agent87

I was describing how the kits differ to a friend of mine so I ended up doing a really quick sketch of the different designs to show how they work....



When I said quick, I meant quick!

Here are actual pictures to make some sense of this...
Ingalls:

more pics here https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=438599
Specialty:


So here are the differences:

The Ingalls kit rotates at a fixed point (at the bolt) and adjustment is taken care of by moving this point in toward the car body or outward towards the wheel.

The Specialty kit fixes the arm to the metal cylinder with offset bolt hole. This whole cylinder rotates as the arm moves up and down. Adjustment is taken care of by setting the position of the metal cylinder in relation to the upper control arm and bolting it down.

Interesting notes:
-The Ingalls is much easier to install and adjust IMO. With the Ingalls, you just install it and then push/pull the brackets to adjust. With the SPC kit, you have to be careful about how you bolt the cylinder position in relation to the upper control arm, as this determines your initial alignment settings. Then again, I've installed this kit 3 times and I've done the SPC kit only once.
-The Ingalls will keep the suspension movement arc simple and straight forward. With the SPC kit, the upper control arm's mounting point will actually change it's position as the control arm moves along it's arc.
-I don't know how this moving mounting point affects handling since the dynamic alignment (I don't know the correct terms for these things) will now be a function of 2 seperate arcs...the metal cylinders' and the upper control arm's. I think it should be perfectly fine though.
-I think, but I'm not yet sure, that with the SPC kit, there will be fewer problems with the upper control arm hitting the strut towers. This is because as the suspension compresses, the outer end of the UCA moves up as usual but the inner end (which is fixed to the offset cylinder) will rotate downward. This is assuming that the kit is mounted with the mounting hole initially facing inward (to the left in the pictures).

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask. I hope this clears up any confusion people may have had in the past.


Modified by agent87 at 6:23 AM 5/18/2003

Fuster_Cluck

That was a quick drawing

I believe the skunk2 is similar to the ingalls drawing. The kit pivots from the two bolts that hold the kit to the chasis. I've never seen the SPC kit, so I'm having a difficult time seeing how it works. Anyone with a pic of the SPC kit? Good post even though my 5 year old daughter could of done better on the drawings

agent87

Nice to see you like my drawing.

I updated my original post with pictures of the kits so that you can better see what I'm talking about. Thanks for the input.

civictypenos

im using the spc kit on my 95 couope,they are a pita to freakin adjust,is there a way to adjust them with out taking out the upper a arm?i could not fit a wrench up in there to adjust them,i had to unbolt them from up top and take out the a arm,then adjust it and put it back.

agent87

Unfortunately, I think that your only options are to 1. buy the special tool they talk about in the instructions, 2. grind down an existing wrengh, or 3. go through the whole unbolting ordeal. When I installed it, we unbolted it and used a straight edge and permanent marker on the metal cylinder and upper control arm to get them as closely aligned with each other as possible. I agree that they are a PITA to adjust. But overall, they're not too bad.

civictypenos

thats a good ideal to mark them,i shave not even had it alighned yet,i guess ill see.ill probably grind me down a wrench too.

SpoonSportsJunkie

I am gathering from you all.. that the spc kit is not bad persay... but has some drama on it!
I think I will go w/ an ingalls. kit.

ntrinsik

I have Ingalls on my car.. though I'd probably get SPC if I did all over. SPC allows for caster adjustability as well, while the Ingalls just adjusts the camber. The one reason I'd do this is because I have a slight caster problem.