ok, after a bunch of n00bin around, i finally got the springs installed with the help of blacksheepms3! it was freakin cold as hell, and i'm really glad he was there to help me through the most annoying parts of the install. i'll provide details and insights on how to get it done with the least amount of agonizing in a How-To, but for now, just know that it can be a PAIN if you don't have the right tools and tricks for the job...=/
anyways...the springs are still settling, so i don't really have a good after-springs image, but here's a peek at what it looked like before:
ya, i know the glare sucks and whatnot, but the point is to show what kind of wheel gap it started with...=d i will make sure to post the after image in a day or two when i have a chance to take a pic in the daylight and things have settled just a bit more.
here's some first impressions:
the ride quality seems very similar to stock springs. you stick to the ground better, and feel the bumps slightly more (especially the rolling speedbump-like ones), but overall comfort seems very close to stock, imo. as far as improved performance, i haven't had the chance to go crazy and go down twisties, since i was driving back at night with a carload of tools and whatnot...(dunno) what i did notice was that when i'm on the highway, the undulating bumps are definitely not as "floaty". this makes me VERY happy, because that was the main reason why i wanted the springs to begin with! as far as wheelspin and wheelhop, i will have to wait until i have a chance to really do some heavy stomps to figure that one out. i took it very easy tonight because i had just installed the springs and i wanted to watch for any weirdnesses and give them a chance to break in.
i will write a more detailed set of impressions when i post my How-To on the process. don't worry, i took a lot of pics and they seem to have come out very well, so i will be spending a decent amount of time putting together a good write-up so that we can have a more user-friendly FAQ for spring installs in the How-To section! (alright)
i'm still waiting on my sway bars to be delivered, but when i do install those, i'll make sure to do a write-up on those as well...=d