the search doesn't seem to be working too well at the moment. i've been going around in circles trying to decide what suspension setup to get. the neuspeed koni sports seem like a good shock, and combined with the Comptech Springs, I can use one of the lower perches (5mm increments I'm told) to get the front to sit a little lower.

but the Comptech springs, similar to the Eibach Pro-Kit, have a progressive rate rear spring (124-194 i believe). will this be a problem for autocross? will the ability to stiffen the rebound of the Konis, and adding a 22mm rear swaybar be good enough? i don't plan to do any track events that would require extremely stiff rear spring rates. this car will also double as an "every-other day driver".

would i be better off with H&R sport springs which are more linear? H&R says they are 30% stiffer than stock, which means the front is less than the Comptech and the rear is closer to the stiff end of the progressive Comptech.

or should i just get the non-adjustable H&R coilovers with 380/265 spring rates and dampers to match?

thanks,
phil

 

I do not like the feel of progressive rate springs in an autox situation personally, because they seem like they are trying to decide what they want to do in a turn.

FWIW.

 

Progressive rate springs can feel unpredictiable @ the limit. The higher spring rate as the load increases changes the way the car reacts. Just my opinion.

 

Agreed. Progressive rates are for a comfortable street ride. Since you're in STS class, try a spring with around 300-400 linear rates (depending on the tire you use). Good call on the shocks though.

 

the person i spoke with at ground control advised against going much past 250 in the rear if the car will be driven in the snow, which it will occasionally since i live in chicago. so would 325f / 250r be good? i'll also be getting the Type-R rear sway bar (either the adjustable one from comptech with the tie bar, or the OEM bar with beaks kit). i have an RS, which has a smaller front swaybar than the GS-R, so the rear swaybar will have more impact on my car, right? should the combination of the sway bar and ability to firm up the rebound help make the 250 rear rate enough?

should i still go with the neuspeed konis with the ground controls? will i appreciate the ability to adjust the rebound?

thanks again,
phil


[Modified by Philbert, 2:28 PM 4/15/2002]

 

Get the GC perch designed to work with the Koni shocks. You already have the ability to adjust rebound just not compression. If the Comptech bar is legal for your class, I would go that route. The downside is it will end up costing you double what the ITR/Beaks system will. Get a GSR front bar. I think that they are 21mm. It should bolt right up, I think. You can get stiffer springs in the rear. You might try 325/350. The GC guys are being conservitive because they don't know your driving ability. Niether do I, so go cautiously.

 

I haven't purchased any shocks yet. I was asking if I should get the Neuspeed Konis that are shortened 20mm and have 5 perch settings, or the regular Konis. Since Neuspeed has free shipping, they won't cost much more ($554 shipped).

I have only driven in Chicago winters twice, so I don't really trust myself with a very tail-happy setup on the snow. If I get the 250 rear, am I really giving up much for autocross? I suppose I can always order stiffer rear springs in the future, one of the nice things about the GC setup.

I'm in STS, so I don't think the Comptech bar will be a problem. Is having the 3 way adjustment and tie-bar included worth double the price? Do I need the bigger front sway bar?

Thanks,
Phil

 

i think the ratio b/w front and rear springs is the key, the ratio should-at least in part- determine the handling characteristics.
of course the other susp parts, tires etc will be factored in, but it seems the ratio is very important (by payign close attention to spoon specs, and other japan based honda tuners/race cars, whove had over a decade of HIGH budget racing experience w/ honders...).
Spoon street spec ITR uses roughly 2~2.5" drop (2156 vehicle weight) 7.2/6.3 kg/mm rates which come to about 400/350.
their EK4 (1936lb) uses 6.9/4.8 roughly, 380/270 (and a slightly longer wheel base than itr, plus larger front sway bar).

I'd also recommend the gsr front sway bar, its 24 mm, yours is 22 (maybe the rs is 21, but i know ls/gs is 22)
, but more importantly for a street car, the balljoint style endlinks make for a far smoother ride (in my exeperience) and makes the bar quicker to respond during body roll.

I have the progress rear bar, and would recommend an ITR over that one. more solid mouting.
the comptech looks real nice as well.
but i dont have any competition expereince to back up what im saying, just paying close attention to what the japanese pros do.

-steve

 

ITR's weigh in around 2500 lbs...

For autocross you want transitional handling and lots of rotation. . Maybe not so much for the track... not sure how the spoon setups are intended to be used for. Most fast FWD autoX cars will rotate very quickly with just a little lift throttle into a corner (cars like CRX's can rotate a little *too* quickly sometimes). Also, you dont want super high rates for autoX, as its possible to go too high on the spring rate (you dont want a road race setup)

Ryan

 

 

A note about how the cars are setup in Japan. They will typically run a lower spring rate in the rear than the front. This is exactly the opposite of what the racer's do here in the USA. e.g. Foo, Harvey, Realtime, Hart, etc. Here, the cars will typically have a 200 lbs (or more) greater rate in the rear for roadracing. I was told by a very relieable (sp?) source that they will run a larger tire in the front &/or widen the track. Something else to consider is that most people who have suffered from the 'larger rear bar - subframe tearout' seem to have had close to stock spring rates in the back. I guess that what I am trying to point out is that the system must be balanced.

As far as going to the lower shock bodies, I would use some caution here. The limiting factor on my car seems to be the space, or lack of, between the upper a-arm & the fender well. I actually had to put a longer cutdown bushing in because of contact. I recall at least one other member having the same problem. I am using the Skunk arms, btw. I understand that a shorter body should allow you to have more of a stroke before it hits the bumpstops. I just thing that you will need to run longer bumpstops.