supadupamikey

Are there any cheap suspension upgrades for my 96 Civic EX?

The car is completely stock... and after driving 1200 miles from southwest Florida to Northeast Ohio... man... does that suspension suck...

So, on that 20hour drive... I was wondering if there are any cheap upgrades I can do to the suspension... like maybe even a set of used shocks/springs from an Integra... or maybe a sway bar off a gs-r... or an oem type R bar (im thinking they are pretty cheap)... or anything... I'm completely open to suggestions. I'm thinking we cant just put a sway bar on the civic right... missing something on the LCAs or something... Well, is that on the shock/spring assembly? Like if I swapped shocks/springs from a gsr... could I get a sway bar then? Or would I still need extra parts?

thanks for the help,
-mike

Hash Browns

Get used OEM springs/shocks and swaybars off of a 99-00 Civic Si. That should be pretty cheap. Then get new tires

BauleyCivic

What exactly was wrong with the suspension...stock suspension is very comfortable on the highway

ng

I think he just wants it lowered.

JSPECHB

For starters you dont want "CHEAP" suspension. If you think it sucks now, your gonna kick yourself in the *** later on for putting "cheap" suspension on. Go ahead and spend the extra dollars for struts and lowering springs or some skunk2 coilovers. You can get great struts for like $320 shipped and great springs for like $160 shipped. If your gonna do it, do it right man. I got the KYB AGX struts and TEIN springs. I got **** rapped on the struts though. $480... flame me now!

Hammett

get some good lowering springs and good struts..
dont get cheap suspension.. its better to save your money to get better quality stuff.

supadupamikey

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hash Browns &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Get used OEM springs/shocks and swaybars off of a 99-00 Civic Si. That should be pretty cheap. Then get new tires </TD></TR></TABLE>

so they'll fit off of a 99-00 si? is there a noticeable performance diff? hows the height? is it equal? or will the rears be up higher or anything?

Hash Browns

Compared to the other trim levels, the 'Si' suspension (springs/shocks) will probably lower the ride height by 0.75-1 inch. It's not much, but a bit of an improvment to what you've got.

supadupamikey

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BauleyCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What exactly was wrong with the suspension...stock suspension is very comfortable on the highway</TD></TR></TABLE>

oh... guess i wasn't too clear... the suspension is comfy... it just feels a lil un-stable taking the 70mph turns in west virginia through the mountains...

guess im spoiled though... i had a 94 gsr before that i had all decked out... poly bushings all around, bilstein shocks/eibach pro kits, neuspeed front and rear upper strut bar, front sway bushings, and neuspeed rear sway bar & rear lower tie bar... also had intake, header, exhaust, jrsc, and a few other things...

but its time to grow up now... buying a house and all that crap... so, the toys are all gone... or just about. the car runs great and its cheap and economical and keeps me out of trouble... i'd just like it to handle a little better in the twisties.

supadupamikey

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ng &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I think he just wants it lowered.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i want it to handle better... but a little lowering wouldn't hurt anything

supadupamikey

how much should this set me back?

is it completely bolt-on?

thanks,
-mike

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hash Browns &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Compared to the other trim levels, the 'Si' suspension (springs/shocks) will probably lower the ride height by 0.75-1 inch. It's not much, but a bit of an improvment to what you've got.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

Hash Browns

Pretty much, you should be able to get the springs and bars used for under $200, maybe even under $100 total. Just get them from people that have upgraded their cars, and replaced the existing bars with larger units. You can check thepartstrader.com for a lot of used OEM parts. Most people have the used stock parts sitting around and would be glad to get any money for them.

The pieces should be completely bolt on, but I would advise you get an alignment afterwards to correct your front wheel toe settings with the change in ride height, though minor.

Cheers