I hear there are ways of lowering a 1st Gen CRX without buying anything.. Something with the front torsion bars... If Anyone knows of this, please explain and pics would be nice too.. I'm a broke *** 18 year old with a stock 86' Si.. Anytype of mod i would love pretty much

 

Well, there are several ways to do this. I would recomend this web site: http://www.redpepperracing.com They are all about 1st gen cars. Check out the FAQ section and you will get the answers you need.


Bob

 

Taken from the FAQ at http://www.redpepperracing.com

First the basics- the early CRX has torsion bars, rather than springs in the front. Honda used T-bars to save space, reduce unsprung weight and allow a lower front profile. In the rear, there is a beam axle located by trailing arms and a Panhard bar with coil springs. Inside the rear axle is a torsion bar that acts as a rear sway bar. In the front, there is a conventional sway bar.

To lower the car, you need shorter springs and reset torsion bars ***Important Note*** When you lower the rear, the axle moves closer to the driver's side. To correctly reposition the rear axle to the center of the car, you will need an adjustable Panhard bar. They are available from http://www.opmmotorsports.com. Coil overs are the best way to lower the rear. http://www.ground-control.com sells a couple different options for coil overs. If you are cheap you can use the rear springs from the Civic Wagon or the Integra and cut one coil off. Cutting coil springs is generally not a good idea, but the simplicity of the CRX rear suspension allows a measure of crudeness.

In the front, the front torsion bars can be adjusted lower about 1/2" by loosening the adjustment nut underneath the car on each side. To get the front really low, you will need to take the torsion bars out and reposition them 1 notch lower. If your car is a 100% racecar, get the thickest torsion bars you can find (OPM Motorsports has a selection). Lowering the car reduces suspension travel. You can increase suspension travel by filing off the brake line bracket on the front struts and positioning the struts 1-inch lower in the front knuckles. Camber plates will also give you some more suspension travel at the top of the strut. Adjustable struts are expensive, but they allow you the opportunity to fine-tune your suspension. If you are not racing, maybe you do not need adjustable struts.

Increasing camber and caster will wear out your tires faster, but will help you on the racetrack. An alternative to camber plates is to bolt on the lower arms from an Integra to get about 1 degree of negative camber. Caster can be added by loosening the sub-frame, pulling the entire front end forward with a winch and then re-tightening the sub-frame. Suspension Techniques and OPM sell a bolt on rear sway bar, which is a good idea to add to your car. There are many opinions about the front sway bar on the CRX. Some people suggest removing it completely, others advocate using the thicker Civic Wagon front sway bar. Changing the front sway bar is a PITA. For street and Autocross use, I kept the stock bar with new bushings.


That should help you out. I suggest maybe reading the forums on the site I mentioned for more help

 

thanks alot to the both of you.. but im a noob when it comes to suspensions i went out there and looked underneath it and i seen what i think are the torsion bars but im not sure.. if anyone knows where there might be pics of this please linky linky... thanks

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by White86CRXSi &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">thanks alot to the both of you.. but im a noob when it comes to suspensions i went out there and looked underneath it and i seen what i think are the torsion bars but im not sure.. if anyone knows where there might be pics of this please linky linky... thanks</TD></TR></TABLE>


There is an 87 CRX Shop Manual on rpr's site that you can browse for pics of everything. Top right corner of Forums page.

 

yes.. i know im dumb.. but link? thanks.. lol

 

It has nothing to do with being dumb; seems to me more like lazy

http://www.redpepperracing.com/technical/

 

lol possibly.. but ive done it, i adjusted the nut down til there were no more threads showing on both sides.. nice noticeable difference steering is slightly different and it rides a bit more rough.. Is this safe for them to be adjusted down so far.. and what would happen if i took the nut completely off? thanks for all the help

 

I am the guy who compiled the 1st Gen CRX FAQ file.

If you have adjusted the nuts as low as they can go and your car is still not low enough for you, you will need to remove the torsion bars and reset them one notch lower. This is not a very hard job, you should be able to do it in your garage in an afternoon.

Something to consider- The 1st Gen CRX did not come from the factory with a lot of suspension travel and lowering the car eats up some opf that limited travel. ARe you REALLY sure you want to slam that car?

Read the FAQ file (email me at cbstd@hotmail.com for the latest version) for all the details on lowerin, adding suspension travel after lowering and other topics of interest.

Scott