Editor’s Note: This article is shared by Jonathan Hill. He just installed a set of MaXpeedingRods 24 ways adjustable coilover on the 2003 Acura CL. He recorded the entire process from receipt of the product to installation and use.
My first impression
I shop online for a lot of car parts. I am always searching for things that are a good deal or maybe hard to find for cars like mine. After looking online and doing some research, I could go with MaXpeedingRods coilovers for under $350 shipped. They looked good in photos and YouTube reviews of people who had tried them made them look solid.
I received my coilovers pretty quickly after the order was put in. They shipped from a US-based warehouse and arrived in 5 calendar days. The packaging was very sturdy and they were protected well. The packaging was actually better than I expected when looking at it from the outside. The design and the brand name along with the color of the packaging aren’t what I expected from a set of sub $400 coilovers. It can be compared to the packaging of higher dollar items.
My first impression of the coilovers was that they appeared to be made well and nothing stood out that looked bad or low quality that I noticed. Actually, it was the opposite. Everything looked quality. The coilovers that I got were the 98-02 Accord v6 / 99-03 TL / 01-03 CL fully adjustable coilovers which have the ability to adjust the height. And spring preload and have 24-way damper adjustability.
Installing adjustable coilover on the 2003 Acura CL
When installing, the tools needed for the front are 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm sockets to go with my ½” portable impact, a 17mm crescent wrench, needle-nose pliers, and a pick or long flat screwdriver. For the rears, the tools needed outside the car are 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 17mm, and 19mm sockets. Inside the car, for the rears, I needed a 10mm, 14mm, and 15mm (optional) socket along with a socket wrench and a Phillips screwdriver. The supplied hardware that came with the coilovers is 13mm and 15mm socket heads for the fronts and 15mm heads for the rears.
I went on the first drive which was about a 2hr round trip the day after finishing up. The adjusting knobs are 24-way adjustable where you can turn them clockwise to stiffen up and counterclockwise to soften the ride. I found the ride that I wanted, which was pretty stiff, to be with the damper adjusters set on 21/24 in the front and 17/24 in the rear. After you find the stiffness desired then the rear seat can be reinstalled. Minor adjustments can be made, if needed, by lifting the rear seat back up and reaching an arm around the side of the cushion – without having to remove the rear seats.
The materials used to make the coilovers are of good quality. The manufacturing appears to have been done properly with good welds. A nice, corrosion-resistant paint finish was used. The boot on the strut rod is of good quality as well and fits snugly and properly so it won’t stretch when the strut moves. The feel is better than the OEM strut assemblies that I took off the car. I will get a set of these for my 1999 Tl also if I end up keeping that car.
What do I think about it?
I recommend these to anyone looking for adjustability, whether someone looking to slam the car or someone who just wants to lower it a tiny bit. I also think these are a smart buy for much 6th gen accord, 2nd gen TL, and 2nd gen CL owners who have cars that are getting up there in age and simply need a replacement that will fit and feel like the OEM did. These could be set at the stock ride height and dialed in so that the dampening feels the same as the original equipment.
It’s worth checking out MaXpeedingRods for anyone who hasn’t ever heard of them. I have been impressed with the MaXPeedingRods brand enough that I will be looking into becoming a dealer of their products. It isn’t only coilovers they stock. Here is a special offer- using coupon code “BLOG” to get 8% off. They have all sorts of parts for different makes and models.
