Espelir Active GT Springs w/ Bilsteins - Reviews & Pics!
Dec 15, 2008, 11:50 AM
#1
Espelir Active GT Springs w/ Bilsteins - Reviews & Pics!
Hey guys,
When I was researching this setup I had very little pictures or reviews to go off from so I'm posting them here for those who wished to get more info and especially see how they drop the Evo.
I recently decided to switch over to a Chargespeed front lip which adds another 2" on top of the stock front lip so raising the car is in order. I had KW V3s on my car previously and the drop was awesome! However, the coilovers were too much for my street Evo. I decided to go with the stock Bilsteins and Espelir springs seeing how they provide the lowest drop while still getting the thumbsup from Rob @ Robispec and matches with the MR Bilsteins well.
The Espelirs are suppose to drop the car 1.8" front and .9" in the back and as of now (600 miles driven) I think they're almost to the point on being fully settled which will drop exactly 1.8" front and 9" rear. When I first installed them I was scared that the drop is too high (well...coming from coilovers did spoil me). There is currently about 2 fingers gap on the drivers side and 2 1/2 gap on the passenger side, though I do have a sub on the drivers side and all the the heavier components (steering rack, etc) can account for the difference.
The drop is perfect and I highly recommend them to people with aftermarket bumpers or really low front lips. They drop the car perfectly while adding performance to handling capabilities. The car feels perfectly stiff for street driving and corners well but at the same time they don't hurt your back or break the bank. Honestly for the $400-$450 cost of Bilsteins and $300 in spring cost or so you'll be ahead of a lot of low-priced coilovers. I really love being able to go lower with coilovers and having a lot of adjustment capability so you do give up those functions. However, if you're just planning on street driving and just wanting a little handling improvement and lower the stance of your Evo, this is the perfect choice!
If anyone is curious the wheels are 18x8.5 and the tire size is 245/40/18 for comparison. I'm going to switch up to 18x9 and 245/35/18 next week and will update this with more pictures
Alvin
From eye-level looking down the car is very low. Front bumper clearance is roughly 3.5" or less with my CS lip so I'd say you'll have about 5.5" of clearance on an Evo 9 with stock or say a Ralliart lip.
When I was researching this setup I had very little pictures or reviews to go off from so I'm posting them here for those who wished to get more info and especially see how they drop the Evo.
I recently decided to switch over to a Chargespeed front lip which adds another 2" on top of the stock front lip so raising the car is in order. I had KW V3s on my car previously and the drop was awesome! However, the coilovers were too much for my street Evo. I decided to go with the stock Bilsteins and Espelir springs seeing how they provide the lowest drop while still getting the thumbsup from Rob @ Robispec and matches with the MR Bilsteins well.
The Espelirs are suppose to drop the car 1.8" front and .9" in the back and as of now (600 miles driven) I think they're almost to the point on being fully settled which will drop exactly 1.8" front and 9" rear. When I first installed them I was scared that the drop is too high (well...coming from coilovers did spoil me). There is currently about 2 fingers gap on the drivers side and 2 1/2 gap on the passenger side, though I do have a sub on the drivers side and all the the heavier components (steering rack, etc) can account for the difference.
The drop is perfect and I highly recommend them to people with aftermarket bumpers or really low front lips. They drop the car perfectly while adding performance to handling capabilities. The car feels perfectly stiff for street driving and corners well but at the same time they don't hurt your back or break the bank. Honestly for the $400-$450 cost of Bilsteins and $300 in spring cost or so you'll be ahead of a lot of low-priced coilovers. I really love being able to go lower with coilovers and having a lot of adjustment capability so you do give up those functions. However, if you're just planning on street driving and just wanting a little handling improvement and lower the stance of your Evo, this is the perfect choice!
If anyone is curious the wheels are 18x8.5 and the tire size is 245/40/18 for comparison. I'm going to switch up to 18x9 and 245/35/18 next week and will update this with more pictures
Alvin
From eye-level looking down the car is very low. Front bumper clearance is roughly 3.5" or less with my CS lip so I'd say you'll have about 5.5" of clearance on an Evo 9 with stock or say a Ralliart lip.
Last edited by AlvinHuyN; Dec 15, 2008 at 11:56 AM.
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Feb 22, 2009, 07:58 PM
#13
Not sure why you replaced your KW's but their recommended max height spec is set at 14 and 1/4 inches @ the front, and 13 and 1/2" inches for the for the rear.
So when set at the maximum ride height (or minum drop), it has 1 1/4" Drop front and rear while keeping the car balanced.
Stock numbers are 15 1/2 inches for the front, 14 3/4 inches for the rear (measured from the center of the wheel bore, to the top of the wheel arc).
So in other words, if you kept your V3's and set them to the minimum drop, your car would around 1/2 inch higher than those springs.
So when set at the maximum ride height (or minum drop), it has 1 1/4" Drop front and rear while keeping the car balanced.
Stock numbers are 15 1/2 inches for the front, 14 3/4 inches for the rear (measured from the center of the wheel bore, to the top of the wheel arc).
So in other words, if you kept your V3's and set them to the minimum drop, your car would around 1/2 inch higher than those springs.
Feb 24, 2009, 07:24 AM
#14
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hey i was wondering with those springs and struts when you turn ur steering wheel all the way to one side do the tires seem to scrape the fender walls?cause i have an 03 evo with 06 mr bilstein shocks and struts and when i put my wheels on (18x8 tenzo dc-5 with falken ziex 245/40/18) they seem to scrape and also im not sure if the back tires would hit my fenders with these springs?do you think by lowering it the scraping would go away?... thanks
and great write up
and great write up
