del sol suspension??

hey guys, i just need some tips on del sol suspensions to make up my mind.. i was looking at tokico... and read that they are good but only lower your car 1.4 inches? is that true? is there a different type of tokico that whould let you lower your car more? the more drop the better its going to be for me...I know about the teins... but they are too expensive..... any suggestions on which suspension i should buy??? any help whould be more than appreciated... THANKS!

1.4 inches doesn't sound like a lot, but it's a pretty good sized drop. I believe that depending on your springs, you can get a 2" drop. Anything more than that is kinda dumb, honestly. They're performance shocks, so they lower your car enough to help, but not rub wheelwells. If you want more of a drop, get airbags.

i see, well i have a HUGE gap... i have the stock del sol suspension with 17" rims with low profile tires.... the brand of my wheels is ADR.. i was thinking of buying smaller size rims too because 17"s seem kind of too big for a del sol... but back to the suspension i would want 2-3 inch drop... but what kind of suspension do you reccomand me buying? also what type of springs? thanks!

yeah get rid of the 17s... on a daily driver, they increase wear and tear, as well as slow your car down. 15s fit beautifully on daily driver sols. My sol's sitting on 15" ls mesh wheels right now (pic of the wheels below.. not mine, but the same thing)

http://i5.ebayimg.com/03/i/06/7b/c9/d9_1.JPG

They rock. Perfect size for the sol. For shows I usually toss on 17s or 18s, but the car's not really driven at shows. The problem is, think of it like this... say you have a 5lb bucket and you hold it in your hand and then do circles with your arm. Tugs a bit, right? Well that 5lb bucket is your typical 15 or 14 inch wheel. Little tug, nothing to write home about. Now, say you picked up a 30lb bucket and swung it aroung. You'd damn near dislocate your shoulder. That's what 17s and 18s do to a car's suspension on a daily driver. The centrifugal force they generate is HUGE, because of the extra weight (I was on 17" konigs for a while and with inflated tires, they weighed in at 41lbs a piece). So it tears up your suspension, makes your ride look like a 4x4, and slows you down. No reason for 17s on a daily driver honda.

You're gonna be hard pressed to find a quality suspension that will give that good of a drop. I have the Tein SS coilover setup on my sol, and cranked ALL the way down, I can usually get just over 2", but I gotta crank hard, and I never have a reason to crank them down that much unless I'm at a show and want her to look like she's layin in the grass. Tein and Omnipower are the reigning "kings" of the suspension world. Both offer a full coilover setup (which is shocks, springs, and struts)... basically a complete suspension upgrade in a box. I've used both, and they're both equal in quality. Problem is they're both equal in price, too, and will run you around $900 new.

MMMM ls mesh's are the shit. My car came with the stockers and some 16 inch konigs, and they are perfect size for the sol.

Idealy, for the best handeling, you want the lower control arms to be parallel to the ground. Any lower, and camber is going to kick your ass.

i see, so whats best? 15's or 16's? and anybody has a type of rims they like? cuz i really looked everywhere and didnt find anything good.. i also want them to be light weight... i heard ROTA wheels r good...? but yeah also what kind of suspension do you guys have? and which one whould you reccomand me buying? thanks alot for your help!

as far as suspension, TEIN!!!! :)

Wheels, I would go 15s.. 16s are getting into the bling category. You should be able to find a nice set of wheels.. what sort of general look are you after? Rotas are GREAT wheels.. reasonably priced, durable, and light. With wheels, you get what you pay for, so don't buy cheap wheels just cause they're cheap (like Motegis.... GAWD those wheels suck)

i think im gonna save up and buy the teins... im gonna pay for it once and its gonna last... but what kind of suspension do u have on ur sol? as far as the rims... i havent found anything that interests me that much... can you send me some links of some rims you think whould look good on a del sol? im also going to upload some pictures of the rims i have on my sol... thanks

I have the entire Tein SS setup (shocks, springs, struts), ITR lower control arms front and rear, Neuspeed sway bar in the rear, no name ebay strut bar up front.

Yes, my car STICKS to the ground.

i think thats what im gonna do too... you pay what you get for... so im gonna go with the tein ss.... i only have the upper front strut bar... do you recommend me buying the rest 3? and how much did it cost for your teins and how low to the ground is yours right now? and whats the max you can lower it? thanks

I can usually get about a 2.25" drop with them cranked all the way down, which is just about to wheel tucking territory. My Teins cost me $650 used... new they sell for about $1100 or so. The more suspension upgrades you do, the better your car will handle, but if you're not gonna use them, then don't waste your money. I do autocrosses from time to time, so I use the hell out of my suspension.

i see, where did you get yours used? and if i dont get the teins what other suspension whould be good to buy? thanks

I got mine from a friend who is putting his del Sol back to stock (and giving it to his girlfriend). If not Teins, I would see about Omnipower (Be SURE to get the ones with the thicker collar... there were some breakage issues on the old style ones). As for individual shocks and springs, Tein S Tech springs are good, and not too pricey... and Koni or Tokico make some good shocks. :)

i see... can u send me a link of what the Omnipower should look like? and do you think i should look for one that comes with everything needed or just buy it parts and put it together?

www.inlinefour.com has alot of omni power products I believe.

i see... can u send me a link of what the Omnipower should look like? and do you think i should look for one that comes with everything needed or just buy it parts and put it together?

Depends.. if you have the cash, I would get a complete setup, cause honestly, you'll end up spending more if you piece it together. And also, the ones that are sold as a setup are tested and proven to work together. IE Omnipower or Tein KNOWS that their complete setup will work, and work well. But if you put Tein springs on no name shocks, or put no name springs on Omnipower shocks, you might get good results (as good as the complete setup), you might get a worse result, or you may get a better result... I like buying it all put together. Makes it easier in the end.

Wow I think I just learned everything I needed to know about shocks and springs. I had the same question, but I think I'm going to go with the cheaper tokico shock/spring package new off e-bay for 350.00 with the
1.75" drop and a set of 16" rims. I don't think they will rub.
Plus I don't race.
Thanks for the knowledge solgirl.

That's what I'm here for. :) Appreciate you reading up rather than making a new thread.

This thread has helped me out alot thanks.
I don't do any autocross. Maybe in the future. Do you think strut bars and or sway bars would be a waste and a waste of money on my car? It will probably stay N/A for some time. If not what would be a good setup?
I was thinking front strut bar and maybe a rear sway...
I have a Tokico suspension kit <came with springs and there blues> i am going to be putting on this next week with a buddy of mine.

I put sway bars in the engine bay and trunk but not behind the seats. I noticed when cornering at 60+ mph the car didn't rock as much as before so I was happy. I still havn't got around to puting the shocks and springs on yet, you will probably be happy with the upgrade even if you don't plan on racing. It does cut the trunk space down alot! The bars where easy to install and look sweet. Now to try and fix the leaky trunk and roof. ahhhhhhh

You didn't put any strut bars on than? I already dont have much trunk space due to my sub box with 2 10's in it. So a rear sway might not fit i would have to look more into that i guess.
Edit: Did you have to take out the targa top rack enable to have the rear sway bar?