New people wanting to mod....... START HERE!

[Vader6]

Ok this involves EVERYONE but is ment for members with less than 15 post who come on to Club4g.org and post questions they find to be important but has already been discussed numerous times but they can't find it when searching (cuz i know noobs always search before posting).

Commonly asked ?'s on Club4g (Members answer these for me, I will quote u so we don't have to keep on posting and making clutter)

Sites posted like autocityimports or RoadRaceEngineering are NOT THE ONLY PLACE TO BUY ITEMS. Just the most specified for our cars and more trusted than other places. Find product # and SEARCH the web to find other dealers. Shop around.

1) What springs should I use to lower?
- This is all about personal choice, how low do u want to go , how much are u willing to spend? All questions u need to ask yourself before asking this question.

a) what does spring a,b,c look like and how low does it go?

Stock Car on 17's


Most Common Springs, more info and 3 other springs can be found at
Road Race Engineering's 4G Eclipse Parts and Performance
2006+ Mitsubishi Eclipse Performance Parts and Aero Parts


-Eibach Pro-Kit
On 17's

On 18's

# 1.2" Front drop & 1.4" Rear drop (4Cyl Model)
# 1.4" Front drop & 1.5" Rear drop (V6 Model)


-Eibach Sportline
On 17's

# 1.8" Front Drop & 2.0" Rear Drop (4Cyl Model)
# 2.0" Front Drop & 2.0" Rear Drop (V6 Model)


-Progress
On 17's

# 1.8" Front drop
# 1.8" Rear Drop


-Tanabe
On 18's


#1.4" Front Drop
#1.5" Rear Drop


-Tein H-tech
On 18's


#1.9" Front Drop
#2.0" Rear Drop


-Tein S-tech
On 18's

#2.5" Front Drop
#2.6" Rear Drop

-Works
On 17's

#1.3" Front Drop
#1.3" Rear Drop

b) how much are the springs?
2006+ Mitsubishi Eclipse Performance Parts and Aero Parts
Road///Race Engineering Mitsubishi Eclipse Parts and Performance
U can find other prices on these items. Get the item number and search it on the internet and chose where u want to buy it from. These are just a the "normal" places and well known where ppl buy from.

c) Any problems?
If you go past 2" inches there may be problems without getting stock camber settings. Also that low can cause blown struts later on. But this has not been proven. All speculation. Also changing ride height for performance allows your center of gravity to be lower. Generally speaking, the lower the car, the lesser the amount of G that your car has to deal with when taking sharp turns, due to weight and centrifugal forces at play. But that's not all of the variables that determine how well your car handles. You have to also consider the amount of slop, or tension your suspension components have, or the amount of play, or the effectiveness of the hardware that equalizes forces between the two tires on each axle, etc. Lowering a car for "performance" often translates to the car handling feeling more "solid" around the turns, and that is mostly due to Damping Force. If your shocks or springs are too tight, you sacrifice ride quality.
Another more common issue with lowering a vehicle with springs is that shocks may bottom out. This is commonly alleviated by removing the bump stops on the factory or aftermarket shocks/struts. Note, though, that there's a perfectly good reason for those bump stops to stay on.

d) Reason to lower?
Looks and better handling, and Jonrod won't yell that u. See above.


2) Coilovers......what are they and why?

NOW if can or want to shell out 600+ dollars for ur suspension the Coilovers are the way to go

Coilovers are, simply put, an integrated assembly of a shock body and springs/struts. They are designed to be

1. Adjustable - ride height and shock damping rates, that
2. Work well together (no figuring out - already pre-assembled), and
3. Lighter than factory arm assemblies.


It's been posted somewhere that factory shock/strut and spring assemblies are MUCH heavier. Strut assemblies weigh approximately over 50lbs, and shock assemblies approximately 35. They're also mostly made of regular carbon steel, which makes them both sturdy and heavy. Coilovers, on the other hand, are made of a combination of steel and aluminum. Most coilover setups will also have camber plates on the shock/strut tops to compensate for varying ride heights.

Finally, you go coilovers mainly because you want to tweak your ride between performance and comfort whenever you need it. The softest settings on Megan Racing coilovers, for instance, emulate that of factory ride quality (just my assumption, at least). That, without being too squishy at the turns. You get a less bumpy ride while taking on curves like a champ.

These can be adjusted to any height so don't let the pics fool u. Ride height is urs to pic. Some use a key to lower and raise some use an electronic controller.

Options:

Megan

Featuring 32 Levels of damper force adjustment, full-height adjustment, these damper kits are then perfectly matched with front and rear Pillow Ball upper mounts for camber correction.

The adjustment of the damper is as simple as can be with a built-in knob at the top of the damper mount for easy access. Simple adjustments can be made to tune to your style of driving and comfort level desired. Single-Adjustable dampers make suspension adjustments easy to tune whether you’re a professional mechanic or an automotive enthusiast with amateur mechanical skills.

The height adjustment is made easy with CNC-Machined locking perches for accuracy and smooth adjustment. You can raise your car up to factory height for OEM appearance with performance handling or you can drop your car all the way down for a formal racetrack and an aggressive stance lowering your center of gravity to gain full potential of your car’s handling capabilities.

The Megan Racing Damper Kits come with fully adjustable Pillow-Ball upper mounts to easily tune and adjust your camber. Adjustable camber gives you an edge on most suspension setups, as you can easily tune your car for any ride height which improves handling, predictability and furthermore tire wear, which is a great benefit both on the racetrack and on the street.

* 2006+ Mitsubishi Eclipse Megan Racing Coilover Damper Kit
* Spring Rates: 10kg Front and 6kg Rear
* 32 Levels od Adjustable Damper
* Pillow Ball Upper Mounts
* Adjustable Ride Height
* 1 year manufacture-defect warranty



Pics of the Coilovers
Coilovers pictures by slippercream - Photobucket

Cusco

The Cusco Zero-2E Coilover Kit for the 2006+ Mitsubishi Eclipse adds the option to electronically control the shock adjustment from inside the car. Utilizing the E-Con (sold separately), you can select what stage (of 5) you want the shock set at. With great features such as:

* Electronically controlled shock adjustment (w/ E-Con)
* Pillowball upper mounts
* Adjustable shock casing
* Independent adjustable spring perch
* Stainless steel thread body
* Stainless steel case lock nut
* Stainless steel spring perch/lock nut
* Specially coated lower bracket

Fits perfectly for any style driving. The advanced design features 5-stages of shock adjustment that exhibits incredible performance!

Create a comfortable ride for your passengers. Too stiff? Comfort is just a button away. No more frustrated passengers!

Larger size pillowball used in the upper mounts. Endures through the hardest drives!
Height adjustment and spring pre-load are designed to be adjusted independently. Lower your car with the adjustable shock casing while retaining the overall shock stroke. Set the spring pre-load to your desire and feel the difference in driving and traction.

Cusco developed a new shock absorber for the Zero-2E that further reduces friction resistance of the dampening force to achieve high performance with the vehicle lowered.

Worried about rust? No problem with the Zero-2E’s stainless steel lock nuts, lower seat, and threads. With the external cylinder and threads being stainless steel, adjusting the height will be smooth. The lower bracket/case has a new special coating as well. The internal as well as the external surface has been coated.



Tein SS

TEIN has developed advanced technology to design the shell case and stroke to bring out the full potential of your 2006+ Mitsubishi Eclipse. These features of the TEIN Super Street Damper Kit were designed with greater performance to satisfy all your driving demands. This high performance damper can be used for weekend racing and/or daily driving. The discomfort caused by uneven roads or bumps are eliminated on daily street use. For race use, the ride height adjustable system enables you to adjust ride height and 16 levels of damping force. In other words, you can set your vehicle to meet all situations!

* 2006+ Mitsubishi Eclipse TEIN SS Coilover Damper Kit
* 16 levels of damping force adjustment (compression and rebound together)
* Ride height adjust range front (-1.77" to -2.91")
* Ride height adjust range rear (-0.67 to -2.91")
* Spring rate front (500lbs/in)
* Spring rate rear (280lbs/in)

EDFC (Electronic Damping Force Controller) makes it possible for the driver to control the damping force by controlling a motor installed in the shock absorber while being seated in the driver's seat. Since the damping force can be manually controlled with ease to meet different situations, the driver can enjoy variations in the suspension setting.

Pics




Airbag

THESE HAVE NOT BEEN DONE TO A 4G YET

[Hints_The_Name]

Check out my sticky in show for many of those anwsers

[Vader6]

Originally Posted by Hints_The_Name

Check out my sticky in show for many of those anwsers

Added all ur stuff. This is going to be a long thread.

[Hints_The_Name]

Good luck I put days of research and hour of typing it up, it wasnt very easy

[360jeepboy]

This should be moved to New members threads, and made a sticky! The title should be, New people wanting to mod....... START HERE!!!!!

[Asian Cracker]

moved and it is stuck!

[Hints_The_Name]

Technically it should be moved to website suggestions for the ideas, and then after gotten everything typed up and looking nice, copy from word to a thread in new member thread. I will help out if needed and if you get the research or atleast a ton of questions, I will answer them and type up and categorize like I did for Show

[Hints_The_Name]

Originally Posted by Asian Cracker

moved and it is stuck!

The literal discussion should not be posted there, just the answers and questions. To eliminate any further confussion, so please move to website suggestions.

[Asian Cracker]

What if we make another thread in the suggestion area in regards to noob questions ? Once they are answered add them here.

[360jeepboy]

Once everything is done we can delete/move the text to another thread.

[DarkSidEclipse]

a) what does spring a,b,c look like and how low does it go? depends on the brand many members have springs of all brands so check out some pics if you would like to see how they look.
b) how much are the springs? Once again depends on brand after you decide what you want search vendors for the best price
c) Any problems? Depending on the drop there are reports that some of the 2in drop springs (Sportlines & Tein) Cause early failure of struts and shocks and maybe some other factory suspension parts.
d) Reason to lower? Because Mitsu gave you a 4x4

[Hints_The_Name]

I have no problem with that, I was just suggesting to delete this thread until we have enough questions and I would type it up and catagorize it, so its a little more noob friendly and they dont have to jump through tons of discussion to find there answer. Its cut and dry in front of them.

[360jeepboy]

Oh I agree!We get the quesions answered then delete the rest and sticky and close it. Sounds good to me.

[Hints_The_Name]

Yes, I would like to try and set it up like I did here Common Q&A : READ BEFORE POSTING!!! That way there is sections, they can go straight to the question the need.I am willing to create this, if I have help on the research of questions needed answered....

[Asian Cracker]

GO for it.

[Russ]

This did not belong in the New Member's forum. Moved to General 4G.

[Vader6]

If by thursday these ?'s aren't answered to the tee, Ill end up doing it.

[Vader6]

UPDATED!!!! Spring section done. Will be working on the CAI/SRI section next along with adding coilovers to the spring section. Let me know what u think.....will be changing everything to look the same and just doing it as I go down the list adding and deleting as I see fit.

[Asian Cracker]

Good Job!

I think if the pictures were all re sized that would make it look a bit better

[Drewfus32]

no love for the megan racing lowering springs?

[Asian Cracker]

Those are ghetto! lol yea I didn't even think about those.

[Vader6]

Originally Posted by Drewfus32

no love for the megan racing lowering springs?

u got pics pm me

[Vader6]

Will be finishing this thurs or friday

[Asian Cracker]

JB HAD them, now Amber NWAEclipse has them. I am pretty sure JB has some pictures.

[xjetx]

Good info on here, thanks.

[DarkSidEclipse]

Works pic sent

[Slippercream]

Hope this helps - MR Coilovers (which are fully adjustable), adjusted with a 2" drop in front, 1.6" in rear. On 19s.

Pictures of the coilovers themselves here.

[Slippercream]

Originally Posted by Vader6

1) What springs should I use to lower?
c) Any problems?
If you go past 2" inches there may be problems without getting stock camber settings. Also that low can cause blown struts later on. But this has not been proven. All speculation.

Changing ride height for performance allows your center of gravity to be lower. Generally speaking, the lower the car, the lesser the amount of G that your car has to deal with when taking sharp turns, due to weight and centrifugal forces at play. But that's not all of the variables that determine how well your car handles. You have to also consider the amount of slop, or tension your suspension components have, or the amount of play, or the effectiveness of the hardware that equalizes forces between the two tires on each axle, etc. Lowering a car for "performance" often translates to the car handling feeling more "solid" around the turns, and that is mostly due to Damping Force. If your shocks or springs are too tight, you sacrifice ride quality.

Another more common issue with lowering a vehicle with springs is that shocks may bottom out. This is commonly alleviated by removing the bump stops on the factory or aftermarket shocks/struts. Note, though, that there's a perfectly good reason for those bump stops to stay on.

d) Reason to lower?
Looks and better handling, and Jonrod won't yell that u.

See above.

2) Which CAI should I get?
a) difference between SRI (Short Ram Intake) and CAI (Cold Air Intake)?
b) Gains?
c) Problems?

Short ram intakes allow you to ingest air with the shortest amount of travel between your filter element (i.e. intake "intake"), and throttle body. Often, SRIs cause the engine to ingest more heated air that's in the engine bay (engine, radiator, and condenser all produce heat). Cold air intakes address that, by accessing cooler ambient air far away from the engine and radiator.

The main difference that people feel is in the amount of torque - favoring SRIs. And to put it plainly, the reason is simple: Air has mass, and this mass is sucked into an engine through the vacuum that's maintained and generated inside the intake manifold/plenum. SRIs, logically, will have less "mass" that the same vacuum will have to pull, compared to CAIs.

It's one major concept to consider when designing intake manifolds, with performance-oriented designs favoring shorter runners.

4) Rims
a) what size fits our cars?
b) what tire fits the car?

Requires math. Thread already posted in Wheels, Tires, and Suspension

Stock wheel sizes / tire profiles

BODY KITS & VISUAL BODY MODIFICATIONS---

Q: Which is better coilovers or springs?

A: Coilovers are better as they replace your stock struts and are adjustable, but are much more expensive than springs. Springs, tend to be hard on your struts but are a affordable solution.

I don't understand why coilovers would be filed under "Visual Body Modifications", since the choice to go coilover would normally be a performance reason. Then again, ricers like it since they can play with ride heights.

Coilovers are, simply put, an integrated assembly of a shock body and springs/struts. They are designed to be

1. Adjustable - ride height and shock damping rates, that
2. Work well together (no figuring out - already pre-assembled), and
3. Lighter than factory arm assemblies.

I've posted somewhere that factory shock/strut and spring assemblies are MUCH heavier. Strut assemblies weigh approximately over 50lbs, and shock assemblies approximately 35. They're also mostly made of regular carbon steel, which makes them both sturdy and heavy. Coilovers, on the other hand, are made of a combination of steel and aluminum. Most coilover setups will also have camber plates on the shock/strut tops to compensate for varying ride heights.

Finally, you go coilovers mainly because you want to tweak your ride between performance and comfort whenever you need it. The softest settings on Megan Racing coilovers, for instance, emulate that of factory ride quality (just my assumption, at least). That, without being too squishy at the turns. You get a less bumpy ride while taking on curves like a champ.

PAINTING/TINTING---


Q: What can I use to tint or blackout my headlights and taillights?

A: There are several techniques you can use to tint/black out your headlight, and taillights. This would include getting your taillights and headlights painted in a black, most choose Mitsubishi Kalapana Black(paint code X13). You can also you VIS Nightshades(spray on tint), Cling tint from Walmart or automotive store, and also from a professional tint. Please check your local laws before attempting.

Uhm... you might want to specify that to "paint" the headlights black for "blacking-out" requires a MIX of black base paint and CLEARCOAT for a translucent effect. Else you'd effectively just be painting your lenses opaque black.

FYI, VHT also sells a spray-on permanent window tint that's VERY good at self-leveling. No need to sand and clear.

Q: What paint can I use for painting my wheels?

A: You can use a couple methods, you can buy new wheels the color you wish, but more practical methods would consist of powercoating, or spray painting with a Dupli-color wheels paint and clearcoat spray after paint with Dupli-color.

Epoxy wheel paint works better than regular auto body spray can paint. As always, high velocity/pressure paint methods of coating are better. Electroplating all the better. But if you're one to go cheap, don't EVER forget to PREP, SAND, and PRIMER before applying any kind of paint. Those are just the most rudimentary of steps.

Q: What are the paint codes for my Eclipse?

A: There is a thread by a reputable member Slippercream, located at the following link. 4G Paint Codes

http://club4g.org/board/show/3041-4g-paint-codes.html?highlight=paint+codes

LIGHTING---


Q: What can I use to tint or blackout my headlights and taillights?

A: There are several techniques you can use to tint/black out your headlight, and taillights. This would include getting your taillights and headlights painted in a black, most choose Mitsubishi Kalapana Black(paint code X13). You can also you VIS Nightshades(spray on tint), Cling tint from Walmart or automotive store, and also from a professional tint. Please check your local laws before attempting.

Double-post?

Q: What are fog lights?

A: Fog lights, are lights mounted towards the bottom of the front bumper on the right and left side, designed to penetrate fog in bad conditions. You can use circular universal fog lights from Autozone, Pep Boys, and many other automotive stores. You can also go the OEM route, by purchasing from your local Mitsubishi Dealership.



Q: What is a halo projector?

A: A halo, is a ring of light around the main bulb. A projector, is a type of headlight that produces a stronger beam of light, in a more focused area compared to a standard parabolic headlights.

You might want to first explain that the basic factory headlights are "dome-type reflector" housings. That is, light gets refracted from various parts of a "dome" (your parabolic headlights) and onto the road.

Projectors also have a dome, but have a fresnel lens affixed on the path of the light, such that the intensity of the beam is magnified. Generally, the thicker the lens, the greater the magnification (much like a magnifying glass would.

Another major difference in how projectors are better hardware for Xenon (HID) bulbs is how it effectively cuts off any glare from going above a certain horizontal level. HIDs are VERY bright, and the intensity of the light causes the beam a diffused effect when shining on the road, causing glare to oncoming traffic. HIDs on regular dome headlights can be very annoying (see factory Escalades and HID-equipped Navigators to see just how exactly this is so.

Q: What are HID bulbs?

A: HID stands for High Intensity Discharge bulbs. HIDs are available in many temps ranging from 6000K-12000K are the most common. The higher the temp, the brighter the bulb, also the higher the temp you will notice a more blue tint. FLGTeclipse is a reputable member on this site, that sells HID kits for $90.

Also explain that the bulbs are "Xenon gas" bulbs. The system is what is referred to as HID. It's a combination of bulbs, igniters, and ballasts. The more common ballasts these days have igniters already integrated. You cannot use the bulbs without the other two components in the system. The bulbs are gas-type (Xenon), that emit an irridescent glow that's typically 30-60% brighter than halogen bulbs, depending on the rating of the ballasts. The typical ballasts in production and used in OEM applications are rated at 35W. There are 50W aftermarket systems out there for sale, that emit a much stronger glow than the 35W variants.

Note that it's very common that people simply "plug and play" HID units to the factory harnesses, expecting things to be truly "plug and play". The truth is, HIDs require much more current than most factory headlight harnesses allow. That's why it's recommended that you supplement your investment with harnesses specifically made to flow as much current as is required. These are also available for sale everywhere on the web.

Typical electrical headlight system failures due to HIDs are due to burnt-out factory harnesses due to the lack of required wire thicknesses and inappropriate resistance for the HID ballasts.

SUSPENSION---


Q: Which is better coilovers or springs?

A: Coilovers are better as they replace your stock struts and are adjustable, but are much more expensive than springs. Springs, tend to be hard on your struts but are a affordable solution.

Another double post?

Q: What brand of springs is best?

A: It always been a debate, springs vary by height of the drop, and that will most likely determine the brand you use. Eibach, Tein, and Progress seem to be the brands most use. Look through the “Members Rides” section to see photos of each drop.
Add plz

Again, another double post?

Hope this helps.

[Vader6]

^^NICE!!! Will add!!

[Vader6]

Originally Posted by HondaHunter78

Works pic sent

I did not get pic.....

[Vader6]

3) Which CAI should I get?
All depends on preference. Injen has been rumored to give the most gain to GT and that was maybe 1 whp. Fujita is like the Injen for the GS. But It's mainly looks and price all dyno about the same give or take 1-2 hp.

Options:

CAI (All can convert to SRI, but only 2 pieces)

Injen V6

Polished


Black

Injen I4

Polished


Black

Fujita V6

Black


Polished


1 Piece


Fujita I4
Polished


Black is same as V6 pic

AEM V6 (Only dry filter intake)




AEM I4

Same colors as V6 pics

Only SRI

K&N (Only for V6)



Injen SRI (Only for I4)



a) difference between SRI (Short Ram Intake) and CAI (Cold Air Intake)?
Short ram intakes allow you to ingest air with the shortest amount of travel between your filter element (i.e. intake "intake"), and throttle body. Often, SRIs cause the engine to ingest more heated air that's in the engine bay (engine, radiator, and condenser all produce heat). Cold air intakes address that, by accessing cooler ambient air far away from the engine and radiator.

The main difference that people feel is in the amount of torque - favoring SRIs. And to put it plainly, the reason is simple: Air has mass, and this mass is sucked into an engine through the vacuum that's maintained and generated inside the intake manifold/plenum. SRIs, logically, will have less "mass" that the same vacuum will have to pull, compared to CAIs.

It's one major concept to consider when designing intake manifolds, with performance-oriented designs favoring shorter runners.

Discussion on both:
SRI vs CAI - By the numbers

b) Gains?

Manual cars have less whp lose than a automatic car just as an FYI

Options:

CAI

Injen V6


Injen I4
Pretty much same as other I4 intake

Fujita V6


Fujita I4



AEM V6 (Only dry filter intake)
Pretty much same as other V6 intake

AEM I4
Pretty much same as other I4 intake

SRI

K&N

Estimated Horsepower Gain: 13.07 HP @ 5400 RPM....off K&N website

Injen SRI

No one knows

c) Problems?

Only problem used to be the manual 1 piece Fujita intake would break at weld points sometimes. Problem was fixed in the factory now so no worries. All intakes have lifetime warranties anyway. Also if ur SES light comes on u install it wrong or missed a plug. Make sure all stock plugs plug back in no excpetions. Hose ports should be covered with something. I chose electrical tape. IF all is done drive it around for a bit and it should go away after a few days.

4) Exhaust (already covered will post link)

Most everything u will need to know about exhaust
Different Exhaust for GT & GS

5) Rims
a) what size fits our cars?
b) what tire fits the car?

All requires math. There is a helpful thread for info you may need.
Stock wheel sizes / tire profiles

c) How do I paint my rims?
Club4g link to HOW TO and pic of painted rims
Offical Painted Rims Thread
8th Gen Civic Forum HOW TO
http://www.8thcivic.com/forums/exter...your-rims.html

[Vader6]

Won't take all my pics.....use mod powa plz??

[Vader6]

Doing coilovers, bodykits and visual things tom.

[Vader6]

Coilovers.....done
Only have visual stuff. Shouldn't take long. Will finish tom.

[eclipse_6g75]

lol my car is in the pictures
the one with te pro kit on 18''
Niice

[Vader6]

Man this reminds me I need to finish this over break. Just haven't had time.