Which one would you guys recommend with 18s? what is the main difference besides height of each

 

hotchkis.

 

h-techs, i have hotchkis now and i wish i went wtih h-techs, hotchkis over time settles a lot more then what it is initially. for example before when i first got hotchkis it was about 1 finger gap in front and 1.5 in rear. now its WAY lower then that, so low that i rub with stock wheels (in the front with out the fenderliner)

im currently looking for h-techs or trds.

 

Agreed. Mine didn't sag per se, and they weren't THAT low, but they were surely lower than advertised. Hotchkis springs tend to be rather inconsistent in true drop distance.

They ride and handle nicely, though. I'd go with H-Techs, have yet to hear anything negative about them.

 

I have some questions:

What Year?
Tire Size?
Measurement from ground to fender lip front and rear?
Any Added weight such as speakers, amps ect?

Also, what was the advertised drop that you saw?

I would like to help out, because you shouldn't have any problems with the Hotchkis springs.

 

I have Hotchkis springs on my car, and LOVE them.

When i had stock wheels, i had absolutely no rubbing whatsoever. Every spring is dropped evenly and the ride quality is above average for a lowering spring. I have riden in TRD, Stech, Htech, and Hotchkis, and i would have to say the Hotchkis drop/ride quality is the best combo.

Htechs are nice. A friend of mine has them installed on his car. All 4 corners of the car have different heights, and the rear took forever to settle. The ride quality isnt too bad either, but i would have to say from my personal experience, the Hotchkis springs are better.

I also have the springs on with 18inch wheels. and there is almost NO gap. and it looks awesome.

as far as spring drops.
Hotchkis -- Front(1.7) / Rear(1.97)
H Tech -- Front (1.9) / Rear(1.5)

 

how long have you had your springs?

 

Since May 1st, 2007

 

2006, stock tires (215/40/17), no audio system or anything that would change the car's weight. Measurement from ground to lowest point of the car (plastic clip under front bumper) is 3.5". I believe the drop was supposed to be 1.7-1.9", but I suspect that it's much lower.

Springs were installed by myself/buddies (correctly) in May of 2006, these pictures were taken without a couple weeks and they haven't sagged or anything since. Still low.







Front finger gap:

 

htech ride is nice. i pretty much never rub even on real crappy roads. looks good with 18s, a bit more wheel gap than hotchikis though from what ive seen. i've had them for around four months and they're basically the same gap as three months ago. i've toted around a bunch of crap in my car since then too. gotta put that hatch to work.

 

haha let us know how the springs are in Oct 08

i've had the hotckis springs since Feb of 06 and the put too much stress on the shocks/struts and the 1.7 drop turned into about 2.7 and the rear of 1.97 turned into 2.5 i remember loving these bad boys and praising them till the end but not anymore, i need something else and its just too bad i cant afford coilovers.

hotchkis springs are a PITA to install and yes the ride is nice when you first have them, but once they settle more and more, your stock wheels will rub on the fender liner and then the front will scrap everywhere. if i could start over i would have picked a different spring. **** i cant even fit a jack under my car anymore. i have to have a friend pick it up from the fenders so i can slide the jack under the car. granted it still looks killer. i love the tucked stock wheels look but the ride is horrible. you feel every tiny road knick and every pot hole and bump. everytime you hit a pot hole it feels like the hole car is gonna fall apart and every time you scrape the bumper will fall off.

out of the springs available i would pick something with between a 1-1.5" drop all around, if the ride was ok with almost 2" of being dropped then the handling/ride quality/comfort will be 10x better with somthing around 1-1.5"

 

interesting........ mine seemed a little higher than most at first, now the front seems average, the back is a little lower but i have a good sized system in the back. i still like the ride and love the handling(especially with the trd rear sway as well).

 

well either way, im sittin pretty on Hotchkis, and i have no regrets about buying them

 

davedave.... maybe your shocks are shot. what shocks are you using?

 

shocks are def blow, but they have been sagging progressivly for the past few months before shocks blew

 

HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTCHKIS!

 

Mine seem pretty even....?




Im also thinking about a front OEM lip? what do yall think

 

just the front lip? why not everything

 

to damn expensive, $800+ for the whole kit. I got another project to fund in the making.

 

get the carbon fiber rs1 front.