I'm considering some NF210's but am wondering if this will worsen the ride (more than my 17s created) and do you guys actually feel a lower center of gravity when turning? I've never had such a boxy car, and have never lowered one, so just wondering some opinions, particularly on the xD.

 

Hrm... not sure actually. I have a sway on now and cornering is much better than before without the sway. I'm on NF210s and now a sway which really tightens up my xD for fast cornering. ;)

 

im probably going the way of NF210s as well. im sure a lower ride height and slightly higher spring rate will help body roll significantly.

 

I have NF210's and a TRD "sway" bar. Handling is excellent and body roll is gone. However the ride is harsher especially short sharp shocks. (The slightly higher spring rates or?) Ride is a little better with TRD's. Maybe Tanabe's "spring binding" has something to do with that. Front and rear lowering is well balanced. Stock struts seem to control the springs reasonably well - at least when new. Aside from tedious access to front strut towers (need offset wrench and shortened hex key) spring install is a snap.

 

seattleguy, did you notice much with that TRD sway bar? or was most of your body roll eliminated from the springs?

 

Unfortunately I did the whole job in one whack so I can't say. A little speculation though:

I always put "sway" bar in quotes because the TRD isn't a sway bar at all. Sway bars transfer or "jack" weight from the loaded to unloaded side of the car. The xD is non-independent and uses a torsion beam between the wheels. So the rear suspension is quasi-independent you could say. The TRD bar actually stiffens the beam by a relatively small amount. (Compare cross-section of beam to the bar.) True sway bars can be installed on fixed rear suspensions but it's a bit tricky. The TRD is not such an install.

Having said that, it doesn't mean the bar doesn't help even though it does not control body roll via weight transfer. Though I suspect lower springing addressed most body roll issues (lower cg and center of rotation) I just don't know. Frankly suspension variables are complexly interactive, and sometimes counter-intuitive. Even with computer modeling it's tough to work out. A person would have to do a careful before and after test, I suppose, for a seat of the pants conclusion.

The TRD bar is a quick install/deinstall so I may give it a whirl someday. Or maybe one of you folks on the board can experiment?

 

i was afraid you were going to say you did them at the same time, heh. i see what you are saying about the suspension though... im sure the springs did most of the work as far as getting rid of body roll.

 

I suspect so. Didn't think through the so-called sway bar before I bought it. Else I might have waited and tried springs alone at first.

btw Saw you mention DF's elsewhere. IMHO they are too aggressive and low for real world driving (a friend has some). Ride, clearance, and tire wear may all be issues, though there are many posters who are happy with theirs.

I have some decent before/after pix with NF's. Low, side-on angle, yardstick for reference. Only stock wheels at this point (will replace when tires wear out), but you may find the NF's are low enough. If someone can suggest an easy, relatively script-free photo hoster I will get them up. (Some exhaust shots too.)

Somewhere Zoltiz posted good photos of his TRD sprung xD with three different sets of wheels: stock, 17's, and 18's. Good comparison.

 

by script free hosting, do you mean like photobucket.com? dont know too much about that, but i use that site to host photos.

ive been torn between the DFs and the NFs for a while, and have been deciding, like you said, that the DFs may be a little too aggressive for me. as im sure you know, the roads of washington can be rough.

 

here's zoltiz's car of the three pixs...

http://zoltiz.com/cars/xD/springs/

 

Another post from new photobucket account. Before/after NF210 springs.

Pix edited for exaggerated brightness to make the wheel wells more visible. (Not glamour shots, that's for sure!)
Yardstick for reference.
Pix taken following a short drive after install. The car is about 1/4" lower now.
You can sort out befores and afters (I hope!).

 

what an awsome guy, thanks for all the pictures! looks really good man,
one thing tho...
what's the clearance from the ground up?

 

cant measure it right now, but if you are talking from the ground to the bottom of the side skirt, i would say somewhere around 7".

 

I know you already got an answer from seattleguy, but fwiw I currently have only the TRD "sway" bar (no springs yet), and it helped out quite a bit. I drove around for a week without the sway bar before the dealership had it in stock to install. I was supprised how much difference it made in the body roll.
In my opinion it is worth it.

 

hmm when i measure my arch to ground it comes out at 27" front and rear - that wont affect my drop when i get new springs, right? the extra 1/2" is just in the current springs i assume?