I have a '98 Honda Accord with aprox. 235,000 km. in perfectcondition except for the (original) suspension. This is in rough shape because it has carried heavy loads and has done some towing. My question is, would it be better (or even possible) to put stiffer coil springs in the back to better support the weight of the trailer I tow (tent trailer around 1000 lb)? What kind of shocks would be best or is there a strut which is available? Does the front and rear suspension have to be the same? Woul OE parts be sufficient? Thanks for any help.

 

The trailer is pulled, not loaded on the springs. Stiffer springs will make the ride a little rougher, but then again, I loved how my Accord felt with a full track coilover setup.

 

Yes the trailer is pulled, but there is significant hitch weight which sinks the rear of the car somewhat. I thought stiffer coil springs would take some of the weight off the shocks.

 

And now I shall move this to the correct forum..Welcome to the HAF..
Please watch where you post your topics..

WheelBrokerAng [sm=americanasmiley.gif]

 

Thanks Ang .... I should have noticed myself [&:]


By hitch weight, do you mean the weight of the unloaded hitch being bolted to the car or the load from pulling the trailer? I can see some load being transfered from the trailer to the rear springs at a forward, downward angle, but I wouldn't expect it to bee that much. Is the trailer very long with 1 axle set far back? I've lifted the hitch end of a trailer with a 25 foot boat on it and it wasn-t very heavy.

To answer your question directly, shocks don't bear weight, springs do. You might be riding a bit low due to the weight, but I wouldn't expect the stock springs to compress enough to take the shocks out of their operating range. The next step up from stock springs would be Eibach Pro-Kit. From what I've seen, these seem to be the only spring line that are made to work with OEM shocks for most cars.

 

Aaron, haven't you ever heard of tongue weight? That's nearly just as important as knowing how much total weight your pulling.

To the OP,
If I were in this situation, I'd look into Ground Control coilover sleeves and a pair of heavy duty dampers (like Koni Sport or Bilstein HD) and then just raise the coilovers up to the stock ride height. Has a much stiffer spring, same ride height and better damping to control the spring. All in all, it would be a much safer tow.

 

Some more info:

Tongue weight The downward weight applied by the towable equipment on the hitch ball. Generally tongue weight should not be more than 10% of the gross trailer weight.
Also see: weight distribution system.


The Ground Control sleeves are pretty nice, they feature an Eibach spring. That's the only way I can see you putting in a stiffer spring without lowering the car.