Hey guys. I did use the search button. Found a result but it was for the xA. If there was a previous thread already started on this then the mod can just delete my post.

I just lowered my tC on Eibach Pro-Kit which gives roughly a 1.4" drop all around. I'm guessing I need an alignment since I touched the suspenion? If yes where did everyone get theirs done at? I want to make sure I don't take it to some shop and the workers mess the suspension up.

After this I will have some pictures up of my drop and review of my opinion. Thanks guys.

 

Bring it to your local tire shop. Like pep boys, discount tire, etc.

 

yes, alignment is needed. You wont need any camer adjusting items. I got stech's and was still able to get within stock numbers.

 

I'm on TRD drop (1.25") since January and haven't got an alignment yet.

My tC drives as straight as it did when I was on stock tires. Also, there is no noticable tire wear on either sets of my tires indicating that I need an alignment/camber adjustment.

 

I think the one who installed your springs did a great job.

My friend's civic hasn't got an alignment too, and yet rolls like new. :D

 

Thanks guys for your inputs. I want to be safe and get the alignment just incase. Don't want no tire wear...

 

if i want to lower my car can i just get spring or will i need new shocks too?

 

FYI, not all misaligned tires will show signs when driving. You can't exactly feel excess toe or camber, but give it a few thousand miles, and you will see the wear. . . and it's often difficult to see it unless you jack up the car.

It's best to align the wheels just in case. . . it's just $40. Kinda weird IMO to risk damaging $500-1000 set of tires over a $40 alignment. . .

 

I went to the dealership because I still had free oil changes left. It cost 70 bucks, 20 bucks more than the other local shops. Most shops said they could not do it because they all had drive on lifts.

 

Yeah I'm going to get an alignment and save myself before I prematurely wear my tires. Drive on lifts, are they are high that I can't drive on with a 1.4" drop?

From what I know it depends on the drop the springs give. The lower the drop the more stress the oem shocks will take. Aftermarket springs will wear the shocks out faster than factory springs in other words. If others would like to chime in with their knowledge on this subject please do. :D

 

Answer to question 1:
A good shop will have extra ramps (2x4's) ready in case you can't clear the lift. And if they don't have any, you can bring them. Just a couple small pieces would be enough.

Subject 2:

To dive into the second subject, you need a good understanding of how springs and shocks work.

Springs work by taking an impact (movement) and turning it into up and down movements. Just push down on a small spring and see it bounce around. The OEM springs are designed at a certain spring rate (speed at which it bounces, determined by the spring's materials, thickness, strength, etc) and it's travel (the amount of distance it moves, determined by its length and its material).

When you replace the springs with OEM springs, you'll notice that the ride is a lot stiffer, as you lose some travel and increase the spring rate (which creates better handling). Increasing the spring rate and reducing the travel means that it's going to move a smaller distance, but it will move faster. . . which gets us into shocks. . .

What does a shock do? It takes all that energy and turns it into heat and other junk (compressing and decompressing the gas in the shock). You know those struts that hold up your hatch? That's basically a shock, except on a smaller scale-- it slows down the movement.

If you've ever ridden on or seen a car with blown (or missing) shocks, you'll notice that it bounces wildly, and takes forever to stop bouncing. With proper shocks, the car will only bounce a few times at most.

When lowering springs are introduced to stock shocks, the shocks too will see faster movement in a smaller distance. Ever played around with a strut or something that had a pneumatic chamber?

Imagine a bike tire hand pump. It's somewhat easy to pump it with full strokes. Try to move it really fast over a small distance. It's not easy, is it? You're effectively making the air chamber work harder (a lot of physics behind this; decompression and compression).

An air pump is very very similar to a shock. And like an air pump, moving at a faster rate will work the shock harder. When do shocks fail? When they develop a leak (blow). Working the shock harder will accelerate the time it takes for the shock to blow and fail. Adding lowering springs WILL ALWAYS increase the wear and tear on ANY AND ALL shocks.

BY HOW MUCH IS WEAR AND TEAR INCREASED? This is the question you need to ask. . . and it depends on how aggressive the drop is and how much the spring rate is increased. Some may see mild increases in wear and tear. Some may see A BIG INCREASE. It really depends. Best bets are on TRD, as they can carry the factory warranty. This means that Toyota has calculated that on average, it will not cause the shocks to wear premature (of the warranty duration) for the majority of the cars that have it. But even so, you WILL reduce the expected life of the shocks and you cannot avoid it in any way.

For performance purposes, you want a suspension tuned for sporty driving. And shocks that are properly matched to the springs are crucial for the spring to work to their full potential. Furthermore, aftermarket shocks are usually more durable than OEM shocks, as they are built to handle the load of worn springs (for normal shocks). Performance and adjustable shocks are ideal, as they are designed for the performance oriented springs you all intend to or already run.

From a money standpoint. . . you can always ride your OEM shocks until they blow and replace them at that time. But if you want performance and not just cosmetics you really should get the shocks too.

 

^^ Wow! That pretty much sums it up people. !

 

well said.

 

indeed, very well put.

 

thanks for the advice