I have had a set of Eibach Pro-Kits in my BMW (E46 330Ci with Koni sport shocks, among other things) for 3 years and I have been happy with them. I autocross the car regularly and have taken it for a few 1000+ mile road trips. The car is classed with E36 and E46 M3s for autoX and is reasonably competitive, and I am happy with the ride comfort on roads that aren't washboards. I do not plan to go with coilovers on the BMW because I am not willing to sacrifice ride quality for the performance gains they will bring.

Of course, a BMW is not a Honda Fit, so YMMV.

Are folks who have installed Eibach or other springs replacing their shocks as well? I can't seem to find much out there in terms of aftermarket shocks for the Fit, and I am concerned about using lowering springs with stock shocks and the resulting effect on shock longevity.

 

Hi Cliff!

IF your running AutoX with the SFR you either have or will see me and my Fit at the events

For the 07-08 GD Fit there is only one performance shock option, and that is now down to availability left in stock (out of production.)

The 09+ GE's currently have NO performance upgrade shocks out there. The SWIFT springs are supposedly designed to match the OEM factory dampers though which is one of the big reasons they are the "fan favorite" on here.

For both GD and GE looking to upgrade handling though.... There is some one working on a solution https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ml#post1159936

 

I run with the BMWCCA, although I know some folks who are active with the other clubs (SFR, UFO, PCA). I'll be at the Evo phase 1 school at Marina on the 16th for some driver education, and I'll be taking the BMW

Good to know that about Swift springs. I don't really want (or need) to go coilovers on the Fit, but I don't want to be burning through the stock shocks either.

Thanks!

 

How do the Swift Springs compare to the H&R springs? I know the H&R are progressive, so rate to rate is not a comparison... just wondering.

I have some H&Rs on the Mush-stang, but they are full race springs with adjustable Bilsteins and all sorts of other crap (HUGE BARS, Torque Arm, Panhard Bar, etc. etc. etc.)

 

I'd go with Swift springs because of the linear rate and minimal drop. Eibach pro-kit is a progressive spring which will change handling characteristics as the spring compresses and decompresses.

 

just a quick question guys maybe OT but need some suggestions,.i just got my fit 2 weeks ago with 72k+ miles on it...and im plannin to put some sportlines would it still be a good idea?..since, right now its on stock strut/shocks...

 

From what i recall the Sportlines are discontinued, only the pro kit remains..

 

NOooooo!....are you serious man?..LOL!..well sportlines are the only springs i like so far..second is tein but they dont drop as much as sportlines...sigh....

 

desperate to lower my fit.. i would like to retain factory shocks on my GE8.
i have tanabe, teins and swifts in my mind.
i don't track my car and i don't drive much, my car would just see some spirited driving here and there.
would like to lower it around 1.5 inch and maintain stock ride quality as much as possible, without blowing my shocks soon (i am getting greedy here ).
swifts are recommended by everyone but their 1" drop isn't enough for me considering the fact that i got 195/55/r15 rubber which is 2.1% smaller than stock.
no coilovers for me.
please help
TIA

 

The Teins are alright, not too stiff, my family can fall asleep on road trips on them so I guess that's saying something lol. It's a little worse than stock ride on sudden bumps and potholes. I put about 50k miles on the stock struts with the Teins and they're starting to feel a little weak, 65k miles total on the struts so I suppose that's not bad. I've not been nice to them either so...

The lower you go on the stock struts the worse the ride will be. I have no experience with the Tanabes but I assume they'd be better for you than the Teins as the spring rates are lower and they don't drop as much.

Tanabe NF210
F -1.0 in / R -1.5 in
F 1.7kg / R 2.0kg

Tanabe DF210
F -1.3 in / R -1.8 in
F 1.7kg / R 2.0kg

Tein S Tech
F -1.6 in / R -1.6 in
F 2.3kg / R 2.4kg

 

thanks..
What is the spring rate on swifts?
I like teins drop as it is more balanced all around.
How is the ride on high speeds on your teins?
Does it feel scary?

 

here are the specs on the Swifts

Front 2.3 kg/mm and rear 2.1 kg/mm
I have only run Swifts on my GE8 2012 sport and they are a great match with stock dampers.The ride is firmer but not harsh at all.

you kind of need to decide if you are going for looks or actual performance because lower does not equal performance in this case.I have 24K on stock dampers with no problems.I would just go to a 16" wheel and even the 195/55/15 will be ok.

The Swifts perform well for springs only along with Progress RSB and We have Koni dampers coming soon for us GE8 owners.I plan to keep my Swifts for as long as I own my Fit and will go with either Koni STR.T or Sports when they are available.

You need to find someone with Swifts/RSB and a good summer tire and take their Fit for a spin and see what I mean.It's really night and day compared to stock.

 

Car feels fine over 100.

If you're going for looks get the Tein or Tanabe.

If you're going for performance get the Swifts, they don't drop much but that's better for performance on this car with stock shocks, also the springs are linear vs. progressive like the others.

I didn't choose the Teins, they chose me (gift) i'm nostalgic like that so won't replace them, but I would get Swifts if I were to buy new if only because i'm not really going for "looks" on this car. The drop looks nice though lol

 

Thanks alot,
The ratio between looks and performance for me is 60/40 respectively.
i m ready to compromise a bit for the drop (looks), but not much.

anybody experienced tanabe on stock shocks ?

PS. please consider that i generally have 4 people in my car with a bit of cargo, so i dont want them to complain much.

 

From what I read, (although I never owned Swift spring),
the Swift spring had very good if not the best performance among other lowering spring, but too bad they don't lower your car much.

Having said that, if you drove with 4 people in the car most of the time (and a bit of cargo),
then Swift spring will make your car look "ideal" while you were driving,
because the weight of the 4 person (and a bit of cargo) for sure will lower your Swift even more

while if you choose other spring that is much lower than Swift,
then you car will look "slammed" with 4 people (and a bit of cargo)

 

Lol..
And who does not like slammed look Swifts are great but I dont want to regret later as they are most expensive and give the least drop on the fit. Somebody please give feedback on tanabes.