But you can get shocks that will work with the tems.www.horsepowerfreaks.com

Tokico is the brand you're looking for to keep the tems.

well if the technology is truely outdated, then i guess im better off just getting new struts and springs if itll help performance... and i have to admit i just want to lower the car to improve the ride height and stance. i dont want to go cheap cheap, but im pretty much ballin on a budget here.. any suggestions?

actually let me rephrase my original question:

is it possible to install just lowering springs (not coilovers) on a tems car w/o replacing the struts?

there we go..

sorry, no suggestions here, although i must say, nice looking car, besides the blemish on the rear quarterpanel ;)

You can do whatever you want, you can just throw lowering springs on stock struts but it will ride like shit or you could even just cut the springs but thats ghetto and there is no way to determine spring rate if you cut them.

You can listen to supramacist and buy new tokico struts that are compatable with TEMS and then you can use the spring of your choice. Will run you close to $700. Or you can go all out and buy coilovers, they are fully adjustable with ride height, camber, spring rate and dampening force pretty much a racing suspension. Will run you over $1000 for the cheapest brand and they go as high as $1800. I paid $1500 for mine.

if you put lowering springs on with stock struts (or even cut the springs) the chances are that you will blow your struts because of their age. just get some eibachs and tokico struts

chances are itll go something like this:

get springs till i save up for struts or until theyre shot, then get struts... to anyone with the money to purchase such a setup, it seems like it would be a no brainer to go with coilovers, but i on the other hand have a long list of things to spend 1500 dollars on, ya feels me?

thanks tho guys for all your help and expertise.. im hoping about a year from now ill be pretty happy with the car, but until then there is much to be done!

i have eibachs matched tokicos(non-tems) and i like them. the eibachs improve the handling without lowering the car too much to damage your front bumper. :) all i have to do now is get some sway bars and i'll be good