I have a 1991 Civic Si hatchback. I am wanting to put new suspension on it but am not sure what to do exactly. I am not looking to road course race or anything like that. I just want a set up that will handle good but also give a smoother ride; like I'm not going to feel every pebble I hit.
I have 17's on it with 205/40/ZR17 tires but I am getting ready to buy 16's with 205/45/ZR16 tires. I was thinking about Eibach Sportline springs with Koni Yellow struts and also a bushings kit. Let me know what you all think.

 

I think the Eibach pro springs keep the car up a bit higher and preserve more of a smooth ride. I had the eibach sportline and kybs in my 94 Civic like 4 years ago and it still rode pretty stiff.

 

The Eibach sportline is a good choice, another option might be H&R Sports. They have nearly the same spring rates and both are high quality pieces.

When you say bushing kit, are you meaning new oem rubber or are you talking poly? poly bushings are much less compliant than their rubber counterparts so they will transmit more energy from bumps etc into the cabin.
The new wheels and tires will help significantly too, short stiff sidewalls on overlarge rims cant be good for ride comfort.

 

I have koni yellows and sportlines. It rides pretty comfy. i definitely recommend it if you want a quality ride

 

I'm not really sure what bushing kit. My friend suggested it to make a smoother ride but didn't really explain too much about it. What would be better?

 

I kinda was leaning toward the sportlines because it lowers the car more which will create a lower center of gravity giving me better handling. Since I am getting smaller wheels with more rubber on the tires, I think it will be okay with the sports springs and still be able to have a comfy ride. Don't you think?

 

Is that all you did to yours? Just bought springs and struts? Nothing else?

 

A 91 car from IL? Your bushings are probably toast. A bushing "kit" won't make for a smoother ride, although replacing all the rubber with polyurethane can definitely make the ride harsher.

Replacing the worn bushings with new, OEM bushings will ensure:
1. that they fit
2. that they will last as long as OEM should, because they are OEM (duh)
3. you have more money in your pocket and a more compliant ride on a car that won't be seeing the track anyhow.

 

Okay. Good point. So, just get the OEM bushings, Eibach springs, and Koni yellow struts? That, plus 205/45/ZR16s instead of 205/40/ZR17s, would be good for a little smoother ride and also provide good handling?

 

That's be my recommendation as well.


Getting bushings...like an energy kit or something like that will actually stiffen up your ride, give you more road noise...but it will likely handle much more precisely.

If you're just trying to lower the car a bit and maintain the decent ride the 16's with more rubber will make a HUGE difference believe it or not..as will the type of tire you run.

as per handling....a decently matched strut/spring combo is fine and if you add sway bars you'll be happy.

 

Okay. Tell me if you think I should change anything.

I am going to get:
Eibach Sportline Springs,
Koni Yellow Struts,
16" Motegi MR-7s wheels,
205/45/ZR16 Bridgestone Potenza RE01R tires.
Should I change anything?

I am not sure exactly what all I have to get or what brand and where to get a good bushing kit. Can you guys help me with this part?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIC Performance &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">3. you have more money in your pocket and a more compliant ride on a car that won't be seeing the track anyhow.

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Close, but this fact is wrong. OEM bushings cost more than their poly replacements, but, they DO render a softer ride.

 

However, if they wear out faster than OEM then you'll be replacing them more often than OEM. 2 sets of p/u bushings will cost more than 1 set of OEM, hence point #2

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by PIC Performance &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">However, if they wear out faster than OEM then you'll be replacing them more often than OEM. 2 sets of p/u bushings will cost more than 1 set of OEM, hence point #2 </TD></TR></TABLE>

Not really. Poly bushings are really cheap, like under $10 per pr, and the OEM ones are what, $30-40 for the same pair? Once you replace OEM style busings with poly, replacement is under 5 minutes once the part is removed from the car. I am not advocating generic however.

I think they'd be find it cheaper to purchase a new factory control arm rather than remove the control arms, have the bushings pressed in/out. Just one LCA is $35 in bushings, then the labor of whatever the shop charges to remove and press out/in. If you've ever pressed these bushings out, you'd know that the shop won't charge pennies on the dollar. Sometimes it takes a while to get just one bushing out.

A cheaper alternative is to find a used set of LCAs with good bushings.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Stoich EG2 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have koni yellows and sportlines. It rides pretty comfy. i definitely recommend it if you want a quality ride

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Really nice Delsol. I like that color. The little woman and I had a black one we bought when we first got married. we miss it a lot.

 

So:

Eibach Sportline Springs?
Koni Yellow Struts?
OEM bushing kit?
16" Motegis?
205/45/ZR16 Bridgestone Potenza RE-01Rs?

Anything with the control arm or tie rod or anything else?

Any changes? Any suggestions on where would be the best place to get some of these?

 

After reading several reports on this forum of shot poly bushings, I have come to the conclusion that polyurethane control are bushings are junk for a street car.

The best, lowest-cost alternative would be HardRace rubber bushings, but unfortunately they're a little hard to find. Occasionally a set will pop up on eBay.