My Ej6 hatch needs some work right now on the suspension parts. I've got worn struts and torn bushings in one of LCA's. My question is this, if I want to improve my car's street handling, should I stick with the OEM parts or begin pricing out aftermarket LCA's, etc? I wanted to use tien coil overs with milled LCA's and a sway bar set up to improve the ride. I don't want a punishing ride or to use something that wont last as well as the OEM parts.
I also don't want to replace these parts now if I'm just going to do it later with aftermarket stuff.

I want to:

lower the car a little bit later
make the car less sluggish around turns
still enjoy every day driving

 

Koni/Ground Control is a solid combination for struts and springs, and there are a few vendors that sell the combo ready to go in the marketplace. Check that out. Also, see this thread, from the FAQ sticky:

https://honda-tech.com/suspension-br...ility-2967499/

and remember that you get what you pay for. Cheap suspension will not be nice, and will not last. Beyond that, things like sway bars and tie bars can help tighten things up, and there's plenty of information for you to research and learn. You don't need aftermarket LCAs - just get some Hardrace bushings pressed into OEM arms, and you'll be good to go. According to the OEM parts diagram, the DX/LX has the same rear LCAs as the EX, so you could rip the rear sway bar out of an EX and toss that in your car.

 

First things first before you start modifying things, replace the worn OEM components. Tie rods, ball joints, bushings, ect. Or do it all at once.

Figure out what you want from the car. Before you start buying anything.

Next, look into adding sway bars front and rear. Several DIY's on this.

Next, coilovers or shocks/lowering springs. Your call.
(for coilovers, give AMR a call)

Last but basically the most important is tires. Even with top quality everything, you'll have a bad time with shitty tires.

 

I was at the pick n pull today, I found an EX with the front sway and control arms still on, is there any reason it wouldn't work with B series axel's later on? I didn't have the right socket to remove it so I'll come back later.

 

no, it'll work just fine. grab the sway bar and arms, and get new bushings and endlinks

 

It will bolt right on. Grab it before someone else does.

 

all old bushings/joints need replaced. if you have any trans other than an ex trans, swap it for one.. best upgrade for a d series period, and costs around 150. if this is just a daily driver, consider kyb struts and eibach/h&r lowering springs. not too aggressive, no aggressive valving, but a better ride height for a lot less than decent coilovers or the yellow/sleeves setup (which is great, btw, but costly for a d/d)

 

Car probably has worn bushings and balljoints, as stated before you'll need to replace those. After that you can look into a stock swaybar setup. Your skinny tires aren't going to handle those turns either.

 

Thanks Tony, you have justified my purchase of wider tires. What rim and tire size (width) should I go for? I think the car has ITR knock offs or real deal right now.

 

205/50R15 is the go-to.

 

really? i went 195/60/14

 

You're also on what I assume are 14" steelies, which kinda limits you to that size. If OP has ITR knockoffs, then he has (most likely) 15" wheels, or (less likely) 16" wheels, which opens up the world of 205/50 to him.

 

I just checked. They are 14" wheels. And they look a bit small on the car, I wanted 15" because IMO 16" or larger is too big for the car (aesthetically). If I stick with 15", am I screwing myself? Or are there good wheel choices on 15"s? It's not a track car. Just a street / daily.

 

Nope, there are plenty of good wheel options and tire options in a 15" size. 205/50R15 has a lot of tire options, from all season to all-out race tires, and for wheels, you can get damn near anything from OEM styles, to lightweight performance, to crazy mesh, to deep dish. 15" is basically the perfect size for any 92-00 Civic, and if you want to be even more specific, 15"x6.5"x35-42 offset is perfect.

 

awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

correct, with 15in rims you have a wider selection of rims. I stuck with the HX rims which limits me.