Yes, I have used the search function.

Thanks to the search function, I have learned a lot about suspension and what may be causing this vibration. Here is what I have replaced so far based on advise from the search function over possible causes of my problem:

Rack end Bushing
Tie rods (L&R)
Tie rod ends (L&R)
wheel bearings (L&R)
tires (all 4)

I have performed an alignement, and I balanced my wheels as well.

My suspension setup:

89 civic si stock upper and lower control arms
OEM brakes (rotors, calipers, lines)
Ground control coil-overs
Tokico Illumina struts

I jacked it up, and both front tires are solid with no movement at all from top to bottom (wheel bearings and upper ball joint) or from left to right (tie rods).

The only thing I can think of that might be causing it is the fact that I lost those little bushings that go between the coil-over and the strut, so there is a little movement there. I am at my wits end here. Is there anything else it could possibly be? If not, where can I get those little bushings?

 

i have the same problem, I've replaced both top and bottom ball joint's and it still gives the same problem. would like to kno too...

 

Im pretty sure its because you have coilover that you are vibrating, remember when you go race on any auto part the drive ability suffers

 

Have you checked your half shaft?

 

its probably just travel in the coilover being that its a sleeve type coilover. nothing you can really do if thats the case other then getting a strut coilover combo.

imo

 

What is there to check on the half-shaft? I'm trying to picture how the half shaft could cause such an issue?

 

I appreciate this comment; however, this problem is relatively new. I have had the same coil-over/strut setup for about 4 years now.

I just got a reply from ground control tech support. They are asking me to send them pictures. I'm going to do that right now. I'll let you all know what they say. Is there any way to post the pictures in this thread? I'm new to online forums, so I haven't figured out how to do that yet.

 

I have this same problem. I suspect it's the bushings inside the steering rack, I'm going to replace the whole rack... when I get home in April. I'll let u know how it goes then. lol

Does your steering have a bit of freeplay? Even after replacing the outer tie rod ends?

 

It isn't the bushings in the steering rack. I have zero freeplay in my steering wheel. I replaced the rack end bushing, and that helped a little, but the vibration is still there. With every repair I have done, I have noticed that the steering and suspension becomes progressively more and more solid.

I'm still thinking it's the sleeve of the coil over not being solidly in place. I wish I could figure out how to post pictures so you all can see what I'm talking about.

 

So the inner cylinder of the coilover is vibrating against the body of the shock absorber?

Well, I think with all the work you have done to correct this problem, I think you pretty much narrowed it down to that one last problem to be looked at.

Just curious...When do you feel/hear this vibration? On un-even pavement? What does it sound like? Are your shocks blown? (4 years with tokico whites I think they could be blown by now). I have tokico whites and they are blown now after 3 years.

 

I don't know if this is the same but when I first had my B16 I didn't take out the dust seal and possibly also had a bad axle. When I hit bumps it felt like really bad vibration on that corner. I replaced the axle (which may have been binding as well) and removed the dust seal and the problem was gone.

 

I hear and feel the vibration only when I hit a bump or pothole in the road. It sounds like rattling and if it is a big enough pothole, it sounds like a bang. Almost like a shotgun. It is a horrible sound. I'm almost afraid that it sounds like something might pop off or snap.

If I'm on smooth pavement, the ride is smooth. I think my shocks are blown. Both of the front ones are leaking oil and they appear to be nearly bottomed out when the car is at rest even though I have the coilovers maxed out.

What are you going to do about your struts? Are you going to replace them? or are you going to try to do a warranty exchange on them?

 

Which dust seal are you talking about exactly?


I'm pretty sure it isn't my axles. I just replaced them a couple of months ago (both sides).

 

OK, so I got a response from Gound Control. I don't know if this is what has been causing my problem, but here is the response:

"Unfortunately, The kit on your car appears to be for a different application, the upper perch in your pic is not for a Honda. Also, the spring rates you have in the rear are incorrect and too soft to appropriately support the car."


Conclusion: Someone shipped me the wrong coilover kit. I have been using this kit for 6 years oblivious to the fact that I had the wrong setup. This sure does explain a lot! LOL

So, I'm going to have to replace my suspension setup and see if that fixes the problem.

There goes another $500 down the tube

Thanks all for the comments and suggestions.

 

care to share those pics of your suspension with us?

how low were you?

did you have the dust boots installed? metal cylinders to shield the shock rod.

 

I'd love to post pics, but I'm new to forums and I don't know how to post pictures.

I wasn't low at all. I had the coilovers maxed out, so I was at factory ride height.

No dust boots came with the struts when I ordered them, so no, I don't have any dust boots installed.

 

Yea if you see the shocks leaking oil, they are definately blown dude. And the sounds you describe seems like your shock is slamming into your perch on big bumps. Definately replace them.

I'm going to buy one piece coilovers to replace my blown tokicos. I know it says 'lifetime warranty' but i just want to try out a different setup like Tein Flex, D2's, or PIC.

Also, what kind of upper control arms do you have? If you have aftermarket ones with an adjustable ball joint for camber, these have a tendency to 'hit' a part of your frame behind your fender.

In any case, you have to replace your struts. That should solve your problem hopefully.

 

yeah, if its leaking oil. the shocks are blown. a direct symptom of blown shocks is vibration when making slight transitions.

im not quite sure how youre bottomed out if you say youre not lowered...

can you email me your pics?

 

Gladly. What's your email address?

 

This makes a lot more sense than any explanation I've heard thus far. I called the shop that I ordered the struts through, and they said that they tried to do a warranty exchange on an UNOPENED box of struts and Tokico said that they would not honor the claim because there were vice grip marks on on of the shafts.

If a SHOP can't get a warranty claim for an unopened box, I doubt I'll be able to get a warranty claim for my clearly used and blown struts.

Makes me wonder why they even claim to have a warranty to begin with. Eventually their business will suffer because people will spread the word about their business practices.

Either way, I will definitely not be purchasing anything else from Tokico ever again.

 

here are the pics.

 

OK, so here is the latest update. I ordered the "correct" set of coilovers for my car. The Ground Control part number is 4525.01. These are the "Limited Edition" coilovers which can be used with OEM style struts, including Tokico Illumina.

The front springs say "180.64.61" the rear springs say "180.64.44"

After contacting Tokico directly, they said that they would find a local retailer to perform the warranty exchange for me, which they have.

They said that I have to order the struts from the local company first at full retail price, then I could send my old struts to the retail company that I ordered the replacements from, and they will send them back to Tokico for a warranty exchange. If the struts are worn in a way that is covered by the warranty, then they will re-imburse the retail company who will re-imburse me.

I ordered the struts from the retail company today. They said they should be here in a day or two since they are located in california, and so am I.

I will install the new coilovers and struts, then post another update as soon as the warranty exchange is complete.

 

just a thought if you still have the factory upper control arms on your car check the bushings where it bolts to the body because i have a almost rattling it seems on my 4dr comming from the front and i pulled the uca on the drivers side where i think the noise is comming from out of curiosity and the bushings are shot on that side i havent replaced them yet so i cant say for sure but like i said its just a thought

 

Please let me know. This problem seems to be a prevalent problem with our type of car, so I will make the repairs that I think are necessary, and you do the repairs that you think are necessary, and we will compare after all is said and done. Hopefully, you are right so that idiots like me won't go out and spendd $1,000 on new suspension parts when all I would have had to do is simply replace my upper control arm bushings...

 

OK, so after doing a little research, I have found a little info. on what the numbers mean on my new coilovers:

GC imprints their measurements in metric units, so...

The first number is the height of the spring which is measured in millimeters. Mine say 180 for both front and rear, so that is about 7" in U.S. inches.

The second number is the diameter of the spring measured in millimeters again. Mine say 64 each, so that is about 2.5" U.S. inches.

The third number is the spring rate which has a conversion factor of approximately 5.7, so to convert to pounds, simply multiply by 5.7 to find your spring rate. Mine say 61 front which converts to about 350 U.S. lbs, and 44 rear which converts to about 250 U.S. lbs rear.

I am unsure what the units are. I looked at my physics textbook, and it appears that springs have what is called potential energy. When mechanical energy (bumps in the road) is applied to the springs, they convert that energy into kinetic energy which pushes the springs down and then the springs push back with the potential energy which keeps the car from falling to the ground. This force combined with the dampening of the struts creates the smooth ride that one should experience when driving with a nice suspension setup.

I haven't figured out what the units of the GC springs are for the spring rate, but the conversion factor is 5.7 as far as I know. I believe it is 5.7 Newtons per meter for each pound per inch. This would mean that my springs are 350 lbs per inch in the front and 250 pounds per inch in the rear. My understanding of the conversion factor may be wrong here, but the point is that I now have stiffer springs all the way around.

If I have made a mistake somewhere, someone please correct me.

Anyway, the new coilover kit should be stiffer than what I had before, plus the new kit included all the bushings and o-rings necessary to ensure that the sleeve isn't shifting around while I'm driving, so they should make for a much stiffer and smoother ride.

Of course, I will not be installing them until I get my new struts, so that I can get it all done in one shot.

Will post updates...