Thread: Question regarding OEM springs and AGX Struts

Hello,

I read through the suspension post by ShawB a bit. It seems like the cheapest solution would be to go with AGX Struts, get some sway bars, and keep the OEM springs. I was wondering,however, if I need to replace the OEM springs. I think they have as many miles as my car which is over 140k miles. If I need to replace the OEM springs, how much would that cost? and how much of an improvement would the custom springs add? This suspension will be for a turbo car.

Only pseudo-mod for the suspension I have is Falken ZE-912 at 225/50/15 on stock b14 wheels(This is a '95 SE-R). I'm a little worried about clearance issues if the car is lowered at all with such large tires.

Thanks!
-G

Your springs should be okay but if you run the AGX on 3-6 or 4-8 settings it will not ride good. I'd recommend 2-4. How do you look at the B14 at stock height though?

OEM springs will last until they rust through. No need to replace them just because. You will how-ever gain a lot by upgrading the springs to stiffer units. Hyperco or RoadMagnet springs are the way to go for you. They are progressive and linear springs respectively. If you have the correct offset (you might need some small spacers) and "roll" your fenders you won't have any rubbing issues with the lower springs and 225 wide tires as far as I know.

Do the road magnets work well with the AGX Struts? Are there other alternatives that would be cheaper?

What would the best "bang for buck" suspension upgrade be?

Best bang for buck suspension mod is removing weight from the car.

Next best I think is some decent springs and dampers.

Yes, the Road Magnet springs work great with KYB AGXs, just like the Hyperco springs.

Road Magnet springs w/ KYB AGX

Are your struts blown? If not, one option may be to run aftermarket springs like those mentioned above and use them with the OEM struts. Rittmeister did this on a B13 and I think he liked it quite a bit. However, he sold the car soon thereafter, so I have no idea if the extra work the OEM struts had to do caused a shortened lifespan. It seems that the general consensus for cheaper DD duties to run Hyperco/Roadmagnet with AGX/Konis. I am currently running Hyperco and Konis on my B13 and I love it, but it did get expensive. Hypercos were about $300, the Konis after being custom installed were about $700 or so (I can't recall exactly), and then to make sure everything lasted a long time, I replaced a bunch of the OEM suspension bits on the struts before putting it all back together, which totaled over $100 (everything x4 adds up quick). So just parts, I was over 1g for the suspension, which pushes it into good coilover territory. I still prefer this suspension to coilovers (and so does the gf), but I wanted to let you know that costs for this can go up quickly. Just keep that in mind when figuring out bang for the buck. If OEM struts can work with either aftermarket spring, that would probably be the biggest bang for the buck.

^This is true. I'm currently riding on 253K OEM struts and springs. If you have a lot of stuff in the trunk, it will turn like a baby boat. I stripped my trunk down naked when I was cleaning it once and I thought I gained 10HP's! I even noticed instant holding improvement. Having a spare tire, sound system, and tool box will make the rear heavy and swing with a delay on turns.