Hey guys,

Here's my story. Replaced my '07 Si sedan stock suspension in the summer of 2011 with the D2 Racing coilovers. Biggest crap I ever spent money on.
Last November I got rid of the whole kit (already blown rear shocks, rust all over), and went with brand new hardware and Eibach ProKit springs and Skunk Sport shocks. A much better set up and it's lowered just perfect.
Well, about a month ago I started hearing noises in the front (like squeaky springs on an old sofa). The noise got worse and started creaking when turning. Very noticeable when turning onto a driveway.
Today I dropped the car off at my local mechanic and the left side bearing was trash. Ended up replacing both sides just to be safe. Went with an aftermarket Moog piece.
The local Honda dealer told my mechanic that the bearings will keep failing because the car is lowered. That's a load of crap.
Any ideas why that would happen? I know my mechanic used an impact gun on the top plate/bearing back in November. I'm thinking that's what caused it. You guys see failures when dropping an Si with a similar set up? Car rides very well right now.

Sorry for the long story. Figured better to be detailed with my issue.
P.S. I did see the stock failed bearing. Wow. Very crappy quality imo and the ball bearings are tiny.

 

Anything? Does anyone have any comments concerning a problem like this?

 

Maybe the pressure from a stiffer spring rate could have aided in it's premature wear, but I doubt it.

I have been working on all my car's suspensions for the last 12 years, and the only time I have seen a strut bearing fail was on my 1998 Buick when I accidentally pulled it apart, spilling the bearings all over. I have had multiple lowered Civics and worked on dozens of other lowered vehicles and I've honestly never ran into that issue.

Not to say it couldn't happen though...

 

Very unusual issue. We deal with struts and lowered cars every day, however we always suggest using OEM bearings for replacement/repair. I would not be concerned with it. These Hondas are not prone to this bearing failure, and a mild lowering should not pose a problem. I cannot comment on your D2 installation, as we have no experience with them here at our shop.
Team Progress.

 

My strut bearings have been creaking for a while also. I believe it is just a poor design by Honda entirely, not a modification issue. I say this because my suspension is modified as well, with the HFP kit. Pretty sure the kit uses the same bearings as the OEM units. It creaks horribly at slow speeds in parking lots/ drive ways etc like you outlined above.

 

Thanks for the feedback guys. Using the impact gun I'm sure did not help. Honda asks for 33 ft/lbs of torque on the top nut. I'm sure it's twice that if not a whole lot more when using an impact gun. This time he didn't use the impact gun. Let's see what happens. The only bad thing is he couldn't get stock strut bearings. To my fear I think he used Monroe bearings. I'll see how long these last. I lowered quite a few VW GTIs and GLIs in my time. Never had an issue dropping them. Always used Eibach or H&R springs. Mainly Bilstein for shocks. Thanks again.

 

Quick question Progress Tech. What tool do you guys use on the top plate bolt that holds the bearing and top plate to the strut piston rod? As the bolt is quite recessed and it lists for 33 ft/lbs of torque I wanted to see what makes sense to use. Thanks!

By the way I ordered a set of Moog strut bearings for the Si. What was installed in there last week makes noises as turning to almost full lock. Both to left and right. I believe going with Moog is a good choice.

 

Where did you get the Moog strut bearing?

The only place I could find an aftermarket top hat/strut bearing combo was NAPA, and I don't know what brand it is so I didn't order them yet.

 

Here's the link of the place I got them from.
http://www.rockauto.com/dbphp/x,cata...G_K160222.html

www.rockauto.com
Part no. is: K160222

 

That an entire top hat assembly or just the bearing portion? I don't see any pics.

 

The entire set up is included. Got them yesterday. Top hat and bearing. You just snap them together. The set up is $47 each. Shipping was like $9. So the whole thing cost me just under $100 bucks. About $80 cheaper than going with the dealer part.
I must say. The way the bearing is designed in the Honda set up seems weak at the surface where the top of the spring sits on.
I'll swap what's on there now next Monday. What the mechanic installed is definitely not a Moog part. And the creaking when turning to full lock is very obvious. I'm pretty sure now that the aftermarket part he got from his supplier was Monroe. I definitely want the Moog in there.

 

Moog makes great products. Do you have any pictures of the Moog product in comparison to the OEM or Monroe pieces?

 

I have the Moog strut bearings are in the boxes they came in. I'll try to take a picture but not sure you'll see anything that stands out. I don't see a huge difference from the stock part. The Monroe part is all over the web. There are pictures. I like Moog products too.

 

I will definitely be looking into this. Good work.

 

I found these for 40$. # 13 in the photo http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...SHOCK+ABSORBER.

 

I got the Moog top hat and bearing for $47.
www.rockauto.com
Part no. is: K160222

 

His original bearing failed in the first place, and was looking for a suitable aftermarket replacement

 

Moog strut bearings assemblies installed today. Top hat and bearing. I'll be keeping an eye now to see how they do. Torqued everything to spec. The Eibach Prokit springs were correctly put back on the Skunk shocks. The entire strut assembly looked just right going back on the car. I'm hoping this did the trick. The other strut bearings were definitely not Moog parts. They've been on the car for less than a month and boy were they lose when I took them off! I expect this to be the final time I take the damn suspension apart. Tired of doing it.