First post on the forum...I'm a WRX owner looking to get a civic hb for a commuter. I'm getting a '93 Civic Si HB and would like to know what kind of suspension mods I should be looking at for improved handling ability (rear sway/strut bar, tires, etc). The objective is not to have something harsh...just an improvement over the stock Si suspension while sacrificing as little ride comfort as possible.

TIA for the advice!

db

 

front and rear upper strut braces, rear lower tie bar, sway bar, basically your choice of shocks and springs (pay for what you get so spend the money) h-brace or x-brace (same concept) wider wheels and low profile racing tires to stick on the road. theres about 5-6 grand to spend there

 

u can get cheap assed drop coils, like i didi bought a set of drop zone 2.5 springs off of ebay for $115 shipped. and actually it still rides like stock. plus i still am using my stock struts too.

 

Dont waste your money on strut braces and x-bars. Get some sway bars and lower it. Should be good enough. You can try kyb agx struts with maybe eibach or h&r springs if you want comfort. Look more toward the pro kit or the sport kit from h&r.

 

ya but if you dont have the threaded shocks and just slide the coils over the shock it is going to be a bumpy *** ride

 

Thanks for the advice! Why would strut braces & sway bars be ineffective? I'll do some searching on this forum too, of course.

As for drop coils, I take it that you mean coilovers...?

Coming from a WRX, I am pleasantly surprised by how affordable Honda modifications are!

 

not coilovers, just the coil springs itself. coilovers are coilsprings and struts combined.

 

The Tokico Blues are fairly in expensive and with the Eibach prokit should great for the occasional auto cross and fun for your drive to work. my cousin has it and rides just as good as stock.

 

I put Tein coilovers on my car, but am awaiting my clutch still. I can't wait to tell the difference in handling. I got the EDFC (in car device to control the stiffness of the shocks), all for $1400 (kinda steep, but Tein is an awesome company). I have never heard a bad thing about the company, and like I said, I can't wait to put the clutch in so I can ride on the coilovers! If you want I'll keep you updated on it.

-Shane

 

I've had experience with Tein Flex w/EDFC before...wayyyyy too stiff for Bay Area streets! That is exactly what I'm trying to avoid. JIC/Zeal/Cusco...most of the Japanese coilovers have that characteristic stiffness that I don't think is suitable for a daily driver.

What I'm searching for are crisp turn-in's, no body roll, and to eliminate as much understeer as I can.....all while having enough dampening to soak up the rough stuff. Also, I'm not looking to lower the car much if at all. I realize that some of what I want is contradictory (i.e. plush suspension w/no body roll); I'm hoping for an acceptable compromise.

 

The Teins don't lower the car hardly any. In fact certain setups offer at least stock ride height, but if you have had them before and didn't like them, than I guess don't get them again. Good luck.

-Shane

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by doughboy_88 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Thanks for the advice! Why would strut braces & sway bars be ineffective?


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strut bars are not as effective as sway bars
strut bar is just a brace while a sway is a active part in the suspension

good sway bars-comptech or suspension techniques or integra type r

 

you can go with the tein ss which feels real smooth....or you can go a combination of tokico shocks eibach springs which isn't bad

 

Strut bars are just to stiffen the chassis and ull only notice the difference if ur pushing the car to the very max. which if this is goin to be just ur commuter i very highly doubt u will

 

i'd get the Tein SS's or flex's - depending on what you wanna spend, with a sway bar, tie bar and strut bars...

 

what's your budget?

if you can afford it, koni yellows with some ground control coilovers should be able to do what you need. you can pick your own spring rates.

 

I'm hoping to keep the cost down. Koni inserts are a bit overkill.

What about ITR or GSR braces & bars...what kind of a difference will I feel over the stock Si hatch bars?

 

If you would like to eliminate as much roll & understeer as possible, you may want to purchase the comptech sway/tie bar (22mm). It is expensive at $350, but will give you exactly what you want. If your not planning on really upping the spring rate, and you don't like stiff shocks, then this is the upgrade for you. It will change how your car turns, but not really how it rides. It also provides all the reinforcment your subframe will need for a stiffer bar. Then you can eventually uprgrade to koni yellows (best street shock), and GC coils (best coils & available w/ any spring rate).