Swapping back from the autocross to the street tires yesterday, I noticed something somewhat alarming. Car was jacked up from the front side jack point, both passenger side tires off the ground. So, nearly full droop condition, except for what loading the swaybars provide (OEM GSR front, Comptech rear).

And my knuckle was hitting the GC spring perch (the gold piece that is spun to change ride height). Further droop of the suspension was not possible, due to this contact. Turning the steering wheel at this point caused the knuckle to actually spin the GC sleeve...

I also have light rub/scratch marks on the outside of the spring itself, which I am assuming is also from knuckle contact as the tire does not touch them.

Going to a longer front spring and moving the perch down won't won't fix it, as the spring is just as large (if not larger) in diameter as the perch.

Now, I don't expect to ever unload the front suspension (that far) while driving the car. However, the car does tend to bounce off bumps on the freeway, and I know I have fully unloaded the rear over some of them (as in, hopped both tires off the pavement).

I know why this is happening to my car. I have SPC UCAs adjusted for max negative camber (-4* static), pulling in the top of the knuckle. Apparently SPC didn't measure knuckle to shock clearance with the adjuster maxed (or they did without a threaded spring perch in place).

Anyway, only real point of this thread is to be a warning to others. Check all clearances carefully when you change the structural parts of the suspension for parts of different than stock size/shape/geometry. Verify that you still have full suspension travel, or risk finding surprises like I did.

 

dang man that's crazy. Got any pics by chance?

 

Nope, was too busy trying to get the street tires back on the car to get home before kickoff.

I can possibly get pics later though.

 

ah gotcha... I woulda been like "oh dayum! gotta snap pix0rz to show H-T"

 

Time for some 2.25's

 

Does GC make a 2.25" spring perch for Honda apps?

 

Even if they did, they wouldn't sell it to you, out of spite.
Best bet is to have your perches lathed down.

 

Er, um, yeah. I think I'll pass on that one.

Currently, I have 2 choices:
1) Put stock UCA back on, lower car more to regain some of the negative camber.
2) Install stiffer springs at both ends, slight lowering, get car aligned with reduced front camber.

I'm currently running such massive camber settings, because I have massive bodyroll from soft springs and a high ride height. Ride height was dictated from bottoming out.

They each have their pros and cons, though I'm actually thinking of just saying "fark it" and doing both (stock UCAs, increased rates, lower car to absolute min ride height required to avoid bottoming, test to see if camber is adequate).

Sigh. Someone make me a front LCA thats longer than stock (lets say, enough to add 1.5* of negative camber). Either that, or find me a pair of showroom stock Integra knuckles that have been bent for additional camber (or a shop that will bend mine).

 

If you're too to get your perches lathed, then you can probably buy some 2.25" sleeves from Koni and keep your precious suspension geometry. Your other solutions sound

 

Lols. Awesome.

Yeah, the whole "bending knuckles" thing was a frustration response, and not something that should be taken (too) seriously.

While lathing down the perch might gain clearance, I'm obviously not overly concerned for my "precious suspension geometry". The replacement UCAs are much shorter than stock, setting static camber at -4*, increasing the front camber curve, and raising the front geometric RC. I've also got the caster cranked up from 1* to 4*, doing lord knows what else to the geometry.

Am I an engineer who knows what he's doing? Nope. Just a weekend racer not afraid of trying new things, and willing to spend money on parts to do so.

 

bent knuckle.

The clearence can get really close with a striaght knuckle and bent ones will touch.

Seen it a few times.

Once on a ITA race car that was converted over to H4... The previous owner BENT the knuckles to get the camber he wanted. When we put the s2 adjustable arms on it, they touched the sleeve

 

If mine are indeed bent, then we now know what the long term damage of periodically smacking the UCAs into the shock towers is, or at least what the weak point of the whole suspension is.

Anyway know of an easy way to measure a stock Integra knuckle for "factory straightness"? Its not like I can just throw the car on an alignment rack to check, it ain't at stock height, caster, or camber, so all alignment measurements have no baseline to judge bent parts from.

 

on the ones we had we compared them to some spares that we had lying around, and you could see the difference.

we called the previous owner and he then said "yep tons of ITA racers do it"

But it doesn't need to be bent much to have it make contact.

I know on my EG with S2 arms, swapped, at full droop (which is less then you have) i only have about 1/8" of clearance.

 

I wanted to post this for you guys...



Should be up on our website soon. Thanks guys.

 

ouch...my kidneys! Look at the spring rates!

 

Dayum some spring rates. Those would knock bumps in the road back down.... na im for real.

 

2.25" springs. Do they use different perches on the sleeves than the 2.5" springs?

 

Yep, 2.25" spring perches, and they are used with koni sleeves.

 

Sorry dude, I just grabbed some 2.25 springs off the shelf for an example.

 

Same upper mounts (top hats) as for a 2.5" spring kit?

Could one just purchase the 2.25" lower perches to use on the older sleeves?

 

Don't the GC upper insulators also have a "flange" of sorts that matches the spring's ID to help keep it centered in the upper shock mount? If so, then those would have to be specific to the 2.25" springs, also.

 

We use a 2.25" top hats (spring insulators).