My Neon needs to be lowered. It's no longer a question. After adding my new rims, debadging, buffing, waxing, and removing my grill insert the car is dying to be dropped. It is time to say goodbye to the wheel well gaps.

In a previous thread I inquired about Eibach lowering springs and got back a moderate number of responses as to how the vehicle would ride and handle. This has led to a number of other questions that now loom in my mind.

1. Are there better options for a slight drop than Eibach's Pro-kit (1.3")? Who? What? Where? How much?

2. How long will my struts stand the abuse of the new springs? Will shorter springs really reduce the life of my struts, or is it a myth? Would I be better off buying complete shock & strut assemblies (not preferable, too $$$).

3. Finally... (no laughing) What is coilover suspension? How does it differ from standard strusts and springs? Is it really worth the $$$? Is it recommended for street use, or more often for racing?

That's about it, plently to respond to. Have at it.

 

1. Ive heard the Eibachs are pretty good, a few people on here have them and I am probably going to get some when ever i get cash to do a drop, there are others, one of them is on www.modernperformance.com (cant remember the brand though)

2. The struts probably wont handle the abuse well, but NeonSXT04 is running his stock struts still. The best thing would probably be to buy a full kit, like the Mopar ones, but, when i am getting suspension i plan to buy some struts (probably Teckio(sp?) and then get some Eibach Springs.

3. I think coilover is so you are able to adjust the height and stuff, but to tell you the truth im not sure either

 

removing my grill insert...

you mean that littel plastic piece in between the hood and the bumper?...or whut?

 

Yes sir, I am still on my stock struts. Prepare though, your ride will not be as smooth as stock springs.

1. I've read that the mopar lowering springs are good. Not sure on the drop of those. I honestly couldn't be happier with my Eibachs. The ride is not as nice as the stock springs, but I knew that was the trade off when I got lowering springs. I traded smooth ride quality for more agressive look and better cornering. So I think I got the better end of that deal.

2. I don't know for sure on this one. That is all I've heard is that it will shorten your struts life slightly. So however long struts are supposed to last you probably would need to replace a little bit before then.

3. Coilovers are height adjustable and depending on which ones you get I think you can adjust them even more depending on how you want your car to ride, smooth, sporty, stiff. Thats about all I know about them, couldn't tell you if they're worth the money they cost. Especially if all you want is the dropped look.

And btw, I saw a stock SXt same year as mine with his stock springs and I thought "whoa, my car really rode that high at one point?" It was crazy how much lower mine is than a stock neon. I should of snapped a picture of it. My advice is to read around some, wait for some others opinions then make a decision on that.

 

i too have read that the mopar springs are good. unfortunately, they haven't been released yet for '03 -'04s. i'm waiting for those and the mopar anti-sway bars thet are supposed to come out at the same time (november-ish, i heard). as far as the other two questions, all i know has already been posted here.

 

Here is an update on my suspension inquiries.

I spoke with a technician at my local Chrysler dealership today and was informed that lowering my car as little as 1"-1.5" will have very little, if any, real effect on the life of my stock struts. This will be particularly true with high quality, stiff lowering springs, like Eibachs. He went on to say that if/when my struts do give out I may want to consider replacing them with... another set of stock struts. Shorter springs will reduce the amount of travel allowed to the struts, but will not have any substantial effect on how often I might bottom out. Bottoming out will not likely occur unless I drop my car through a sizable pothole at low speeds (which I will obviously make an attempt to avoid with low-profile tires).

With all that in mind I asked him if he knew whether or not the adjustable KONI struts used on the ACR Neons would be compatible with a non-ACR Neon. He said he was unsure, but said that as far as he knew both vehicles used the same mounting hardware. Can anyone shed some light on this subject? Does anyone know if the adjustable KONI struts used on the ACR Neons would be compatible with a non-ACR Neon? Any guesses? If not, who makes a decent performance strut for a 1st generation Neon? I haven't had any success finding performance struts other than the KONIs (ACR) and the KYBs (I'd be better off with stock). Unfortunately Tokico doesn't make struts for a 1st generation Neon.

Finally, I looked in to full coilover suspension a bit further and found that it is not recommended for street use. To over-simplify things, the only advantage that full coilover suspension offers is the ability to adjust the height, rebound and spring rate of your suspension. This comes in very handy for serious competitive racing, but really only introduces more parts that can break for casual street use.

 

Get the Eibach pro-kit. The sport lines are not as good because they have too small of a spring rate. As far as the Mopar's, they are great spring, but they are more for racing. One look at the increased spring rate will tell you that. Intrax also make a lowering spring that is good, but I would stick with the Eibachs.

The Koni adj. that come on the 1st gen. ACRs, will fit any 1st gen. Just don't buy them from the dealership. Go to modern perfomance and get the Koni adj. yellows. They are the exact same ones as the dealerships sells accept they are panited yellow instead of black. The yellows will save you around two hundred dollars a set.

Why do people still go to the dealership and buy the black ones?

It is to stay in the Showroom Stock racing classes. That's it.

 

1. I have heard nothing but good about Eibach springs and they are probably about the best drop springs availble for neons.

2. I have been running sprint springs (2 inch drop) and stock struts on my altima for over 2 year no problems as of yet. Although you would be much happier over all if you invested in some toks, I would still say stay away from the kybs.

3. If you are going for all out handling I would highly recomend you get coilovers but if you just want to get rid of wheelgap and the added bonus of a little better handling then stick with springs cause full coilovers usually ride a hell of alot rougher the springs. Most if not all coilovers are height adjustable and some are even fully adjustable.