Applicable to: '90 - '97 1.8 liter
Great Experince so Far!
I bought this springs on ebay over a year ago. Since I wanted to avoid the "slamed look" of most springs, I bought MM "spring lifters. One word WOW!!! These things with KYB AGX and FM sways are UNBELIVABLE. I which that I could post a picture, the looks are incredible, and no more bouncing around when you shift, accelerate or brake. Not bad for the $75.00 dollars spent on this springs
Over 30 minutes to remove completely
Jamex sports springs: linear rate lowering springs designed to lower car 40mm
I bought these springs for my 91' because they are cheap ($118 from www.autobahnint.com), and are supposed to lower the car 40mm - more than any other I've seen on the market. Most bang for the buck, I figure.The springs are dutch made, and the fit and finish (red powdercoat) are good.
Installation notes: Not having the proper spring compressor, my brother And I improvised one out of two ratchet ties <see photo>: worked fine for us, if a bit slow. After installing the springs, we set the camber back to 0 with a small household bubble leveler, and aligned the front toe to 0 with a tape measure and two rulers. Caster and rear toe, you ask? Didn't do them - it was late in the day; and I guessed, correctly as it turns out, they are not too important. BTW, the home toe alignment is a very tedious 2-3 people job- leave it to the pros if at all possible.
Immediately after the installation, the rear end was lowered by less than 3/4" (!), and the ride was quite harsh at freeway speed. After about 3-4 weeks, the ride has softened noticeably (maybe my back, too), and the springs seem to have settled down. The final measurements are: FR 7/8" from tire to fender lip; BK 1 1/4" from tire to fender lip. The car was lowered 1 1/2" in front and 2" in the back! (Caveat: the measurements all have at least + - 1/4" error). <See before and after photos> -transformed from lemming to shark! Also, at the back, one side was higher than the other by about 1/2" initially. This was fixed after I loosened all the suspension pivot bolts and retightened them with the car standing on its wheels. I highly recommend doing this after you install the springs: rubber bushings are not real bushings (there is no 'bearing surface'): they need to be stress relieved if the suspension is lowered.
These springs are fine for blvd cruising; but if you care about performance driving, aftermarket shocks are a must. The stock shocks are underdamped with these springs.
Overall, these Jamex springs are a great value for the money. Thanks to Chris Chu for his advice on this product.
| Back to Product Reviews | 22 October, 2003 |