1995 Integra Koni STR.T Shocks, What Springs?

I have a 1995 Acura Integra SE (GS-R without VTEC) that my brother owned for seven years before me. It has some Honda pattern rust and the paint is not very glossy, but it runs great and I know the maintenance has been done because I did it.

The car is bone stock. It is an SE so it has GS-R suspension and fat five wheels.

I went on Koni's website and noticed they had STR.T shocks for my car on sale for $250 for all four. Of course I ordered them.

I want to know where the sweet spot for price/performance is for springs to go with these shocks. I plan to drive the car on the street, autocross it, and take it to the track orientation at Mid America Motorplex and then maybe do track days a couple times a year.

Is there really a difference between the cheapy springs on ebay for $65 a set and Eibachs? Should I skip right past Eibachs and go directly to ordering Hyperco springs by spring rate, coil diameter and height? What are the fast STS cars running for springs (that won't make me regret it during daily driving)?

Here are some pictures of the car: http://pbcrunch.posterous.com/1995-acura-integra-1

The long and the short of it is that if $60 springs deliver 85% of the performance of $250 springs I want to save the money to use on something else.

TreoWayne wrote: Is there really a difference between the cheapy springs on ebay for $65 a set and Eibachs?

Good Lord, yes there is.

I'm still considering throwing a set of STR's with a set of Tein S-Techs on my daily driver 4-door Civic. I'm more interested in ride quality, budget and appearance over performance on this one, though.

I will say--Neuspeed Sport or H&R Sport are a nice combo of ride quality and performance for those shocks. Not too steep, either.

This may be slightly irrelevant because I had different shocks, but when I had my Integra I used ITR springs with Koni Yellows on the lowest perch. It rode better than stock and handled amazing. If you're looking for a slight drop in height (1/2 inch or so), those springs might be a good option.

I'd go with the H&Rs. I cannot stand Eibach's off the shelf Prokit or Sportlines. AWFUL springs.

I had a bad experience with a set of H&R Springs on the 2002 RSX that I used to have. The car had a nice height in the front but was completely slammed in the back. I contacted H&R a couple of times and they tried telling me I had the front and rear springs mixed up.

The front and rear springs were different diameters and this hypothesis was impossible.

So I would go with pretty much any brand other than H&R.

If you're concerned with not punishing yourself on the street I second the type-r springs. They'll still offer plenty of performance for a daily driver. IIRC the front rates are a linear 250lb/in front and a progressive up-to-250lb in the rear. Pretty neutral setup, even when compared to most aftermarket spring kits. Just not that stiff. I'd spring for a rear swaybar as well and keep the stock front.

Beyond that, a set of GC coilover sleeves with some street-friendly spring rates would be my next choice. It's arguable, but IMHO the off-the-shelf GC rates are perhaps too front-biased for an optimal autocross setup and also a little too stiff (up front) for a reasonable daily driver. I've been wanting to try out something like 275f/300r on my integra. Some people like it hardcore though, so to each their own.

In the end, I'd do some research on spring rates yourself and choose a brand based on that.

I did some looking around. I decided to go with Skunk2 based mostly on the fact that the drop was close to what I was looking for, the company has a good reputation, and the price was reasonable. Plus I like things that are red.

The Type-R springs sound good, but I think the STR.T shocks can handle a more aggressive spring than that.

Well, there's not much info out there yet about the valving of the STR.T dampers, but the grapevine says they're equal to a Yellow on full soft, which is better suited to near-stock rates IMHO. The Skunk2 coilovers are 500 & 400lb/in.

Let us know how it works out. I've been curious as to what the STR.T can handle and this should be a good test.

Matt B wrote: Well, there's not much info out there yet about the valving of the STR.T dampers, but the grapevine says they're equal to a Yellow on full soft, which is better suited to near-stock rates IMHO. The Skunk2 coilovers are 500 & 400lb/in.

My last beater (EG Civic) had Koni Yellows and GC 450/380 on it. I'm too old for a DD that harsh.