H&R Spring Install

[tunersteve]

Finished my springs up yesterday, and wanted to let everyone know, if you've got air tools, DO THESE YOURSELF! Springs are not a tough job, just take it slow and you will be fine.

Here's a breakdown of things. I took measurements before and after the install in my garage of the fender height, bumper height, and wheel gap, to give everyone a good idea of what to expect. Here are the results:

Fender Height-
Stock Front: 27"
H&R Front: 25 1/4"
Stock Rear: 27"
H&R Rear: 25 3/4"

Wheel Gap-
Stock Front: 3"
H&R Front: 1 1/4"
Stock Rear: 2 1/2"
H&R Rear: 1 3/4"

Bumper Height-
Stock Front: 6 9/16"
H&R Front: 4 7/8"
Stock Rear: 11 3/4"
H&R Rear: 10"



Wheel Gap Front 3 1 1/4 1 3/4 Rear 2 1/2 1 3/4 3/4



Bumper Height Front 6 9/16 4 7/8 1 2/3 Rear 11 3/4 10 1 3/4

And last, here's a breakdown of before and after in visual form:

Front Stock vs. Front H&R:

Rear Stock vs. Rear H&R:

Last, here's the car from the side:

Driving impressions are good so far. Body roll/pitch has been reduced greatly, and I don't feel that these springs are bouncy at all. I've driven them about 50 miles since install, and I really like the way the car handles now. I think these with a rear sway bar would be a great investment to the suspension of the MS6.

If anyone has questions on the install, don't hesitate to ask. I didn't have the opportunity to take pics as I went along, but I can guide you through based on memory.

 

[Drizz-OH!]

H&R's don't "settle", correct? A few of my friends are running these springs and love them! Looks great! And yes, springs are cake to install!

 

[tunersteve]

H&R's don't "settle", correct? A few of my friends are running these springs and love them! Looks great! And yes, springs are cake to install!

I believe all springs 'settle', as you compress a spring it will give a little once installed. I'm waiting til Friday to get the alignment checked, so we'll see how good I put it back together.

 

[ms6bb0y]

those are stock spec tires right? 215

 

[tunersteve]

those are stock spec tires right? 215

No, Pirelli PZero Nero M&S 225/40/18s

 

[Blendercloud]

The springs look really nice, Steve. That's the route I'm going in about a month. Going to do new tires and springs in one round so I only have to get one alignment.

 

[OJ Bartley]

Steve, how much of a drop from stock is that?

Edit: Nevermind, just saw your thread, it sounds like you dropped it about 1 3/4" in the front and 1 1/4" in the rear. That's a pretty big drop!

 

[sunshineFC]

You dont need air tools to do this yourself. Just a well stocked hand tools selection. A breaker bar helps alot.
-a

 

[redspeed6]

Here's mine after dropping it with H&Rs yesterday:

Love the drop! Where you get the springs ? How much $$ ?? How much of a drop? Think my red will look sweet with that drop.

 

[lawben]

Looks good bro. Any rubbing? Did you have to roll your fenders?

 

[tunersteve]

No rubbing so far, and no, I didn't roll the fenders.

If (or when) I get new rims, I plan on rolling the fenders as a precaution. I'm looking at an 18x8" wheel with 235/40/18 tires.

 

[Knox Joe]

Hows the ride quality?

Any noticeable stiffness, or harshness?

I'm thinking about doing springs on my MS6, but since I bought it for my wife and kid I don't want it to be too harsh or bumpy.

 

[chiefmg]

Looks good Steve, with that drop you can probably use it as a snowplow next winter!

Knox Joe, I believe as long as you buy one of the spring sets that are designed for our car (H&R, RPM, AutoEXE) you won't have any problems with a rough ride. I have a set of the RPM preproduction springs myself, drop was about 3/4" which improved handling greatly without putting excessive wear on the struts. I know a lot of people are happy with their Eibachs and other springs meant for the regular 6, but as much as they lower the car I suspect it would ride on the bump stops.

 

[tunersteve]

Hows the ride quality?

Any noticeable stiffness, or harshness?

I'm thinking about doing springs on my MS6, but since I bought it for my wife and kid I don't want it to be too harsh or bumpy.

No, overall the ride is very good. It's stiffer, but not kidney bruising, and the freeway isn't bouncy at all.

Looks good Steve, with that drop you can probably use it as a snowplow next winter!

Knox Joe, I believe as long as you buy one of the spring sets that are designed for our car (H&R, RPM, AutoEXE) you won't have any problems with a rough ride. I have a set of the RPM preproduction springs myself, drop was about 3/4" which improved handling greatly without putting excessive wear on the struts. I know a lot of people are happy with their Eibachs and other springs meant for the regular 6, but as much as they lower the car I suspect it would ride on the bump stops.

Yeah, I might be plowing roads in the winter time, but it'll still be fun.

I agree, you need to really make sure you're getting a MS6 specific set. I've been pretty adamant about mentioning that to people to read up before going out and buying Eibachs. I didn't bother to cut the bump stops on these either, and haven't hit them yet. They give you a detailed sheet that explains if there is any additional work needed to perform while installing the springs.

 

[Knox Joe]

I was thinking about the RPM's and the H&R's, but I am still undecided.

 

[tunersteve]

I was thinking about the RPM's and the H&R's, but I am still undecided.

I've heard good things about both, I don't think you'll be disappointed with either.

 

[Knox Joe]

I may go with the RPMs because this drop is a little lower, and the way my wife drives I'd be buying a new front lip.

I'll probably do it at the end of the month, and do the HD lip, to help protect it from scraping.

Has anyone else noticed how easy it is to scrape the lip on the MS6? My MSP is way lower than my 6, but I've only scraped the lip once in the MSP, and like 5 times in the 6. I can only imagine what my wife does when she's driving.

 

[chiefmg]

Think it has to do with the front overhang that reduces the distance you have to play with. My wife is continually scraping both the Speed and the Protege (you should see all the paint scraped off the bottom of the lip on the ES). We have a pretty good curb coming into the driveway. When I mention it, she shrugs it off. As long as we come in/out at the right angle it isn't a problem.

 

[Vicspeed6_AZ]

Here's mine after dropping it with H&Rs yesterday:

Looking good, now get some SPC Ball joints to save wear on your tires!

 

[Myriad]

Finally got my springs installed today and I can't believe what a difference it made. Only problem I ran into was when the front end links put up a fight. I also jumped on the opportunity to install my rear MM since the car was jacked up. Can't wait until I buy a house this year so I don't have to feel like a beggar trying to get some garage time at my buddies places.