RICO_

Well I finally did it. After nearly two months of waiting....and WAITING....my coilovers finally arrived and I had them installed. Took them to a good buddy of mine who owns a performance shop here in San Antonio. With two people working on it the job took about 5 hours to complete. Of course we had a nasty rain storm that slowed them down a little but no biggy.

First let me say for those of you looking for pics....I don't have any of the installation process. But I will take pics of the results such as the drop I did as well as the alignment setup I had done. May not sound like much....but this is just a review of the performance of the setup.....not a fashion show.

That being said. The first thing I will mention is that a rear camber kit as well as an alignment are highly recommended with this suspension kit. After the installation and with a slightly lower drop than my previous Eibach Pro kit provided, EVERY single alignment spec was thrown out of wack and into the red.

The camber during the installation wasn't preset so the camber on the front wheels was ridiculous. It ended up about a full degree positive.

So after the alignment I customized the front camber to -1.0 degrees and I will set the rear camber to -1.3. The kit itself comes with full camber adjustment capability so a front camber kit is not necessary.

The rear wheel camber is insanely negative and I have to eat it up until my rear camber kit arrives. -2.7 and -3.0 to be exact. The drop on the back is roughly 1.5" as well as the front.

So as a result I'm minimizing my driving as much as I can until I can fix the rear camber.

In terms of driveability all I can really say is this is not for the average driver who seeks comfort in driving. It was made with performance in mind and that's exactly what it delivers. I spent nearly 2 hours last night around midnight doing nothing but testing and seeing how the car reacts to the road.

Even on the softest damper setting the suspension is still somewhat stiff. And on the hardest setting....forget it. It's rock solid. Most of the time I had the fronts set half way and the rear slightly less than full firm. Damper adjustment is a breeze. Unclip the plastic covers that cover the upper strut mounts turn the knob and presto. Instant damper adjustment. Rear damper adjustment is just as easy although you'll have to slightly peel down the interior trunk lining above the wheel wheels to expose the damper adjustment knobs.

Overall the car performs great. I'm running right now with the front a little less than full firm and the rear the same way. The turn-in response is remarkable and every aspect of the overall handling of the vehicle has been significantly improved and is highly noticeable. Even without an aftermarket sway bar the sheer rigidity of the suspension helps to reduce body roll. The car doesn't shake, shimmy or pull in any way. And there is very VERY little vibration that can be felt through the steering wheel.....but it is hardly noticeable and expected with a suspension upgrade like this.

Even on the firm setting that I have the damper set at....the car still drives remarkably smooth. Of course it is definitely stiffer and you will certainly be able to feel every bump, hole, or wave in the road. But you should still be able to avoid any major headaches from the ride.

I'll post pics of the drop I have probably tomorrow. It's actually a pretty low drop and the suspension still has to settle for a couple more days so it may go slightly lower. So I might end up raising the car slightly to avoid excessively bottoming-out and to regain some daily driving comfort.

All in all my first impressions are that this is a very good suspension. Pretty straight-forward install and it still provides the flexibility for street or track use. Height and damper adjustment are a breeze and the performance increase is definitely worth the price tag.

So there it is....my little review on this setup. It's my first one so if I missed anything please feel free to ask me. And if if you didn't like the review just remember...at least I took the time and attempted it...which is something most people wouldn't do. So if you don't like it then kiss my ass!




Modified by RICO_ at 4:38 PM 10/3/2008

a1staecksauce

awesome, This just confirms it. I've been planning on getting this kit when I can finally afford it cause it just sounded like a good kit, and this review just made me more excited. What is the full range of height adjustment? Time to ask my boss for more hours haha, cause I want these now.

__________________
'07 atomic blue FG1

k20roadrage

Given the idiocracy of the posts on this forum lately I'll go ahead and ask the following:

Rico, which car is faster and handles better, your Civic or an Enzo?

That set-up sounds pretty sick...I like how easy it is to adjust. I'm not quite ready to sacrifice that much ride quality for handling so my choice for an upgrade will probably be Eibach Sportlines or a Pro-Kit (whichever one is higher) along with a camber kit.

What does a good camber kit run?

__________________
07' Si Sedan - AS Metallic

RICO_

Full range of height adjustment is 1 to 3 inches I believe. But I wouldn't go any lower than about 1.5" or you'll be eating fender dust on every bump in the road. There is really no drop markings or anything like that to tell exactly how low the car is....you just have to adjust the height until you get it where you want it. The initial adjustment is time consuming (not to be confused with difficult) because you have to put the wheels back on, lower the car, and then do it all over again if it's not low enough/high enough for you.

Ride quality isn't really excessively sacrificed. If you do a mild drop (about an inch) and leave the settings closer to soft....you'll be happy and it will still perform better than stock. Your choice though. It is a pricey suspension....but it does deliver. Bear in mind i'm running on a very aggressive setup right now. My drop is probably right at 1.5" front and back on nearly full firm setting front and back.

A good camber kit will run you around $300 bucks for a pair. May be slightly higher cause prices have been going up recently on everything nowadays. Corsportusa.com sells Skunk2 camber kits and SPC camber kits.

Front camber kits are cheap. Only about $30 bucks.

idh!

It's about time we had a real "tech" thread in here.

It's a great thing to hear that there is little steering wheel vibration. One of my favorite parts about these cars is how tight and precise our steering is. It definitely helped that you got an alignment though.

I'm eager to see pics, will they be before or after the rear camber kit? Are you planning on a rear sway soon?

__________________
how many hoes in yo mother [freak]in group
wanna take a ride in my Si coupe

RICO_

Yeah and I'm actually over-stating it when I say there is a very small vibration because actually there is technically none at all. If you release the steering wheel it doesn't move or shake at all visibly. It's planted. But you can feel the difference in how well the car hugs the road.

The pics I take will probably be before the rear camber kit. Won't be much of a difference after it's installed anyway.....just a slight adjustment.

I'm planning on getting both a front and rear sway bar in the near future.

K5^

Subscribed.

You mentioned the front coilovers came with a camber adjustment feature? Is this similar to the camber bolt, or is it some articulating feature of the strut itself that can bring the front camber to within factory specs even with the most ambitious of drops?

1.5" is a nice modest drop Can't wait to see this setup RICO

__________________

RICO_

The camber adjustment is actually located on the upper strut mounts. there are four allen bolts screwed in which can be loosened to adjust the camber. Its a tight fit but it can be done.

Tell you what. if i can get a good camera from a buddy here at work ill go ahead and take a couple pics so you can see what im talking about.

K5^

Thanks

I actually have already seen the top mounts for the fronts. I thought they were for caster adjustments, but now I know they're for camber. By all means post up pics and show them to the rest of the forum.

__________________

RICO_

You know the funny thing is that the alignment tech said the same thing. He thought it was for caster as well......but Skunk2 THEMSELVES said that it was for camber adjustment. I'm still a little confused on that part and I really didn't make all that big a deal about it cause the alignment ended up getting fixed regardless.

jdm-yoda

5hrs on the install? i did my friends in 2 hours by myself w/ smoke and eat breaks. what took so long?

ANYWAY...they do ride awesome on my friends car and the stance is to die for

__________________
"I said i would never return to H-T after it aided my unemployment, then i said it after my ej1 got stolen...now i drive a VW and still love GDD"-ME

i my honda...and yours

i-VTEC_DOHC

hey man good review. im considering on getting this along with a camber kit. how much did everything cost you?? i mean as in the coilover + the camber kit.

as for jdm-yoda, he said there was a rain storm that slowed them down, so it was possible for a power outage to occur. and u know when u got a bunch of friends working on a car, they usually mess around also which adds to the install time.

__________________
[b]98 ej8 - gc, aem sri, dc rear lower tie bar, generic front strut bar *totaled*
2005 em2 - h&r limited editions, ep3 type-r sidemarkers, type-r sway bars, dc cs2 strut bar, aem sri from the ej8^^ *sold*
2004 ep3 - aem cai, rsx motor =[ *returned to dealer*
2008 fg2 - stock???

jdm-yoda

^^^ your right about the goofing around. im getting ready to help on some teins on a fa5!

__________________
"I said i would never return to H-T after it aided my unemployment, then i said it after my ej1 got stolen...now i drive a VW and still love GDD"-ME

i my honda...and yours

RICO_

Nasty rainstorm probably slowed them down a little. They did the work outdoors so a power outtage wouldn't affect them.....but it was very windy and even though the car was under a canopy the rain was probably still hitting them.

Plus my car was the only one at their shop that day and I told them to take their time cause I was at work while they were putting the suspension on.

Thanks. Alltogether the whole setup was about $1725 bucks. $1475 for the Coilovers and $250 for the rear camber kit.

It's a hefty investment....but definitely worth it.

While I don't condone the aggressive testing I've done....part of it was on a stretch of highway on 281 Northbound here in San Antonio. There's a series of S-type curves designed to be taken no faster than 50mph. I was hitting them at 85mph and the car didn't even hiccup. Truly amazing setup.

RICO_

Pics are uploaded as promised! Enjoy.

K5^

Nice shots... for now

__________________

RICO_

*bump* for anybody who may have missed the review and is considering a really good suspension upgrade.

Kidnkorner

LX/EX front sway bar next?

__________________
Brand new, in the box Skunk2 ProS coilovers and Skunk2 rear camber arms $800 plus shipping, PM me if interested.

RICO_

Definite possibility. I'll probably end up getting the front and rear sway bars together.

blue2ksi

imo you should have waited until u got your alignment to write a review, but a helpful review nonetheless.

__________________
2000 EBP Civic <FONT COLOR="red">Si</FONT>- retired
2006 NBP Civic <FONT COLOR="red">SI</FONT>- k.i.a.
2007 TW Civic <FONT COLOR="red">SI</FONT>- active

http://www.eugenekim.net

RICO_

The review was done after my alignment. The only thing I couldn't change was the rear camber because (at the time) I hadn't received the camber kit yet.

And now that the rear camber is back within specs I can't really tell any noticeable difference in handling than before. Honestly the bulk of it came from the sheer aggressiveness of the suspension itself complimented with a slight adjustment in the front camber....which was pointed out in my original post.

blue2ksi

hmm regarding your alignment specs, u should have the front more negative than the rear

__________________
2000 EBP Civic <FONT COLOR="red">Si</FONT>- retired
2006 NBP Civic <FONT COLOR="red">SI</FONT>- k.i.a.
2007 TW Civic <FONT COLOR="red">SI</FONT>- active

http://www.eugenekim.net