Would You Recommend These Springs?

[stehunt]

Hi Guys,

Never posted before but been reading for a while, I own a pre-facelift cts and would like some help please! Like many of you want the car lowering, are these G-max springs any good?

http://www.gmaxsuspension.co.uk/product_in...ucts_id=1250391

Noticed they lower the front 45mm and the rear 30mm, is this different to the tte springs? Also will I need to upgrade the shocks?

I know this has probably been asked many times before but any help would be great!

Cheers,

Steve

[stehunt]

Sorry noticed the url isn't working, sure your all familiar with the g-max springs though,

Cheers.

[MarcTS]

Hi there, I don't have them, but I know a couple of people have had them fitted. Gemma has probably had them fitted the longest and I know she is happy with them. From memory she said it does stick the rear up a bit compared to the front due to the 45mm drop on the front. She also runs on standard shocks even though generally speaking people recommend new shocks on anything lower than 30-35mm.

I have Eibach Pro Springs fitted to mine and are essentially identical to the TTE ones (they both drop the car by 30mm front and back).

[Armz]

Yeah Gemma definetly has them fitted. I remember asking her about her springs about 6-7 months ago, as i saw them on eBay for a good price. Ended up getting the Eibach (TTE) springs after i heard of one person on this board whose shock gave way shortly after fitting springs that were lowering more than 30mm. 35mm+ to be exact. Some springs go as low as 40-45mm. Which is a no go with standard shocks.

My shocks are probably the oldest on the T-sport board, which are still originals at almost 6 years old next month, i've had the TTE's fitted in August and so far so good.

Sometimes the shocks can just be dodgy from the beginning and a little bit of lowering will cause them to fail, like the guy i mentioned above. So it can be pot luck. But the age of the shocks also plays a big part, along with the total drop.

Given the Gmax are about 100 and the TTE's were 142 (i think) it may be better getting the TTE's and then getting 17' or 18's alloys to fill the arches completely, as the drop with TTE is only 30mm. Plus the TTE's are official toyota parts, always nicer to have original or manufacturer endorsed products on the car.

Cheers

Armz.

[ae102]

i have been looking to lower my car for some time now. i think the eibachs are probably the best quality as they give a five year warranty - most only carry 12 months. also the main manufacturers use Eibach when they upgrade production models - tte compressor, mazda 3mps ..... even prodrive which is probably the biggest name in tuning specify eibachs. a toyota mechanic warned me about lowering my car and told me to get decent springs and not to drop it to much as a tsport they sold was lowered 50mm or 70mm and it caused the driveshafts to start knocking. i presume the shafts started knocking as the camber couldnt be brought back into spec.

ps make sure you get your tracking done as soon as you lower it

[Armz]

I never got mine tracked after getting the lowering springs. I read somewhere it was best to get a full geometry check which is much better, but my local garage quoted 80 odd pounds, so i left it seeing as all tyres are wearing evenly, steering doesnt pull either way, so seems ok, just better handling.

I may get the geometry check done after xmas as piece of mind though, but still not cheap.

Cheers

Armz.

[ae102]

I never got mine tracked after getting the lowering springs. I read somewhere it was best to get a full geometry check which is much better, but my local garage quoted 80 odd pounds, so i left it seeing as all tyres are wearing evenly, steering doesnt pull either way, so seems ok, just better handling.

I may get the geometry check done after xmas as piece of mind though, but still not cheap.

Cheers

Armz.

you must be lucky - last time i lowered a car i took for tracking and it was a mile off. Armz do you still run on original tyres? i put so3 on mine and the car now loves to follow dips in the road like my old car which ran very stiff n low suspension but the grip is good evan though i havent lowered her yet. i didnt do my tracking when i changed tyre size which probably i should have but i will do that when i brave the cold and put some new springs on. had enough of the comfy ride and serios body roll!

[stehunt]

Thanks for the information guys, lookin like I'll go for the Eibachs I reckon. Does anyone have any pictures of these fitted? Be good to have a look at what difference 30mm makes,

Thanks!

Steve

[Armz]

I never got mine tracked after getting the lowering springs. I read somewhere it was best to get a full geometry check which is much better, but my local garage quoted 80 odd pounds, so i left it seeing as all tyres are wearing evenly, steering doesnt pull either way, so seems ok, just better handling.

I may get the geometry check done after xmas as piece of mind though, but still not cheap.

Cheers

Armz.

you must be lucky - last time i lowered a car i took for tracking and it was a mile off. Armz do you still run on original tyres? i put so3 on mine and the car now loves to follow dips in the road like my old car which ran very stiff n low suspension but the grip is good evan though i havent lowered her yet. i didnt do my tracking when i changed tyre size which probably i should have but i will do that when i brave the cold and put some new springs on. had enough of the comfy ride and serios body roll!

I'm using the original Bridgestone Turanza's, haven't changed as they seem to be pretty good, don't wear quickly, infact it hasn't had it's tyres changed in over 2 years, plenty of tread left, passed MOT last month but one tyre had a nail in it, so had to be changed. So only bought one tyre so far.

Since lowering i have found that it does sort of 'tram-line' and follow dips/grooves in the road, mainly the busier routes where buses have completely worn grooves into the road. This probably has a lot to do with the tyres being lower profile than the lowering. But on normal roads the car is perfect, steers straight by itself with no adjustments. I do find grip is not very good when launching in wet or off side roads onto mainroads. Possibly too much power for the TC to control or the tyres, but being gentle helps alot until about 5mph then can floor it with full grip.

So i haven't really thought about changing to a different make of tyre, possibly as i am in two minds wether to change my alloys or not. If i get 17's then i would a need full set of new tyres, so will make my mind up in a few months.

There is still slight bodyroll on cornering, this is down to the rear has no brace as i have one in the front, so need to get something for that. Anti-roll or brace, still need to decide.

Cheers

Armz.

[MarcTS]

Thanks for the information guys, lookin like I'll go for the Eibachs I reckon. Does anyone have any pictures of these fitted? Be good to have a look at what difference 30mm makes,

Thanks!

Steve

Hi Steve,

Here is a pic of mine lowered on the Eibach springs with original wheels ....

and here it is again but running on 18s

As you can see, I'm also a bit better at cleaning the car these days too :lol:

[ae102]

I never got mine tracked after getting the lowering springs. I read somewhere it was best to get a full geometry check which is much better, but my local garage quoted 80 odd pounds, so i left it seeing as all tyres are wearing evenly, steering doesnt pull either way, so seems ok, just better handling.

I may get the geometry check done after xmas as piece of mind though, but still not cheap.

Cheers

Armz.

you must be lucky - last time i lowered a car i took for tracking and it was a mile off. Armz do you still run on original tyres? i put so3 on mine and the car now loves to follow dips in the road like my old car which ran very stiff n low suspension but the grip is good evan though i havent lowered her yet. i didnt do my tracking when i changed tyre size which probably i should have but i will do that when i brave the cold and put some new springs on. had enough of the comfy ride and serios body roll!

I'm using the original Bridgestone Turanza's, haven't changed as they seem to be pretty good, don't wear quickly, infact it hasn't had it's tyres changed in over 2 years, plenty of tread left, passed MOT last month but one tyre had a nail in it, so had to be changed. So only bought one tyre so far.

Since lowering i have found that it does sort of 'tram-line' and follow dips/grooves in the road, mainly the busier routes where buses have completely worn grooves into the road. This probably has a lot to do with the tyres being lower profile than the lowering. But on normal roads the car is perfect, steers straight by itself with no adjustments. I do find grip is not very good when launching in wet or off side roads onto mainroads. Possibly too much power for the TC to control or the tyres, but being gentle helps alot until about 5mph then can floor it with full grip.

So i haven't really thought about changing to a different make of tyre, possibly as i am in two minds wether to change my alloys or not. If i get 17's then i would a need full set of new tyres, so will make my mind up in a few months.

There is still slight bodyroll on cornering, this is down to the rear has no brace as i have one in the front, so need to get something for that. Anti-roll or brace, still need to decide.

Cheers

Armz.

i changed from turanzas as i found the grip quite poor. turanza are designed for long life and good fuel economy. i use Bridgestone potenza so3 as i used them on my last car and found the grip really good. potenza range are designed for performance but i still get good mileage out of them. the so3 have one of the stiffest sidewalls which helps reduce bodyroll but the are a bit pricey - you are looking at £105 per corner on 205/50/16 but the improvement is very noticeable.

[stehunt]

Thanks for the information guys, lookin like I'll go for the Eibachs I reckon. Does anyone have any pictures of these fitted? Be good to have a look at what difference 30mm makes,

Thanks!

Steve

Hi Steve,

Here is a pic of mine lowered on the Eibach springs with original wheels ....

and here it is again but running on 18s

As you can see, I'm also a bit better at cleaning the car these days too :lol:

Thanks, those wheels look great, I was going to get 17" ones but I might reconsider!

[MarcTS]

Thanks, those wheels look great, I was going to get 17" ones but I might reconsider!

Just keep in mind how comfortable you want the ride to be after you make suspension and wheel/tyre changes mate. Dropping the car by 30mm on standard shocks will make the ride stiffer - in my opinion though the sint increase in stiffness from my eibachs was more than offset by the handling improvements. However with 18" alloys you will feel every bump of the road. It is pretty harsh to begin with until the car settles down and I am now used to it. 17s would preserve some of the ride comfort.

[stehunt]

Thanks, those wheels look great, I was going to get 17" ones but I might reconsider!

Just keep in mind how comfortable you want the ride to be after you make suspension and wheel/tyre changes mate. Dropping the car by 30mm on standard shocks will make the ride stiffer - in my opinion though the sint increase in stiffness from my eibachs was more than offset by the handling improvements. However with 18" alloys you will feel every bump of the road. It is pretty harsh to begin with until the car settles down and I am now used to it. 17s would preserve some of the ride comfort.

Thanks for the advice. I reckon I will go for 17" although them 18's look great. Don't want to sacrifice too much ride quality but definitely want better cornering ability. My shocks are almost 5 years old now, would you recommend changing them with the springs and getting a full kit?

[MarcTS]

If you are really set on cornering ability then getting some shorter shocks with springs etc would definitely be an improvement over putting springs on standard shocks, but springs alone will provide a noticeable improvement in handling.

For peace of mind you might want to have someone put the car in the air and get them to inspect the OE shocks for any wear and tear etc.