Anhedonia

A couple years ago, Falken decided to branch out and make more then just tires. they contacted Eibach and asked them to engineer some suspension parts for them. A week or so ago, i came across some Falken lowering springs that are NIB going for wholesale. upon inquiring why they were so cheap (72$ shipped) i was told that falked stopped producing them after just a year and a half of production because there was no big demand for them. I also found out they never gained much popularity through not so great advertising and after reading a couple of reviews.. i decided to pull the trigger.

Like i said, they were engineered by eibach and are progressive rate springs. the drop is 1.8 front, 1.7 rear and are available for a bunch of different makes and models, although nothing really past 03-04 (that ive found)

the reason im posting this here and not in the CL section is because of that.. if these springs are in good shape, it might make a nice drop very affordable for more then just CL owners. i ordered them two nights ago, should be in on wednesday and installed by the end of next week. ill keep yall posted

and a before shot just for future comparison..

tmnhs81

Link?

Audioserf

I really had no idea Falken ever made performance parts. They must not have done a very good job of marketing... or I just missed the boat.

Anhedonia

they didnt do a very good job of marketing.. i cant find a link for anything aside from info on other forums.

there cold wound springs, shot peened and powdered coated bright blue. each individually serial numbered and supposedly lighter then most other springs while still retaining the same strength.

Quote:

4 Falken Factory Tuned Lowering springs. Falken, yes the tire company, got into the sport compact tuner market some years ago after the Fast an Furious phenomenon. They made a truly high quality product, but honestly they did not know how to market it. Falken got out of the acceccssory business and sold all their inventory at pennies on the dollar.

Costco

What are their spring rates compared to Eibach, H&R etc? I'm not a fan of progressive rate springs either but I guess if you get can them for a killer deal...

Anhedonia

not sure the exact specs, only that they were designed and made by eibach, then purchased by falken..

whats wrong with progressive rate springs?

FiftyFive

Just be careful, you get what you pay for.

Anhedonia

Why would you move this to the CL section? I posted it in car talk for a reason..

and your right, you do; but 70$ is 70$.

FiftyFive

I moved it to its correct forum for another reason. You are talking about putting suspension on a CL. I think people in this forum would be more interested in your findings.

Costco

Progressive rate springs are a compromise in order to give you better ride quality while just driving around normally, and still have a high spring rate in order to give you better roll control. Usually the bottom part of the spring has the coils wound far apart to allow more compression during suspension travel, which results in better ride comfort. Then a bit higher the coils become wound tighter to give you that extra spring rate when your suspension compresses enough so you don't bottom out.



I'm just not a fan of progressives. It causes the car to not feel as balanced in transitions. Just think about it.... you're turning hard and at the beginning of the corner the car leans into it and then all of a sudden it tightens up, and depending on how hard you're cornering or road irregularities it can flip/flop between feeling planted and feeling loose even in steady-state cornering (no changes in speed/steering angle throughout a turn). Its just not confidence-inspiring.

spring rate is important because depending on how low you're going, the spring rate needs to be increased in order to compensate. This is one of the big reasons why you don't cut coils on springs, because you're decreasing the spring's travel without increasing spring rate to compensate. Too little spring rate for a drop means your car feels "squishy" over bumps and while cornering, too much spring rate and the car gets skittish and difficult to control, not to mention back-breaking during street driving. There's a fine balance.

Hell.... you might not even notice the difference If it works for you, then great. Honestly, for $70 its worth a try. It may not bother someone who drives calmly on the street most of the time.

Anhedonia

i know what they are, and i understand what your saying.. i just think they suit the driving style i employ the best. im not hard tracking the car, and im not going drifting so a soft smooth ride and performance when i need it is ideal.

i wouldnt go with a normally wound spring either though.. if i was going to get anything other then progressive id go with step linear.

Anhedonia

your right, but if you read the OP, youd see i posted it in car talk because if these springs DO turn out to be a good deal and ride well, it will be benificiary to all different makes and models. nobody knows that falken made springs.. did you? would you like me to post a new thread after this is done in car talk saying hey everybody look what falken did?

FiftyFive

If it is regarding how the springs performed on your CL then no, keep it in this forum. Thanks.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

yep doesn't belong in CT

Anhedonia

fair enough. then updates when i install them.

Anhedonia

oh and i know i posted in the quick question thread about the s-techs. i went to look at them, they were beat to hell, covered in what looked like baked in brake dust and it looks like he had cut them

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Anhedonia

soooo got off of work around 130 today, headed down to my buddies house by 230 and we started wrenchin. the front came off pretty smooth, none of the bolts were stuck, rubber was all in good condition. it took us two hours max to pull it and put it back together.

we took a break cus it was fucking hot out! then back to work on the rears. the rears were definitely not as much fun. bolts on the bottom of the struts WOULD NOT BUDGE. not with an air gun, 2 days of pb blaster and some good ol fashion elbow grease. sooo we dropped the sway, compressed the spring and wiggled it out while leaving the strut still connected at the base.

The ride is so tight. it handles 10000x better. its pretty damn stiff, but soft enough not to feel every single little bump. its flush, no tire tucking. perfect IMO. i love the ride, it feels great. overall very satisifed, id definetly reccomend these to anyone.

All in all, it was good hard work. went smoothly minus the one speed bump and everything fit together perfectly. i only took two pictures tonight as im waiting for it to settle for a couple of days. come wednesday or so, ill shine her up and snap some good pictures.



stock spring comparison.. stock is on right, falken's on left

noowwwww
Before:



and after:


sorry for shitty pictures, it was getting dark out and it took me about 8 tries to get a snap without blur. again, better pictures soon.

Anhedonia

come to think of it.. it actually doesnt look that different in those pictures LOL

ill have to snap some more tomorrow.

Gnate

iTrader: (10)

looks good.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

looks good man congrats

Anhedonia

^^ yeah finally thanks haha. although no more 4 wheeling for me

Anhedonia

and now that im dropped, im noticing more and more shit about my wheels, like how theyre not as flush as i once thought. anyone know what size spacer will get the stockies out flush? or will i just have to experiment

Gnate

iTrader: (10)

they sell spacers on ebay that are pretty decent according to fliplyricist.

incredulous1

if your gunna change wheels, id say you should save your cash and buy some wheels with the correct offset to get flush. it would be more reliable than spacers IMO

Gnate

iTrader: (10)

I wouldnt mind haveing something like cocoas. But i'd feel bad getting the same shit and spending that much money

Anhedonia

moar pictures now that its light out



sorry my fatass finger got in the way of that one





now its time for some wheels

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

deccent drop, a little conservative but like u said hopefully it will settle a bit more, I know my teins did. Rims def shoul dbe next on the list

Way to use the mudguard as the lowest point for the pic

Anhedonia

its 2.2 lower then it was, now. and im hoping for at least another quarter inch out of them.

its nice because i dont have to worry about every single thing in the road, although i did scrape my rear bumper today

spencer_homer

whats with the overspray?

Anhedonia

that wheels been a work in progress. it was severly curbed and rashed when i got it. ive been slowly filling and repairing it when i get a chance, this has been going on for a month.. two times ago when i taped and masked it off, the tape didnt adhere well to the rubber and the paint leaked under it its slowly coming off, but it just takes time.

Gnate

iTrader: (10)

c00lio!

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

I hear ya man, I scraped yesterday like 3 times and smashed a pothole today, I raised the front a half inch too cuz I was scrapin too much and didn't even put my lips on yet.

Anhedonia

gah, i want to go lower, but i know ill kick myself for the quality of the roads here.. ill take a picture of the driveway at work i have to get up everyday

some fresh scratches on the bottom side of my rear bumper coming down it leaving work lol i need to find a new spot to park.. thank god my driveways ok!

i see the benefit of coilovers now more then ever.. one day, ill upgrade.

mcajka

i scrape / grind /rub / bend my bumpers daily. i love the look on peoples faces though when they hear it and see me getting out of places. looks good though im impressed with the drop