King springs versus Eibach for CV8

[red1]

I am about to lower my CV8 - about an inch (in old blokes measures)

I wouldn't mind the car handling better my primary motive is appreance - without scraping over every hump or bump

Ive read a lot of threads about lowering and king lows seem to be the way to go. I am keeping the standard FE2 shocks at the moment as they are virtually new

I spoke to Advantage Suspension in Moorabbin as recommended by a number of Forum members and they mentioned that they also fitted Eibach springs available as well. They said that the Eibach's are a much better quality than the Kings and less prone to "sag" - they are also considerably more expensive

I can't find many comments about Eibach's other than someone said they had a more comfortable ride than the Kings when used in conjunction with Bilstein shocks

Does anyone have any thoughts about the comparison between the two brands - I don't mind paying the extra dough as long as I am getting better value

[Wonky]

Eibachs were also recommended to me by a very reputable suspension place when I lowered mine recently and from all I have seen they are definitely regarded as much better than Kings if you can justify the extra expense. I couldn't as I was going the whole hog with shortened shocks but if you are keeping your FE2 shocks it seems you should go Eibach to keep the ride from becoming too harsh.

[Red CV8 R]

I have eibachs with Bilsteins in my CV8 normally but is so happens I am running the stock shocks with the eibachs in the rear at the moment while my Bilsteins are revalved. Even with the stock shocks these are really good springs and the ride is very comfortable.

[red1]

I have eibachs with Bilsteins in my CV8 normally but is so happens I am running the stock shocks with the eibachs in the rear at the moment while my Bilsteins are revalved. Even with the stock shocks these are really good springs and the ride is very comfortable.


How much did the Eibachs drop the car? - apparently the Kings only lower it by 15 - 20mm. Did they improve the handling much?

[HRT 8]

The majority of the increase in handling will invariably come from upgrading your front strut inserts and the rear shocks.
Ive tried many different spring types and Id be buggeres if I could tell any diff.
I use to be totally against Pedders springs. Id used them in my VN SS and my VS SS, but Im using them now in my VY and find them fine.

If spring characteristics (ie ride height and stiffness etc) are simialr between different brands, I dont know if you could feel the "extra quality" of the more expensive spring.

BTW IMHO standard FE2 struts, shocks are crap.
You'd be better served getting some decent stuff with your new springs.
Once you've driven a car that has had total suspension job compared to just springs, you'll never go with just springs again.

[Ryzz]

As HRT 8 Said, gets your shocks done if you want handling increase. This way pay a much much bigger return for your money!

[KPWISHN]

A strut brace is also a good investment for stiffening up your ride. If all your worried about is aesthetics, they look pretty good in the engine bay too.

[OldManMunro]

I am not interested in lowering my CV8 as already it scrapes going over shopping centre speed humps. My final intended modification to the car was to be Bilsteins and Noltec/Nolathene bushes and camber adjustments if necessary. Would there be any value in changing springs (still std height)

[BLACK 346]

I am about to lower my CV8 - about an inch (in old blokes measures)

I wouldn't mind the car handling better my primary motive is appreance - without scraping over every hump or bump

Ive read a lot of threads about lowering and king lows seem to be the way to go. I am keeping the standard FE2 shocks at the moment as they are virtually new

I spoke to Advantage Suspension in Moorabbin as recommended by a number of Forum members and they mentioned that they also fitted Eibach springs available as well. They said that the Eibach's are a much better quality than the Kings and less prone to "sag" - they are also considerably more expensive

I can't find many comments about Eibach's other than someone said they had a more comfortable ride than the Kings when used in conjunction with Bilstein shocks

Does anyone have any thoughts about the comparison between the two brands - I don't mind paying the extra dough as long as I am getting better value

Kings Lows will not lower your car, they are the same height as FE2.
The Superlows will drop you 25-30mm (Around 1 Inch) lower than
FE2. As KPWSHN said, A strut brace will go a long way to tightening
the front end up (glued in firewall) and will take a lot of the understeer
out of it.

[red1]

As HRT 8 Said, gets your shocks done if you want handling increase. This way pay a much much bigger return for your money!

I just gotta take it a step at a time as I've just forked out for a new dif, OTRCIA etc and want the "look" first and will then handle the struts later

Better handling is not a big issue at the moment as it only toodles around the local area through the week and then gets fanged (usually in a straight line) by me on the weekend

Trouble is once you start all this modification business it never ends does it ..you know:

"Now that I've got an exhaust, tune, OTRCIA, diff, MT Streets I'm happy..... no wait a minute ..... now I really need a UBP, struts, brakes, cam, wheels etc etc etc etc"

[red1]

Kings Lows will not lower your car, they are the same height as FE2.
The Superlows will drop you 25-30mm (Around 1 Inch) lower than
FE2. As KPWSHN said, A strut brace will go a long way to tightening
the front end up (glued in firewall) and will take a lot of the understeer
out of it.


Good tip thanks. Nathan at Advantage seems pretty good as he asked me to come in and discuss the height I wanted plus a look at his CV8 on Eibachs etc

I forgot to mention I was going to pout on a strut brace at the same time

[Red CV8 R]

How much did the Eibachs drop the car? - apparently the Kings only lower it by 15 - 20mm. Did they improve the handling much?

Heasmans insist 30mm front and rear. The back looks ALOT lower then that. I will have to measure it some time.

[red1]

Heasmans insist 30mm front and rear. The back looks ALOT lower then that. I will have to measure it some time.

Do you happen to have a picture you can pm

[dadem0n]

Make sure you ring around for prices!!!
A phone around for front and rear Kings Springs ranged from $396 fitted and alignment up to $770 fitted only !!!!!!!! :stupid:

Most places said I can have Lovells or Kings for the same price and didn't think there was much if any difference between them. When I asked for a price on shortened shocks, most places (proper suspension shops not tyre shops) said not to bother if you already have FE2.

[emjasnat]

i rang a auspension shop to get a price on monroe gt gas shortened struts and shocks when they checked the listings fe2 was the lowest the struts and shocks come in.

[Wonky]

i rang a auspension shop to get a price on monroe gt gas shortened struts and shocks when they checked the listings fe2 was the lowest the struts and shocks come in.
You need to go to something a bit dearer than Monroe eg KYB, Dura etc.. My experience has been that they soften the ride compared to FE2.

[BLACK 346]

Wonky is right on the money regarding dampers. I went with the
Monroe GT Gas with Reflex and whilst better than the FE2 items
I will spend the extra coin next time and go with KYB or Koni :yup:

[HRT 8]

Better handling is not a big issue at the moment as it only toodles around the local area through the week and then gets fanged (usually in a straight line) by me on the weekend

I should have been a bit more specific.

If you lower your CV8 25-30mm+ without doing struts etc, it WILL make it handle worse. Guaranteed.
FE2 struts cant cope and it will drive you mad. They slap and bounce all over the place. Been there done that, and never again.

[IIV8II]

A strut brace is also a good investment for stiffening up your ride. If all your worried about is aesthetics, they look pretty good in the engine bay too.

Strut braces don't stiffen up the ride

[BLACK 346]

Strut braces don't stiffen up the ride

No, but they do sort out that front end quite a bit.
I think maybe KPWISHN meant stiffen up your ride
(as in ride being your car), which is true in a sense.

[red1]

I should have been a bit more specific.

If you lower your CV8 25-30mm+ without doing struts etc, it WILL make it handle worse. Guaranteed.
FE2 struts cant cope and it will drive you mad. They slap and bounce all over the place. Been there done that, and never again.


Are you saying this will happen with a 25-ish drop or when it is dropped further

[BLACK 346]

Are you saying this will happen with a 25-ish drop or when it is dropped further

I tried staying with the FE2 dampers after a 30mm drop and it was
like driving a bouncing ball. Others will tell you this is fine though.
Listen to HRT8 he knows what he is talking about.

[dadem0n]

Strut braces don't stiffen up the ride

Funny you should say that.... I installed the factory VZ strut brace today ($40) and I swear I can feel a difference :eek:


Honest :girl:

[2 cylinders shy]

I am not interested in lowering my CV8 as already it scrapes going over shopping centre speed humps. My final intended modification to the car was to be Bilsteins and Noltec/Nolathene bushes and camber adjustments if necessary. Would there be any value in changing springs (still std height)

I to am interested in this. The best possible handiling over the worst roads. On my old car I had King superlows with FE2 shocks if i went around a corner (with a bit of enthusiasm) that had a bump or something the back would kick out violently in the wet and wasnt a very c
onfidence inspiring in the dry.
Something down the lines of the Japanese togoue suspension setup.

Actualy this is a bit off topic i may start a new thread on it.

[YLD57L]

I have Koni Yellows and Eibach springs. Happy with it all, although I can't say I understand the difference as the car came with the gear. However over really bumpy surfaces when cornering it bumps around a bit, although I suspect that's just because it is stiffer and Aussie roads can be sh!t.

[YLD57L]

I have Koni Yellows and Eibach springs. Happy with it all, although I can't say I understand the difference as the car came with the gear. However over really bumpy surfaces when cornering it bumps around a bit, although I suspect that's just because it is stiffer and Aussie roads can be sh!t.

[ROGUE]

king springs are poo.

they're the like the "black and gold" homebrand of springs.

almost as shit as pedders :D

go the eibachs, you'll be happy.

i had kings in my VYSS, and took them out after two days.

[red1]

king springs are poo.

they're the like the "black and gold" homebrand of springs.

almost as shit as pedders :D

go the eibachs, you'll be happy.

i had kings in my VYSS, and took them out after two days.

Did you replace them with Eibachs?

[HazzaHSV]

My car originally had FE2. I then fitted Pedders lowered springs. Very nice springs, comfortable but for handling/cornering and bodyroll almost as bad as FE2 (which is fair enough they are a comfort spring with the lowered looks).
Then I put in Kings mated with Koni Yellows and Whiteline adjustable swaybars. Although its hard to say which of the three mods made the most difference but have to say the Kings are still quite comfortable because they are progressive and quite soft for the first inch or so. But throw it around and the Kings stiffen up very nicely. Love em for normal street use (baby occupant) and some circuit stuff that I do. Never had Eibach so can't comment on them.

[red1]

In the end I had a set of Eibach's fitted at Advantage Suspension in Moorabbin

Nathan at Advantage saw no problem with keeping the FE2 shocks in until they have done about another 20,000 kms. It didn't need a camber kit either. I think the Eibachs are worth the extra $$$ they are tapered at both ends whereas the Kings are only done at one end

I must say after driving it for about a week - including a trip to the drags - the ride and handling are fine and if anything seem a bit better. I got a strut brace too

The car has dropped about 25 - 30 mm and doesn't scrape on speed bumps (except on the really narrow high ones at Chadstone shopping Centre and even then its very slight)

The front still needs to settle about another 10 mm to get to full drop but that is hardly noticable

I think the car now looks like it should - low and hunkered down without being a kerb dragger - and has lost that "tippy toes" look at the back

So all in all I am very happy - Advantage was well spoken about on the Forum and I would highly recommend them - plus Nathans got a nice yellow CV8 so I could pretty well see how mine was going to look before hand

The only issue I have now is that the sidewalls of my 15" MT's on 7" interceptor rims are a bees dick away from the inside lip on the rear guards so it is off to CSV tomorrow to get the guards rolled - apparently they do it very well

Thanks for all the input I got when I posted this thread it ensured I thought about and asked all the right questions when getting the job done

Cheers

Steve

[korrupt]

Sounds good. Do you have any before and after photos?

[red1]

Sounds good. Do you have any before and after photos?

Might take a few days - let me have a look for the befores and I have to take the afters

[red1]

Sounds good. Do you have any before and after photos?

Here are some before and after shots. The front has to settle at least another 10mm

http://www.haroc.1337thing.com/ls1/Red1/Lowering%201.jpg

http://www.haroc.1337thing.com/ls1/Red1/Lowering%202.jpg

Cheers Steve

[korrupt]

Nice. The rear looks a lot better now. Really makes you notice how high it sits from the factory. If the front is to drop another 10mm, will that affect going over speed humps, gutters, etc ?

[YLD57L]

Same stance as my car (I have eibachs too). Looks good Steve.

[red1]

Nice. The rear looks a lot better now. Really makes you notice how high it sits from the factory. If the front is to drop another 10mm, will that affect going over speed humps, gutters, etc ?


Stay tuned but at the moment I still have adequate clearance over most speed bumps so I don't think a bit more settling should be a problem. I try avoid putting the nose over kerbs anyway

Interestingly enough my wife was very dubious about lowering as she was worried about having to be concious when going over any kind of bump, however, she hasn't really notice any difference in using the car day to day

[MNR-0]

I have had King super-lows in the front and pedders sports-ryders in the rear for about a year now. No sag, rides just as good as the day they were installed. These are mated to Bilstein shocks.

Springs are just metal - all come from the same factory - ala. Bluescope. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference IMHO between them all. The trick is the quality of installation and mating to good quality shockers.

Just putting Kings and/or Pedders in without upgrading the entire suspension package will not give you the ride quality you are after. Springs lower the car - but if you dont have the rebound control it will feel shite - no matter whose springs you go with.

Quality shocks and pan-hard rods are the key. Springs on their own do little apart from alter the ride height.

[red1]

I have had King super-lows in the front and pedders sports-ryders in the rear for about a year now. No sag, rides just as good as the day they were installed. These are mated to Bilstein shocks.

Springs are just metal - all come from the same factory - ala. Bluescope. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference IMHO between them all. The trick is the quality of installation and mating to good quality shockers.

Just putting Kings and/or Pedders in without upgrading the entire suspension package will not give you the ride quality you are after. Springs lower the car - but if you dont have the rebound control it will feel shite - no matter whose springs you go with.

Quality shocks and pan-hard rods are the key. Springs on their own do little apart from alter the ride height.


I assume you are comparing Pedders and Kings as Eibachs have a different level of quality in their manufacture. Eibachs are tapered at both ends and kings are not - I don't know about Pedders. Taking to Nathan at Advantage he reckons this gives Eibachs better progression when they are working. Without checking the box again I think Eibachs are made in Germany.

Although my primary motivation was always "the look" and I must admit after reading responses to my origional post I was worried about the ride and handling retaining the origional FE2 shockers. As best as I can tell however both may have improved slightly since putting in the new springs.

I will replace the origional shockers eventually probably with Bilsteins but so far so good

[klink]

Kings Lows will not lower your car, they are the same height as FE2.
The Superlows will drop you 25-30mm (Around 1 Inch) lower than
FE2. As KPWSHN said, A strut brace will go a long way to tightening
the front end up (glued in firewall) and will take a lot of the understeer
out of it.

I removed my fe2 springs from my vx2 ss and replaced them with king sports low hd they dropped it approximately the silver section of the key. as i didnt want to go superlows. kings have 3 heights.

[Pickles]

I have had King super-lows in the front and pedders sports-ryders in the rear for about a year now. No sag, rides just as good as the day they were installed. These are mated to Bilstein shocks.

Springs are just metal - all come from the same factory - ala. Bluescope. You would be hard pressed to tell the difference IMHO between them all. The trick is the quality of installation and mating to good quality shockers.

Just putting Kings and/or Pedders in without upgrading the entire suspension package will not give you the ride quality you are after. Springs lower the car - but if you dont have the rebound control it will feel shite - no matter whose springs you go with.

Quality shocks and pan-hard rods are the key. Springs on their own do little apart from alter the ride height.Well said Grant.
So, what you are really saying, is that expert advice is needed before anyone embarks upon suspension modifications. I couldn't agree more.
Grant, You are a respected member of this forum-- Who do you recommend for value for money PROFESSIONAL shocker/spring/bushing modifications?
The reason I ask, is that if these components are not correctly fitted/aligned to the car in question, the modifications will totally stuff up the car, making it a total "dog", & much worse than the standard item.
What do you say?
Cheers, Pickles.

[exwrx]

Pickles, I am pretty sure he will say Centreline Suspension in Thomastown:)

[APCLB]

Steve,could we have some prices between the Kings & the Eibach's?
Also what type of Eibachs (part #) did you but to get the ride height your at now?


Anyone recomend a shop in Sydney to do this?

[klink]

just found invoice.

they installed FHRL 45hd rear
FHFL 48hd front.

Formula springs part number but they are king springs and is clearly marked on them.

[MattJ]

We fit Kings and Koni's regulary and have no complaints. The differance a good shock absorber makes is vast and well worth the time and dollars.

We also have a road/drag option, in the hard settings the shock behaves like a real good comfortable yet sport road shock, on full soft the shock is 90/10 valved for awesome drag racing traction. Its a win win situation.

[gtr355]

HI i am looking into a suspension setup for my vx ss and wanting a setup which will allow me to handle like it should when i take it on track days but then also allow me to adjust them to something i can get a good launch and traction with when i head to the drags.
I noticed on a post that you guys have got revalved koni yellows which allow this.did i read correctly.also i am after a hug to guard measurement of about 330- 335 on the rear and 335-340 on the front.Normally the car uses 19 inch wheels but will use 17s with drag radials when at the track.

not sure as to what springs to use yet but thinking of either eibachs(but heard they are not made that low), kings or lovells.
what do you guys reccomend for my application?

here is the post i found by you guys

"We fit Kings and Koni's regulary and have no complaints. The differance a good shock absorber makes is vast and well worth the time and dollars.

We also have a road/drag option, in the hard settings the shock behaves like a real good comfortable yet sport road shock, on full soft the shock is 90/10 valved for awesome drag racing traction. Its a win win situation."

Also are these shocks able to be used for lowered applications?

[HDTLECAL]

Mate i would go bilsten shocks awesome shocks had them in my HDT LE CALAIS TURBO AWESOME RIDE.