DJF

I just got my car back from the Tire/Alignment shop after the two days it took to install and align the Eibach Pro System Plus and other pieces I purchased. I like the way my CL drives. The drop isn't extreme like my previous car had, but now I don't need to become best friends with every bump and dip in the streets. Here is what I purchased and had installed:

1. Eibach Pro System Plus purchased from Tire Rack (Pro Kit Springs, Eibach Struts, Eibach F & R Sway Bar, new bump stops). If you only buy springs you don't get new bump stops, so you either need to trim your OEM bump stops or buy new ones.

2. Moog front sway bar end links (much heavier and beefier than stock links and they come with grease fittings on the bushings). I used the old existing rear links.

3. New F&R OEM top rubber strut mounts. These rubber mounts are what squeak a lot so it pays to install new ones if you install new struts.

4. Rear Ingalls Camber Kit.

5. Ingalls upper control arm with supplied ball joints (-1 to -4 adjustment). These are very low-profile and give a lot more clearance that stock control arms do, which is why installing adjustable ball joints on stock control arms isn't the best option as the top of the control arm will bang.

6. I have stock tires (Yokohama 50-Series) and stock rims.

The drop now is only moderate but the ride is 100 times better than stock. I had a '94 Accord with Ground Control Coil Over sleeves using Tokico struts and Suspension Techniques sways, and while the Accord was way lower and handled a bit better the trade-off was that I scraped on every driveway and speed bump. The CL gives a nicely lowered and very tight and solid drive that isn't as jarring as the Accord was, so I'm happy. When I'm driving I definitely notice that I am lower.

The Ingals control arms were a fantastic buy. They came very close to hitting the inside front wheel well arch, but after correct camber was set I have plenty of clearance and there is no hitting. The overall ride is excellent now and the CL feels like it has a brand new suspension. Very quite, very tight, very controlled and the car does not scrape when I go up my driveway like the Accord did. Now with the CL I can drive without fear that I will hit every rock and scrape on every bump.

This was an almost complete rebuild of the suspension. The technician was very happy that I supplied him with all the correct pieces instead of just doing a hack job of one piece at a time, and he was able to get a precise alignment done. The technician said that the Eibach springs do not settle but all the new rubber fittings will settle and adjust, so I get a free re-alignment in 30 days.

The first image below is before and the second is the after.

DJF

Two more picts of my CL I took late after work. After driving the car for a day I have two thoughts: First, it drives great and the suspension is tight, quiet and great for cornering and there is no scraping or knocking sounds. Second, yeah I would have liked a little more drop but at what cost? Scraping in driveways and speed bumps isn't an option.

MyKids&Cars

iTrader: (10)

Always been a fan of Eibach Pro Kit, even in my 2nd Legend days.

AustinTaper

Nice write up, just a word of warning the eibach kit is only good for automatics, not six speeds...reverse rake unfortunately.

mattcl-s

looks perfect! that exactly how I want mine to sit!

DJF

Thanks. I didn't know about the issue with 6-speeds as stated by the previous poster. What's the issue exactly with the 6-speed and Eibachs? After 2 months I got my free followup alignment and specs had changed only slightly. We're talking tenths of an inch. With the new front Ingalls control arms I have plenty of adjustment, both negative and positive so I'm happy I went with the control arms I purchased. Most importantly is that the Ingalls control arms are bent specifically to align for a dropped car and they do NOT hit the inner wheel well as stock control arms would. Rear Ingalls camber has plenty of adjustment too. The ride is fantastic, and has other posters have said this is how the car should have come from the factory. Ride is compliant during regular driving but is very stiff when hitting rough roads. Cornering is 100% better than stock and I can enter driveways without creeping up diagonally. My only thought is how the ride would have been if I ordered Koni struts instead of using the Eibach struts that came in the Pro System Plus kit.

Below are two more photos of the car after final alignment. Nothing too radical but enough to look like a well setup car. The tire clearance is barely one finger instead of the 4-fingers that stock gives.

prNonVTEC4u

funny how a drop on a car changes the look so much. nice clean oem look.

next = wheels? lol

DJF

Yes, one of these days. it took me over a year to save up for the suspension and I just bought new Yokohama tires after 3 miserable years of owning Firestone tires, so new tires/wheels will be a long way off. By the way, I love the Yokohamas for being stock size. They grip very well and they are a zillion times quieter than the stock crummy Michelins, the Firestones and even the Bridgestones I had.

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

6speeds are lighter up front so the front end tends to sit higher than it should be.

DJF

So wouldn't you want a suspension to drop the front a bit lower to even things out? 'Cause the Eibach's made my car sit a little lower in the front.

AustinTaper

I learned the hard way. See pages 1/2 of my thread linked in sig for pictures of eibach on a 6 sp. Later I switched to coils, as the slight front rake was annoying.

lcstyle

just ordered the pro system plus kit.

My 03 CL is old, but still looks brand new!
No tranny problems either, other than the ATF temp sensor, did it myself and yes that was a nightmare.

Thanks for the pic, I like the subtle drop, but not too far, exactly what I wanted.

I think my suspension is tired, car dives real hard when cornering. I think it was time for an upgrade anyways.

What should I expect a shop to charge for installing this kit?

DJF

After install my car drove like new, and it was only slightly more stiff than stock. Where I did notice a difference was when I went over rough roads. I really noticed a difference when cornering. Nice flat taught cornering with no noticible body roll and no tire squealing. My independent tire/alignment shop (that specializes in suspension work) charged $950 for the install, but this included installing new Ingalls front A-Arms as well as Ingalls rear camber kits, plus four new upper strut mounts. Basically almost a new suspension rebuild.

cd6kid

Looks clean man jus ordered a.set myself

DJF

If you don't install new front upper control arms with adjustable ball joints, the installer may need to grind away a bit of the inner wheel well sheet metal to make clearance for the top of your ball joints, otherwise they may bang when you hit bumps. My new Ingalls control arms give lots of clearance without the need to grind.

Hope you enjoy your new setup as much as I've enjoyed mine😊

CLS03Twice

Any way to fix the "reverse" rake caused by using this kit on a 6-spd? It really does annoy the hell out of me after spending the $$ and a weekend in the garage. I refuse to buy something else. I heard the springs can be heated to increase the front drop but sounds sketchy. Any other ideas?

DJF

I just want to make sure I know what you mean by "reverse rake". My car actually sits a bit lower in the front, so if you look at it from the side at a distance the front appears to point slightly down. By "reverse rake" do you mean the front tilts upward higher than the rear? If so, that's not how my car sits. Keep in mind that I replaced my A-Arms and strut bushings, so this may affect how my car sits.

CLSilk

Nice.

CLSilk

So for the Ingalls control arms, you would have to purchase both the left and right side? Part number 39203-39207 and 39204-39208? I'm going to get the Eibach pro plus kit also. I have a '03 CLS with auto transmission.

DJF

The Ingalls control arm part numbers are a little confusing. First, yes you do need to purchase separate part numbers for the left and right sides. If I recall, part numbers 39203 and 39204 are for left & right sides respectively, but these part numbers give -4 to +1 camber adjustment. Part numbers 39207 & 39208 are left-right sides respectively also but they give -1 to +4 camber adjustment. When you drop 1.75 to 2" as the Pro System gives, the camber goes negative and my alignment tech recommended the A-Arms I purchased, and my camber is perfect. The tech said the other A-Arms may not give enough + adjustment to adjust as per factory specs. Some drivers insist on negative camber for performance driving, but I didn't feel spending $800+ every two years on tires was worth the trade off. But then what do I know because I'm old😊

lcstyle

sorry for being dense mate, but on an 03 auto trans CL-S, do I need anything additional besides the pro system plus kit? Is my alignment adjustment going to be off so much so as to require additional components? If so what is the easiest (cheapest) way to deal with the issue (what are my options)?

DJF

It may be helpful to speak to the shop who will do the installation. I don't think the stock camber adjustments will be able to handle the drop so another option will be needed. My first option was to simple buy adjustable ball joints that would be installed on the stick A-Arms, but although this would allow enough camber adjustment my alignment shop said the top of the new ball joints would hit the wheel well so the correct solution was to buy the Ingalls A-Arms that not only had adjustable ball joints but also had the correct geometry to avoid hitting the wheel well pieces. And since the labor cost was the same to install new A-Arms compared to just install new adjustable ball joints, I decided to do it right.

On the rear, your alignment tech will know whether your stock camber adjustments will handle the drop. My guy said "no", so I bought Ingall rear camber adjustment bolts that provided plenty of correct adjustment. Again, I figured I'd do it correct instead of doing a Mickey Mouse job.

Also, the Pro System Plus comes with new sway bars but does NOT come with new sway bar strut bolts so I bought new front bolts and left the rears stock. The OEM bolts had a lot of wear but the rears were fine. And wow, the new front bolts were a million times beefier!

AustinTaper

FWIW, when I had used the eibach kit, I only needed adjustable control arms for the rear and still aligned fine. once I dropped lower on coilovers, I needed them for the front. I'd say try rear arms only and get it aligned and see if you really need them for the front or not...may save yourself a couple hundred. I went with Ingalls for both front and rear, happy with them overall.

DJF

I mostly agree, but my alignment tech showed me how the geometry of the Ingalls A-Arms was totally different than the OEM arms which allowed the ball joints to align perfectly. Using OEM arms caused the ball joints to sit at an extreme angle, even after camber adjustment. I'm anal about how I do things so I like stuff to be done perfectly without compromise. Just my weird way of doing things.

lcstyle

Thanks I'll take that into consideration. I have the kit but I am currently considering NOT doing it. My main thing was better cornering, less body Roll. However I am not sure about the drop. I'm too scared the cars going to look slammed, I don't mind some drop but I definitely don't want to be too low. Roads here are terrible and of course there is winter to worry about.


Maybe some of you guys get a chance to post some additional before / after pics that would be great, help me decide.

DJF

The Pro Kit does not "slam" your car. Not sure about winter driving but my car handles very rough roads just fine. A slammed car requires that you enter a driveway diagonally to prevent front lip scraping (at least my old Honda was that way) but my CL-S does not scrape.

CLSilk

@ DJF. Thank you for all your valuable information. I'm finally going to get the Eibach pro plus kit and have it installed. Moreover, I will be replacing the front and rear sway bar end links, plus an alignment upon completion. I think my budget will not allow for the new adjustable control arms atm so fingers crossed. I will try to post up pics, results, and my opinion upon completion. Thanks everyone for your input.

CLSilk

Oh by the way, I will be using MOOG end links.

eneffex

I've got the pro kit, my rear springs started leaking after a year, replaced with KYB AGX and much happier with those. I will say it again as others had said to me, "just get coil overs and save yourself the headache" Again these words will fall on deaf ears. I've still got a slight front rake with my 5AT.

I've also got moog endlinks, and I'll tell you what, go with greaseless. PITA to re-grease them every so often.

CLSilk

@ enefex. Thank you for your recondmendations and advice. I have not yet ordered the Eibach pro plus kit. I was debating on getting the pro kit with the coil springs and sway bars..... and just going with the KYB's also.... How does it ride for daily commutes? Stiffer than stock I would assume? In your opinion, quality wise of Eibach product(s). Thanks in advance.

CLSilk

which greaseless brand of sway bar end links would you recommend also? Moreover, what tire size are you running on those rims? I know there are tons of threads already on tire sizing and recommendations but I want to go with 18x8 wheels. Not sure on tire size though? Tirerack recommends 245/45/18 but I feel that is too meaty. I was thinking 225/40/18? I will be lowered via Eibach pro plus kit so any info is valuable info to me! I'm all ears! Thanks!

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

shocks like the koni yellows have perch settings and can lower the car an additional 0.8" or so if I remember correctly.

CLSilk: what offset are the rims? My 18x8 use 235/40 which is the proper tire size to keep you speedo the closest to stock.

CLSilk

@ gnuts. Thanks for replying. I'm planning on getting 18x8 Enkei YS5 rims. The offset is 50mm with a back spacing of 6.456. Tire rack recommends 225/45/18......... What do you think?

gnuts

iTrader: (1)

235/40/18 is what you want. 225 your speedo will be too far off. Go to 1010tires.com and compare them to stock 215/50/17. That higher offset means you won't likely rub in the rear if you lower it.

CLSilk

Thank you gnuts.

eneffex

its a bit stiff, which I like, like riding on rails comared to stock. I also have the fsb rsb. Eibach are made in Argentina. KYB AGX has adjustable damping which is nice.




As gnuts said, 235/40 is ideal for stock diameter. I personally run 225/40 on the 18x7.5 Aspecs as I could care less about speedo being a bit off. .

as for greaseless endlinks, stock are fine, the moogs are monsters just annoying to re-grease them.


moog vs stock


also, while you're down there, i'd recommend ss brake lines, one of the most underrated mods

hines139

Okay so I just purchased the pro system plus and i was looking into the Ingalls A arm's for the rear of my car. Should i buy the "-2-1 1/4inch" or the "+1 - +4inch"? I'm sort of new to all this camber and suspension nonsense so please bare with me lol

CLSilk

Thanks eneffex. I will post pics after I'm done. Thanks to everyone on here that helped!

lcstyle

welp, about 8 years later, I finally got around to installing the pro-system plus kit on my 03 CL-S, what a huge difference. It was a lot of work, and I did it over the course of two days with the help of a friend who was kind of enough to get greasy with me. I did have to replace the rear sway bar end links (i should have prob. replaced the front ones too but they were fine). I made sure to anti-seize lubricant on everything, but with the help of an induction bolt heater from amazon, all the original suspension bolts and nuts came apart pretty easily. I cleaned it all back up before putting it all back in.

I can't believe it took me this long, but the car feels amazing now. I also went ahead and installed DC-Sports Ceramic headers, a medallion cat back exhaust (drilling out the catalytic studs was no easy chore), and a Cold Air intake, and the car feels and drives incredible now. I just can't believe how well behaved this car is, no tranny issues so far at 150K miles, then again, I drive less than 6000 miles a year, car is garage kept, and I baby it, drive it like a grandma most of the time. It sure does feel nice on the highway now though, at higher speeds. I should have done this years ago. I'm just having trouble finding replacement leather parts for my graphite black interior, kind of sad. Next is a brake system flush with steel braided lines to replace the OEM ones.

DJF

Sounds fantastic! After 20 years of pampering my ‘02 CL-S, some kid on his phone totaled my car😡.