Paprika

I searched the forum and read a few posts but none of them addressed this issue specifically so I want to bring it up for my own good.

So I am leaning tooooooooooooo much in the turns I make during city driving. I'm thinking my first attempt to combat this problem will be to install a strut bar. Then I remember all that stuff I seen on ebay, so for dirt cheap I could get a complete strut bar kit (front to back, upper and lower). But the shipping on those kits is ridiculous, regardless I want to know are the ones on ebay going to do the job and how can any strut bar be better than the next? I also recently discovered (to my surprise, really) that my local pepboys.. well it rocks! They have an isle dedicated to performance parts (pedals, lights and stuff).. would it be economical to ask if the had a complete strut bar kit available?.. I mean would they carry it for a reasonable price? if at all?

Also, at the moment when I have a car full of people you notice a substantial change in the ground clearance the car has... it decreases (duh). No so much so it becomes a hazard but the wheels have less open area between the tires and the wheel wells and that looks bad to me (looks like your suspension is shot). UGH! My ride is already rough enough from the potholes, bumps and other inconsistencies on the streets surfaces, how can I keep the body elevated high and maintain a comfortable ride?

Thanks for answering my questions, I am trying to learn this stuff. I really appreciate it.

mMmdoOonut

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Paprika &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">performance parts (pedals, lights and stuff).. </TD></TR></TABLE>
umm... those are hardly performance parts... and the ones that pep boys carries are the ones that everyone on this board laughs at...

some will argue that a strut bar is a strut bar. look for a solid bar. in theory, bars w/o pivot points will do a better job at reducing flex, but that would vary from bar to bar as well.

whizdumb

Sway bars are better at keeping body roll to a minimum.

Although I do have a set of eBay cheapo strut bars and they seem to be working well.

Paprika

well cool **** that make you look like you have performance.. dang.

shlammed

Ebay bars SEEM to be working well until they snap in half and bust up your hood

Paprika

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by shlammed &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Ebay bars SEEM to be working well until they snap in half and bust up your hood </TD></TR></TABLE>

lol that was mean.

Paprika

pepboys doesn't carry them so I guess it's ebay for me.

jolt-tsp

The ebay ones are okay. Once you adjust them though, widen it about 1/16-1/8" more, so that its really hard to get bolted down, then weld them in that position

or you can buy a non-adjustable one from a reputable company.

Sliced Beard

ebay ones work just fine

shlammed

I know 4 people that had it happen so it's basically a gamble that you're taking using those $10 bars.

LSpimpTEC

i feel like i post on this once a week. the kits that come with all 4 pieces have alot of flex in them because theyre hollow. one friend bought the kit(front,rear, and lower ties) and i bought typeR replicas(front and rear strut). my typeRs have reinforcement walls inside which we(my friend and i) have determined they are alot stiffer. hope this helps. ill post pics

Sliced Beard

OEM honda Type R strut bars are made from an extrusion unlie the Ebay knockoff ones (which are made of a hollow tube with no internal reinforcement)

Paprika

Well hell where else online can I buy a complete set (upper and lower)? Cause pep boys doesn't carry them and I can't think of any other performance stores around here... Doubt there are any so...

shlammed

What kind of paprika are you? jel me razumis?


Anyways, yea the hollow ones are terrible...there's also controversy about the way dc sports puts those holes in their flat strut bars.

Fugeeu

I wouldn't buy any parts from pep boys or advanced auto or any places like that. Ebay quality with name brand prices.

redlinetuning

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Paprika &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I searched the forum and read a few posts but none of them addressed this issue specifically so I want to bring it up for my own good.

So I am leaning tooooooooooooo much in the turns I make during city driving. I'm thinking my first attempt to combat this problem will be to install a strut bar. Then I remember all that stuff I seen on ebay, so for dirt cheap I could get a complete strut bar kit (front to back, upper and lower). But the shipping on those kits is ridiculous, regardless I want to know are the ones on ebay going to do the job and how can any strut bar be better than the next? I also recently discovered (to my surprise, really) that my local pepboys.. well it rocks! They have an isle dedicated to performance parts (pedals, lights and stuff).. would it be economical to ask if the had a complete strut bar kit available?.. I mean would they carry it for a reasonable price? if at all?

Also, at the moment when I have a car full of people you notice a substantial change in the ground clearance the car has... it decreases (duh). No so much so it becomes a hazard but the wheels have less open area between the tires and the wheel wells and that looks bad to me (looks like your suspension is shot). UGH! My ride is already rough enough from the potholes, bumps and other inconsistencies on the streets surfaces, how can I keep the body elevated high and maintain a comfortable ride?

Thanks for answering my questions, I am trying to learn this stuff. I really appreciate it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

people on ebay will post up ridiculously low prices for parts, but shipping is set high to cover the difference of the cost for them, and yet they still profit a little. I've been scammed of this before. the guy i purchased my ek9 replica wing for said the wing was $120, shipping was $50, but when the box came in, the label on ups said shipping was only $10, can't imagine supplies were $40.. just an example how shady people do bus. on ebay my friends. same **** with my APEX'i N1 catback.. **** costed me $120 to ship. granted it's big..

Dacalac

best way to keep the body elevated and keep a *somewhat* comfortable ride would be adjustable coilovers.

and if you REALLY wanna keep the body from swaying in turns then get some SWAY bars.

Paprika

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dirk Lance &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">best way to keep the body elevated and keep a *somewhat* comfortable ride would be adjustable coilovers.

and if you REALLY wanna keep the body from swaying in turns then get some SWAY bars.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds good... The sway bars I mean. I'll start looking for those rather now.. I don't know much about them so are there like two of them for front and back and they go under car ? How much do they cost?

As for the coilovers, would this product be an example of a good setup to go with?
http://www.slickcar.com/produc...=1688

Thanks for the assistance guys!

jolt-tsp

Steer clear of dropzone if you can. I'd suggest Tein's, but I've never run coilovers, so wait for someone elses opinions.

As far as swaybars go, you may only need the rear. You may try to grab a GSR or Si swaybar to see if thats enough, as you can normally get them very cheap.

Dacalac

yeah just do a search for "coilovers" and you will get a wealth of information.

As for the sway bar there is one up front and one in the rear. You don't need a huge beefy bar. Especially with small spring rates, there is a good chance of tearing your subframe. But like the suggetion before me, just go with a GSR/SI/or even an EX sway bar.

I would say put them on both front and back if you want a balanced car. If you put one on the front and nothing in the back you will have a lot of understeer. If you put one on the back and leave the front open, you will have oversteer. It depends on how you like to drive.

You might also need to look at changing your lca's depending on the trim model of your car. Once again you would have to search around for all the details on this since this is coming from the top of my head.

Good luck!

Paprika

Yeah! I need all the luck I can get. This seems unbeatable.. where to start?

Lets say I want the sway bars, I can't half-*** it so I need both front and rear. Ok, now where do I look for them? Type R? (WTF is that?) GSR? (WTF Is that) EX? (What, am I expected to goto a junkyard and rip these bars off of another civic of EX trim level? WTF)

From what I've seen so far these large pieces of metal cost $200.. am I right or am I looking at the wrong things?

eg64u

coilovers will make your car ride even more rough and stiff.. yea it probably will keep your car up higher then stock springs when loaded with 5 peeps deep but it will ride hard as hell.

Paprika

Sway bars.. where to get em.. hmmm

Paprika

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Paprika &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah! I need all the luck I can get. This seems unbeatable.. where to start?

Lets say I want the sway bars, I can't half-*** it so I need both front and rear. Ok, now where do I look for them? Type R? (WTF is that?) GSR? (WTF Is that) EX? (What, am I expected to goto a junkyard and rip these bars off of another civic of EX trim level? WTF)

From what I've seen so far these large pieces of metal cost $200.. am I right or am I looking at the wrong things?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hey, I know this message has been left unattended for a while but if someone could answer my unanswered question(s) in the above quoted message I'd appreciate it!

smk99ebpsi

You are just going to have to do some research and figure out exactly what you need and exactly what you want to do with you car. Just look in the classifieds on here and you should find what you need. (Integra Type R, Integra GSR,Civic Si) They are all just "special" models. All of these come with decent sway bars from the factory but people still often upgrade them and sell their stock ones on here.