What would you choose?
 

Hey guys, so I'm looking to upgrade my suspension by next summer and I'm starting my research now. So far I have my eyes set on the following:

stock spring rates are 200f/230r

OTS Koni Yellow with 400f/500r Eibach linear springs on coilover sleeves ($1450USD)

or

KW Variant 3 ($1550USD)
claimed spring rates: 350f/500r, tested spring rates: 275f/350r...springs are progressive


The Eibach/Koni will be plug and play, while with the KW V3 I will have to transfer my OEM top mounts...something I have no problem with.

As always, cheaper the better but I'm willing to spend when the value is there.

What would you do? Any other suggestions?

Suspension is going on a CSX Type-S with the following mods:

Hondata Flashpro
GO Power 575 Header
Invidia Q300 70mm
Tanabe DF210 on stock shocks (rides surprisingly well...spring rates ~15% stiffer than stock)
Progress 21mm Rear Sway Bar

Thanks for looking! :thumbs:

I would go with the koni/ground control setup.
It's been proven time and time again that it's the best and you can even choose your own spring rates. If you don't like the rates, you can buy springs individually as well.
Why do you have stiffer rates in the back though? This is usually only done on drag cars.

The Koni setup.

It's plug and play (for the most part) and you can rebuild/revalve your Koni's to spec if/when you decide you want to change your spring rates for your specific application/purpose. It will also provide a comfortable ride for daily driving. Like TheSalesman said, they have been proven time and time over and over again.

The KWs are overkill and most people will not know how to use them to their potential.

Higher rates in the rear to get more rotation / reduce understeer. Also front and rear is setup differently with different motion ratio...a higher rate is necessary in the rear to achieve the equivalent wheel rate.

The Koni Yellow setup is actually not plug and play in the front since they are inserts. But the price of $1450USD includes buying another set of OEM struts and the labour to convert the struts into Koni Yellow.

While it's true that a GC/Koni setup has been proven time and time again, the price gap between a GC/Koni setup and a KW V3 setup has been quite significant in the past...hence why those with DC2/older Civics use the GC/Koni. However, in my case, the price gap is "only" about $100.

While I agree that one more adjustment = one more way to fuck things up, it can also work the other way if you're willing to learn. I think it would only be detrimental to those "slamm'd yo hellaflushers" who complain about a shitty ride when they have the damping set up incorrectly.

Another opportunity has come up in the used market:

rear: 8042 Sport custom'd into D/A Race
front: 8610 S/A Race

Coilover sleeves with any spring rate i want (probably 450f/600r)

Waiting for a reply on the mileage/condition of the shocks...but I'm going to guess they were driven hard in autox and track at full compression & rebound to compensate for lack of spring rate since it was for stock class.

So...what do you guys think?

Just did a quick search.
The koni ground control setup can be had for under 1100.
If you need another set of shocks, I see those around used for $100 or why not use your stock ones?

i always have good luck with koni/groundcontrol. its all i need, i get the satisfaction of putting it together yourself and the price is right.

I want to keep all my stock parts in case I need to sell the car in the future.

I've decided to just save up more and get the KW V3 to save myself the hassle and uncertainty, and the extra adjustability should be fun to play with.

Thanks for all the replies guys, much appreciated.

The V3 are excellent

V3's all the way you have adjustable compression rebound and a progressive spring with no rebuilding or revalving needed.
Top mounts would have to be re an re'd no matter what option.

V3's for sure. The koni's aren't even on the same level.