DON’T BUY LOWERING SPRINGS | Here's why 

I've been on Tein springs with factory struts for over 2 years with no issues. It rides near stock comfort. Springs are perfectly fine for a daily. This video needs to be labeled "Cheap Springs are bad"

If your on a budget i rather do shocks and springs than buying cheap coilovers 🤔

This guy is one of the most genuine guys I have seen on youtube. I do a Subaru but I like watching Justins videos

Lowering Springs because I drive a non turbo Mazda. Also because I'm 34 with two kids 🥴🥴 Edited: every quarter someone asks what's an NA Mazda 🙄🙄🙄

The correct lowering springs will work with an OEM struts and you won’t loose suspension features such as adaptive dampening. You will loose it with coilovers.

Actually lowering spring paired with the correct shocks will still give you much better performance and handling than cheap coilovers.

I'm just gonna share my opinion based on what i've experienced. I've had both coilovers and shock plus sport springs and i'll definitely recommend a good set of shock and spring and here ir why: On one hand you're stucked to the height but on the other hand you're perfectly confortable that the spring rate and the shock will get the best combo you can get because it was projected for the best compromise between ride comfort and performance. And these examples are for Koni Sport/Bilstein B8 + Eibach Sportline/ Prokit or H&R When you're buying a coilover you basically buying a set of spring and shock that will have to deal with a large set of height configurations and it will never get the job done like a good set of springs and shocks. It is just not possible, unless we're talking about a KW or Bilstein or Koni and so on but most of the coilovers will much better give you a good looking car than a comfort and performance balanced setup ;)

Running H&R springs and Koni shocks on my Legacy GT and couldn’t be happier. Way better than any coilover at the price point of this pair (about $800) and it’s very comfy, looks lowered, and handles better than a cheap coilover from BC or Tein. You lose some of that “riding on rails” feeling you get from using rubber top hats rather than the hard ones on coilovers, but it’s much better for NVH and I’m already at my threshold with an exhaust and engine/trans mounts.

I have the Eibach pro kit lowering springs on a 2018 GTI. Had them installed about a month after purchasing the car brand new, at about 1k miles. It’s a mild drop, about an inch which isn’t really extreme on the stock shocks. Obviously coilovers are better as stated in the video, but wanted to comment that lowering springs will work well too, assuming your shocks and struts are newish. I’m at 20k miles today, and they feel fine. Not too harsh, and still has the new car ride feel.

You'll be alright with factory shocks and struts on lowering springs.

Im just looking for aesthetics, i just wanna lower the car. Springs it is!! Just saved myself 1300$

Depends on what you want honestly. Springs is good for a daily if you want to lower and keep the ride smooth. Coil overs is if you want to either slamm and or adjust to a perfect fit but it’ll be a much more rough ride imo

Correct springs will work with OEM struts and not cause unneeded wear as long its in the OEM strut travel range. Coilovers are harsher even if you can adjust the dampening, Springs will allow you to keep the OEM ride quality. You also need to consider why you are lowering your car is it for tracking or just closing wheel gap with some cornering improvement. Installing coilovers and living in an area where there are speed bumps, poor roads, potholes, curbs etc will just cause you headaches this is why you would consider springs with OEM ride quality but just be prepared to "eventually replace your struts in another 35K miles or so.

Casually filming in your underwear! You're hilarious man! haha

Bro lowering springs are fine just buy ones from a reputable brand such as tein and make sure they are designed specifically for your car

I got Eibach lowering springs, and got new oem shocks and struts at the same time, and was AMAZING on my Mazda 3. No roll, no bounce, stiff, and worked great.

Been on new h&r race springs paired with new bilstein touring struts and shocks and have had 0 issues. Goal was aesthetic drop without sacrificing ride quality. Perfect pairing imo.

After several years of trying to tuff it out with H&R springs front and rear on my 2012 Fiat 500 I finally had to replace them with my original stock springs. The H&R ride became increasingly more harsh. Even though I replaced the struts and shocks the ride was still very stiff and harsh but less bouncy. It’s a relief now to have restored the stock ride.

Just casually trying to decide how I wanna lower my civic hatch and then all of the sudden I see my hair salon in the background 😳

Idk I kinda like stock ride height lol, maybe that’s the cheapness in me because I don’t want to spend $1400 on some Coilovers

I just installed lowering springs and bought cheap oem generic shocks for my E46, worst decision ever, specially the back end bounces really bad, now I need sport shocks for the back at least (and will pray it matches the spring rate!) you’re absolutely right, save extra money and get the preassembled system

Great video, literally was thinking of coilovers but was gonna go the cheaper route with lowering springs. I thought man how is the ride quality gonna be and is it worth it in all. This video helped me realize its better to save up and get coilovers. Helpful video man, keep it up

Hi Justin, A couple years ago as an experiment I bought a set of lowering springs brand Megan Racing from Amazon for my 2009 E90. Let me tell you that for $150 totally worth it, Im riding 1.8" lower than before and the ride is very comfortable.

Eibach pro kit lowering springs on stock suspension on the Volkswagen Vento. These were designed to work with stock suspension. It's pretty good from my experience but coilovers are just different.

Had 40 mm lowering springs on my prelude 97. Had 400 xxx km on it. Shaved off about 3 secs of my time at zandvoort. And the ride was still excellent imo.

Nice video, but I am completely happy with my eibach springs and sways on my wrx and it's done quite a few track days. Only got bouncy after being on for 60k miles, probably dead struts

As long as a respectable brand is used for springs the ride isn’t bouncy, what makes a bouncy ride is cutting or heating the factory springs simply because the spring rate changes and you’re also weakening the coil by heating it, and cutting them also changes the spring rate.

I am on stock shocks for now. But I am running H&R sport springs. And I have 112,200 miles and the ride is starting to suck! But they look good and take turns good!

Glad you posted this at 3am, gonna get some coilovers right now

The knock on lowering springs doesn't really apply to modest one inch drop, such as the TRD lowering springs designed for the BRZ/FR-S/86. Any set of lowering springs that only drop an inch or less won't affect the shock travel issue significantly.

I have Eibach suspension on my e90. It sits really nice and i do get a lot of compliments on it. The ride quality is absolutely amazing and my car loves the corners. Literally no body roll at all. No problems with it in the 3 years i’ve had it. The only con is i am pretty low, but i got used to it, just have to remember not to fly over a speed bump lol.

I bought some AGX struts and H&R springs for my 98 Impreza L Coupe. I haven't installed them yet so I've been watching videos about the pros and cons, so thank you for this video.

I had lowering springs on my Ford Ranger years ago and the ride was more unsettling, until I invested in some belltec nitro and it improved quite a bit. I was really in budget at the time

This is literally what i've been looking for, the answer, thank you for a simple and straight forward video.

Eibach springs are progressive, which means in normal driving (95% of the time) they are putting a load on the suspension which is similar to stock springs. It's only when you are really pushing the car, the higher spring rate kicks in. So unless you are tracking the car, Eibachs springs are reliable and won't cause excessive wear.

I'm gonna give lowering springs a shot an get a quick alignment and if the ride is shit I guess later down the road I'll buy aftermarket shocks. But doing it this way makes me feel like I'm saving money rather than dropping $5-700 in one time on some coilovers that might not even be that good.

As much as I’ve spent to make my coilovers actually lower my car properly I could’ve bought some lowering springs and gotten new shocks and would’ve been a lot lower for about the same 3-400 I was already in on these crappy eBay coils

If you want to lower your car slightly and on a budget $300 usually gets you some quality lowering springs. Coil overs start at about $800 on up but are adjustable. I've used both in many German cars and found H&R sport springs work just fine. Though adjustable coil overs are a nice option I rather save the extra cash for other parts for the car like tires.

I had lowering springs on my audi and I got lucky.. it was absolutely perfect. My rims tucked exactly how I wanted them, and the ride wasnt bouncy or anything. Just do research on the product ur planning to buy.. they are not all bad for sure.

Thanks for an informative video. I'm looking into some mods on my Mazda 6 2018 stationcar, and with 19" rims, chrome-delete and a bunch of other things, it quickly adds up. I was told that when it being a stationcar, it isn't (in any way) a performance car and the "ride quality" will not suffer that much when using 30mm lowering springs - however, they do wear the shocks faster than buying a complete kit. Coilovers, or shocks and springs are almost 5x or 6x the price of springs - so I'm thinking i'll just go with the springs at first.

I was considering getting some Eibachs and keeping my current Sachs shocks, but now I realise I should just save up and get the full kit. Thanks, dude ❤❤

Lowering springs are fine with aftermarket adjustable shocks, cheaper than good coilovers and arguably better ride quality for someone who doesn’t need super stiff handling

Great succinct video. I learned that 1) lowering springs aren't a good idea generally. 2) I can't AFFORD to lower my volvo properly. 3) It's cool when your car has the sexy, lowered stance, but it ain't THAT serious, I'll use the money I DON'T spend lowering for gas.

Very helpful, helped prevent me from just jumping right in to sport lowering springs, going to save the headaches and just go straight to coilovers on my BMW 530

2 years with godspeed springs on my 2014 Hyundai sonata no issues yet and ride didn’t change much at all, but thank you for the advice!

Ran H&R super sport springs on my A90 Supra and they were solid. Sold the car so not sure of any long term issues but I was happy with them.

I love the beginning to the video forgot how nice your rims are

i drove 4 years with a 1998 corolla with Vogtland lowering springs 30mm front and back, starlet with 40mm springs, yaris t sport with 40mm springs and a daihatsu charade with 40mm springs. always gave me good feedback on the nurburgring. So yeah i will keep running on lowering springs with stock shocks but with my current car i will do lowering springs with new shocks. Once i had a Civic hatch with a D2 coiloverkit but it was a very expensive kit.

Had Eibach Pro kit on B4s, everything installed on the same time. First 2000km ok, after that increased loss of ride quality, traction, premature wear and started to bottom out and bouncing back and forth on bumpy surfaces. Bought later the right dampers for the springs, the B8s. Totally different experience. No bottoming, very controlled ride, superb traction and much better ride quality.

Are $600 coilovers too cheap?

Currently running the blown shocks and struts that came with the car on my 330xi, my B12 ProKit is impatiently waiting to be installed Edit: half blown shocks half B12

I drive a Honda Accord Type S Euro (Acura TSX in the US) with Eibach lowering springs only, for 5 years, and my car is behaving way better than with the factory ones, never had any problems with handling or shocks, they are actually original factory ones from 16 years ago.

I’ve had Eibach Lowering Springs on mine for 6 years, on oem shocks, and guess what? Still rides well.

Yeah I’ve got a budget build, 00’ Ford ZX2, and I’m going to buy new OEM KYB Struts, and H&R Springs. It’ll be my first track car as well. I plan on daily driving it too as it’s pretty decent on fuel. It’s not fast and I don’t really want it to be, just want decent handling, and some driving skills developed. It’s a cheap fun car, and i think when I’m ready I’ll jump to an older GT86, with some bolt-ons, or a 2005 Porsche Boxster with some tasteful mods.

I’m all for what are you using it for! If your gonna auto cross or track a car then coil overs for sure. If your just gonna daily the car and want that wheel arch gap to go away the spring option will hurt your wallet a lot less.

I had kw coilovers but the back always sat 2 low and couldn't go any higher...I now have the B12 pro kit and I love it. Just give them a few days to settle 👍

Thanks a lot that advice just saved me lots of headache 😊

Ran hr springs and matching struts shocks on my old e36 loved it. Now running hr race springs and konis with adjustable camber plates and adjustable rear control and toe arms in my e39 540i love it. Spent more on it that I could've gotten a decent set of coilovers but the way my e36 was I kept with springs and matching struts

First i got the Eibach sportline springs installed on my 328i. Then i had the shocks replaced with bilsteins. The ride is really stiff and bumpy for daily use. I have to watch every imperfection on the road closely which makes you drive a lot slower. It's a pretty inconvient. Lower you car they said. It'll be fun they said... Lol So anyway it might be an upgrade for hitting the track but not the streets. I miss my comfy stock springs.

The coil overs I’ve seen have a Tiny, in turn Stiff, springs. Compared to a lowering spring, which uses as much space as possible in between the perch and strut. Matched with a good shock, it’s perfect for the street, which 99% of guys on here are shooting for.

I went with stock struts and ebay lowering springs on a mostly stock 2000 gs-r. Other than the comfort level it improved the car's handling. That may not be due to the spring but because the lower ride height. Still there is nothing wrong with lowering springs if you consider what they are, a cheap alternative to other things. Just dont expect a stock strut/shock to last as long with lowering springs.

Bump stops work perfect if u jus change springs only. Me n all my friends use em and they are SWEET N SMOOTH riding without modified struts n shocks. 👍

I put lowering spring one my 2nd car i owned whuch was a 89 accord. Man that ride was horrible, but i was the ish back then....lol. Never doing that again.

A lot of variables to consider, like what the car is worth, whether you plan on keeping the car, and what kind of car you want to lower. On one of my cars, a Mini Cooper S, I purchased it used and knew the value of the car would drop like a box of rocks, even though I was keeping the car I wasn't going to spend 2K on Bilstein PSS9's and in a few years the cars value nose dive. My second point is, the ride quality on the coilovers would have definitely been best, but consider the size of or length of the wheelbase, it was going to be on the rough side either way. I asked for the advice of my Mini independent shop and he advised me to just get H&R sport springs if I wasn't committed to spending a couple of grand on quality coilovers The ride is not bouncy but if I hit a pothole it definitely hits the bump stops. I also have MKIV R32 with Bilstein B16 coilovers and I wouldn't consider anything else.

I believe with Eibach springs being progressive, it isn't a 'shortened' spring or cut off. You will get the lowered look, without losing control/feel/comfort - imo

Thanks for posting, was thinking of getting h&r springs but after watching this will get bc coilovers.

Great video. Agree 110% Originally put lowering springs on my MK7 Golf R @ 10k miles and the struts were trash by 20k. The car road great before. Just upgraded to KW V2's and the ride is as you said, night and day better! It rides very close to stock with a little more sporty stiffness but still soaks up bumps all while being nearly an inch and a half lower. I highly recommend getting purpose built lowering springs and doing it right the first time so you don't have to do the job twice. 👍🏻

I have a set of inverted Bilsteins on OEM springs. The Bilsteins helped a lot. I like them over Konis for cost of rebuilds. Monotube Bilsteins tend to last much longer as well. For street use though unless you're willing to release some of the gas pressure a Koni twin tube setup just does a lot better at absorbing the smaller imperfections, but big bumps can be just as brutal. A problem that I find with lowering springs is that they are designed mostly around stock dampers and they lower the vehicle too much with too low of a spring rate. Lowering a vehicle effectively changes the geometry of the suspension and can negatively impact performance, regardless of if it's a coilover. My issue with coilovers are generally ability to get dampers rebuilt, the quality of the damper, valving, and the lack of travel. On some applications you gain space for wider wheels and tires and in my case you lose wheel and tire clearance. Sway bars also play a roll in the balance of everything as do wheel/tire weights, etc. Lowering springs aren't inherently bad for street use, but on my model it actually effects toe, roll center movement, camber curves, etc. Very smart people design these suspensions and some thought should be put into how it all works before deciding to alter it, unless your function is purely aesthetic. Lowering springs were great on some of my cars, and detrimental on others. It's a pretty deep subject, but those that put in the work can find something that matches their needs.

1:20 When u go to a lowered spring, the shocks have 'less' travel to work with. This is whats causing prematured failure of the shocks. The bouncy ride is due to the fact that by using a lowered spring the impact force will be bigger. Hence, the OEM shock can't handle this force aka doens't have enough dampening strenght and will result in a lowered dampening system or bouncy ride. Conclusion: both the spring and shock have to be dimensioned in funciton of eachother. :)

Got Tein S Tech on my CRX w KYB and work great so far. Getting some for my Del Sol and will use top hats that add about 1 inch extra travel for strut,

I put Eibach lowering springs on my 2010 Challenger RT and dropped it 2” on some 22” rims. It looked AMAZING! But… It made my car very bouncy and wore out the control arm. Even after taking the 22s off it was still a weird ride. When I get my Stinger I’ll just throw some coilovers and 20s on it and call it a day.

Stuck with the stock ride height and went with the Bilstein B6 for my E90 330i sport package, but love the overall balance. While not as cool looking as your 330i, I'm happy not having to slow to 2mph for driveways or speedbumps and still supple enough for long road trips. Great job with all the videos - even some of these more basic ones!

I was thinking of getting springs but I think I'm just gonna save up for some coilovers.. that means I'll have to deal with stock xdrive ride height for quite some time :(

Always so amazed about the video quality it’s insane thank you Justin 🙏🏻

Lowered my 2004 suburban with 3-4 lowering springs and belltech street performance lowering shocks great ride and look.

The purpose of suspension is to keep the tyre in contact with the road with as much force as possible. Ironically adding stiffer springs can reduce that, as you're changing the spring rates. A smooth track is fine, but a potholed bumpy road in Europe requires an appropriate spring rate.

A tip for breaking nuts. Heat it up with a blow torch and spray water on it. The rapid expansion then contraction will get it everytime.

zip ties compressing the springs, when you go over bumps they snap off and sound like back fire which is a free added bonus.

i will never run lowering springs again, did it once, that was enough to learn

I like that info on lowering springs.... Cuzz I was 2nd guessing on buying lowering springs. But NOW, I think I'm gonna stick to my 1st decision, Coilovers, all the way bruh! Thanks! Keep up the good work!👍

Just bought some TruHart struts for my 93 Accord wagon. Gonna be getting some lowering springs soon. Thankfully was told about getting performance struts over OEM shocks to put the lowering springs on.

I don't know why Justin whispered into my forehead, but I liked it.

Coilovers have less spring travel. Hit a pot hole and there goes your $1000 coilovers . Unless you’re driving on the track, lowering springs and shocks are just fine for a daily driver. I’m running KYB’s Excel in the front and Bilstein b4’s in rear on Vogtland springs. Ride is smooth and no more body roll .

When he brings out the spring out of no where 0:55

Definitely true also note that you shouldn’t buy a cheap set of coil overs *cough cough raceland* stay with the big brands to be safe

Eibach sportline kit with new KYB Excel-G struts. As you said, I had previously put them on stock shocks and the ride was hella bouncy, so I bought these new KYBs and now the ride comfort is pretty decent. They were also pretty cheap compared to the coilovers :)

There are factory lowering springs that can be used with stock shocks (less than 1.5" drop) just like TRD springs on stock FRS/86/BRZ shocks & that won't VOID the warranty, & can handle full passenger & trunk loads without the issue of rubbing. Besides, some aftermarket coil covers may not be compatible with electronically-controlled suspensions.

Luckily mine had the m sport suspension and resulted in scraping a few things. Now i never want it any lower haha maybe bags if i had the money but ride quality over looks anyday

Currently considering of lowering my 3.6L Passat, and going to 19" wheels. Great advise! Thanks.

Been running raceland for two years now on my 06 gs300. Got them bc I didn’t have tons of money but still wanted the whole coilover set up. For $500 the feel is still good, not as soft as stock (bc it’s a Lexus) just a tad tighter. Doesn’t compare to bc coils on swift springs but for 1/3 of the price and lifetime warranty I think is a great buy

Definitely had to get coil-overs for the FRS. Loved the adjustable & easy installation.

I ran performance lowering springs on my 1996 ford probe and always had a smooth ride.. No bounce. My handling and acceleration improved.. it also reduce a ton of roll over. A lot of people dont understand that sport cars already have performance shocks from factory. So adding lowering just adds to the performance of the car.. also the ride stays smooth. To me is the best option for a daily driver.. coils are good for track or racing performance. But they suck when the roads are all busted..

Answered my questions I thought I needed springs and the coilovers you actually just saved me a ton of cash 👍

My 2016.5 Mazda CX-5 touring is lowered on Megan racing lowering springs. The ride is pretty bouncy on different roads and some are smooth. I’ve notice a tad better turning but not significantly. Looks better, could be lower but I don’t want it to be bouncier than what it is now. I hope blistein makes shocks for my car, haven’t checked yet.

Been running lowering springs for decades on the rough ass roads of Northern New England without a single issue.

I have a BMW 535i M-sport from 2016. Upcoming saturday I am going to install my new BC Racing coilover kit together with new 20" Ström ST3 rims. Can't wait! :D

Tein and kilen springs are designed for stock struts I find them good, though using them on standard shocks that aren’t at the optimum piston rod length can wear them out quickly, I buy proper made shocks and springs over coilovers, the term coilover comes from the coil spring being mounted over the strut so basically the majority of cars today just now we use the term for the adjustable ones, I find coilovers that are adjustable don’t last as long and aren’t up to the same sort of build quality as a good shock body and can’t take as much of a beating. I have tein endurapro plus on my forester c/20 they are only twin tubes so they won’t handle as well as a monotube like my konis on my Peugeot 106. Or Bilsteins on my dads Saab rally car The teins are 32 way adjustability I bought them as an ex test set from tein from testing purposes for the Impreza GD. Their site only claims to have 16 way adjustability on rebound but these are 32 way rebound and compression. The konis on my 106 are not adjustable but that’s a daily! I find on rally cars and most street cars shocks just last that little bit longer and have comfort in mind where adjustable coilovers are really a track oriented design and often you need to spend like £700 upwards for a set that will outperform shocks and springs on tarmac but not all situations, the good thing about shocks and springs is you can change your spring rates easy when you change how soft or hard your dampers are and makes it good to be able to match them so you don’t have too soft of a ride or one that’s too jarring and crashy that will bounce the car and be dangerous I’m not a fan of ap coilovers, definitely not ta technix and maxspeedingrods, I mean for the sake of going low no just get springs and shocks! My koni str.t shocks cost me £250 and my apex springs cost me £61 and my rear bars cost £27.99 so that’s all 4 corners done I mean granted it’s a cheap car but it’s only £100 or so more than terrible coil overs

You don't get good stuff cheap nor do you get cheap stuff that's good. You can get top shelf springs for under $300 that will last the lifetime of the car. Pair those with top shelf shocks and you will have great reliable suspension for around $1000. Just don't short your ride height. Get super sport springs with max lowering. Adjust your wheel and tire height to fit where the car lands. Cheap coilovers or $1000 coilovers will be good at first but will only last a couple years B4 needing rebuilt. Also more moving parts like collars and such will need checked for tightness every so often along the way or you risk issues while on a road trip. Daily drivers are not race or show cars they face a lot of harsh work. You don't buy sprinting shoes for hiking nor to you buy hiking shoes for sprinting. Most people who do springs go wrong by not get the aggressive low spring nor do they buy the proper shocks and struts to pair with them and they are disappointed because they used worn stock shocks that are tall and long and to tall of a stroke. Others buy cheap coilovers and wonder why they are a harsh ride and don't last. Just do it the right way either option when you do it. I went H&R super sport springs and Bilstein B8 struts they are proven and engineering is top notch. Can't speak on cheap coilovers but anything I've ever baught cheap is just that. Cheap and horrible

what’s the best lowering spring that will work with the stock shock absorber? looking for low on my 2015 mazda 3 sedan. thanks!

I had a 1996 Cobra that I lowered with STEEDA Sport springs, steeda 4 bolt caster camber plates, steeda x2 ball joints, and steeda bump steer kit.... The car looked great and drove great. I now have a 2000 SALEEN Mustang that I bought last year. The car was already lowered. Worst driving car ever. Not sure exactly yet what all was done to lower it, but from what I can tell, they are some cheap looking caster camber plates on the car, and I would say the springs were probably cut.... I’ve already bought 3, almost needing to buy a 4th tire for the front already. Because the tires are, I think the term is “ Towed In “, Eating the tread up on the inside of the tires.... So now I’m almost ready to be able to fix the front end suspension. I was going to do what I did to the Cobra, but now I’m considering using coil overs because I like the QA1 K Member and upper lower control arms. And you have to use coil overs, you can’t use lowering springs. So, I don’t know yet, still trying to decide.