Got 'em Installed!!!!!!!!!!

[InfinityAudioLXi]

Well this weekend I finally got to change out my suspension with my Tokico lowering springs and Tokico performance struts! They ride SO much better than my original '89 LX-i springs/struts! I haven't been able to do any major cornerning testing yet, but it is a great improvement. It rides stiffer, obviously, but its nothing close to uncomfortable. Everyone was telling me that the front would bounce with using the Tokico lowering springs and Tokico performance struts but there like little, if any, bounce. The installation went good and the do look nice. The only think that I forgot to do was put the little spring pad thingies that go on the bottom of the rear springs. They are soft rubber things that fit between the bottom of the rear spring and the rear strut. Do I need to put this back in, or should it be ok w/out it? I'll get some pics A.S.A.P. Also you can see a difference in the height. The front is lower and the back is lower as well, and before I even told my friends about it, they noticed it. So it is noticeable, just not a great amount. Well any questions or comments would be great. And sorry for no pics

[Jims 86LXI HB]

When I first got my bilsteins on I was happy. It took awhile for me to notice the issues they had. So after that I made it a point to not report on how I felt about a sturt untill I got some time on the seat. I would purposely find road's that the Bilsteins hated and drove over them with the new setup. When the roads were smooth, the Bilsteins weren't that bad, but smooth roads are never very long and eventually I got remined why I hated them. And the would do this subtle bounce thing over every med to large bump they ever encountered, VERY annoying and unexcusable(ms).

[DBMaster]

Jim, I can't resist. "Suttle" should be spelled "subtle."

Just call me "Gonad the Grammarian."

[87AccordsterLx]

lol...@ Gonad

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Originally posted by DBMaster
Jim, I can't resist. "Suttle" should be spelled "subtle."

Just call me "Gonad the Grammarian."

Opps, thank you for being polite about it, I've seen some guys get vicious.:super:

[DBMaster]

I do not normally give people too much grief over spelling as some spell so horribly it is best just to ignore. You, however, do a good job so I thought I would just give some friendly grief.

Now, my problem is typos as my brain always gets ahead of my fingers.

Besides, I love saying "gonad."

Later!

[89AccordNate]

Originally posted by Jims 86LXI HB
I made it a point to not report on how I felt about a sturt (ms).

JIM, STURT IS SPELLED STRUT, THANKS JIM. <--caps make me more intimidating.

Nate

[DBMaster]

Now everybody wants in on my action.

I figured "sturt" was just a typo which I am oft to make.

After reading Nate's all caps email I pissed my pants so I have to go change now. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Grant2k]

i went the cheap way with my suspension. i put in Neuspeed Sport Springs with Tokicos in front and KYBs in back. BUT THEY WORK GREAT! It never bounces, and feels close to stock but with no lean in the turns. i have no complaints.

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Originally posted by Grant2k
i went the cheap way with my suspension. i put in Neuspeed Sport Springs with Tokicos in front and KYBs in back. BUT THEY WORK GREAT! It never bounces, and feels close to stock but with no lean in the turns. i have no complaints.

That's odd, carrotman has the same setup. He says the tokico's are to soft in the front and that they bounce over things like bridge expansion joints and he said that awhile ago. In fact his latest comment on thier peformance is "those tokico suck ass"
And nate said in commenting about ordering koni replacements for his tokico's, "weeeeeeeeeee no more bouncy tokicos" And other members that have commented on the poor performance of the tokico's are, jigga225, Chrome_thangs, and 88LXi68. And thier's no way that tokico H.P.'s are better struts than the Bilstein H.D.'s I was running, even the Bilsteins had bounce. I guarantee if you drove a car with Koni's on in place of the tokico's you would notice a night and day differance in how the car rode and drove. That's what happened when I put the Koni's on, firm not stiff. The car felt as if honda had engineered it with a sport suspension.

The weaker the strut, the bigger the sensation will be that you have a "like stock" ride. They are letting the stiffer springs do things they should not be allowed to do. You simply can't exspect to install stiffer springs and have a stock ride. That's not to say that it has to be stiff as hell to work properly.

[Grant2k]

maybe if i drove a car that had konis i would feel a difference, but all i'm saying is that i have no compaints. thanks for the advice though. someday when i have money, konis are one of the things on my list. and by "stock ride" i meant not harsh, becasue the ride is noticably stiffer, but i don't personaly think it's bouncy.

[jigga225]

yeah the tokicos bounce on my car right now, no if ands or buts.
My pops drove my car the other day, (he's used to my sister's 93 EX) and he was like "Man you need to put your stock stuff back on."

I think the bounce is a combination of my Susp. Tek springs being weaker (I cut them) and the tokico struts Not stiff, like jim sayz

Out

[Grant2k]

i got to go for an hour and a half drive today and i was thinking about this as i drove down 287 at 70 or 80 mph and i am stickin to it, i really like the way the car feels. i got to hit some constuction, and speed bumps on campus, and i don't think they're bouncey. but i guess this is just another case of different people having different experiences with stuff. right now what is concerning me is my melting glass pack. stupid impulse buys.

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Knowing when a strut does not have the dampning power to deal with stiffer springs is not always defined as bouncy. (Where when you go over a bump the car bounces several times). And it should be noted that carrotman is running springs that are identical to your's. Carrotman described the same thing I noticed with my Bilsteins. Every time I would go over a large to medium bump, no matter what the speed was, so speed bumps to. Once I got over the bump, the suspension would not absorb the bump fully, it would bounce once,...... every, single, time over those kind's of bumps, very annoying. They should never, ever, do that. Plus when you encounter really ruff jagged pavement the struts would let the tire shutter up and down and loose contact with the road, a control issue. When I switched to Koni's None of those things continued to happen and the car had better reflex's and felt much more lively.

[DarknessRS]

So let me get this straight: Koni > Tokico because the Koni's are less stiff?

Jim, what combination of springs/struts makes for a smooth ride? Do each have to be stiff, or is it one or the other?

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Originally posted by DarknessRS
So let me get this straight: Koni > Tokico because the Koni's are less stiff?

Jim, what combination of springs/struts makes for a smooth ride? Do each have to be stiff, or is it one or the other?

Koni special's vs Tokico H.P's vs. Bilstein H.D.'s vs. Kyb GR-2's
= Koni's are better dampened or firmer with much better rebound control (which is what the Koni's are adjustable for, rebound).

The smoothest ride would be stock springs on stock struts/ KYB GR'2's What should be slightly firmer would be upgrading to the Tokico struts or the Bilstein struts with stock spirngs.

All lowering springs are stiffer. The softest ones are the neuspeed springs. Stiffer springs and a smooth ride are sort of compeating things your asking stifffer springs to ride smooth. The best possible combination would be the softest springs with the least powerfull strut that could tame them with enough dampning power or at least enough rebound control. I really truely wish my car was still running, I'd gladly take you for a ride with the Koni's and H&R's. They were the perfect setup. I had a firmer ride that wasn't at all stiff. It never ever bounced, little bumps, medium bumps, big bumps, huge bumps, upheavel's, undulations, bridge expansion joint's, railroad tracks, speed bumps. It rode just like I would exspect a factory tuned sport suspension to ride, no bad behavior's, just perfect control. Only when I really pushed things really hard did I find that I wanted stiffer springs and more powerfull struts. That's why I sent the Bilsteins off to be revalved. Which when revalved, they are better than the Koni's.

[DarknessRS]

So for the best cornering, I'd probably want to go with a fairly stiff spring & strut setup. I'm not really worried about how the ride feels.

Also, are the adjustable kits much more expensive, or is it reasonable?

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Well the Konis are adjustable, for rebound only. What kind of a drop do you think you'd want if any? I fully advocate springs that are as stiff as real world road contion's allow. Some spring rates really only belong on a track and not on the street. Choose carefully. If I still had my car I would have went with either the B&G Suspension springs or more likely since they were recently proven to be more than 1.6" of drop, custom Ground-controls with stiffer than standard spring rates. And I would have added revalved Bilsteins to the rear. MY front revalved Bilsteins were valved for up to 400lbs front springs. Standard ground-controls are 340lbs front 250lbs rear. I would wanted 400lbs front 325 rear

I would not recommend Koni's to be used with ground-controls that have been ordered STIFFER THAN standard ground-controls.

[SQ is the SQUAD]

i have the tociko blues and i have suspenshion tech springs, i havent really rode them yet so i cant really say how they work out, but what struts are best for lowered cars? i know some struts really shouldent be used with loweres cars, when i had my weapon r coilovers i used garbiel springfiled struts from autozone and they blew in like 1 week

[Jims 86LXI HB]

Originally posted by h0ndavtec
i have the tociko blues and i have suspenshion tech springs, i havent really rode them yet so i cant really say how they work out, but what struts are best for lowered cars? i know some struts really shouldent be used with loweres cars, when i had my weapon r coilovers i used garbiel springfiled struts from autozone and they blew in like 1 week

The one's that have enough rebound and compression rates to match the spring rates.

English='s for our car's Koni's have what it takes to ride and drive like a lowered car should. No bad behaviors, no surprises, just like as if you car came from honda with a sport suspension. You can get away with running tokico's in the rear and save a few buck's.