Hi all!
I am working on building up my '98 5-speed 4wd CR-V to be more of a well-handling wagon than a traditional SUV, and looking for some info and advice on what the best route to go about doing this would be.
The previous owner installed a very cheap set of maxspeedingrods coilovers which did lower the car, to be fair, but they have led to adjustment, rubbing, and tire wear issues as the height will not adjust on the rears.
Now I am looking to see what the best option would be for a replacement of these coilovers, I would like to keep it low but I would also like to improve the handling and retain some of the ride quality as it is my daily driver. The main options that I have found are lowering springs and shocks or a nice set of BC Racing or Fortune Auto 500 coilovers, specifically meant for my generation of CR-V.
I do plan on keeping the car for quite a while as it is in great condition, and the warranty definitely appeals to me on the reliability side of things, but I haven't been able to find much info comparing coilovers and lowering springs for this application.
I want to keep my CR-V going, and I would like the best driving experience I can have with it as I really do love the car, so I am willing to put the money into it- It is rust-free and in very good condition mechanically and decent cosmetically. I just want to make sure the improvements are in proportion to the sizeable increase in price.
Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
Pic included of the setup on current maxspeedingrods coilovers.
Both of those are great options right off the bat, I've heard that BC Racing's customer support and warranty service are excellent, and Fortune Auto coilovers have been well-proven on track. Finding and comparing the spring rates on the two models and the Maxpeedingrods on the car now should give you some idea of the level of stiffness you can expect (although with either option the ride will be vastly improved simply through having almost infinitely better shocks).
Lowering springs won't be too far from stock stiffness and have no adjustability, but if you just want the car a bit lower and harder they're a fine option.
Bump for a sweet cr-v project. Ive been wanting to do one of these. And for this sweet cr-v i saw on i-95 near ormond, fl. 
"Coilover" doesn't imply anything about the quality of the shock or the valving or the spring rate. They do usually bring more geometry setup options which allows you to get things more wring :) You're not trying to choose between coilovers and lowering springs, you're trying to decide what the spring rate and shock should be.
The shock is so, so important. I'd get good shocks from a real shock company like Koni and a set of springs with a spring rate to match the chosen ride height.
Keith Tanner said:
"Coilover" doesn't imply anything about the quality of the shock or the valving or the spring rate. They do usually bring more geometry setup options which allows you to get things more wring :) You're not trying to choose between coilovers and lowering springs, you're trying to decide what the spring rate and shock should be.
The shock is so, so important. I'd get good shocks from a real shock company like Koni and a set of springs with a spring rate to match the chosen ride height.
Thank you for the great info!
It seems like the only shock brands still available as a front and rear set for my generation of CR-V are KYBs and Bilsteins, would these be worth pursuing over the coilover brands? They all look to be a monoshock design so I'm not really sure how to compare their quality or handling effects. I'm also not sure how I would go about finding out what the best front/rear spring rates would be for my application, would you have any pointers for how I could figure this out?
People put a lot of emphasis on twin tube vs monotube shocks, but those differences pale compared to the valving choices. Bilsteins will almost definitely be a higher quality shock than most, although I find they tend to be a little jittery like they have too much high speed compression damping.
I'd find a tuner who puts an emphasis on suspension design, someone who knows the chassis. Jackson Racing, maybe? I don't know Hondas at all, but if this thing shares a lot of underpinnings with the Civic of the same period then you can piggyback on a lot of that info. Chances are looking at the front/rear spring rate ratios used on those will get you in the ballpark for the relationship between the front and the rear.
