[EddNog]

Okay, I tried to scour the forums for some concrete answers to a couple questions I have in mind about the TRD shock/strut set for tC but was unsuccessful in locating satisfactory responses, so I guess I'll just ask these questions for myself...

First off, to those who installed the TRD shocks after driving the car for a decent amount of time with the stock struts, what difference did you notice?

How's the bound (compared to stock)?

How's the rebound (compared to stock)?

I do see that they completely lack adjustability, but that's okay, for me at least, since I'm street/daily driver and honestly would be too lazy to mess with adjustments, anyway.

Secondly, what springs are you guys pairing off the TRD shocks to? TRD springs? Other? Stock springs?

Currently, I have a set of TRD springs sitting here waiting to be put in, and I am wondering how well the stock shocks will respond to the stiffer springs, particularly out back. See as the TRD springs are only 18% stiffer up front and 26% stiffer out back, I was under the impression that the stock shocks would be a-okay, but I'm not fully confident in that and I was wondering if anyone here is using the stock shocks with the TRD springs, and how they feel it compares to stock springs & shocks.

Did anyone upgrade from TRD springs & stock shocks to TRD springs and shocks? Feel a change? What sort of change?

I did read that the stock shocks will experience decreased life expectancy due to higher compression from the 1.25" drop, but I also doubt that it will be dramatic enough to warrant immediate replacement of the shocks for TRD ones. To do that, it'd be for the performance improvement, if any, and that's what I'm trying to determine.

-Ed

EDIT: Btw, thanks in advance to anyone who can help me on this!

 

[Dr. Isotope]

I did the full TRD package (springs/struts/sway) about 2 weeks after getting the car, so I only have about 600 miles of "experience" with the OEM setup. That said, the TRD is a great improvement. Ride harshness is increased only a small amount, and the tactile feel is improved enough to balance it out. The rebound is a little quick (or perhaps the rear springs are just a bit stiff)-- coming over rises will give a little floaty feel from the back, but nothing compared to the stock gear.

Fore/aft balance isn't even comparable to the stock setup. Even with the almost 2" drop, and 4 people in the car, she still behaves nicely and predictably. A fellow tC owner who's car is on the OEM suspension drove mine yesterday, and commented upon how great the TRD kit felt-- a near-stock ride quality, but much more responsive when entering corners.

The thing I'm thinking about personally is the relationship between dropsprings, OEM struts, and the sways: When you drop with any spring and retain the OEM struts, the endlink mounting point on the strut doesn't move; this, combined with a fixed-length endlink, will preload the sways. On the TRD struts, the endlink mounting hole is moved to allow the sways to remain neutral. I think that is why people are blowing the OEM struts prematurely when using aftermarket dropsprings with them-- the posted rates are actually considerably higher in-use, as the sways are preloaded all the time. I used to have to chassis-scale the Honda every time I made any adjustments to the coilovers. TRDs engineering (and blissful non-adjustability) is shiny red happiness for the daily-driven tC.

Oh, and if you're doing the suspension work yourself, and are even considering the TRD struts, do yourself the favor of buying them and doing it all at once. It's not a job so enjoyable that you'd ever want to do it again.

I gotta say: the suspension on the old Honda was worlds easier to wrench on.

 

[EddNog]

Thanks for that; you've provided a lot of data that would help me figure out what I should be doing. I did plan to do it all at once, but I'm having my dealer do it with the first oil change, since I can have them install my retro'd headlamps, my new front brakes, rotate tires and align my wheels all at once, might as well throw in the installation of the springs while they've got all the goods off to do the brakes. I'm trying to decide on the shocks before going in for the job, since as you pointed out, I will save on labor by doing it all at once. I do have the TRD rear antisway bar installed and set for track, so that's probably a good reason to go for the struts...

However, as my rear brakes won't be in until after I get my first oil change, I could try the car out with the stock struts & TRD springs for a few weeks and then decide before my rear brakes arrive whether I want to do the struts. Since they'll be lifting the car and taking off the wheels to do the rear brakes, that'll be another good opportunity to squeeze in a strut install and maybe cut a few bucks off labor. Come to think of it, maybe this is what I'll do...

I'm personally not well equipped to do this sort of work; I've neither the experience nor the tools or even a garage or place to do this sort of thing myself, unfortunately.

While I have a reasonable understanding of how these things work and how they affect the car (for a non-wrench monkey), I've little first hand knowledge of actually making these modifications to my car. Anyway--having someone who does it for a living do it is probably a safer bet, not counting when they screw up your underdash lighting install and melt the whole interior.

-Ed