Does anyone know what would be the best upgraded shocks and spring combo to use on a base 05' RSX? I know coilovers would be ideal to put on, but I'm on a budget. I want my drop my car, but I still want my car to ride as if it were still stock, if not better.

And I am looking into headers, but I'm not sure which one would give me the most HP. I heard that DC is cool, but are there any other brands that are better?

 

With any aftermarket suspension upgrade, your ride will never be comfortable as stock.
For header: most all race headers yield the similar results. But the best is Toda, but it's also the most expensive.

 

Mugen SS would be your best bet... closest to stock ride with great handling.

Jackson racing race headers also show good gains, a lot of people also swap out car sound high flow cats for the test pipe. I have a JDM manifold with a J's racing y pipe. great mid range but expensive. Can't go wrong with Toda. I personally dont like DC.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by StuDizzle &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I heard that DC is cool, but are there any other brands that are better?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yes, but they are expensive. Very expensive. DC is good for the price.

 

Well, with that being said, do you have any suggestions to what kinds of shocks would work the best with my car? (base '05 rsx)

 

The H-T favorite (for Civics at least, prob make em for RSX too) is the Ground Control/Koni Yellow combo.

No matter what springs you get Koni Yellows will be one of the best shocks. Depends on how much you want to pay though.

 

the dc race header is the best bang for the buck...

i personally woudl do JR...

I however was stupid and got the DC Ceramic Race...dont make that mistake...at least get a stainless one...listen to Tom on that one

however..you seem a bit layed back...and a race header will be LOUD...my DC and Hayame combo would drown out a passenger yelling at you from about 2 feet away under VTEC...when the Buddy Club goes onto my car (Spec III) it will be even louder!!!

if i were you i would get a Eibach Prokit and a Koni Yellow Strut/Damper. Those springs arent kidney bleeders...(i had them before i had coilovers) and thats the only shock asembly i would trust...

I would not get a adjustable spring...as most of them will beat you to death cause the spring that comes with them are uber stiff

 

I agree if your looking for a stock like ride, you should maybe reconsider lowering until you take a ride in a lowered car. There is no way it is going to ride better than stock. Also, there really is no way to drop the RIGHT way on a budget.

I usually tell people to go for a coilover such as Tein or Tanabe but your looking for a good ride therefore I would not recommend those. If you decide you can live with the slightly harsher ride Tein Basics or Tanabe Sustec are the way to go. Plus they will be the same price as a proper lowering spring/shock combo. Heres what I would do in your case if your set on dropping.

Mugen SS or Aspec Suspension(Pretty sure they have them for the 05 and up)
Eibach Prokit/Koni's

Then you are going to need a camber kit and a four wheel alignment a week later. Just to let the springs settle.

Ingalls Camber Kit and then an Alignment

So all in all your looking at around a grand for a safe and reliable drop.

As far as the header is concerned, the DC is definately the best bang for the buck. I ran mine for over a year with no problems. Took it out and it was still fine. Just make sure you install ES motor mounts like the DC instructions state. If you don't this is where a lot of people run into problems. They don't follow the instructions, start pounding gears and then the flex pipe cracks. The only problem the ceramic header is going to give you is rust but that was not a problem for me. Get the stainless if you have the dough and don't feel comfortable with the Ceramic.

Don't forget that the race header eliminates the cat and therefore you will throw a CEL. Get the Caspers 02 simulator to take care of that problem.

Need any other help just ask.

 

hmmm...

with the eibach prokit you will NOT need a rear camber kit...its still in spec....

 

Defouler trick also seems to work pretty well for the cel, as a cheap option. or just get kpro lol

I'm selling my koni's for cheap in the for sale forum.

 

I don't know how long you ran your Eibach Pro kit but that has been proven wrong over at CRSX. Some people were saying it was still in spec initially but over time the springs sit lower and the camber was out of spec. My philosophy is spend the 100 bucks on a camber kit and save yourself 500-600 dollars worth of tires.

 

So if I'm looking to spend about 1K just on shocks, springs, and a camber kit, I guess I should just go for the coilovers, huh?

Thanks everyone for the help!


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NJslvrtypes &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I agree if your looking for a stock like ride, you should maybe reconsider lowering until you take a ride in a lowered car. There is no way it is going to ride better than stock. Also, there really is no way to drop the RIGHT way on a budget.

I usually tell people to go for a coilover such as Tein or Tanabe but your looking for a good ride therefore I would not recommend those. If you decide you can live with the slightly harsher ride Tein Basics or Tanabe Sustec are the way to go. Plus they will be the same price as a proper lowering spring/shock combo. Heres what I would do in your case if your set on dropping.

Mugen SS or Aspec Suspension(Pretty sure they have them for the 05 and up)
Eibach Prokit/Koni's

Then you are going to need a camber kit and a four wheel alignment a week later. Just to let the springs settle.

Ingalls Camber Kit and then an Alignment

So all in all your looking at around a grand for a safe and reliable drop.

As far as the header is concerned, the DC is definately the best bang for the buck. I ran mine for over a year with no problems. Took it out and it was still fine. Just make sure you install ES motor mounts like the DC instructions state. If you don't this is where a lot of people run into problems. They don't follow the instructions, start pounding gears and then the flex pipe cracks. The only problem the ceramic header is going to give you is rust but that was not a problem for me. Get the stainless if you have the dough and don't feel comfortable with the Ceramic.

Don't forget that the race header eliminates the cat and therefore you will throw a CEL. Get the Caspers 02 simulator to take care of that problem.

Need any other help just ask.

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

 

i ran mine for over 10000 and there was never a alignment problem...

if your eibachs start to sag send them back....they garuntee against it

i wouldnt go for the coilovers if you dont want to have to have them rebuilt down the road....

go for the eibach/koni's is you want somethin relaible... both have lifetime warranties dont they? I know eibach does

 

Its not a matter of saggin its called settling in. People that installed them went for an alignment that day or that week. The camber was fine. Then when they rotated their tires and were getting a wobble they wondered why there tires were worn on one side. The springs had settled and the rear, not front, camber was affected

All I'm saying is there are benefits to negative camber and drawbacks to it. Whether you drop a car an 1.2 or 2.5 the camber is going to be affected. Its the geometry of the suspension. Just spend the hundred bucks and do it right.

Eibach does have a lifetime warrany against sagging.

Now I don't believe Konis have a lifetime warrany. Also, the front Konis are what they call inserts. You will need to modify your stock strut housing to accomodate the Konis. It requires some cutting and thats it. Not that difficult but if you are having a shop do the install, keep that in mind. Its a couple extra bucks.

Also any shock is going to wear out over time. I can tell you that I have had my Teins for over two years and they ride like the day I bought them. I expect to get over another year out of them. I don't know anybody that has had to have them rebuilt. And if they do go, its way cheaper to have Teins shocks rebuilt then paying another 550 for Konis, believe it or not.

Both are good setups but it all depends on what you like. I can tell you that I love my Teins but the ride is going to better on the Eibach springs. Its a static drop that has softer spring rates. If your main concern is ride quality then go with the Eibach/Koni combo. Price wise both are going to be close. Ease of installation will definately go to the Teins, because of the modification needed for Konis. Both are excellent combos you just need to decide what you are looking for.

Don't rule out the Mugen SS to quickly either.

 

Konis do offer lifetime warranties...if you want something that is garunteed for life...get the koni/eibach...if you want something thats not garunteed for life...go somewhere else

and like i said earlier....i had my eibach combo on for over 10000...thats 3 tires rotations for me....and the wear was perfect...there was no need to adjust the camber...

im in no way argueing with you...camber correction is needed...but the very little negative camber offered by the prokit will only help your handling and it will no adversly affect your tire wear.

I know a handleful of ppl that have had to have them their teins rebuilt...and i budget to have mine done so in a few years.

i ride on Tein SS-P and the ride is actaully better than stock if the road is a nicely paved road.....if its bumpy...then no

having ridden in the Mugen SS and the Teins SS-P...i woudl have to say that the handling edge will definatly go to the Teins....however those Mugens are very nice on the interestate....the Mugen SS's also dont HAVE to have a camber kit...i know a guy runnign them right now and has had them for 2 years(i think) and he doesnt have a problem with wear.....

 

It seems like Koni's are the shocks to go with with everyone on this post not mentioning any other brands. Are there any other brands of shocks though that would do just as good? Price differences??? How does Koni match up to the other brands?
-Tokico
-KYB
Bilstein

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NCNBPDC5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i ran mine for over 10000 and there was never a alignment problem...

if your eibachs start to sag send them back....they garuntee against it

i wouldnt go for the coilovers if you dont want to have to have them rebuilt down the road....

go for the eibach/koni's is you want somethin relaible... both have lifetime warranties dont they? I know eibach does</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

I think tokico might have a new set coming out soon, so there are very few reviews. As for KYB, they have some major fitment issues on the dc5, I would highly recommend NOT getting those. Koni's are your best bet, I'm selling mine in the marketplace - parting out my car. The fronts are cartridges and installation on them requires cutting and drilling. The rears are the whole assembly.

 

and actually i am selling my Eibach's also...I would have to find a spring compressor....to get them off the stock shocks....

you should buy my springs and tom's shocks!!!!!

personally man...i think that the eibach and koni woudl be a good choice....

like tom said the AGX's have bad fitment with our cars...dont get them...as far as i know bilstein doesnt make a shock assmebly for us...i dont know about tokico

 

Thanks fellas. I appreciate the advice!

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NCNBPDC5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">and actually i am selling my Eibach's also...I would have to find a spring compressor....to get them off the stock shocks....

you should buy my springs and tom's shocks!!!!!

personally man...i think that the eibach and koni woudl be a good choice....

like tom said the AGX's have bad fitment with our cars...dont get them...as far as i know bilstein doesnt make a shock assmebly for us...i dont know about tokico</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

You can also try this header that was just released on another forum. It is new for the RSX. http://www.k20a.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7136 Sorry I just found out it only works for members. I just edited some pics in the post below.


Modified by SixSigmaRaceEngineering at 8:53 PM 11/16/2005


Modified by SixSigmaRaceEngineering at 9:05 PM 11/16/2005

 

Dogg, it's locked out only to members. Can you post a pic or some SPECS on it?

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by SixSigmaRaceEngineering &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You can also try this header that was just released on the K20a.org forum. It is new for the RSX. http://www.k20a.org/forum/showthread.php?t=7136</TD></TR></TABLE>

 

Sorry. Here are some pics.

 

Wow....reminds me of the TODA header. It looks pretty sweet. Is it in production? Or is it still a prototype? Price???

 

Believe it is in production and price is 1150. I haven't seen a dyno graph on it though. There are some major differences if you see the Toda header side by side. I wish we could compare dynos.

 

Since you live in California, I advise against getting a race header. Your car may be impounded and you will be fined exorbitant amounts of money for removing the cat. Best is to add a "shorty" header (one that does not alter the stock cat). It is against CA law to remove an OEM cat if the car is less than 5 years old also - so no high flow cat.