LC/LC2 Accent suspension upgrades

[187sks]

Ok, I've been involved in the community here for long enough to know most of the stuff that's available. There are occasionally people showing up with spring brands I've never heard of, etc. on their Accents. If someone knows of less common options that may be good let me know. I may even be willing to try a product we don't know much about and report back.

Seems like there are 2 popular options: Eibach lowering springs with KYB struts, or Ksport coilovers. I have ridden in Atrimble's car, he has the Eibachs and the stock GT struts. I didn't think it was a stiff enough ride for my taste and there was still a lot of body roll and too much float. If anything it was a minimal improvement over stock GT springs IMO. I've never ridden in any car with coilovers. That might help show where my preferences lie though. Pretty stiff.

How much difference do the KYB struts make? Seems to me they would eliminate the float but do nothing much for the body roll. I know a swaybar would help body roll a bit, but prices I've seen to get a Whiteline bar to my door have been more than I'm willing to spend. Are there other springs available that are stiffer?

And about the Ksports. I would be a liar if I said I would regularly check my spring perch locknut tightness. I would neglect it because it's behind my wheel and I'm lazy. How hard are these things to live with? I think the ride is about what I'm looking for from what I've heard, but high maintenance on the daily driven car would be a bad mix for me personally. Also, how much trouble is it to find someone to align your car with these suckers on? Seems like it's above the capabilities of your average tire shop.

Car is currently stock GT suspension. I am choosing a front strut tower brace and am going to order it really soon though.

Thanks for your time.

[ozone]

Well I never ridden in an accent with "gt" struts, but I do have front/rear whiteline swaybars & front upper strut brace & the classic kyb/eibach setup. There isn't really any floating that I noticed. I'm still on the stock 13's for a little excitement and due to my cheapness. The road bumps are very noticeable. As far as bodyroll goes I can't really give an answer on that, since the stock 13's have about a 5 inch sidewall.

[dmonkyking]

Originally Posted by 187sks

Ok, I've been involved in the community here for long enough to know most of the stuff that's available. There are occasionally people showing up with spring brands I've never heard of, etc. on their Accents. If someone knows of less common options that may be good let me know. I may even be willing to try a product we don't know much about and report back.

Seems like there are 2 popular options: Eibach lowering springs with KYB struts, or Ksport coilovers. I have ridden in Atrimble's car, he has the Eibachs and the stock GT struts. I didn't think it was a stiff enough ride for my taste and there was still a lot of body roll and too much float. If anything it was a minimal improvement over stock GT springs IMO. I've never ridden in any car with coilovers. That might help show where my preferences lie though. Pretty stiff.

How much difference do the KYB struts make? Seems to me they would eliminate the float but do nothing much for the body roll. I know a swaybar would help body roll a bit, but prices I've seen to get a Whiteline bar to my door have been more than I'm willing to spend. Are there other springs available that are stiffer?

And about the Ksports. I would be a liar if I said I would regularly check my spring perch locknut tightness. I would neglect it because it's behind my wheel and I'm lazy. How hard are these things to live with? I think the ride is about what I'm looking for from what I've heard, but high maintenance on the daily driven car would be a bad mix for me personally. Also, how much trouble is it to find someone to align your car with these suckers on? Seems like it's above the capabilities of your average tire shop.

Car is currently stock GT suspension. I am choosing a front strut tower brace and am going to order it really soon though.

Thanks for your time.

I have the KSport coilovers and if you want a stiff suspension, then those are your best bet (pretty much zero body roll). I usually don't have to check mine too often, but those collars do come loose once in awhile if they aren't super super tight. And as for alignment, I have brought my car in to be aligned at many places and most didn't align it right or have any clue how to align them. The only place I've found that aligned them right AND honored their warranty was Firestone. Also, these things aren't bullet proof as I have blown one before, but they do take some good abuse.

[ereeves116]

I know both Tak and I have Zenn springs on our cars.

I've never had any suspension upgrades on my past cars so my Zenns are the first. I have to say, I like them. They aren't super stiff though so you might not like them. They grip well, give a reasonable drop (1.5" approx.) and won't rattle your kidneys out of you. They are a good balance between ride and performance.

But like I said, not super stiff so maybe you wouldn't be interested.

PS: They were like $100 after s/h

[187sks]

Hmm...maybe I should get some Zenns and some KYB's...

I am not sure how stiff I need the ride to be, just less sloppy than it is now and more secure feeling at higher speeds.

[K-Spec_Accent]

i have eibach/kyb/whiteline setup right now, but i think going to go koni yellow, and make my own struts

[toroll4life27]

I run the T&P street coilovers from Sharkracing and wouldn't change them for anything...little expensive tho (round 1G$) but they are sick, along with the sharkracing front & rear strut bars there is no body roll. my car rides stiff but I like that!

[busy_squirrel]

I love better handling, but at this point I think it'd be diminishing returns and that I should start with a new body first.

Just to hijack your thread....

[AccentAE86]

Man, I keep hearing stories of K-sports blowing their dampers. Not only on accents but on all cars. They must be really weak or something. They ARE cheaply priced and all I can say is you get what you pay for. Personally, I would never buy them.

If you want the best of the best of the best, DMS is the final answer. They are the ONLY coilver set I'd ever buy for the accent. Of course, a set costs more than the blue book value of my car, but they'll make k-sports or hwarangs seem like coilovers made for pink Barbie toys.

If you want an excellent track handling, yet smooth daily driving setup that is way more capable and more adjustable than k-sports, building your own setup based on the koni inserts is the way to go. PM me if you want details on how to do this. Koni is the king when it comes to gripping the pavement, and ironically, their shocks are also the most street comfortable.

[fintile]

Originally Posted by AccentAE86

Man, I keep hearing stories of K-sports blowing their dampers. Not only on accents but on all cars. They must be really weak or something. They ARE cheaply priced and all I can say is you get what you pay for. Personally, I would never buy them.

If you want the best of the best of the best, DMS is the final answer. They are the ONLY coilver set I'd ever buy for the accent. Of course, a set costs more than the blue book value of my car, but they'll make k-sports or hwarangs seem like coilovers made for pink Barbie toys.

If you want an excellent track handling, yet smooth daily driving setup that is way more capable and more adjustable than k-sports, building your own setup based on the koni inserts is the way to go. PM me if you want details on how to do this. Koni is the king when it comes to gripping the pavement, and ironically, their shocks are also the most street comfortable.

I guess. I had the K-Sports on my car for a little while, they were STIFFFF. Man i could feel whenever i ran over a ladybug with those things (yes i knew they were adjustable dont give me remarks) SOOO i softened them up, a bit more comfy but still hitting bumps hurt. I felt like the whole car would blow up or break from impact. STill they are nicly priced and get the job done. no need to pay 2k+ for coilovers on an Accent IMO....ok ok I just re-read what this guy said. Dude go spend your life saving getting those other coilovers all I can say now is Ive hit a curb going 65 on the freeway with my K-sports and they still worked like when i first got them for 3 months after it happening. (long story short i was going in to get my cars CV joint fixed when my wheel fell off, i had taken it to Sears a couple days before and it was because of them that the wheel fell off.)