nichigo

Hi all,

Getting ready to own an S2k, so i had a question about lowering. My question is how do you know what kind of shocks to get with certain springs? I've done endless searching on this and it's not a topic that seems to be discussed alot. So how do i know what shock/spring combo is good? I have an idea which springs i'll be getting (tein stech) because they have a nice drop - not too low, not to high. but i would also like to know if i need to upgrade my shocks as well...and if so, what is the reason.

Thanks in advance

stooken

first off, whats your budget?

s techs will give you about a 1 inch drop. your stock springs will probably work fine but eventually it's gonna blow. plus, you have to factor in how you drive and etc

koni's are good adjustable shocks in case you want to go a bit lower. since you're getting s techs, you might want to look into eibach's too. they seem to have a real good reputation among s2k's. i see s techs alot too but not as common as eibachs for the same drop.

TelosHedge

you'll think a bit differnetly when you mod your s2k than other cars. keep that in mind.

everythign i've done to my car i've done carefully and clean so if i have to i can revert back to stock - this car NEEDS basically nothing out of the factory, and i keep that in the back of my head when making modifications. when i ordered suspension i was thinking just springs to save some $$$ but i didnt want to blow my stock shocks or make them perform worse over time just to save some bucks. That way if i ever get tired of an aftermarket setup i can revert back to stock and not have ANY wear and tear on my stock suspension from aftermarket springs.

FYI, i have koni yellows and eibach springs.

The biggest piece of advice you can get about this car is to TAKE YOUR TIME with upgrades. The car is so tight and so balanced right out of the box that you'll want to take the time to fully learn it's capabilities before you decide what is right for you. Plus then, after each mod, you'll get the awesome opportunity to learn your car all over again!

Welcome to the forums, btw.

RED MX5

I have Eiback springs over stock shocks. A one or two inch drop will NOT "blow" the stock shocks (or springs ). Just don't remove the bump stops, as that WILL allow excessive travel and destroy the stocks (stock or aftermarket shocks).

RED MX5

Excellent advice. The time spent planning mods pays off in the end, and it's also fun.

I'm a big fan of Koni, but with the Eibach Pro Kit (1" drop all round) and the extra weight of the supercharger and aftercooler my actual drop is a little greater than 1" up front. As a result the Koni Yellows, with their reduced compression damping, just don't work. When we initially installed the springs the plan was to do some testing and then replace them with a fully adjustable coil-over setup, but the pro kit and stock shocks play so well together that we decided to focus on other areas first. Since then we've added the SC/AC, shifter, gears, KAAZ LSD, and a bunch of other stuff, and the suspension still doesn't dissipoint. The OP might want to consider trying the springs over the stock shocks before deciding on replacement shocks. LOL, of course, that depends on his situation and plans.

Nichigo, TelosHedge hit the nail on the head. Carefully planned mods will not only save you money, they'll help keep you from ruining a perfectly good sports car. You already have an excellent collection of parts (Showa shocks, with external resevoirs in the rear, are just one example), so you want to consider any changes carefully, because the stock configuration is near ideal for a wide range of driving styles and conditions. So, if you don't mind my asking, why do you want to lower the car? Your reasons (for lowering) have a bearing on the answer to your question.

Some things that should be mentioned: Lowering, in and of itself, will not improve grip or handling. Done in moderation and using well designed products, lowering will not degrade grip or handling. Lowering excessively or using products that are not well designed for the application, can result in handling that is downright nasty. Unless you are also making a lot of other suspension mods, lowering simply will not improve the cars handling, so it's basically just for looks. With well designed progressive springs the tradeoffs are ground clearance and lowered compression travel, but within the reduced limits ride quality is not vastly stiffer than stock, and with a good alignment handling change is minimal.

Tuning the suspension for improved handling is quite a bit more complex, and should probably start with an alternate tire selection.