Lowering springs for '03 es!? Help!!!

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 6, 2009, 07:26 PM

So I drive an '03 ES...not a Rally - so im pretty much sure my suspension is different. And I'm not looking to soup my car up..just do some simple mods.

I want to lower my car mostly for appearance. So I guess my questions are:

-Is it cool to do lowering springs rather than coilovers? I've heard people say lowering springs can destroy your struts but coilovers are waaaay out of my price range and like I said Im not looking for crazy performance. I drive pretty normal.

-***Will this changecause rubbing or anything? Because I also plan on getting 17's wrapped in 205/40/r17's and it looks like the struts already may get pretty close to the inside of rims this size.
I want to know if lowering the car about 1.5 inches will cause any rubbing when i also put 17's on? like i said, it is an ES so I feel limited in how far I may be able to go with these mods....

-Also what brand? Tein? Eibach? Tenzo R?
(***Most mportant question.)

If you guys could give me some insight Id really appreciate it!

ambystom01 · Sep 6, 2009, 07:44 PM

1. Lowering springs will put more pressure on the stock struts which will cause them to fail quicker. Also, since the stock struts are not valved to handle the increased spring rate and lower ride, performance will suffer. The car will look better though if you like a lower ride height. Coilovers are a better option for performance but come with their own drawbacks.
2. Unless you plan on running low offset or large tires, you shouldn't rub.
3. Eibach is probably the best brand given the limited number of options.

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 7, 2009, 11:44 AM

thanks for the insight amby.

so do you think the lowering springs will make the performance worse than keeping them stock?

ambystom01 · Sep 7, 2009, 05:42 PM

Yes but it'll look better. If you don't care about performance (and you have to be honest here, not just forum talk), go for it.

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 7, 2009, 05:47 PM

I don't care AS MUCH about performance as appearance but I want to make sure the car still handles well. At least as much as it does now. Without issues with turns. Etc.

ambystom01 · Sep 7, 2009, 05:51 PM

It'll handle fine if you're just driving around town.

**Neal@tirerack.** · Sep 8, 2009, 10:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MITSYOUBESHE

I want to lower my car mostly for appearance. So I guess my questions are:

-Is it cool to do lowering springs rather than coilovers? I've heard people say lowering springs can destroy your struts but coilovers are waaaay out of my price range and like I said Im not looking for crazy performance. I drive pretty normal.

-***Will this changecause rubbing or anything? Because I also plan on getting 17's wrapped in 205/40/r17's and it looks like the struts already may get pretty close to the inside of rims this size.
I want to know if lowering the car about 1.5 inches will cause any rubbing when i also put 17's on? like i said, it is an ES so I feel limited in how far I may be able to go with these mods....

-Also what brand? Tein? Eibach? Tenzo R?
(***Most mportant question.)

If you guys could give me some insight Id really appreciate it!

If for mostly looks and a step up in handling then springs will be perfect. Very dd-able and won't kill your bank account. You do want to match the springs with a sport based strut that's designed for a drop. If used with oe or oe replacement struts you run the risk of a pretty poor ride and damaging the strut.

If using the correct tire size there shouldn't be any rubbing issues. The 40 series is a bit shorter than normal, but looks ok for use with springs. A good rule of thumb is that most cars can be lowered about 1.5 inches without complications.

TheTransporter · Sep 10, 2009, 11:48 AM

I think ull be real happy after you lower your car! Lowering springs are a great upgrade for your DD! good luck!

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 10, 2009, 12:02 PM

Thanks. I think I've decided to go ahead with the springs. Most like tein S'.

I had a friend recommend dropzones as well. They'll give me a 1.75" drop on the front and back. But my question is, won't that make the back sit lower than the front? I read you should keep the back springs about .5" higher than the front or the overall height will look akward?

TheTransporter · Sep 10, 2009, 12:12 PM

stop thinking about it so much and just do it bro! the tien s are a great choice, they look awsome! Good luck and enjoy ur car

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 10, 2009, 12:33 PM

Haha. Well these dropzones are only gonna run me about 90 bucks so what do you guys think about the 1.75" in the front AND back?

MadPatter · Sep 10, 2009, 09:12 PM

I think that much of a drop would be too much for your stock struts, and will surely shorten their life span.. Stick with less of a drop imo.

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 10, 2009, 09:20 PM

I'm considering the idea that any drop will be too much for my stock struts. So ill probably be upgrading them to KYB aftermarket struts. Either way that still doesn't give me an idea of if that even drop in both the front and back will look bad…

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 10, 2009, 09:24 PM

I've already considered that any drop will probably too much form struts..which is why I'm most likely upgrading to KYBs.

The question was if the even drop in both the front and back will make the drop look awkward...

MITSYOUBESHE · Sep 10, 2009, 09:30 PM

I already considered the idea that any drop will probably be too much for my stock struts which is why most likely upgrading to KYBs

Thequestion was if the drop will look awkward having it be the same in both the front and the back. Isn't the front naturally a little bit lower?