Suspension: Lowering springs and brake change, is this a good price?

[Aaronius]

Had some crash damage repaired (under insurance thankfully) and my car has never looked sooooooo clean. Its a silver 2001 (X) 2.0i

I have to change the brake pads soon, and was thinking about lowering the car while the wheels are off - killing two birds with one stone.

In a nut shell:

£150 (approx) for the brakes fitted. (They will be EBC greenstuff)
£395 (approx) for Eibach springs lowering the car about 30mm.
This includes alignment, which may not be entirely necessary though and would therefore reduce the price further.

They would most likely cut the price by about £20 if I did it together, but would I be best advised to wait until the summer when I should still be able to have the springs done anyhow?

I was thinking before about getting a kit fitted, but as you will be aware the price of parts will be a bit more than double of what it currently is....

Thoughts? Advice? Thanks people. Oh, I'm in East London.

BTW I'll post pics later on, it's so shiny since coming out of the shop I was shocked when I saw it.

[ShaunieS40]

dont know about the springs price but 150 for ebc,s fitted is a good deal is that all round or just front? they are savage pads I had them in a seat ibiza and could almost do stoppies with them haha! do you drive 'spiritedly'?? if you do red stuff may be better for a car that size, they take a little longer to warm up but they are worth it!

[Aaronius]

That would be all round. I drive "spiritedly" every so often, and I try to be kind of progressive on the brakes... I try not to use them I think the greens will be OK for stopping power.... The standard ones have been fine up to now, but I'm looking to reduce dust especially.

[Aaronius]

Also, what about poly bushes and all that kind of thing.... Worth doing when I go for the lowering? Suggestions on what should be replaced, and what I should look out for?

[tt82]

if you can afford it and dont wont the hassle of doing it yourelf then go for it. the cars 8 yr old so there getting near to the time when they'll need doing. also as the other are performance mods its sensible to do the whole thing.

should be able to get a good price seen as though they will already be taking the suspension apart for the springs

[Aaronius]

I hope so... I'll find out in the morning how much extra it will cost. I agree that due to the age and of course the (possible) additional strain that the uprated springs might add that it'd be sensible...

[Fanz]

Originally Posted by ShaunieS40

dont know about the springs price but 150 for ebc,s fitted is a good deal is that all round or just front? they are savage pads I had them in a seat ibiza and could almost do stoppies with them haha! do you drive 'spiritedly'?? if you do red stuff may be better for a car that size, they take a little longer to warm up but they are worth it!

Red Stuff is recommended for cars with 200+bhp, I think Green Stuff is good enough in your case.

[Aaronius]

Decision made. Getting the springs and brakes. I'm going to the garage on Monday to see about the poly bushes. To be honest, I'm almost looking forward to the bushes being changed as much as the springs. I think the springs will happen next Saturday, as they will have to get them in. Eibach -35mm.

No Dampers for the time-being, cant afford it. Maybe next year.... Next stop, wheels, exhaust details.

[Aaronius]

So got the brakes and springs fitted and geometry amended. Braking is (of course) loads sharper. The ride is still pretty supple which is fine, but a bit bouncy which I dont think I expected.

It turns out that initially, the Eibach Springs were the wrong kind and wouldn't fit on the Phase 2 suspension, (apparently Eibach dont do a set that fit), so the ones that are on there are PI springs.

Before:


After:


Not as drastic as I expected (hoped?) but as I'm on the standard dampers, practical for the time-being. I think the look will be greatly improved with bigger, better wheels, hopefully Arcadias.

[evad]

Originally Posted by Aaronius

So got the brakes and springs fitted and geometry amended. Braking is (of course) loads sharper. The ride is still pretty supple which is fine, but a bit bouncy which I dont think I expected.

So you can certainly say PI springs do not give that 'sporty' experience of firmer ride in general??

I am currently looking for some budget lowering springs (if I could afford Koni kit, I wouldn't think twice!), that wouldn't necessarily give me a huge drop, but better driving experience. PIs were one of the alternatives, but I think I'll stick with Apex or Spax. Anyone could share a view on these?

Btw, welcome to the forums, this is my very first post here :)