I was just curious..

My car is pretty much stock, it is a 94 hatch. Are the factors of the small width of wheels, light weight, and being jacked up.. the cause of the car being unsteady at higher speeds?

My DSM is planted on the ground at 100+.. the hatch, I am very scared.

If I lower the car with good suspension, put some wider wheels on, 'spoon' wing, and front lip, etc.. does it make a huge difference at higher speeds?

Just looking for some personal experience.

 

That seems to be the case with practically every smaller car I drive, dropped or not. I doubt lowering it/new tires would help noticeably. Just keep a hand on the wheel during windy days..

 

droping it should help a LITTLE but not a big difference just wont let a lot of air get under ur car.

 

yep, i have the same prob with my hatch. its just an issue w/ small, lightweight cars. lowering it does help some though or at least it did for me. just watch out for those bumps/potholes!

 

Got ya.. I do always keep two hands on the wheel at higher speeds... Just feels safer. I would rather be safe then try to look pimped out holding on with one hand.

So even the spoon wing doesn't make hardly any difference? Mainly just for looks?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by s7e &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Got ya.. I do always keep two hands on the wheel at higher speeds... Just feels safer. I would rather be safe then try to look pimped out holding on with one hand.

So even the spoon wing doesn't make hardly any difference? Mainly just for looks?</TD></TR></TABLE>

2 hands is much safter and yes...the Spoon wing is just for looks. (IMHO)

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by s7e &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I was just curious..

My car is pretty much stock, it is a 94 hatch. Are the factors of the small width of wheels, light weight, and being jacked up.. the cause of the car being unsteady at higher speeds?

My DSM is planted on the ground at 100+.. the hatch, I am very scared.

If I lower the car with good suspension, put some wider wheels on, 'spoon' wing, and front lip, etc.. does it make a huge difference at higher speeds?

Just looking for some personal experience.</TD></TR></TABLE>

It has nothing to do with being light weight honda...its the case of drivetrain layout, Front wheel drive. All front drive vehicles has that kind of bugs!! I did notice an improvement with new suspension and wider wheels on my eg hatch!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by s7e &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So even the spoon wing doesn't make hardly any difference? Mainly just for looks?</TD></TR></TABLE>

dont listen to people who say wings are just for looks. they wouldnt be able to notice downforce if it bit them in the ***. if you want your car to be stable at high speeds, get a stiffer suspention set up, put a front lip on there and a duckbill spoiler. the front lip will cause less air to travel under the car, resulting in a more stable feel at higher speeds, and the duckbill will create more downforce, resulting in the same effect. and lowering the car DOES help. the less air traveling under the car, the more stable the car will feel.

 

My car has about a 2" drop, 16" wheels, 45 series tires and it feels very stable at 100.. I've never gone over 100 though

 

I personally found that when I put 195 tires on and lowered my car 2"...the car is much more stable at high speeds.

Another thing is that, a DSM weighs like 500lbs more than a Civic, a lighter car will tend to get blown around more on the freeway

 

drop it and add si/ctr front and rear lip and side skirts should help a little bit, but yeah keep your hand firm on the wheel on those windy days

 

you car also has weaker stock suspension not meant for high speeds. i noticed a lot of a difference when i went to heavier b series engine and suspension, but theres not to much u can do to keep a civic from getting blown by wind.

 

I have a Del Sol (93 si) and I do ~130 and It feels very stable. I like the way it feels. the only thing that is scary is going over a hill. (and no I dont do it often, just on the highway at 3:30 am going to texas. ) no wing, just slammed 3 inches and a kit.

-Frost

 

ive notice that hatches are more prone to unstability...
i had a 94 eg and it seem to shake a lot and seem to feel unstable at high speeds.
i have a 2000 coupe ex and for sure, its a lot more stable..
i think weight and size has a definate factor in being stable

 

at 100+ my eg feels really stable but i do have a swap and full suspension and wider tires. soon ill be getting a lip and spoon wing to further help my car plant itself.

 

I actually just got home after going almost 120 on the freeway in a 93 dx.

I actually noticed that it felt very stable,
not much different than being at 85 or so.

currently my car has 14" steelies, and oversized(diameter) tires cuz they're from my friends 99 coupe.
but it is lowered 3" with coilovers and kyb agx's(and some tweaks for more suspension travel)

I also have front/rear strut tower braces.
which help alot actually when your going really fast.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by BauleyCivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Another thing is that, a DSM weighs like 500lbs more than a Civic, a lighter car will tend to get blown around more on the freeway</TD></TR></TABLE>

Try like ~1000 lbs.. Hehe.. VX is like ~2200 .. 2G AWD is like ~3200. Plus I have 215's all around on the DSM and it is a lil lower?

 

make sure your tire pressures are correct. the guy who i bought my car from had the rear tires jacked up to 80 psi and my car was hopping off the ground on the interstate (!)

-zelif

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by zelifcam &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">make sure your tire pressures are correct. the guy who i bought my car from had the rear tires jacked up to 80 psi and my car was hopping off the ground on the interstate (!)

-zelif</TD></TR></TABLE>

yikes!! WTF!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Tad &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

yikes!! WTF!</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah it started to crack the tires also on the sidewalls... had to get new ones