hi, 2003 x50tt tip..stock suspension setting...on stock wheels/tires....
saw some cars with H&R springs....if i lower it 1" or so, i think it would look nicer but what would it do to the alignment?
camber esp ?

do i take it to local tire shop and get a reading first...do the spring....then go back to adjust after it settles down?

also, i noticed some people are putting spacers 10 to 15mm....does that make the OEM rims to stick out of the fender wells ?

jim R

'03 TT x50

 

i have h+r springs, your right it does look better. Some guys will say the will wear out the shocks sooner or wreck the ride and I disagree I have had them on two different turbos with zero issues.
Yes the are not as good as coilovers but they are a fraction of the price and unless you are a tracker these will fit your needs just fine.
An alignment after the springs are installed is a must it throws your alignment right out the window as you have to pull the shocks out and remove the factory springs. Doing this job is a bit of a pain as you need to seperate ball joints without ripping the boots and they a hassle but not impossible.
The only warning is that lowering these cars regardless if you are on springs or coilovers it will increase inner tire wear exponentially because the factory toe cant be adjusted enough to go back into factory spec without a toe kit and they are about $550. Not 100% necessary but something to be aware of. I personally have never installed a toe kit but I am seriously considering it as these rear tires are expensive.
As far as spacers and stock rims go I am not sure.
Hope this helps

 

I too wonder about spacers on stock rims... I'm getting ready to lower my car with H&R springs (don't ever plan on tracking this car), and until I get some nice 'summer' wheels, would prolly just ride on the stockers... Would spacers help out the look/stance a bit? If so, what MM for front and rear?

Thanks!

 

I went with H&R springs and i'm happy with the ride. you definitely need a camber kit because even if you get an alignment you wont get any better than -2.7 deg of camber once you lower it. I myself am looking for a camber kit since i just slapped on new rubbers for almost $1k just for the rear.

 

I just installed some coilovers and took off the H&R's/oem shocks that were on my car. I did take some measurements from the middle top of the wheel wells to the ground. I had a stock suspension with the stock wheels and tires and the height was 25-3/16" for both front and rear. That said, I do not have the X50 package and not sure if there is a difference in stock height.

 

My car has H&R springs on it. Anytime you lower a car, it will definitely need an alignment. If you want to see what it feels like with the springs you can try out mine.

 

The 25-3/16" is measured on your stock suspension, H&R/oem, or the coilovers? It's not very clear from your post. OEM suspension has to be quite a bit higher than the 25-3/16" that you are showing. I am on H&R coilovers and at max height allowed by the coilovers and I am at 25-1/2" in the rear. With that, there is less than 1/2" gap between the top of the tire and the fender. With the OEM suspension there is normally about a 2" gap.

 

DEfinitely get the toe kit, it enables easy achievement of the GT2 alignment spec. The Tarret kit is a little less than $500 I believe, based off a Porsche part, it can be equipped with OEM style dust boots.

 

I just replaced the H&R/oem shock setup with coilovers - the H&R's were installed a couple of years ago. That was the baseline measurement of the H&R/stock strut-shock setup before I installed the coilovers. The stock height is well documented, so i did not feel it necessary to post that number as well. Sorry for the confusion.

 

Springs only will lower the car but may cause erratic handling as the shocks are not matched and you may not be able to get proper street alignment specs. If you're going to spend the money on the installation and alignment, you might as well do it right the first time which means adjustable coil overs, adjustable rear upper links (dog bones), adjustable rear toe links, rear sway bar drop links. This may sound expensive but in the long run the car will handle much better and you won't have to replace your rear tires constantly. This becomes even more necessary if you run wider wheel/tires or spacers.

 

I would just add the rear toe links, you don't really need the dog bones and drop links. They will make alignment a breeze, but they also increase suspension noise significantly.

 

What's a fair price for H&R install? With and without toe links?

 

Your looking at about $1,000 with alignment. If you stay with stock wheels and tires (don't add spacers) you might get close to stock alignment with just the adjustable toe links. It would be the same labor cost to install adjustable coil overs so why not do those instead. Once the suspension is apart the additional labor for toe links (and dog bones) is minor. Since you're in OC I'd stop by GMG who have done a ton of these cars. He'll do the springs for you but will strongly recommend the full treatment. The only part that makes additional noise are the adjustable drop links. Dust boots quiet them down a bit. The dog bones, toe steer link, and Bilstein coil over make no additional noise as long as you keep the top rubber shock mounts installed. If you replace them camber plates, thats a different story. They do transmit a lot of suspension noise to the cabin and they are not needed on a street car.

 

Let me know if you are going to need some adjustable rear upper control arms. I have a set of AP upper control arms with brand new factory spherical rod ends that I'm going to be selling. As far as the install cost on the springs, it's that same amount of labor as for coilovers, about 9 hours or $1000. As a point of reference, I spent just shy of $500 for a complete alignment and corner balance, a little over 4 hours labor...

 

Suspension noise??? I have H&R springs but want to simply correct my camber and prevent inner tire wear (which is already happening). Is there a way to correct this without suspension noise? I really dont want to drive my car and have it sound like an old car.