How low is too low?

hwasa

hwasa

Well-Known Member
382
93
Long Beach, CA
Vehicle Model
Civic Si
Body Style
Coupe
I have a '14 si coupe and am revisiting the idea of lowering my car. I was wondering how low is too low? Where do the coil overs or springs actually make the car handle worse? Also, does anyone have any suggestions for springs/coils that don't decrease ride quality too drastically? Are Eibachs good on the ride? Thanks!
 
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You're probably not going to get a good answer to this. There are people literally scraping their frame/oil pan who say it rides perfect.
 
For me this is the perfect drop look below. It's lower than stock, but you won't scrape or rub. Anything lower than that is pointless IMO and pain in the a$$ to drive anywhere. Unless you are on air ride.


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From what I've read across many forums, auto-x discussions, and track threads : Usually on the civics somewhere between 1.5" and 2" is the largest improvement in handling area. Beyond that you start compromising roll center and stuff like that. Unless you are going to get extended ball joints and correct your suspension angles and roll center you will have "worse" handling characteristics.

Again a lot depends on the suspension setup you are running, wheels, tires, camber, and all that sort of stuff. The HPD NASA rule book says the cars must have a minimum ride height of 4" at the rocker panel. But again, those are race cars with "fully" adjustable suspension setups. They are beyond modified with a set of coil overs.

Lots of people are very happy with either the eibach or the H&R springs.

The strut will make a huge difference in performance as well. If you wanted to go crazy and get double adjustable race struts and custom spring rates I bet you could make the car handle fantastically at any ride height. So it really just depends on budget and what you want out of the car.

I would advise against slamming the car and scraping everywhere but hey, if you want to do it, then do it. Don't get what someone else tells you to, do what you want and you'll be happy in the end. I've played that game and wished I had done what I wanted in the first place. Oh well.


That said,


I would recommend you a drop in the 1.5" range. A quick set of springs when you're on a budget can do that in a pinch until you either upgrade the struts or get a different setup. Coil over sets are great since they include a strut. They start as cheap at $600, for a set I would recommend, to around $1000 where you have a lot more choices. The coils I have seen below the $600 Megan EZ Streets have been generally garbage. I would stay away from any coil over setup that costs less than springs alone.



(EDIT: I'm at nearly a 2" drop and when I was living in upstate NY, there were definitely a few days I was plowing snow. No problem if you have good snow tires though.)
 
Depends on the shop and the amount of labor needed. It's really hard to say accurately. Definitely factor in the price of an alignment also.
 
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