just looking to improve my suspension / braking system a little bit ... not the top of the line, but a very smooth, long lasting suspension set up... can someone help me out here? I was thinking of upgrading the Master cylinder to a 15/16 91 EX (correct?)

my car
1990 civic DX HB, stock shocks from when car was purchased, stock springs, rotors are warped I beleive (when I press on the brakes hard at high speeds it shakes very hard)...

 

for the springs. get Goldline. good quality for a cheaper price, compared to the Eibach and such... Please don't get APC or Matrix, i had both on different cars and had bad experiences with them.
as for springs, anything aftermaket will be expensive, but check at local stores or ebay, u may finbd some good things for cheap!

 

do you want to lower your car at all?... if so, how much?

 

i dont want to really lower it, but if it is cheaper to just buy the springs and drop it an inch or inch 1/2 it should be fine ... just want to smooth out my ride some

 

if you don't want to lower it just keep your springs and get some better struts... like kyb gr2's or tociko blue's... some cheap strut bars may help out a bit as well... or sway bars

 

where can I get those shocks? dont have 88-91 on ebay

 

http://www.mmr-usa.com

 

For shocks and springs you can get quality aftermarket units for cheap (progress, goldline, ebay) Secondly you can swap the stock rear disk brakes off a 90-91 integra or civic ex sedan. You need basically everything that has to do with the rear suspension (CA's, trailing link, knuckle& hub, when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING!) emergency brake (cables, brackets,etc) and everything else that makes up the rear braking system. Now the fronts can be upgraded with 90-91 integra and civic ex sedan. (You'll need the knuckle & hub, caliper mounting bracket, calipers, rotors, brake lines (you could upgrade here with some non-expensive braided steel lines. goodridge makes some)) As for shocks, KYB or Tokico make good performance gas shocks that will make you very happy.


[Modified by MNTuner, 4:18 PM 12/8/2002]

 

Anyone here using Ohlins or Penske suspension on their EF?

Are they any good for street use? Can it be rebuilt? If its rebuildable, can you disassemble and assemble the struts at home? Maybe the nitrogen filling part has to be done outside.

Any info on this would be much appreciated. Thanks.

 

http://www.inlinefour.com
KYB GR2's $242
Tokico Blues- $234
imo... i would try to stay away from ebay springs, coilovers, or anything that is going to be under lots of stress and greatly affect my car... i'd rather spend a few $ and know that i'm getting a quality product that will last

 

thanks for the site and info, can someone clear up strut / sway / tower / tie bars for me? there are so many bars I don't understand which / where each one goes!!!

also, what exactly does a steel braided brake line do?


[Modified by SteveeeO, 8:46 PM 12/8/2002]

 

strut bars, also called tie bars or tower bars, go on the top and/or bottom of your struts to keep them from flexing in corners... sway bars go underneath your car and help reduce body roll... steel braided brake lines just provide extra protection for the line to keep it from springing leaks

 

also less of a "balloning" effect which means more pressure getting to the brake cylinder.

 

wow, can't say I've ever heard of these brands, where exactly is Kuala Lumpur WP?

 

If I recall doesn't Penske make really uber high end shocks for like little formula cars, GT cars, etc? I've never seen a set on anything other than a race car.

Btw, for good street springs I'm currently running eibach pro's. Not to shabby, 1 inch or so drop, real easy goin on the bumps but there when you need them in a turn. As for shocks i'm gonna say something basic like KYB or tociko blues.

 

If you want to smooth out your ride, you should replace your springs as well as your shocks. Springs tend to wear out (despite what their appearance may be) because of the loading/unloading action they see repeatedly, and over time, they are cold worked and lose their original spring rates. The textbook approach to replacing springs is 30k miles (I know, not very practical, but true nonetheless).

Most people replace shocks only because they seem to be the most noticeable items with wear and ignore the springs.

For a smooth ride, go with OEM spec suspension. No lowering necessary. If you lower it, and still want a smooth ride, your costs will go up. For the best bang for the buck setup, Tokico Illumina R is a good kit (adjustable shocks, coilover springs) from what I've heard.

I've also heard progressive springs offer good quality highway comfort, with excellent cornering ability.

Anyway, if you get anything other than OEM spec, you will lose some/most of your stock feel and will have a little bumpier ride ... but who can say no to cornering w/o body roll!!??

 

WP = West Point michigan


origianl post:
...can't say I've ever heard of these brands, where exactly is Kuala Lumpur WP...


[Modified by MNTuner, 5:37 PM 12/9/2002]

 

shox.com order some bilsteins. good price, good struts.

 

i put a set of kyb gr2's on my car and i love them. they are pretty firm, yet the ride really nice. combined with my cheapo ebay coilovers(which by the way seem way better than any lowering spring ive ever used) im really happy with the setup. supposedly my coils are a name brand with the name on them. i got the pretty cheap, and they are super stiff and ride great too. i put an extra set of bushings on so that helps. a little ghetto rigging was needed for the back springs, but that wasnt hard at all. it handles really well.

 

What company were the springs from???

 

Jeez, $242 for GR2s. Check http://www.tirerack.com for GR2s, I paid $40 a piece for the fronts, and $34 a piece for the backs. They are great, especially compared to stock

 

umm anyone know about this site? that is over $70 cheaper than the other site ...

thanks btw

 

yeah that is alot cheaper... i never really looked into the gr2's cause i knew they wouldn't be able to handle my springs for very long, so i didn't know how much they go for... i went for the koni yellows... tirerack.com should be a good place to buy from... never bought from them myself, but i've heard lots of others have