I was looking for shocks for my CRX Si and noticed the 88 lists different part numbers from the 89-91 models, but has the same basic body style. Whats the diff?

 

The 88 used the Integra rear suspension which was a passive rear steer setup. Supposeably better, as it flexed during hard cornering helping to "steer" the rear of the car. I have a set if you need spares.

 

the new itr actually still uses same kinda setup for the rear. so it must work pretty good. i've had an 89,90 and now i drive an 88 and i like it better personally. the only thing that pissed me off is that the newer 89-91 si seats dont bolt in only three bolts work.

 

1988 models also had the seatbelts mounted on the door frame as opposed to the later cars (except 1989 HF) which had them mounted to the doors. The earlier doors are fairly different from the later ones and the car weighs a bit less too.

 

I'm kinda new to the Honda thing, so thanks for everyone being patient. The rear steer being taken into account, is it worth the effort to do the 89-91 Si rear susp swap then? I know discs are better, but if someone has a legit arguement that the 88 is adequate, its obviously cheaper to keep whats there & build off of it. Since the car doesnt seem to be selling, I may as well just keep & build it, as its one of the best CRX's original I've seen. Here's the barrage of followup questions:
What are the best mods to do first besides the B16 swap?
Whats the big difference in the seats between 88 & the later models?
What is the difference in the shocks bet. 88 & 89-91?
Whats the best bang for the buck on suspension to make it a fun canyon racer?

A brief outline of my use for the car: Daily commuter, weekend canyon racer, might try Auto X if the suspension turns out well. 1/4 mile is fun, but dig the corners more, anyone can mash a skinny pedal. ( thats gonna catch me some grief ). Thanks in advance guys, I get questions about 4x4 stuff in my job, I turn to you guys for professional advice on this stuff.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dough-boy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'm kinda new to the Honda thing, so thanks for everyone being patient. The rear steer being taken into account, is it worth the effort to do the 89-91 Si rear susp swap then? I know discs are better, but if someone has a legit arguement that the 88 is adequate, its obviously cheaper to keep whats there & build off of it. I have '90's so this is just what I've read. Most Auto-Xers prefer the '88 suspension. It is not so different that you go to the trouble to swap it. The biggest differences between the two are the mounting points and how they interact, I vote for leaving it. Since the car doesnt seem to be selling, I may as well just keep & build it, as its one of the best CRX's original I've seen. Here's the barrage of followup questions:
What are the best mods to do first besides the B16 swap?
Whats the big difference in the seats between 88 & the later models?
As someone said the rails are different and the fabric and colors are slighty different
What is the difference in the shocks bet. 88 & 89-91?
On the Si, the stock shocks are gas/oil charged, on all years I think. But the way the '88 rears mount to the LCA is different. The fronts are the same for all 4 years.
Whats the best bang for the buck on suspension to make it a fun canyon racer? Tokicos or KYB shocks and sport springs, camber kit.

A brief outline of my use for the car: Daily commuter, weekend canyon racer, might try Auto X if the suspension turns out well. 1/4 mile is fun, but dig the corners more, anyone can mash a skinny pedal. ( thats gonna catch me some grief ). Thanks in advance guys, I get questions about 4x4 stuff in my job, I turn to you guys for professional advice on this stuff. </TD></TR></TABLE> My disclaimer: These are just my opinions. Feel free to ignore my suggestions

 

4crx4me you inadvertently left out sway bar upgrade Suspension Techniques makes a decent one.

 

I did the upgrade on my '88 Si just to get the discs. As far as I could see, the only difference was the lower control arms and the way the rear shocks mounted to them. The '88 set up may be better, but I'm not sure why. The discs work better for me because I don't have to screw around with adjusting drums before each racing event I go to (track days, autocross, Solo 1 hillclimbs). Shocks are also easier to find for the '89-91 arms than the '88 only ones. The '88 arms are also worth a decent amount of money to road racers. The change to the disc set up added about 30 pounds to the back end of the car too.

I'm never more astonished when I see people doing the engine swap first. That should be the LAST thing you do. Build the suspension first off and get a feeling for how well the car handles. I'd suggest going with a good coilover set up, new bushings and sway bars before you do anything else. Drive the car that way for a while and get the most out of it. Then take some drivers schools either at an autocross venue (Evolution schools are good) or at a track (like a NASA lapping day). The most important thing yiou can do is FIX THE LOOSE NUT BEHIND THE STEERING WHEEL! Becoming a better driver will make you faster than any single bolt on part will. You'll also be able to take those skills with you when you trade/sell/crash the current CRX and move on to something else.

'88 seats are different than any other years. They do not have the seatbelt buckles mounted on the seat tracks. The '89 seats are very similar to the '88 versions but the buckles are mounted to the tracks because in that year (as well as '90 and '91) the seatbelts themselves were mounted to the doors of the car.

'90 and 91 seats had a different fabric style on them and they were made by Honda under license from Recaro while the '88 and '89 seats were actually made by Recaro. I don't know if the seat tracks are different. I've heard different stories about it and don't know for sure.

Only the the '88 rears are different from the rest. The lower mounting point is more like an ITR than the Civic. Swap out the lower control arm with a later one and you can then install '89-'91 shocks which are cheaper and easier to find. That usually happens with a rear disc swap.

Depends on your budget and what class you may want to run when autocrossing. In stock classes you can use any shock but must retain the stock springs. In street prepared and street mod you can do anything you want short of changing the suspension mounting points. Decide if you are going to worry about classing first and then go with your suspension choice. I like the Ground Control coilover set up and either Illuminas or Koni shocks. Other people have told me great things about the new Progress coilover set up. Ask around and drive a few different cars to see what you like and what's in your budget.

Anything you do do the CRX will most likely be fine for a canyon racer. Stay away from the cheap shocks and springs and you'll be fine. Remember, you always get what you pay for and if you don't do it right the first time, you'll end up having to do it right the second time around.

 

Since I'm fine with my current seats I have no problem sticking with them so long as the newer ones dont give any additional headroom, the top of my noggin brushes the headliner. I cant see doing the rear swap and adding 30 lbs if the existing setup handles better, right? Is there a way to swap discs and keep the 88 suspension for handling advantages? Also, is Suspension Techniques a good setup for springs/swaybars, cause I get a smokin deal on them throug work & would rather go for something I can buy through a vendor we deal with at discount than go full pop with other stuff all things being equal... or should I go coilovers and Integra swaybars? Front brake upgrades best bang for the buck? ( got 16" rims, although nobody can ID what style of rim they are, but everyone who sees them thinks theyre swet, and theyre very light.. I'll get some pics as soon as I get a serial adapter so I can upload from my digital, my new laptop has no serial port & my digi cam has no USB upload cable, go figure... )