Well, after I've been working on my girlfriend's car for a while (97 Civic DX MTX) I've started wondering if maybe my suspension setup may make the car too uncomfortable. Now I know that the reason for this is probably because her car is lighter and a little stiffer on the turns which makes the suspension feel more responsive compared to my Accord's suspension. Here's what I came up with after a while of research:

Coilovers - Ground Control

Struts - Koni Yellows

Rear sway bar - Suspension Techniques

Front strut tower bar - Cusco

Rear strut tower bar - Cusco

Front camber kit - Ingall's (push out control arm style)

Rear camber kit - Ingall's

Full bushing kit - Energy Suspension

5 lug and brake upgrade - various parts

Power steering system drain and fill - Honda Power Steering Fluid

I figured this would set me up with a suspension that won't be too stiff for a daily driver, but allow me to make my driving a little more spirited. Obviously since I want to lower my car I need to go with a good strut/coil over combo and need the camber kits to correct my camber from lowering the car. I also know that the power steering drain and fill is a no-brainer too. I figured the strut tower bars would be a good idea to keep the car from flexing since it is a 4 door and a little bigger of a car. The only things I'm wondering about is if maybe the ES bushings and ST rear sway bar might be overkill. I know that after a while the rubber bushings wear out and need to be replaced, but I'm wondering if maybe they'll make things too stiff.

Now about the 5 lug swap. I know on the Civics it is pretty pointless because the parts cost a ton (they must be sourced from a CTR or ITR) and because you can easily upgrade the brakes without switching to 5 lug. But from what I can tell on the Accords there's quite a bit you get from doing the 5 lug such as dual piston calipers, bigger brakes, new rotors and pads, and new wheel bearings not to mention it gives you rotor over hub instead of the shitty hub over rotor. It seems actually worth it to do the 5 lug setup on the Accord, so I'm pretty sure I'll stick to doing it.

So, what do you guys think?

 

not thats not even close to rough for a dd so doo it

 

See, that's what I figured too because I believe more often than not what makes the car ride rough is a shitty strut and coil-over setup.

I know that I obviously didn't wanna go with anything like Tein because those will be a much rougher ride. I've read many places that Ground Control coil-overs make a great daily driver/auto cross setup, meaning they'll obviously be stiffer than stock springs, but not so stiff that they make the car uncomfortable. The nice thing about the Koni Yellows is that they're adjustable, so if it's too stiff I can adjust them down.

I don't feel that the strut tower bars will make a huge difference, but will make some. I also know the bigger rear sway bar will help out, and know that there's no point in changing from the stock EX front bar.

 

i had koni yellows and gc so i mean they were great dd but i never autox the car

but good luck man so what the reason for going 5 lug

 

What did you think of the Koni Yellows and Ground Control coil-overs? Not too stiff but not too soft? That's pretty much what I'm going for.

The reason for going 5 lug is to get the rotor-over-hub brake setup, along with bigger brakes and dual-piston front calipers. The other thing is that my car has 163k on it, so the wheel bearings are pretty close to being need to be replaced. I've got one that's starting to go out, meaning the other ones won't be all that far behind. The 5 lug swap replaces your pads, rotors, and wheel bearings. I figured I might as well go one step more and just do the 5 lug setup.

 

the gc and koni lets put it this way when i want it stiff it goes stiff when i want it softer it was almost like a stock car but just right if i hadn't got such a great deal on ksport i would have just went with those again

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by A_Rotary_Guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What did you think of the Koni Yellows and Ground Control coil-overs? Not too stiff but not too soft? That's pretty much what I'm going for.

The reason for going 5 lug is to get the rotor-over-hub brake setup, along with bigger brakes and dual-piston front calipers. The other thing is that my car has 163k on it, so the wheel bearings are pretty close to being need to be replaced. I've got one that's starting to go out, meaning the other ones won't be all that far behind. The 5 lug swap replaces your pads, rotors, and wheel bearings. I figured I might as well go one step more and just do the 5 lug setup. </TD></TR></TABLE>


why not just do the CL conversion and keep your rims.

 

Alright, sounds like I'll be happy with the Koni Yellows and Ground Control coil-overs.

What do you mean by the CL conversion? I've never heard of that.

 

gtound conttols SUCK IMO ...on my eg I had tocikko illuminas with H&R springs...real sweet setup..


Modified by CD5 Jeebies! at 5:16 PM 2/3/2008

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CD5 Jeebies! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">gtound conttols SUCK IMO that'll be the weakes link in my opinion...on my eg I had tocikko illuminas with H&R springs...rea; sweet setup..</TD></TR></TABLE>


funny your one of the only ones to say that.

ground controls are a recommended brand in the "accord basic guide sticky", if you want to go that route.

it depends on what you really want to do for what route you'd want to take. If you want a better ride, or you want to autox, your going to have different options.


as for the CL conversion, its the rotor over hub conversion with the 4x114.3 bolt pattern. its off the acura CL, basically the same car as the accord.

 

Ground Controls w/ Koni FTW, Illumina's dont compare IMO
Koni's can be rebiult w/ higher valving, shortened, etc.
if you go w/ your brake upgarde, watch with your calipers, if you go to autozone or whatever you'll most likely end up getting Legend single piston calipers. The bleed screw is on the wrong end with the dual pistons also. NSX calipers work too, and the bleed screw is on the right end. I was going to do this but got outbid on Ebay while I was out. G/L with you w/e you get

 

heys talking about a civic..did you read the whole post? and yes what your gonna do could be considdered overboard for just a DD...I wouldn;t waste that much money...but then again everyone has different taste and ways to spend money..,me for example would rather have a nice turbo setup than the nice shiny paint job..but thats just me.....for a DD I'd do tocikko Immuminas there adjustable shocks, H&R springs, and a camber kit wont need nothing elses after that

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CD5 Jeebies! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">heys talking about a civic..did you read the whole post? and yes what your gonna do could be considdered overboard for just a DD...I wouldn;t waste that much money...but then again everyone has different taste and ways to spend money..,me for example would rather have a nice turbo setup than the nice shiny paint job..but thats just me.....for a DD I'd do tocikko Immuminas there adjustable shocks, H&R springs, and a camber kit wont need nothing elses after that </TD></TR></TABLE>


actually hes talking about an accord..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CD5 Jeebies! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">gtound conttols SUCK IMO ...on my eg I had tocikko illuminas with H&R springs...real sweet setup..


Modified by CD5 Jeebies! at 5:16 PM 2/3/2008</TD></TR></TABLE>

lol were you drunk?

if you put gtound conttols on a car I bet they would suck.

If you did research and paired them up correctly (like the GC/Koni) they do perfectly fine.

I rock literally half of the dude's list and I'm fine as a daily.

Sway bars and bushings are up next.

 

I agree, I've always heard good things about the Ground Controls, even in the RX-7 community. I was told they make an excellent DD/auto cross coil-over when I was researching them for my RX-7.

I want to be able to lower the car to put my 17's on and then be able to raise the car back up for winter for my stock 15's. I also don't want to have to really sacrifice ride quality like most people do when they lower their cars. I know that I'll obviously giving up some of the softness of the suspension but I can handle that. I just don't want the car to be so low and have no give to the suspension at all.

Basically, the car I have now is the car I've always wanted for a daily driver. It's cheap on parts, good on gas, lasts me a long time, cheap on insurance, 4 door with plenty of room, and has the right colors I'm looking for. I haven't seen another car yet that I would buy to replace it as a daily driver unless I had some serious money to spend. This is my reasoning for going over all the suspension on the car and setting it up the way I want it.

Good to hear someone is running the same setup I plan on using. I'm pretty sure it was you who gave me a lot of advice on my suspension build thread Muffin. If you're running everything but the bushings and sway bar and still say it's fine as a daily I'm pretty sure that I'll be fine too.

Like I said, I was just starting to re-think things after researching the 5 lug on my girlfriend's Civic. On a Civic it's a whole different story because the only cars you can get a 5 lug setup from are a CTR and ITR, not to mention that they're already ROH and the brakes on a Civic are able to stop it easily since it's such a light car. When I run the 17's I'd like a little bit more braking power with the heavier rims.

 

If you're looking for a budget sway bar that is way better than stock, take a look at the 2004+ TL/TL-S sway bar. Its a 20mm bar instead of the V6's stock 16mm. I think the I4 is a stock 14mm sway bar.

The TL sway bar, bracket, and bushings should run you about 60-70$. Eliminates body roll, the car will just feel much better...great budget buy.

In terms of shocks and struts, I was planning on going with some Bilstein HD and Neuspeed Sports. From what I hear, its not a drastic drop and doesnt make the ride feel too horrible. But def better then stock. I dunno if I will ever get around to doing this as I have been toying with the idea of a new car.

I have a friend with an LS1 FD and he doesnt like Koni Yellows. Said he would go for something else. I forgot why he says he doesnt like it, but I can ask him down the road next time I see him.

 

I doubt the TL sway bar will fit an older accord.............


And Rotary, the RoH conversion = totally not necessary. I'm rocking HoR with the Wagon rotors (inch bigger) and NSX Calipers.

How many times do you actually change your rotors?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by TheMuffinMan &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I doubt the TL sway bar will fit an older accord.............


And Rotary, the RoH conversion = totally not necessary. I'm rocking HoR with the Wagon rotors (inch bigger) and NSX Calipers.

How many times do you actually change your rotors?</TD></TR></TABLE>

hes right to a certain extent the only reason people do the roh is wether you bring it to a shop or diy its a whole lot easier on your wallet because shops dont have to charge a butt load to get the rotor off and diy you can do it at home with ease thats how i see it

 

^^ boingo

But the extra $$ for a rotor change out once every 2 years or what not isn't too bad.

Compare that cost to the complete changeover and it's not worth it IMO.

 

The TL swaybar from the 04+ for the 6spd manual is a very common swap for the 6th gen Accords. It is pretty much direct bolt in with no modifications necessary. I have it on my 6th gen.

If you're also looking for a cheap brake upgrade, the Acura Legacy GS calipers are a dual piston caliper that pretty much is a swap on the V6 accord. Not only the Legacy calipers but the NSX ones as well. Im a little unsure about what if on the I4 versions, but the only issue is that you have to mount the left caliper on the right and vice versa to have the bleeder nipples facing forward. Otherwise no issues.

3rd Gen TL sway bar swap


Modified by Mystral Hawk at 7:02 PM 2/4/2008

 

I have a 5th Generation Accord and it's a 2.2 VTEC, so the TL sway bar will not work for my application. Also, the ST rear sway bar is a 13/16" bar, which equals about 20.5 MM, making it bigger than the TL bar.

The 5 lug swap I found is for Acura Legend GS Sedan dual-piston front calipers, ITR/Prelude front rotors, and ITR/Accord V6 rear rotors and then obviously all the other things to make them bolt up. There are obvious benefits from the dual piston calipers. I'm wondering what size the front and rear rotors are so I could compare them to other setups. Obviously the setup that I posted is pretty much your all-out setup. I don't mind having to deal with HoR, but I do like the fact you get a much bigger rotor setup and the dual-piston fronts. What are the brake upgrades you can do on the 4 lug?

 

Sorry...didnt know that you had a fifth gen. I guess I lose.

 

are you talking **** muffin man?? UI stated my opinion about a paticular suspension setup...key weork my opinion. I dont need to hear yours or anybody trying to correct what I belive....and yes I reread the post haha he is talking bout an accord....

I have seen you new brake setup muff..its identical to the one on supergeniuses car...If I would be doing a swap I would do the same thing that you and him did. The 5 lug is cool but I agree not really worth it...

And in regards to th GC I put ground controls on my eg and it was the worst ride I have every experianced(body roll, vibrations, bouncy as hell) and YES i did put them on correctly.....see I dont auto x or any **** like so a super sofisticated setup for my DD and toy aint really nessasary. But through out owning my 9 imports (2EGs, 3CD5s, 1CB7, 1CRX, and a acura legened and GSR. I have tried many setups..the one I stated is the one I have had NO problems with..maybe Thats not good enough for everyone on HT but **** it is fine for me...

as I said this is all my opinion and I feel fine sticking to it

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CD5 Jeebies! &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">are you talking **** muffin man?? UI stated my opinion about a paticular suspension setup...key weork my opinion. I dont need to hear yours or anybody trying to correct what I belive....and yes I reread the post haha he is talking bout an accord....

I have seen you new brake setup muff..its identical to the one on supergeniuses car...If I would be doing a swap I would do the same thing that you and him did. The 5 lug is cool but I agree not really worth it...

And in regards to th GC I put ground controls on my eg and it was the worst ride I have every experianced(body roll, vibrations, bouncy as hell) and YES i did put them on correctly.....see I dont auto x or any **** like so a super sofisticated setup for my DD and toy aint really nessasary. But through out owning my 9 imports (2EGs, 3CD5s, 1CB7, 1CRX, and a acura legened and GSR. I have tried many setups..the one I stated is the one I have had NO problems with..maybe Thats not good enough for everyone on HT but **** it is fine for me...

as I said this is all my opinion and I feel fine sticking to it </TD></TR></TABLE>

I wouldn't quite call it talking ****.

I poked fun at the misspellings and stated that as GC's are top not quality and come with a lifetime warranty regardless of how low you go.

 

What setup are you running anyways for brakes Muffin? What are my other options for 4 lug brake upgrades?

Has anyone here actually used the Energy Suspension polyurethane bushings before that can give me an idea of what they're like?