Ok so I'm going to lower my car with eibach lowering springs in the near future. My shocks and struts are fine, but they're showing some age, point is there not really ready to be replaced and seem to have a lot more in them. My question is, is it recomended that I replace the shocks and struts at the same time I install the lowering springs?

 

Adjustable shocks/struts would be ideal (even bilstiens) because your lowering the center of gravity of the car. You need to control jounce better and faster. I have the eibach prokit. I had to install an adj panhard bar, rear control arm relocation brackets, and I'm currently using the bilstiens HD's.

Either way, anytiming you tinker with suspension components, you should get an alighnment done because your front camber and toe are going to be more negative when you lower the car. So my suggestion is to drop the money and get it all done at once.

 

I just installed the Eibach Pro Kit with Bilsteins, and although it's only been a week back on the road, I'm happy with it thus far. My shocks were probably fine (my springs were toast, and I bottomed out everywhere), but since I was there I did it up, and also replaced ball joints and inner and outer tie rod ends, tie rod sleeves, end links, and sway bar bushings. I also did the adjustable panhard rod, but mainly because mine was bent from a previous wreck.

The Bilsteins can be had slightly cheaper (than anywhere I found online) from Autozone of all places! You have to go in and order them, but they generally arrive at store in 2 days, no credit card hassle, no shipping charges, no backordered status (they will tell you right then how long), and no waiting on the big brown truck to sign for. Got mine in 2 days for $567 all 4 corners. Autozone can get the Eibach springs as well, same deal - no hassle, and just as cheap of price!

Be careful removing the stock springs! BEFORE anything else, get a 1ft length of chain and some washers and a bolt/nut, run it through the coil, and through the hole in the K member (a coat hanger works well to "thread" it through), bolt through the chain so that coil can't pop out in your face - when you remove the ball joint castle nut and drop the a-arm, the spring will still be stuck in there - pry from behind with your jack handle and it pops, but the chain keeps it from going anywhere. The Eibach springs go right in with no compressor needed - just kinda pop them in place, rerun the chain through them, bolt it together, and jack up the a-arm until you can get the knuckle back on the ball joint and the castle nut back on. Also have a length of pipe handy to torque on the strut/knuckle bolts - those monsters take alot of leverage to budge!

On the alignment - check Firestone and various others - I just got a lifetime alignment for $119 at Firestone - they'll redo it every 5000 miles as long as I own the car (which will be forever now that I sunk all that cash into rebuilding the suspension!).

 

I just installed New KYB-GR2 shocks & struts. It was a joke 2 put in. Expecially the back!