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This isn't going to be a proper build by any means, just keeping track of what I do and consolidating information regarding my 2nd gen CR-V. There's not much out there compared to other Hondas I've owned. I've gleaned a fair bit of info from the offroad/lifted thread and especially from d-cheeze's posts (thanks). But I want to put everything I learn in one place.
My goal with purchasing this car was to have a reliable vehicle that's pretty decent on gas and still able to get to all the hiking trailheads that I want to access. With that last part in mind, I'm aware this is not and never will be a real off-road vehicle, but I want to move its balance toward being a little more rough-road capable.
The day I bought it:
Not sure how common this combination is, with AWD and manual trans. I'm glad I was able to find one.
It goes off pavement reasonably well for a car. The low 1st gear is no substitute for a transfer case with low range, but it is a clever feature.
Tires are a weak point. It came with Uniroyal Tiger Paws. They seem fine on the road, but offer poor grip on any loose surface. I would hate to tackle snow with these!
Already having fun going places my lowered Preludes never could.
The first mod will be a 20mm lift spacer kit from tema4x4, ordered yesterday. I'm disappointed there isn't anything available aftermarket to actually add wheel travel, but I understand why not with the front end macpherson strut setup.
Tiny update today. When I first got the CR-V, I used a Metra kit to install my stereo. It was honestly a terrible product. When I tried to fit it behind the bezel, the bezel didn't fit. And when I put it inside the bezel opening, it fit loosely and rattled over bumps.
So today I went to the junkyard and grabbed a pocket from a 6th gen Accord. Here it is with the ISO brackets from the CR-V attached:
There is still a gap under the bottom of the pocket, but it's not bothering me. Because it's fastened and bolts instead of plastic clips, there's no wiggle or rattle. Don't buy a Metra kit when you can get a better solution for $5 at a junkyard!
Is that C pillar suggesting this Accord has a 2.3L engine? I think it's lying. Unless...someone swapped an RDX engine in there which would be awwweeessooommee! ...or an old CL engine which would be far less awesome.
EDIT: My mistake...that generation DID have a 2.3L. Still...the RDX turbo one would be awwweeessooommee!
So I've taken the CR-V up a couple mountain roads now, and learned that stock ground clearance is actually quite adequate. I've only scraped my trailer hitch, which is fine. Still going to lift it a little... because well, it would be nice not to scrape anything at all.
The car would handle deep potholes a lot better if the sway bars were disconnected, but I don't think I'll probably ever do that.
After hauling 4 adults and a toddler up a few particularly steep and technical sections of forest service road, I decided I definitely don't want tires much bigger than stock. Don't want to change the effective gearing much if at all.
To test that theory I went just one size up on the winter tires I just ordered today. 215/70r16 -- 0.8" taller diameter than stock. They were on deep discount and I figured this way I can see how I like the small size increase before choosing a size for my more expensive AT's in spring. It's not like I've never run oversized tires before, but the power to weight ratio was a little more favorable on my Prelude and it never had to climb steep rough hills either. Pics and thoughts coming when the tires arrive.
After you get your new tires mounted, include in your follow-up post how much your speedo accuracy changes. Which winter tires did you get? I found Firestones through Tire Rack earlier this year for about 48 bucks each. I think Firestone was probably discontinuing this particular model, so not only were they cheap, they're limited edition!
I think mine are being discontinued as well. Canadian Tire house brand, Motomaster Total Terrain W/T. I also found them online branded as Mastercraft Courser MSR. They look to be made by Cooper. I paid $94 each, which is a great price here in Canada even for crap tires.
My tires still haven't arrived, but my strut spacers did so here's a picture of them.
Tema4x4 20mm lift spacers for 2nd gen CRV. The ebay listing calls this a "leveling lift kit", but the front and rear ones are both exactly 20mm thick.
Picked up some wheels today. When I first saw these on a shiny new Ford Ranger in about 2007, I knew nothing about wheels, but I remember I really liked that aggressive look of what I now know is a low-offset wheel. They were probably the first wheels I ever really noticed. There's no way I could have guessed I'd be bolting them onto a Honda 10 years later!
Specs are 16x7 +12. Still need to test fit for brake clearance, but if all goes as planned I should be painting these over the winter, getting rid of the huge 255/70r16 Ranger spec tires, and mounting some AT's for summer.
That's a nice looking wheel! I can honestly say I've never seen a set mounted on a CR-V before! I'd paint them gunmetal grey, but I'm a sucker for dark wheels.
It's funny you guys say gunmetal grey. That's what I was already thinking!
Test fit today. The wheels have a small inside diameter where the spokes meet the rim, but that point is outboard of the caliper and the barrel opens up to a more normal diameter further inboard. There's a healthy amount of brake clearance.
Tires, not so much
Those look a whole lot better than the original Honda wheel! If you have the opportunity to check, I'd be curious to know what that rim weighs vs the Honda wheel. It looks beefier, but there's also more open space. In other good news, those wheels are so dirty you may not even have to paint them! Seems the previous owner was a fan of dark wheels too ...or just really lazy.
I'll weigh them once I get the tires removed. I expect them to be a little heavier than stock, but not as bad as steelies. That Ranger in FX4 trim only weighs about 300lbs more than a CR-V, but its payload is ~500lbs more. I looked it up!
Previous owner was definitely lazy or just had different priorities. I can't imagine trying to sell wheels without even hosing them down!
Gonna look really good gunmetal on the silver! I'm digging on the Falken Wildpeak AT for my next tire, been hearing great things. I have been running General Grabber AT for almost 40,000 and they still have another 10-15 in them with great snow/forest service road type performance. Did you end up finding five of them for a spare? Nice idea
I didn't know Falken made an AT, have to look into that! The Grabber AT2 is high on my list - a friend has them on his Forester and loves them. There are only so many options in this size range...
I got a set of 4 wheels. I bought a spare winter tire in 215/70r16, and if my summer tires end up being the same size I'll be set, I'd just use a cover to hide the mismatched wheel. If I go with a different size for summer I'll buy a matching sized spare.
Falken Wildpeak AT3, the overland guys really like them and have been raving about snow performance especially. Real aggressive sidewall tread too. Couple different 15 and 16" sizes for V's. Good treadwear as well.
Oh, this is why I haven't seen the Wildpeak in my searches: the smallest 16" size is 225/75R16. I have to stick with 16" wheels to clear the brakes on the facelift 2nd gen, but that might be a little big for me. I really want to keep the gearing close to stock. It does look like a great aggressive tire though, almost an AT/MT hybrid.
The AT tires I've found in 215/70r16 include:
General Grabber AT2, Grabber APT
Cooper Discoverer AT3
Yokohama Geolandar A/T-S, Geolandar G015
BFG A/T KO2
Nokian Rotiiva
(Some are also available in stock size 215/65r16)
Ok, finally got my 215/70r16 winter tires on. Since this is the smallest amount possible bigger than stock, it should be no surprise the difference is minimal. The speedometer is only 2 km/h slow at 120km/h. It feels like the car won't crawl quite as slow in 1st, but I don't think I could actually perceive the tiny difference in gearing so I chalk that up to the placebo effect. All the tangible changes have more to do with the apples-and-oranges tire selection than sizing.
You could probably park it next to another V and not even notice the size difference unless you were looking for it. Just looks a little more aggressive due to the knobbier shoulder tread. So there you have it, 215/70r16 Motomaster (Cooper) Total Terrain W/T on a 2005 2nd gen CR-V.
Those look great! I'll be buying all-seasons in the spring and I've been considering going just a bit larger mostly to open up some new tire options. The stock 205/70/15 that's on the first gen doesn't offer much in the way of AT's or even HT/AT options. I figured I'd go up to 205/75/15 rather than 215/70/15 though because I don't need the extra tread width. If it has an impact on anything I figure it'll be fuel economy and clearance at steering lock...and both would be negative impacts. Looks like you've got some fun places to enjoy your V. What part of the country are you in?
Those look great! I'll be buying all-seasons in the spring and I've been considering going just a bit larger mostly to open up some new tire options. The stock 205/70/15 that's on the first gen doesn't offer much in the way of AT's or even HT/AT options. I figured I'd go up to 205/75/15 rather than 215/70/15 though because I don't need the extra tread width. If it has an impact on anything I figure it'll be fuel economy and clearance at steering lock...and both would be negative impacts. Looks like you've got some fun places to enjoy your V. What part of the country are you in?
I'm a couple hours away from Vancouver. In daily life I would have to go pretty far out of my way to get off the pavement, but we have a lot of great hiking around here accessible by forest service roads. Can you say "weekend warrior?"
I think you're on the right track with staying narrow. One of the things I liked about the 1st gen (had my sister's for 6 months) was its nimbleness. People don't always consider how wider tires affect that. Yes, wider tires can offer more stability at speed and theoretically more grip. But in my 3rd gen Prelude days I chose 195/55r15 over the typical 205/50 because it was lighter, more nimble, maybe a little better on gas, and with good tires I still had enough grip to outdrive my line of sight on a twisty road. Either way, the key is that you've thought through your decision and you know the trade offs, then you won't be disappointed.
Originally Posted by d-cheeze
Looking great buddy ...your off to a good start ...can't wait to see it with the lift installed !
Me neither lol. My wife and I just moved, so it might be a while because the house stuff is taking a lot of my time. Saw your last update in the offroad thread, looking cool with all the goodies!
Looks like the front mudflaps changed with the facelift. I got these off a junkyard '03 and they don't really fit my '05. Only two of the holes line up and the edges aren't flush with the body. I'll leave them on there until I find the right ones, though.
Got my 20mm strut spacers installed, thought I'd write up the process. Nothing crazy to see here if you've worked on suspension before, but I didn't see a writeup in existence yet for the 2nd gen CR-V.
First things first, rear end on jackstands and wheels off. You want to check if your shock fork bolts can be removed. Do this first so you don't end up stuck halfway through the project. My little battery impact wasn't able to do it, so I took the car to a shop and they blasted the bolts out with their big pneumatic impact for $30. In the past on other cars, I've sheared off bolt heads by using a big breaker bar. This would mean cutting out and replacing the bolts and possibly the bushings, so you really don't want that to happen. It's going to be more likely as our cars get older.
Once you've verified that you can get the rear shock fork bolts out, next thing is to remove the two 14mm nuts from inside the car under the panels. This is also a good time to unbolt the rear sway bar body mounts (not pictured, sorry) and let the swaybar hang free. You do not need to detach the end links in any way.
Now remove the two 17mm bolts at the front of the lower control arm. This lets the arm sag further down, relieving tension on the spring. Then remove the shock fork bolt and pull out the strut.
On the driver side, you'll need to remove one or two screws from the charcoal canister thingy in order to make space for pulling the strut out.
With one or both rear struts out, use a spring compressor to... compress the spring. Use a torx (NOT allen) key to stop the shock from turning and take off the 14mm locknut. Very careful now, there's a lot of energy stored and nothing stopping the spring from flying if something should go wrong with the spring compressor.
Remove the stock studs out of the top part... what would you call that, a bearing plate? I used a 4lb sledgehammer. (Front strut pictured)
I used some big nuts as spacers, and a correct sized nut with my impact to "press" the extended studs in. These were provided with the Tema4x4 spacers. (Front strut pictured again)
Put the struts back together.
Spacer in place.
Putting the struts back in was tricky for me, so I didn't get pictures. I ended up putting the top in first and threading the nuts on kinda loose to still allow movement. What followed was a lot of pulling on the LCA, hammering, prying, jacking things up and down, and silent cursing until I somehow got the shocks back into the LCA.
Reassemble with anti-seize!
The front end is a similar process but with a few other things for me to point out. I'd pop out the steering end link first.
I'm not actually sure if it's necessary to drop the front sway bar, but I did. The front springs are not compressed at full droop, unlike the rears.
Remove the bolts that hold the brake line and ABS wire to the strut.
Remove the strut lower bolts.
At this point it is VERY EASY for the suspension to sag too far, which will pop out the inner CV joint quicker than you can say oops! I recommend keeping a jack or something under the rotor so you don't end up having to pop those things back in. It seems like something that should take ten seconds, but I struggled for hours before I called a friend and he did it on, roughly, his 6th try. Something like this should do the trick:
Remove the upper 14mm nuts in the engine bay, remove the strut, and install spacers as you did on the back end.
Assuming you didn't let the axle pop out, assembly is the reverse of disassembly. Don't forget to use proper torque specs such as "fairly snug" for small bolts and "two ugga-uggas" for big bolts.
If you ordered your alignment parts, such as camber bolts up front and camber arms for the rear, now is the time to install them. If you didn't order them, like me, now is the time to drive around for a week with a bad alignment until they get there. This platform features very little adjustability in stock form. The rear end doesn't have ANY camber adjustment built in.
Not many people will notice this lift, but I'm happy with it. Accomplished my goal of getting more daylight between the gas tank and the sharp rocks. Plus, it looks a bit less like a minivan
09-03-2017, 02:25 PM
Andrew's RD7 progress
