Honda Civic / Del Sol (1992 - 2000) EG/EH/EJ/EK/EM1 Discussion

Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions..

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Old May 30, 2003 | 11:05 AM
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1point7T's Avatar
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Default Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions..

The front shocks are pretty shot on it.. so I'm thinking that a 'tiny' bit of improvement is in order..
What Shock/Spring setup would you guys recommend as far as improving the handling while still maintaining a comfortable ride?

I have Koni Yellows and WeaponR Circuit Pros on my Integra, I don't want anything that extreme on the del sol...

I'm thinking of an Eibach ProKit and Tokicos or Koni Reds(if available)?
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Old May 30, 2003 | 12:09 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

Congratulations on your purchase

What was extreme about the Teg's ride? Was it bouncy? Stiff? It was probably the coilovers' fault. The Pro-Kit will give you a much nicer ride, and a subtle drop. Should be just the ticket. Koni yellows are still a good choice for a shock, IMHO, but they can get a bit expensive.

Here's a friend of mine's car with Pro-Kit springs:

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Old May 30, 2003 | 01:37 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (delsolguy)

Are you ready to pull the engine? I'll take it! lol
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Old May 30, 2003 | 01:40 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (RSZero1)

Tein Springs and KYB AGXs
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Old May 30, 2003 | 08:25 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (WAFFLES)

The ProKit and Koni Red combo will be MROE than satisfactory. Going with two race-proven brands for something as important as suspension is never a bad idea.

Ground Control coilover sleeves with Koni Yellow shocks is an extrememely popular combo on H-T, as well. Killer adjustable setup for reasonable money. Also race-proven.

My personal setup is Koni Yellows and Neuspeed SofSports (from when H&R made Neuspeed springs). Compliant enought for regular street use, and sporty enough for a n00b autocrosser (me). I'll probably step up to Ground Controls sometime in the future.


edit--great purchase, by the way. There are only about 6000 Del Sol VTECs in the US.
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Old May 30, 2003 | 11:05 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

Yeah, I was surprised to find it on autotrader.. I almost never see them for sale anywhere.. last one I saw was at a small dealership last year.. low mileage, really good condition, but they wanted 9K for it.. then it disappeared and showed up at a bigger honda dealership, where they were asking 11K for it.. way too much..

This one cost me 6300, body is almost perfect (for a 94..)
I do need a couple stupid things.. rearview mirror, ash tray cover, new gas cap..
Something's up with the front end.. the steering wheel shakes a tiny bit on the expressway, it pulls to the right a little bit, one of the bearings is definitely going bad, but the big thing is.. after going over bumps on the expressway, the whole front end feels like it's shaking apart.. but it subsides almost right away..
It doesn't feel like anything in the steering.. it almost feels like it could be the motor mounts.. the shifter shakes around with the front end.. it's wierd, i've never seen anything like it, but i'm guessing it could be the shocks..
aside from that, the shocks are definitely shot, the front end floats over bumps..

As for the extremety of my integra's suspension.. in addition to the weaponRs and the konis, it's got a rear progress sway bar, ES bushings, kosei 15s with 205/50s
it rides like its on rails, and I like it a lot, but i just want something less expensive and more comfortable for this car.. but still better than stock..

has anyone used upgraded sway bars without putting on shocks/springs?
I just hate all the body roll..
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Old May 31, 2003 | 06:15 AM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1point7T &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Something's up with the front end.. the steering wheel shakes a tiny bit on the expressway, it pulls to the right a little bit, one of the bearings is definitely going bad, but the big thing is.. after going over bumps on the expressway, the whole front end feels like it's shaking apart.. but it subsides almost right away..
It doesn't feel like anything in the steering.. it almost feels like it could be the motor mounts.. the shifter shakes around with the front end.. it's wierd, i've never seen anything like it, but i'm guessing it could be the shocks..
aside from that, the shocks are definitely shot, the front end floats over bumps..

has anyone used upgraded sway bars without putting on shocks/springs?
I just hate all the body roll..
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds like you need an alignment check, motor mounts need to be checked too. The del Sol really benefits from stiffer suspension, but I would avoid upgrading the rear anti-roll bar unless you stiffen the coils/shocks. There's a tendancy for subframe tear out that I believe occurs when stiff anti-roll bars are used in conjunction with soft coils/shocks.

Take a look at my site (link in sig) for suspension ideas on my del Sol.

Steve
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Old May 31, 2003 | 09:28 AM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1point7T &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Yeah, I was surprised to find it on autotrader.. I almost never see them for sale anywhere.. last one I saw was at a small dealership last year.. low mileage, really good condition, but they wanted 9K for it.. then it disappeared and showed up at a bigger honda dealership, where they were asking 11K for it.. way too much..

This one cost me 6300, body is almost perfect (for a 94..)

You should have your tires checked. There could be a bulge or a belt broke and that would make it send off over bumps then re balence itself. I had this problem before. Let us know.
I do need a couple stupid things.. rearview mirror, ash tray cover, new gas cap..
Something's up with the front end.. the steering wheel shakes a tiny bit on the expressway, it pulls to the right a little bit, one of the bearings is definitely going bad, but the big thing is.. after going over bumps on the expressway, the whole front end feels like it's shaking apart.. but it subsides almost right away..
It doesn't feel like anything in the steering.. it almost feels like it could be the motor mounts.. the shifter shakes around with the front end.. it's wierd, i've never seen anything like it, but i'm guessing it could be the shocks..
aside from that, the shocks are definitely shot, the front end floats over bumps..

As for the extremety of my integra's suspension.. in addition to the weaponRs and the konis, it's got a rear progress sway bar, ES bushings, kosei 15s with 205/50s
it rides like its on rails, and I like it a lot, but i just want something less expensive and more comfortable for this car.. but still better than stock..

has anyone used upgraded sway bars without putting on shocks/springs?
I just hate all the body roll..
</TD></TR></TABLE> THis could be because a bulge in your tire. Or a belt broke in your tires. I had this happen to me before..


Modified by Greggycoupe at 1:42 PM 5/31/2003
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Old May 31, 2003 | 09:39 AM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (Greggycoupe)

I'm using 1.8" eibach sportlines and kyb agx struts.




Drew
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Old May 31, 2003 | 09:44 AM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (Greggycoupe)

KYB AGX are pretty good for the money...

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Old May 31, 2003 | 08:16 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (EVIL Hx Coupe)

congrats on an awesome purchase. i'll be getting my 95 si vtec soon as well.
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Old Jun 1, 2003 | 09:31 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

Ok, I have a spare set of wheels/tires I can throw on tomorrow to check for that..
If that doesn't help any, then I'm going to take it to an alignment shop and see if they'll diagnose it for free.. haha, I don't mind doing the work, I just can't figure out what's wrong with this..

Mooseknuckle: how does your car ride? Is it stiff?

sang: yours will have abs and a trunk release right? I'll trade you..

Anyone know where I can get replacement seals for the removable top?
How much do they run? My **** is leaking pretty badly..
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Old Jun 4, 2003 | 11:19 PM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 1point7T &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Anyone know where I can get replacement seals for the removable top?
How much do they run? My **** is leaking pretty badly..
</TD></TR></TABLE>

This should help you out:

http://www.teamsolwa.com/roofsealreplace.html

The seals can be purchased from your favorite Honda dealer
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Old Jun 5, 2003 | 02:22 AM
  #14  
othick's Avatar
 
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Default

I just bought mine 2 months ago. It had the eibach/koni red combo in it. It's a pretty good ride for having aftermarket springs and struts. A lot cushier than my other cars with coil-overs. The eibachs don't lower it very far, I might end up switching to something else. I'm very pleased with the del sol, It was a great car loaded with aftermarket goodies for only 5k. Hope you like yours as much as I do.
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Old Jun 5, 2003 | 06:07 AM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

I ended up buying an Eibach Pro-Kit and KYB HR2s..
I'm planning on installing it all on saturday.. I've talked to other people with this setup on other cars, and it sounds like what I want..

I ordered a replacement seal for the passenger side from the Honda dealership, there's an entire chunk missing out of it, which is causing the pass side leak.
I cleaned the **** out of all the seals with Meguiars Rubber Sealant/Protectant last night, and it had rained overnight, nothing leaked into the car.. but on the way to work it was still dripping in on the pass side corner a little, but the new seal should fix that..

I dunno if I posted pics of the car yet.. if not.. here they are
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Old Jun 5, 2003 | 06:35 AM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

I have the Pro kit with Tokico blues on my del sol....The ride is very nice and smooth
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Old Jun 11, 2003 | 06:40 AM
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Default Re: Just bought a '94 Del Sol VTEC.. couple quick questions.. (1point7T)

Well, after destroying some rusted *** rear control arm shock bolts, I've got the pro-kit and kybs on..
I've only driven a little bit.. but the ride is definitely a lot closer to stock than it is to race..
I like the ride, but I think that a little better shocks wouldn't have been a bad idea, they feel like they struggle to keep up with the springs.. but I'm not sure yet.. it hasn't even been on the car for 12 hours yet..
the shaking in the front end is gone.. one of the shocks was completely dead..
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