Presario

I Have the L-tuned springs and shocks on my car and thus far, they have been fabulous. The only thing I would like is if the front was a tad lower. I believe the front drop is 1.2 inches. I would like 1.5. So my question is, is it possible to install H&Rs in the front and leave the Ltuned in the rear? I really like how the rear is. (I can take people in my car and not have my 19s rub- the gap is a little less then two fingers). Is the handling gonna be a little weird? How much does the H&Rs lower in the rears? Thanks guys.

-Andy
99 GS300
RMM kit, 19" Volk AV3s, L-tuned suspension, RMM-Blitz intake with heat shield, RMM lip spoiler

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

Another fast reply for the neverous ones

I agree the front isn't low enough but the back is just perfect.

There COULD be some problems with mixing. The front and rear spring rates can't differ too much, and maybe H&Rs don't go with L-Tuned. Consult someone like Brent or Will.

GS4Will

P,

no no no.....never "mix & match" different brand of springs. this is not buying a suit.

you have a slight delimma here, especially w/the nice 19" volk, i would say just stay with the l-tunes.
but if the front look really drives you NUTS, take off the 4 l-tunes shcoks and get the Bilsteins on all four corner(it might help a little). since the l-tunes springs are Eibachs, this is OK.

but if you really want the AGGRESSIVE look, there is no other choice but to get the HR+bilsteins.

or, if your budget allows, coilovers are the way to go-you can get it to sit at any height you want.

will

ps. i can get you the bilsteins for $425 to your door.

cclp

no you can't mix the springs
i have a h&r b4 is not that lowered
you you want more lowed and nice choose BLIZ springs

v300

I don't get it... but why can't you mix and match springs? I thought as long as your two fronts have the same springs/shocks and the two rears have the same springs/shocks you'll be fine. I am not a certified mechanic but the restraint is similar to having a coil-over system and having the same spring tension, height settings, and dampening all the way around. Heck race cars have different settings and springs if I recall. The GT cars usually prefer stiffer front setups compared to the rear. That is how my Tein HAs are set right now.

BLiu

v300,

You are partially correct. You can have different front and rear setups in terms of stiffness, but that is due mostly to the SHOCK/STRUT not the spring. The shock/strut really controls the amount of rebound and stiffness that a car will generally have. You should have the same spring rate all around. However, if you are professionally racing then customizing the suspension to gain a few seconds is far more important than driveability so it is conceivable that they mix and match.

The different springs rates usually are due to the fact that the springs are a progressive rate. However, they only contribute a small amount to the stiff ride. The main reason why one feels a lot stiffer when keeping stock shocks and just changing the springs is that the shock is compressed more and has less rebound to work with as well as a shorter distance and faster oscillation. I believe that is how the stock shocks wear out faster...I may be totally off but from talking to suspension gurus and my limited amount of mechanical engineering knowledge it seems that the shocks do most of the work it keeping a suspension "stiff".

So...to go back to the original question. I think it's OK to mix and match springs if you keep in mind a few things.
1) You have to buy two sets of springs and by that time, if you throw in the shocks, you are close to the price of a coilover set which can provide one with unlimited adjustibility.
2) You are changing the suspension geometry that a specific spring manufacturer has invested research dollars into. There may have been reasons for the way Eibach vs. H&R vs. L-tuned designed the ride height the way they did.
3) You are messing with different spring rates for front and rear which could have a slight effect on handling and performance if you were professional racing and looking for a few seconds to shave off your lap time. If you are more concerned about looks then I would still reconsider because of point 1.

If looks is all that matters, then cutting the front springs is the cheapest alternative BUT you open a whole new can of worms with that.

Hope this helps.

Brent

v300

Brent,

...well met! I believe point 3 is what is going to hinder people from actually doing the mix and match. I can't begin to emphasize that cuutting the spring is definitely a no-no.

As for me I do have different springs for my Tein setup. The stock grade is used in the rear and the front was upgraded to a more progressive set minus the helpper springs. Coupled with the TRD lower suspension and the Euro steering ECU my handling is extremely responsive.

biggie27

my question to you people is can you put the H&R springs on the L-tuned shocks or would this just mess up the shocks and I would have to go out and buy new ones

D-MAN63

I asked Steve about that a couple of months ago and he highly advise on NOT doing that.

Has anyone on this board done this?

BLiu

Biggie,

You probably could do that BUT word of caution. The reason Steve doesn't recommend that is because the L-tuned shock was designed to go with the L-tuned spring. Therefore, the progressive rate of the springs and the damper effect of the shocks are matched. If you add a different spring with a different progressive rate you may be introducing wasted energy due to clashing of the two different manufacturers...But we are kind of nit-picking. It's all about if you feel comfortable messing with somebody's design. Hope this helps.

Brent

disc108

GT cars also have different stiffness in front/rear because they are driving on smooth surfaces and need handling on a more predictable surface. if u mix spring rates, ur front and rear will compress/depress(?) at different rates so if u are midturn and hit a pothole or go into a rain gutter, itll "unsettle" your car a little.

BLiu

Hey disc108,

Did you see your tag under your name in the upper left corner? Our supreme and esteemd administrator MKilty has made his mark...

You have flunked driving school....

Brent

GlobeCLK

iTrader: (5)

ROFLMAO

hahahhaahahahahahaa
Great one mike!

disc108

doh! i didnt even notice that... i guess ill have to buy him a dozen krispy kremes (or 2, or 3, or 4) next saturday...

BLiu

disc108,

Look like the gods have been appeased...

you are now a Lexus Test Driver...

Brent