go below 2.25" you should have the front Koni's strut's shortned to improve their performance and to not KILL them cause your bottoming them out repeatedly.