Originally Posted by 96EJ6LX

Shock sounds bad... could also be the strut

Originally Posted by acura_el2000

all this talk about camber! I've got to find that write up for the rear camber washer trick. I would like to reduce the camber I have in the rear. front seems fine, except my last set of tires wore prematurely on the outside edges... I'm assuming I have toe in that needs to be fixed? or is that a sign of toe out? from a purely visual perspective they look normal. I also think it could be because my triangulated strut bar is pushing the towers out ? any advice on that matter?

Originally Posted by I4MCHNA

Highly unlikely your shock is preventing it from going up, these civics have shocks, not struts, right?

Originally Posted by spAdam

Actually one of the really cool aspects about our cars is the fact that you don't really need to run much static camber. The negative camber actually increases in compression (and hence roll) due to the SLA design of the front suspension. This is camber rise. The position of the upper ball joint actually accelerates in the horizontal direction and decelerates in the vertical direction as the uca rotates toward the vertical position, increasing camber at an increasing rate. At the same time (at stock ride height) the lca starts out below horizontal so the lower ball joint moves outward as it heads toward horizontal, increasing this effect. Once the lca passes horzontal and the lbj starts to head inwards though, the returns are quickly diminishing.

Anyways, my point is that if its a little extra camber that you want in the corners, the suspension does the work for you. While a camber kit or stock alignment might not be required, anything other than factory settings are definitely not ideal for where you do 99% of your driving. The manufacturers put a lot of effort into planning out where those wheels are supposed to be at any given point in time, and really any mod of this type should be really not be taken as lightly as it is. There is, however, a ton of anecdotal evidence out there that says that most of the time you will be fine.

Another thing is that street tires are simply not designed for being used with much camber. Competition tires are design with a narrow window of where it should be. BUT competition setups should never be compared with street setups. When you setup a car for the track, the only things that are considered are the maximums (with a little nod to transitionals as the modeling technology has allowed). There is no need for any steady state consideration. If a track car is not accelerating (forward, backward, or laterally) at its maximum capability, then its out of its design envelope and the setup is abitrary. A street car has entirely different (and actually far more complex) requirements.

The problem is that the car manufacturer, the tire manufacturer, so on and so forth down to the monkey at Firestone who aligns your car have a moral and professional obligation to never accept the terms of "most of the time." The primary design element of any mechanical system, above any other design requirement, is always SAFETY. If anyone gets hurt do to telling you that its okay to install aftermarket equipment or change your alignment setting *****-nilly, they're as responsible for that injury as if they spec'd the car's airbags to be filled with razor blades when it was built.

I love modifying cars. I don't agree, however, with the culture of "tons of other people get away with it, so its fine." Everyone who modifies a car should, in my opinion, take it upon themselves to educate themselves on what they are working on, and if they don't FULLY understand what it is that they are doing and what the trade offs are, they shouldn't touch it.

Originally Posted by I4MCHNA

Highly unlikely your shock is preventing it from going up, these civics have shocks, not struts, right?

Originally Posted by Francs92

Logged on to say this:
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Thank you portfl0w and SpAdam for putting the myth of "camber kits are not necessary" to rest.

With a lowered car you still have to maintain proper suspension geometry and travel otherwise you mess what the engineers at the factory spent hours designing. Modify cars right the first time

Btw Portflow, at what height is your car lowered to?

Originally Posted by portfl0w

I'm guessing that comment was for me. I did not belittle anyone and simply stated facts. You were the one who originally interjected and made the comment that camber kits were not necessary and that it was extreme to state they were necessary. Yet, here you are. So curious about camber all of the sudden. Perhaps you should educate yourself before making bold statements, in essence, negating what someone who does understand the topic had said. You never asked any good questions. All of them were vague which is why I chose not to even entertain your immature enquiries. Quit acting like a tough guy and contribute. If you're going to leech, please respect others and bite your tongue.

Originally Posted by portfl0w

Nice ride, Broke! I didn't know you had a sedan. I thought you had a coupe for some reason. Nice! Welcome, man.

Originally Posted by portfl0w

11.60 in. Front / 11.70 in. Rear. Hub to fender.