Eibach or Apex?
- Thread starter thedeo
- Start date
Woh that settles that argument then!
Eibach are by far superior to any other spring on the market. Everything else is imitation.....
Fernandez
Gold Member
Lol, not really an argument settler, just pointing out that they do perform well and at least as good as the springs mentioned
Lol, not really an argument settler, just pointing out that they do perform well and at least as good as the springs mentioned
How can they be at least as good?
They are nowhere near the quality of Eibachs progressive springs. Theres a reason they're less than half the price - you get what you pay for
Fernandez
Gold Member
Getting what you pay for does not always mean that the most expensive is the best.
Apex make OEM springs for many German manufacturers and perform very well on track, I have had eibachs on an Alfa and yes they are very good quality but I wouldn't say they are the be all and end all of springs.
Having had both brands I can safely say I'm talking from experience. But its all down to personal preference at the end of the day. I find the Apex are much better on track as they are much stiffer. It sounds like you've had both so what in particular is it you prefer about the eibachs?
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If you know as much as you say you know then you will know that Eibach are used by pretty much every rallying (Citroen/Ford/Mini/Skoda/Proton, Bos/Reiger/Ohlins/Proflex) manufacturer, regardless of which brand of shock absorber they use. They are the most reliable & accurately manufactured spring available.
And yes I have been using them for quite a number of years and have them in my 197
I have Eibachs and they are great
IMO Apex gear is always more geared towards the Crap end of the market (Sorry.... Jap end....)
Nothing wrong with either spring, its about finding something that is suited to you. One mans trash is another mans treasure and all that....
IMO Apex gear is always more geared towards the Crap end of the market (Sorry.... Jap end....)
Nothing wrong with either spring, its about finding something that is suited to you. One mans trash is another mans treasure and all that....
Paddy_R
Platinum Member
I've had both and they both have their merits. Personally I would go for the Eibachs as Apex can be a bit hard (literally) to live with everyday. Eibachs are just that bit more forgiving on the road with a bit more give at the bottom of the spring. As stated before they, Apex, are however great on track.
Fernandez
Gold Member
I don't know why your baiting for an argument, this isn't that type of forum. I appreciate that you have several years experience of eibach and will obviously defend your own brand to the bitter death but you obviously have never tried Apex. If you actually read my posts I haven't once said Apex are better than eibach or that eibach are rubbish, eibach are a good spring, a very good spring but it depends what you are after as to which you should opt for.
And as for Ohlins using eibach springs, well that's just pure fantasy, as an Ohlins dealer I know full well that they are actually made in house. They use over 200 suppliers for supplementary parts, 80% of these suppliers are from Sweden, nearly all the rest are Asian.
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Bilstein kits use H&R springs, just to throw that in there.
I've not used Apex before but I have used Eibach and I thought they were good. Nothing spectacular, but they were good... They did what I wanted them to at the time which was to lower the car although they weren't a great deal stiffer than standard even when under load. And yes they were the Sportline and not the softer Sprintline before anybody says that.
I've had very good experiences with Spax kit, both Coilovers and Damper Kits on previous cars. I think they also now make Springs for the 197 so that's another option for people to consider maybe? I've used very expensive Peugeotsport Tarmac Coilovers (Bilstein w/ H&R) and that was a brilliant setup for road and track.
I'm currently using KYB "Cup" Dampers with H&R Springs and that is on par with how good the Peugeotsport kit was in terms of ride and feel. I doubt I'll move from this setup now to be honest but if I did it'd be either for the H&R Coilovers (Bilstein Dampers, H&R Springs) or the upcoming Bilstein Coilovers (Bilstein Dampers, H&R Springs)... I think you can see firmly where my loyalties lie. But I must admit the Spax Coilovers look excellent value for money as well.
I've not used Apex before but I have used Eibach and I thought they were good. Nothing spectacular, but they were good... They did what I wanted them to at the time which was to lower the car although they weren't a great deal stiffer than standard even when under load. And yes they were the Sportline and not the softer Sprintline before anybody says that.
I've had very good experiences with Spax kit, both Coilovers and Damper Kits on previous cars. I think they also now make Springs for the 197 so that's another option for people to consider maybe? I've used very expensive Peugeotsport Tarmac Coilovers (Bilstein w/ H&R) and that was a brilliant setup for road and track.
I'm currently using KYB "Cup" Dampers with H&R Springs and that is on par with how good the Peugeotsport kit was in terms of ride and feel. I doubt I'll move from this setup now to be honest but if I did it'd be either for the H&R Coilovers (Bilstein Dampers, H&R Springs) or the upcoming Bilstein Coilovers (Bilstein Dampers, H&R Springs)... I think you can see firmly where my loyalties lie. But I must admit the Spax Coilovers look excellent value for money as well.
Fernandez
Gold Member
Agree with you Will, I'm opting for the Spax coilovers at the end of the month. Ohlins won't be releasing a kit for the Clio until after the summer. With the adjustability of the Spax the only other choice is the KW2 but at £1200 my only question has been "are they really £600 better than the Spax" I think not.
If the question was are Ohlins or Nitron £600 better than KW then the answer would be an easy yes.
If the question was are Ohlins or Nitron £600 better than KW then the answer would be an easy yes.
I was looking into the SPAX coilovers as there's a lad on here selling a set for £600 but when I spoke to a mate out in holland to see what he thought about them I got this back -
Just reading reviews... Overall opinion seems to be that build quality is poor, damping rate is way too high and the spring rate only average.
He's advised me to get either bilstiens or the KW V3.
Both of which are more than twice the price unfortunately so I'm in the same thought process as you, are they really £600 better than the SPAX?
Just reading reviews... Overall opinion seems to be that build quality is poor, damping rate is way too high and the spring rate only average.
He's advised me to get either bilstiens or the KW V3.
Both of which are more than twice the price unfortunately so I'm in the same thought process as you, are they really £600 better than the SPAX?
Fernandez
Gold Member
I've heard this too but then I've heard the opposite so my guess is that they are worth a punt. Interestingly I have spoke with someone who's entering the forthcoming Michelin Clio Cup series who's running the Spax on his car at the minute and he highly rates them
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Fernandez
Gold Member
I'm taking the punt, I've secured one pair that came up for sale on here a few weeks ago but they won't be available till the beginning of March.
Never had an issue with Spax build quality and I've used their stuff on three different cars now. Damping or/and Rebound is adjustable on them anyway and Springs can be changed for any other 2.25" I.D ones if you don't like them. Faulkner make a huge range of rates in this size so you're spoilt for choice on Springs to be honest once you've got the actual Dampers.
