a lowered car and snow?

[trabadoor22]

Ive been searching for the best suspension set up for me, but I'm having a hard time deciding which route to go. Im either thinking of springs and shocks, coilover sleeves and shocks, or a full coilover system. If I can get away with it I would prefer to go with the springs and shock route because it would be alot cheaper than the other two options. The only real reason Im consider the other two options is because I live in NY where a good portion of the year their is snow on the ground and I can adjust the drop with coilovers. I just don't want to be driving around and bottoming out on the snow all the time. But if anyone else has done this with good results then I guess I would feel alot better about the spring and shock setup. At max I plan to drop the car 2" front and rear, so Im just wondering if I would be safe in going with just the springs and shocks. Thanks for any info.

[emerge]

are we talking about stock tires here? i think you will be fine just going two inches. i dropped my civic 2.5" on stock wheels and it snowed here once and i had no problems. i would just get coil overs and raise them if it gets really bad...

[jaxle]

LOL, snowed here once....in georgia....ahahaha....thats classic

anyways, i guess you've never seen a winter up north eh? Last year New York got like a foot or two of snow in a day ( i cant remember exactly but it was huge).

Im guessin there will be several days where u cant drive around at all w/o rapin your front bumper and scrapin allover the place. My stock civic bottoms out all the time after snow storms and i cant control it much at all. i remember driving home once after 8 inches or so fell and the main roads werent even plowed, i attempted to change lanes and i just spun out(good thing i was goin 20 and no cars around) . basically some other cars (prob trucks) tracks took over my lil car hehe.

Anyways if your gonna drop your civic get a winter beater or coilovers. Im not too knowledgable about suspension but when you raise it back up again you will probably have to adjust your camber and other things.

[sickhonda]

In Georgia, when they get an inch of snow on the ground, it's SNOW DAY!

trabadoor22,

You need to be more specific on what setup are you using during winter months - stock rims or custom rims? If custom, what size rim and rubber set up?

[el_loco_civic]

yea, georgias snow is rare.. but i used to live in Grand Rapids also ! thats crazy.. bout 3 years ago's X-mas, was crazy, the front yard of my G-ma'z was 2 feet up my leg.. if thats jus MI. then NY should be perdy bad at times too..

[trabadoor22]

Sorry about that. During the summer I'll have 17's on then in the winter I will put the stock rims, 15's, back on. Tires will most likely be all season tires for the winter. Thanks again. Anyway, ya weather up here sucks bad. It's pretty much June now and I wouldn't be too suprised if it snowed.

[sickhonda]

Ok, I live in both NY and Poconos, PA. I get a good amount of snow, if not in NY, certainly up on the mountains of PA. I’m being practical and never lowered my vehicle. I just have to learn to live with the wheel gap. Even with the stock stance or height, there was this one occasion that I could not make it closer to my house in PA due to four feet of snowdrift near my driveway. My Blizzak tires makes it possible for me to tackle up to two feet of snow, but nothing higher.

I’m not an expert when it comes to suspension but there are few things that you might want to consider before making any decision.

A 2” inch drop is not too low, especially when driving with stock wheels during winter months. The stock wheels are well tucked in inside the fender well and you should not experience any rubbing. You might just need a camber kit when going that low. Also with this drop, without a body kit, you’re OK. With the body kit all around, you’ll definitely act like a snowplow during winter. When tackling NY roads, you’ll never know what to expect, so you’ll need to learn to slow down and be more cautious.

As far as suspension;

SPRINGS: The ride quality will depend on the type you get, but in time some tend to settle lower afterwards. They’re good, because you don’t have to make height adjustments every change of the season, which in turn will save you time and money on wheel alignments.

COILOVERS: Learn to compromise with the ride quality. You have the height adjustability for the winter season, and you’ll have to reverse the process again when it gets warm…that’s twice a year, which is time consuming. Wheel alignment is required every time you change the height…added cost for you.

It’s your ride, it’s your call…GOOD LUCK!

[trabadoor22]

Thanks for the help. It seems to me like the coilovers would be a better deal since I should be able to get a set , either H&R or Tein for around $1000. The shocks + springs would be about $700 for my car. It would be kind of a pain though to keep changing everything around though. It's something to think about.

[killah_xft]

me I am more for the coilovers, which I am going to put on my car. I live in maine where the snowstorms can be really horrible, and ice storms are more prevalent.. last year I drove my accord to Orono (2 hours away in normal weather) the winter tires I had on it were Michelin Blizzaks. Those were excellent winter tires. never once losk control of my car, and the ice, sluch, and snow were no problem, and I was doing over the speed limit in most areas.... if you lost control of your car in the snow, you need to learn how to drive in the winter.. with a FF car it should be easier than hell.. also a standard transmission adds to your control over the car.

[sickhonda]

Originally posted by killah_xft
Michelin Blizzaks.

Don't you mean Bridgestone Blizzak?

Their unbelievable snow tires! :ylsuper