what will i need to buy and do to lower my 96 civic. approx what are the costs? and is there a cheap route?

 

How low?

Once you answer that we can figure out whether to go coilovers or springs and what shocks you can get.

An suspension is something you don't want to cheap out on, do it right the 1st time. Don't need to risk your life as well as others with something so important with your car. And you don't want to have to do the same annoying job more than once!

 

idk at least an 1 maybe 2inches. any suggestions on websites or where to buy? and will lower car affect how it rides?

 

Yes, lowering your car will affect how it rides. The lower you go, the harsher the ride is going to have to be to avoid rubbing; at a 2" drop, you're not going to need race springs, though.

What's usually recommended for the drop you're looking for is Tein S-Tech springs with Tokico "Blues" (HP) struts. It's a relatively cheap setup that lowers you a little under 2" while maintaining a relatively good ride.

 

^ I agree, most people will be satisfied with that combo, and it is super common. The ride is still decent, no rubbing problems, can be done for about $400, and will feel some handling increases.

Some people (*cough* reaper *cough*) aren't satisfied with that subtle of a drop. S techs still leave 2-3 finger gap. I see it as if you are going to lower your car, why not go the lowest you can? The point of lowering a car isn't to be practical. My skunk2 springs are a 2.5" drop, very noticeable, I won't rip my bumper off on driveways but I will scrape everywhere I go. As you go lower you trade off comfort and practicality, but you gain looks and handling.

 

Hey now... I understand why people don't aim for tucked tires on every car. I just don't see why they're willing to spend the time and money on lowering it if they're only going to lower it a little

And practicality? Pshh... My civic tucked all four tires. My bike was a bike. My mustang won't idle at all when the engine's cold and runs pig-rich. Impracticality is what makes cars charming.

 

I love having impractical mods and unneccesary things, just so people say why did you do that? What's the point? Making people look at you and say what a waste of money is the best lol. I won't mind going in to driveways at a 45* angle to minimize the scraping, it is fun to be different and have other people look at your car in awe. I love telling people how much things cost too, they can't ever justify a reason to spend that amount. Such as the $500 for my GReddy catback, most people don't understand how that is worth it lol. And all cars now days are meant for comfort, mpg, and price. That is too boring, I'll sacrifice any of those to stand out.

 

hey guys im new to this, im sorry brinkw, i dont mean to be rude and post on your thread but i cant figure out how to do my own lol. Ok so i just bought a 2000 civic ex and the kid i bought it from told me it was lowered on coilovers but hes not sure what brand. I have a about a 1 finger gap between the tire n fender and the ride SUCKS, everytime i hit the smallest bump it feels like someone is taking a sledge hammer and banging it underneath my car. Im guessing something might be broke? Well anyway, i want to start over and do it from scratch. I want to lower the car about 2' from the stock height, any ideas on what i should get? My budget is about 600. Thanks guys any input would be much appreciated.

 

what he said

 

Yup. Tokico HPs, Tein S-techs, and a 4-wheel alignment should run well under $600.

Also, the ride quality is probably due to too high of a spring rate. On my old civic, I ran a relatively high spring rate to avoid rubbing, but like I said earlier, my civic was tucking all four tires, so I needed the high spring rate; it was, for me, a good trade-off. At a 2" drop, you need a higher-than-stock spring rate, but you won't need anything that will destroy your internal organs when you hit a bump. In other words, the setup I mentioned earlier is pretty much perfect for you.