For about $400 plus shipping. Why not get
the TEIN CS for about $1000? Look at it this way..
$400 for adjustable springs and you'll have to 4 shocks..say
$150 each. $600 plus the $400. You can probably get a set
of basic TEIN or Zeal coilover... no?

 

why would you need shocks? the ground controls work with the stock shocks.

 

To get shocks better than the stock shocks.

 

thank you captain obvious!!
But, my point was the people buying the $400 GC's don't want to spend $1000, therefore something the works with the stock shocks makes more sense then buying tein coil-overs for $1000.

 

Yeah, that's what I figured he was thinking too, but to be honest, I wonder whether the cheap teins would be any better suited to the S2000 on the track than the stock units are. The stock units are very good, but a compromise. I question how "custom" to the S2000 the teins are, and how much they're a generic unit with spring rates to match the car, which is less than ideal.

OTOH, keep in mind that if you've got 40k miles on your car, you don't have the same shocks that came on it; it's time for replacements, if you're really serious...my Advanced Design shocks on the 7 need to be rebuilt every 15k miles or so....

 

Glad to help!

You're right, of course, if you only want to spend $400 and lowering is your primary objective, buying just springs that work with the stock shocks makes sense. And, as fluxen says, cheap coilovers will probably get you worse shocks than the stock ones.

But for higher all around performance, a coilover package designed for the track seems like the way to go, especially since the S2000 is often considered to be under-dampened as it is with the stock springs.

 

I think some of us, including myself, is splitting hairs here.

All I want is better looks by reducing wheel gap while at the same time maintaining the stock handling feel and if it gets less twitchy, all the more better for a novice driver like myself.

As an FYI, the popular kg/mm sport racing something springs that lower 15mm have higher whatever rates than the 340/380 GC Eibachs. So I'm looking to be on the safe side here going with the GCs, but only time will tell. I'll have a note to write in this thread on Friday.

And do we have enough data about the stock shocks of '00-'01 and '02 to make a clear determination about what rates work and what rates do not work?

Yes, yes, I will take the driving course sometime sooner than later, Tedster.

 

For what it's worth, i had *no* interest in cosmetics or lowering. i wanted to improve on-track and fast road handling at a reasonable price point. The GC coil overs with the recommended rates accomplished that quite well. The stock shocks can seem to keep up with these springs on both the track and the street.

One of the things I liked best about the GC solution was that I could get stiffer springs and still not drop the car massively. In fact, I raised the car back up after the first track outing lowered about an inch. Lowering this car excessively has a clear negative effect on handling.

If/when I want to spend more to upgrade the shocks, I think the GC setup / eibach springs / GC advance design shocks will be a killer setup at a reasonable price.

 

1" = excessive --> poorer handling than at stock height?

 

Yup. IMHO.