I've had a set of these blingy GC Tophats for a while now. They add more suspension travel to your shocks.

I was going to use them on my CRX with a set of Tokico Illuminas with GC Coilovers but I decided to go ahead and get a full coilover setup for this car.

Fast forward to now....I buy another CRX(HF Model) and this one is being repainted, WW Kit......just decked out for cruising.....since I was going with a WW Kit I didnt want to spend that much dough on another set of coilovers so I went with a set of H&R Race Springs(2.25 in the front, 2.0 in the back).

So for the hell of it I figured why not see if these tophats would work with these HR springs. I was kinda nervous as to why GC specifically said "THESE ONLY WORK WITH GC COILOVERS" but I had to try it.

As you can see they fit quite nicely.....to me atleast. Do you guys see anything that might not be right?? If not, does this mean that these tophats can be used on springs as well(granted that they fit under the top hat properly)?






I am hoping this setup will give me a nice ride since it was going to be sitting kind of low. Hopefully with these top hats the stress level on the shocks will be a little less.

EDIT: After doing a bit of a more detailed search I saw that someone mentioned that these tophats can indeed be used on any spring with a small enough diameter. So atleast we know now that these tophats do work with HR springs....but that leads me to wonder why the hell GC would make an outrageous claim that these hats will only work with their coilovers.....

Here is the thread I found... https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1176052

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JesseCRX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">but that leads me to wonder why the hell GC would make an outrageous claim that these hats will only work with their coilovers.....
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Chances are it has to do with sales tactics. They probably didn't want to bother testing all different kinds of springs, so they decided to only specify that they work with their coilovers. That would also get people to buy more of their coilovers too...

Thats cool that they work with the H&R's though, good work...

 

If they say it only works with their coilover kit, and you use it with something else, they don't have to give you tech support.
Limits liability, too.

 

damn i been thinking about this too looks like ima order me a set soon

 

They should work fine with any spring that has a 2.5" inner diameter.

Don't expect GC to warranty or support them if you're not using their coilovers though.

 

How are they going to know what springs you were using if the springs are 2.5 inches?

The rears are different and I don't think they fit 100% but I am more concerned with the front since that is where all the weight is.

 

Top hats are top hats. If oem top hats fit over gc coilovers and those were designed for gc coilovers then chances are they will work with just about any civic/integra coilover.

 

where can i buy this top hat?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Toxidomask &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">where can i buy this top hat?</TD></TR></TABLE>

It's a GC top hat. Buy it from GC or any authorized distributer.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Toxidomask &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">where can i buy this top hat?</TD></TR></TABLE>
http://www.ground-control-stor.../CA=5

 

The inner spacer is different for Koni Yellows (DC2), but since the bushing is the same, you just reuse your Koni spacer.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tweakmeister &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The inner spacer is different for Koni Yellows (DC2), but since the bushing is the same, you just reuse your Koni spacer.</TD></TR></TABLE>

He is refering to #14 in this picture...

 

oh yeah, and it won't clear all strut tower bars either

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tweakmeister &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">oh yeah, and it won't clear all strut tower bars either</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah, I had to remove my GSR strut bar. The type R one doesn't make it either (some people notch the mounts ). I'm thinking about buying a nice Neuspeed bar. It's one of the best design strut bars anyways...

The sad truth is that i didn't notice any difference after I removed my strut bar anyways...