ok im a little familiar with suspension but not enough, just havnt been able 2 get under my car and get my hands dirty with the suspension. i've been researching for a lonnng time but im just too skeptical about what setup to choose. so im lookin for so im lookin for some opinions and help. I have a 98 ex 2dr and im looking into some new suspension. this will be a daily driver but i want a fun daily driver 2 mess around with. so first off..

what im lookin for is a d/d thats gona hug the road nice and low, little if not any noticable body roll, nice clean dropped look (2.0-2.5" drop) comfortalbe rite and it must be adjustable hieght wise. so my questions are...

a) opinions on shock/strut and spring combos as opposed to full coilovers?
b) ideal spring rates for a decent ride, that will be around a 2.0-2.5 inch drop but also handle spirited handling and cornering?
c) recommendations on shock/strut spring and coilover setups? anyone who has had them?lookin for as much imput as possible
d) looking into gettin lower control arms so i need some recommendations
e) looking into a tie bar as well. any comments?
f) rear sway bar and upper front strut bar comments?

just looking for some OPINIONS and any recommendations here. This is NOT another shitty "what should i get for my car" thread.

dont b a dick or flame me im jsu lookin for sum help here tia

 

I'm basically in the same boat, and i've been searching for about a year or two on what to buy - because i don't have the money to buy it, but that is besides the point.

Based on my searchings, you can't drop and have a nice ride.. just not possible.

If you don't have plans for the track, all you need is a nice set of dampers(shocks) and some lowering springs.

Dampers you can look at the big brands, koni, tokiko - based on what i've read the koni yellows would be your best bet - life time warranty to the owner who bought it new - and it can handle some higher rates if you change your mind down the road...

for springs, get the 2nd level eibachs, the sportline, or the 2nd level h&r... people said that the ride on those is great, and gives a nice stance.

Then stop here, if you still don't like it, then its time to add anti-roll bars. Anti-roll bars are used to fine tune the suspension, and the diameter you choose really depends on what you want to accomplish after you put in your damper and springs.

Front and Rear LCAs are basically a bling factor only...the oem ones work fine, and really all you need... but since some lcas are cheaper than oem, why not? go with whatever you like, and fits your budget.. they are all pretty much the same - okay some have "adjustable" mounting points for your anti-roll bar...and some claim race developed, and fancy drawings... but for the DD, a cheap blox or no name in the color of choice, would be fine...

Tie bar - you don't need it - what you might ahve to add is rear sub-frame reinforcement, if so, then get an asr brace.

Camber kits, not needed - a proper alignment is all you need, a washer trick in the back if you really want to, front you run into upper frame problems with the upper A-arm.

Bushings - This is the biggest debate on ht in suspension, bigger than what brand to run, why? because people use polyurethane bushings - because they say better handling and extended life... but in reality they don't provide an extended life.. they deform under pressure.. or at least there have been lots of people who have documented these deformities.... now you can say "oh he didn't lube them right" or something like that.... right now there are at least 3 good threads with pictures, and descriptions of use on poly bushings to say that they are bad... your best bet for bushings is hard rubber, and the good cheap brand is hard-race, also NEVER replace the rear trailing arm bushing with a poly one, only with OEM or mugen. also make sure you clock the bushing correctly..
================================================== =====

edit: also what brand coilover or shock to run really comes down to what has blown in the past year, who gives a nice warranty, age in the business, good customer service support, and which looks prettier...and the new comers

blown in the past years, D2, K-sport (bad CS too)
warranty: koni, amr (tho they've only been known on h-t for about a year now)
CS: koni, pic, tien, kw-brands(st, kw, etc)
Looks: k-sport, f2
new comers: skunk2, f2, amr, pic
i forgot jdm: tien, mugen, jic-magic, other expensive jdm brands

oh and the opinionated "it rides great!" from people who bought their first set: f2, k-sport

i also forgot the big brand names, koni, tokico, Bilstien, penske (tho i've read they only make race shocks), KW, showa, etc..

there are others, BC Racing, Megan, Edelbrock, etc..

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IF you have a civic that didn't come from the factory with a front anti-roll bar, then you either buy the SuspensionTechniques kit for cars without factory front anti-roll or swap the front lower A-arms with ones from a car that came with it from the factory, like an ex, si, lx of some years.. an integra if it fits your car.. etc..

oh and one more thing: Traction-Bars

I've read that traction bars actually do help, in both cornering and straight line.. but they have to be designed correctly, and correctly triangulate with the suspension... if they don't they will reduce your front suspension's bushing life.

other things that work: LOWER H BRACE
if you can fit a $45-60 lower h brace on your car, go for it - alot of people said it really helps in dd, the nrg one is pretty nice.

Upper strut bars, its just bling, don't really help much, last thing to do on your suspension spree if you want... get the Carbing front strut tower bar with the brake booster holder, its clean, its shiny, and improves brake feel.

i think that sums up my 2 years of searching....

Now i did leave out alot, like spherical bearing bushings, and other things like brand, and what do you mean by proper alignment...

but really just search the terms, and you will find threads.


ALSO

there are so many options out there, that it all comes down to your budget.

If you had an unlimited budget, you could go all JDM out and get a set of mugens, spoon, or something like that... who cares about ride quality.. "its JDM YO!"

But realistically, its: goals - budget = reality


Modified by bpr0422 at 10:32 PM 9/24/2007

OMG.. i did all of that, but i still don't like it..

what tires are you running? and how much air pressure are you running in your tires?

a BIG part of suspension is what actually touches the road, and that is the rubber you are running...

Stickier tires, more grip, less life
Thiner tires (smaller aspect ratio - if i'm not mistaken), more grip, reduced life but once you go too thin.. grip reduces..
Wider tires, more grip, may introduce rubbing...

once you get down to air pressure and tires.. its really fine tuning... using the correct air pressure will allow your car to have the optimal tire-to-road contact patch... the best method is to use white shoe polish and a good tire-pressure gauge.
first: put the polish on your tire's tread and side wall
second: then drive the car around the track, auto-x, mall parking lot
third: check the polish, if its rubbed off the tread, but still on the side wall, pretty good tire pressure. if the polish is left on the tread, lower pressure. if the polish is off the sidewalls, increase pressure.

if you don't like it, still.. try adjusting the damper settings if adjustable..

if its too soft/stiff springs or anti-roll bar... springs have a much bigger effect on the ride quality than an anti-roll bar, so change those then run it with and without the bar, see how it is.. and then change the bar...

=============
this is all based on what i've read, on h-t and on other sites... and how to suspension tune a car on GT3 and GT4 - its a sim yes, but the concepts are all pretty much the same... if someone wants to say otherwise - please feel free to do so... especially people who actually auto-x, and track their cars...


Modified by bpr0422 at 10:43 PM 9/24/2007


Modified by bpr0422 at 10:49 PM 9/24/2007

 

bpr - If I were still looking for suspension that response would have helped me out quite a bit. You answered a lot of his questions and more.

 

thanks alot bro that answered pretty much my questions in 1 post lol. any1 else got input as to their experiences in any of these issues and with different brands/companies?

 

I say stick with the big brands, koni, tokico, kw, tien, bilstien..

F2 - Function/Form - so far, i haven't seen a post here on people complaining that their F2 type 1 have blown... F2 type II are too new, only been out for about 6 months i think... but still not post on "-expletive- my Function Form Coilovers Blew" - their website is very "street" got mentioned in a few tuner mags

PIC - Power in Control is also a good brand - or atleast so far so good - lots of people have threads on how they liked their purchase experience with them, and the owner posts here on h-t almost daily - also the only newcomer who has a nice website, with pictures, discount codes, and race sponsorships

Koni - is huge here in h-t, if anything people basically live worshiping them, we also have some pretty good koni reps here, CRX lee is the most notable. no need to explain koni

K-Sports - Was a big fad, till they went to ****.

D2 - Cheap, crap, purple

KW Suspension - German company that bought out ST, they are pretty big

Eibach - Do i have to explain?

H&R - Seriously Do I have to explain?

Swift - Japanese company who makes springs, apparently really good springs -edit: but their website died.. but they are on japanese race cars...

BC Racing - Taiwanese/China company they are apparently big with EVO kids, looks like direct supplier for Megan, and the such.

Skunk2 - Just recently revamped their line-up - not much info on them

Edelbrok - Also not too much info on H-T for suspension - or i've never searched for Edelbrok suspension...

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btw this is all based on their budget lines... K-sport has a higher line that some people say are good, same goes with DC

EDIT: this should so be sticked or added to an faq, i'm not typing all that again


Modified by bpr0422 at 11:51 PM 9/24/2007


Modified by bpr0422 at 12:01 AM 9/25/2007

 

You could also take a look at Tein coilovers. The basic setup can be had for around $700. It is obviously height adjustable but not damping. The next one up is damping adjustable (16 way) and height adjustable. That setup is the Super Street. I pretty much had some inexpensive stock strut/shocks and and cheap lowering spring set up on my integra before I got the Tein SS coilovers. I am much much happier with them and can't believe what a difference they make alone. There are really so many reviews for products on here that you kind of need to browse through the various pages or type in the brand names for the certain brands. From there it will be much easier to tell what not to go with, which should hopefully leave you a few different products to choose from.