I'm trying to get a solid set up for racing. I'm looking at entering into some form of racing(SCCA,road race,Solo).
This has me looking at ways to reduce body roll,increase steering stability and control in the corners. I've looked at several brands of all these (Strut Tower bars, Sway bars,tie rod and lower arm bars).I'm just not sure what qualities I'm looking for or what brands.With the exception of sway bars, does it matter what brand.Will all bars be the same or should I focus on name brand who have been established for a long time?Do I loose any thing from using an adjustable strut tower bar,stuff like that.Is it loke NIKE you pay for the name not the quality or is what you pay is what you get?I guess what I need is an idea of what products i'd benifit from and who offers them.
I've already found wheels,tires and true coil-overs.
Any info or links will be extremely appreciated.
Thanks-HC4G

 

your doing good so far with the wheels, tires, and esspecially choosing a true coil over.
from what i hear, the adjustable cheapo tower bars are all the same, UNTIL you step up to a full fledged bar, by that i mean like cusco, neuspeed, mugen, which are full pieces that do not have adjustments, theyre just one solid peice of metal and/or welded pieces so theyre stronger
i dont think name matters for a sway bar.. i think whats most important in a sway bar is the size.
as for lower tie bars , i've heard the front lower bar doesnt do that much,but might help under more extreme conditions, and the rear lower will work good under most conditions (comptech makes a nice one with an integrated sway bar/lower tie bar, but not for ef's )
any corrections/comments to my reply are welcome

 

brand does matter... in a way. the cheap strut tower bars on ebay are fantastic. their about 20-30 + s/h. as an example my favorite on ramp would let me travel at 45mpg tops before i would start to lose traction. this is with stock suspension and rain tires. (all season michelins). added a front strut bar (ebay one) i hit the same on ramp at 65 mph. same suspension tires etc. imporved handeling drasticly as well as helped to stiffen up the front end. do not get the dc sports strut bars. their basicly for show only as they are very flexable. (150$ waste). they will do nothing for handling. as far as sway bars id get the thickest one you can find. if you want brand name stuff (dunno why... rice ) id go w/ neuspeed. they make great products. a drop and new struts with a high damping rate will also add in handling and a tighter feel. best thing is a welded roll cage. ask superhatch for pics. will stiffen up everything a ton especially w/ swap and strut bars. hope this helps

a properly tightened adjustable strut bar is just as good as a welded one.


[Modified by TorteX, 11:30 PM 5/7/2002]

 

Most of the Strut tower bars all do pretty much the same thing. Name brands are not that improtant, but do count in quality.

As for sway bars, All i hear is good things about Suspenstion Tech.

Talk to Driven on here. He does the SCCA and Track racing and knows his **** on this kind of stuff better then i do.

 

if you never raced before, start out stock. Race a few times, learn the car...

then move to race tyres/rims... this will help you understand what each and every suspension piece you will be adding does to the handling characteristics of the car...

I think everyone does shocks/springs as a first mod... it's always a good initial start (plus it helps in the visual aspect of the car).

Then get a rear anti sway bar from Suspension Techniques. Don't get the front and rear bars if you can avoid it... the front one is nearly worthless. The only thing you want is the better end links for the front bar.

Then, finally worry about strut tower braces... it's perferred that you get a solid piece (neuspeed front bar is really good, but kinda expensive). I run matrix (generic) bars for the front and rear uppers...

That should be a good start and should get you a bit more involved in what each component does to the overall handling of the car...

and remember... HAVE FUN! good luck

 

For the front I would go with a neuspeed, it is only 119.00 shipped from their site. It seems to be a very strong bar. Their rear bar is a bit more expensive and I would try a generic for the rear.

 

I just wanted to thank every one for there posts. It's been very helpful.
Thanks all-HC4G

 

My brother just got a Mugen strut bar for his '00 Si. So he's gonna give me the stock strut bar that came with his Si.

Has anyone made this bar fit on a 2nd gen CRX? If so, how did you go about doing it? Can i just drill a couple holes in each of the shock towers and mount it up?

Thanks

 

Well...the front one might be tougher than the rear one, becuase I think it's a sort of bracket shape so you can clear the top of the engine. If you can get it to fit though, it should be effective.

 

a lot of cheap strut bars flex a hell of a lot. It was in some magazine a while ago.

 

well i just got my mugen sway bars for a incredible price so i couldnt pass it up....2 for the price of one actually =X. So if you want me to tell you what i think about it ill post it later i guess if i remember...but im sure it will help it drastically, mugens the shizz. the feel super sturdy, i love em!! just wanted to share..
peace

 

Reducing bodyroll:

Lower the centre of gravity (-65mm) . A problem might occur while doing this: the rebound length of some shocks (f.e. Koni) might be compromised with makes the ride very bounchy (and no tarmac is flat).

Solution:

Front shocks: lower the shock into the dropfork, this can easily be done on Koni yellow, since it has no brake line holder.

Rear shocks: chassis adjustment, extend the shock holder by cuttin it out and extending it.



This is after I removed the cage, he races a EG civic now. Lok at the rear shock holder which has been customized

Swap the ITR 22mm rear swaybar, use the ITR end links, you need to weld two small plates onto the chassis to make it fit. No big deal. Or you could buy the Suspension Technique swaybar. I wouldn't go to thick on the front because the swaybar will then have the tendency to lift the opposite wheel up and may damage your differential if the wheel is "smacked" back on the tarmac.

Increasing bodystiffness

Front upper strut bar -> improves cornering and steering
Front lower tie bar -> idem but makes the car harder to control, personal decision
Rear upper strut bar+ rear lower tie bar (fixed) -> improves rear stiffness
Full rollcage, especially improves the longitudinal stiffness

The goal is to have a car that steers in rapidly and is very responsive in the front and has a rear with the tendency to break out (but controlable!) and therefor you will need a VERY stiff rear setup. Ideal for track.

alignment settings:

camber (get a camber kit)

front -3
rear -5

caster

+3 or beyond

Toe

front -0.5 degree per side (toe in total 3mm)
rear +0.5 degree per side (toe out total 3mm)

These comments are based upon two year track experience of a friend of mine




[Modified by REX VT, 10:31 AM 5/9/2002]