Hi,

I've had my 92 CX for less than a month, but i've been researching about building a honda for about 1.5 years. ANyways, most of the knowledge i've aquired has been about engine modifications. But to me the engine is only a small part of the equation, so i'm determined to learn more about my car's handling. Basically what i'm looking to find out is what is a good suspension set up for my car. I'm on a decently tight budget, and this is my daily-driver that i will be auto-crossing. So with that in mind, what are some suggestions, and ideas of things that have worked for you.? Thanks

oh btw...i just got some 95 gsr wheels and some pirelli p700's so that's taken care of...thanks

 

do a search if you want more ideas.

what i VERY strongly recommend is that you leave the car completely stock and go to a bunch of events. spend what little money you have on learning to drive. you'll go MUCH faster in the end.

nate

 

stock...no way...i really don't care about winning my class, or winning at all, i just want to beat my dad. i did a search.....any other suggestions? i'm asking for components that have worked well for you. I know that a strut tower brace is a waste of time, and puts me into a different class, but with a motor swap i'll be in a difficult class anyways. ALL I REALLY WANT TO KNOW is what spring/shock setup should i use?

 

he already gave you your answer...SEARCH. it's been covered more times than one can count in this forum alone.

 

Call Ground Control or Truechoice or OPM. They will hook you up.

Most people start with a set of off-the-shelf Konis and a coil over kit with Eibach springs. Rates should be anywhere from 350-500F and 450-600R. If you use a massive rear swaybar, make sure to reinforce the subframe, it is a weak point on the Civic.

 

well... if you were planning on running stock class, the new rims that you got will boot you right out now that you've been kicked into STS with plenty of other higher grip/powered cars you've little chance of really being competitive but you said that didn't matter, right? Now on to beating your dad go to as many events as you can and get plenty of seat time before you increase the handling limits of the car. Right now the weak point is going to be you, the driver. After your skills improve you can look at going with something fairly basic like the aforementioned coilover's and koni's along with a bigger rear bar and reinforced subframe. Don't forget to look into getting some better tires too... maybe Potenza S0-2's if you've got the $$ to burn or a better choice, imo, would be the Falken Azenis.

 

the problem is that i'm broke....i do want to lose the body roll tho.

 

Then for sure don't spend any money on suspension modifications. Drive, drive, and drive some more. There is no better value-for-money, in terms of decreased lap times, than practice.

Have fun!

Kirk

 

I'll answer your question - get some GCs 340/400 with koni yellows, an ITR rear sway bar, some better tires and you will be set (for now) as far as handling. That's just if you want some handling suggestions, class requirements are a different issue altogether (see prior posts).

 

 

ok, i understand that to go faster around a course i need to improve my driving skills, and that no amount of suspension mods will make a crappy driver a winner at autocross. I got that, as a matter of fact i already had that. My question is what are some good upgrades to make my car handle better. From some searching that i did before this post i understand that some good upgrades are GSR suspension pieces. Front and rear sway bars, and what is a Beeks kit? What about Si pieces (99-00) The first thing that i will be upgrading will be the springs and shocks.....what is a quality piece that i could use to improve handling without killing me over speedbumps, railroad tracks, and potholes........THANX

 

How about an Evolution Performance Driving School. You'll be sure to beat your dad then.

http://www.autocross.com/evolution

aj

 

you wanna sponsor me? haha...there's no way i'd be able to go without my pops taggin along....so we'd be back to square one...plus when i get back from driving school i don't want to hop into a car that feels like it's gonna tip over when i take a turn. So back to the question at hand....or should i got to the EG+ civic forum to get advice on handling

 

I'd only recommend quality parts. The problem is, quality parts and broke just don't go together.

Start with a decent set of shocks - KYB AGX (good) - Koni Yellow (better), then decide what to do about springs. Going with coilover sleeves will allow you to choose exactly the spring rates that you want, but will run you more than buying springs alone. In general, stiffer springs could lead to better handling, but reduced ride quality. Decide where your priority lies and go make a purchase.

 

hey what carolina are you from?

 

Raleigh NC -- as it says under my name.

 

fyi, i've been autocrossing for a little over 3 years now. for the first year, i drove my car completely stock, on the factory 100k+ mile shocks on "h" rated tires. for my first couple of events i was literally dead fawkin last. by a huge margin, like 15 seconds and such. yeah, spending $1000 on suspension would have made my car 1 second faster, but i didn't have that much money then. instead i spent $75 on a driving school. after just that one school i went from 15 seconds back to only 5 seconds back. towards the end of the season i was finishing in the top 5 in the novice class using the ES pax time, all the while on street tires. the guys i were chasing were all on kumho's or hoosiers and kept asking just _what_ kind of "h" rated tire i was using to be even close to them. food for thought. also, at nearly every event i went to i had an instructor in the passenger seat. people who are more experienced then you are your greatest and cheapest resource for going faster, not your local speed shop.

question: are you just trying to make your car "handle" better (or "look" better), or are you trying to beat your dad? my advice is for the latter, since any true racecar driver isn't intersted in anything but faster lap times. if you want, i can give you some advice on how to make your car handle better or you can take my advice and the advice of others. fyi, i've spent well over $4000 on suspension stuff for my car, and the driver is STILL the weak point. now i wish i spent $4000 on improving the driver instead. hmmm, 10 evolution schools........

nate

 

n.m.


[Modified by thehatchninja, 8:43 PM 12/22/2002]

 

Considering that your CX has a non-stock engine in it (they came with a 1.5 liter, right?) you are not going to be competitive without LOTS of money.

Back to the question: you don't care about being competitive, but that's still not the point. Autocrossing involves the evolution of the driver. Starting out in Street Mod puts you at a large disadvantage, and hinders the evolution. You can still evolve into a great driver but it'll be a bit harder.

Like many people, I started autocrossing in STS. My driving skills are getting better, but I still wish I'd found this stuff earlier.