i originally installed tanabe gf210 the ride was near to stock but over time decreased to the point i thought the stock struts and shocks were blown so i did some research and bought the inexpensive tokicos forgot which model it was like $280 for all 4. other members said it was a pretty good budget setup. but it feels just like b4 harsh ride no where close to stock. any suggestions im riding on 19s 245/35 up front and 275/30 in the rear. checked tire pressure which help a little but it still sucks

 

maybe try getting 35 series tires in the rear

i could tell that 30 and 35 series tires felt different

 

If you want to be low , its going to be a little harsh.

The proper size tire suggestion will also help a lot.

 

I had the same problem and found out why.... the spring rate is 30% stiffer than stock the nf210 spring rides close to stock.... I run 35 series rear 40 series front and rides fine.... I had the gf210 chanfed them in October to nf210 and it rides nice

 

The shocks you're talking about are the Tokico HP Blues. I'm running them now and the ride is great, not harsh in the least bit.

It's just a matter of time with the GFs until your stockers blow out and make the ride absolutely terrible.

 

cheshire - I'm assuming you're on GF210's with the HP Blue's?

If you are on the GF210's, how long did your factory shocks last?

 

if the shocks specs aren't matched to the springs specs, it's still going to be harsh. that's why i prefer coilovers.

 

That's correct. I put in rear springs only at around 40k miles to see how I liked them. By 50k the shocks were gone. I can't say the springs did all of it but they definitely did contribute.

The HP Blues are good because they're engineered specifically for lowered cars. You also can't argue with the price. I wouldn't suggest lowering with an aggressive kit like the GF210's without changing out the shocks to something made to couple with these types of springs.

They will work fine with OEM for a while- when the shocks end up blowing out, it's just something else to fix later on down the line. It's easier to do it all at once, in my opinion.

I've run around 30k miles with the new shocks and everything is like butter. The rear is a little more "floaty" than I like but it's fine for what it is.

 

Well, this is good to know. I was going to just go with GF210's and the SPC front/rear kit but I might have changed my mind again.

I'm thinking about keeping the car for another year and a half - 2 years max. So I was thinking coilovers would be overkill (since I don't really track the car, just spirited driving) for only keeping the car for less than 2 more years. I kinda expected the stock shocks to last longer than what your's did though. Although, it's good to know because like you said, I would much rather do it all now, rather than buy the Blues 8 months from now.

Now I'm torn again. Coilovers? Ugh... too many options...

 

You may be able to find a good set of used coilovers for the price you would pay for new springs and shocks. Just a thought.