I'm seriously considering getting some Eibach pro-kit springs for my brand new pro5, later down the road am i going to need to upgrade to full coilovers? I've read some places the springs kill the struts and other places that say it's fine....
Another thing, i would need to get a camber kit with the springs right?

 

As the drop approaches 2", performance struts are highly recommended. I don't think camber plates are needed.

 

so the 1.4 ~ inch drop eibachs don't need a camber kit? the tirerack website suggests it?

 

I know someone's going to correct me for this but...

Spring rate affects a shocks/struts lifespan.

 

Eventually you'll need new struts. Right now struts for P5's are hard to come by, but if you start saving now, by the time they do make struts you'll have enough to buy them. I wouldn't worry about it right now though. Just as long as you don't drive so wreckless as to bottom out alot, you'll be fine.

 

in a nutshell, yes, your stock struts will blow earlier with the
prokits. im using prokits on my new pro5 with 2500miles.
put the prokits on at 150miles. no problems yet.

im expecting about 20k miles (on road-only).

tokico, finish up on those pro5 struts!!!

 

You could get the Mazdaspeed struts as a replacement, but I'm not sure if they're designed for a lower car.

 

Stiffer spring would mean faster compression/decompression rates than factory springs. The stock struts are tuned to work with the rates of the stock springs but they will be overpowered by faster springs and will get overheated.

Another, usually overlooked, reason why stock struts go bad with lowering springs is the fact that with a good amount of lowering, chances of bottoming out the factory strurts are MUCH higher. As you may have guessed, bottoming out struts = BAD!

 

thats why you have bump stops.

 

Riding on bumpstops is like having no suspension travel. The car will handle VERY dangerously.

There is this video of a civic that rode too low.... it shows the guy doing a fast lane change and spinning out of control in traffic. Search for the it on the net. Anyways... that's just ONE of the things that could happen when you don't have enough suspension travel ..... yes and it includes cases in which you are riding on bumpstops.

 

so did you buy the darn springs already?

just do it. eibach's the way to go imo.

 

Its the decompression that overwhelms the stock struts, not the compression...at least I thought. The stiffer springs rates will make compression more difficult, but not for the struts, just simply that they are physically harder to compress. But as you said after the bump "shock" the springs bounce the car back to nuetral (decompression) with a lot more force than the stock sprins...

 

Bullshit...its all bullshit. I have H&R sport springs on my p5 with stock struts, 1/4 coil cut out to put the wheel wells on the tires, and cut the bumpstops in half. I've been ridin on my stock struts with this **** for over a year now and over 17,000 miles now.... been waiting for a reason to buy new struts but haven't found one yet.

 

Hey Sweed, wasn't this the one reason you re-joined the board? Just to say that after your Vegas trip the struts are fine?

He he he...