Your thoughts on why the ep3 stock ride height so high.

[AzN Si GuY]

When our cars first came out back in 2002 it was the butt of alot of jokes in the tuner world. Fast foreward a few year later to 2004, now it's gained alot of respect and now it's accepted in the tuner-ism like no other.

But back to the topic, me and a few of my friends were talking about why did Honda make the stock ride height for the ep3 so high. One person said Honda might've thought this:

"These kids are going to swap out wheels and mess with the suspension why should we do anything else to it?

It sure would save us alot of money on suspesnsion parts if the stock ride height of the 2002 ep3 wasn't so high maybe a 1.5-1.7 inch drop. I know the HFP comes with a 1.0 drop but that comes with a price and it still looks a little high to.

post thoughts on why here! :cool:

[jaydub]

Most likely because not everybody who buys the Si is an enthusiast, therefore there needs to be room for clearance of road debris. Wheel gap and ride height are slightly different though. For example, look at BMW. Their cars don't have such hideous wheel gap, yet thier cars aren't terribly low either.

[FCobra94]

Good point. OTOH, the older style Eclipse's were the opposite: really low to the ground and a good amount of fender/wheel gap.

Also, the EP isn't so much a sports car either, more of an econo-box. I'm sure Honda would rather utilize a tight suspension and low ground clearance on their true sports car; the S2000 ;)

[t-rex]

I've always wondered this myself...I mean, it's not like it's going to cost Honda any more money. And yes, the Civic DX, LX and EX are econoboxes, but the Si is set apart from them. Look at all of Honda' ads for the Si...it's all about sporty, and they know exactly who they're targeting (16-35yr old males). Look at the 04 Si brochure...it even shows modified ones in the brochure!!

They put a sporty suspension on the Type R, which is intended for the same group, so why stiff us Americans?

[2k2_nbp_egg]

Originally posted by FCobra94
Good point. OTOH, the older style Eclipse's were the opposite: really low to the ground and a good amount of fender/wheel gap.

Also, the EP isn't so much a sports car either, more of an econo-box. I'm sure Honda would rather utilize a tight suspension and low ground clearance on their true sports car; the S2000 ;)

Very true....the type R is lower w/ better suspension, and has bigger rims. And k20a2...and lsd.....thanks honda for our 5 speed open diff k20a3 w/ floaty suspension shitty tires and huge ride height. Assholes :mad:

[Tenacious G]

Originally posted by AzN Si GuY
When our cars first came out back in 2002 it was the butt of alot of jokes in the tuner world. Fast foreward a few year later to 2004, now it's gained alot of respect and now it's accepted in the tuner-ism like no other.

it is? :confused:

:D

i think the ride height is just honda's style. look at accords and other civics and some acuras. all have hideous amounts of wheel gap. but regardless, a majority of EP owners will modify their suspension, and perhaps it's cheaper for honda to produce their cars the way they do. or maybe it's a marketing ploy to entice people to buy kits like the HFP kit (which has a signicantly high markup) in order to get the aftermarket look.

[AzN Si GuY]

it is?

Hahah well you know what I mean. Before no one liked it, now a whole lot of people have warmed up to it and like it now. but yeah, man it's all a conspiracy by honda to buy that HFP. anyways all ya'll got a point. Damn Honda of America.

[2k2_nbp_egg]

hahahaha Gillman had a 25k hfp ex, and in the words of dave chappelle....i was fuckin' shocked.

[Mugen Power]

It's probably to make the car more practical (i.e. being able to get over speed bumps and inclined driveways) and to make its ride quality better.

[Soon2beEP3]

I love cars that are low, they look so much better. It breaks my heart that I have to lower mine with the Pro-kit which is only like an inch drop.(because of road conditions) But what ticks me off is our cars are so tall. Sure I'm only 5'7",but, I don't need a foot of headroom.

[Finger]

with all the pot holes around here, i'm glad the ep has a high height.

[Ep3 No.2]

i think they made it that way to make our cars look even more like a minivan. =O/ i dont care i still love my car +O)

[phatfreeza]

they made it that high so we can continue to use the phrase

"drop that 4x4!!!"

[dofu]

is it just me? or does it seem like the dc5, which is the same chassis, look like its height is the same as the ep? i think our car looks akward at stock height compared to the dc5 only because the overall cabin height is higher (making it a good car for taller ppl... the seat height helps too)... goin on to the hatch at that... making this small hatchback look like a micro van. im also thinkin that they made the car this height because our wheelbase has changed from older hondas... it seems to me that most of the newer cars are moving their wheels further forward and back to make more cabin space, and trying to compensate for the difference could be why the height is so akward too...
i dont believe that honda had it in mind that ppl are jus gonna be changing parts out, so they dont have to worry about little stuff like ride height and all, coz if they were expecting mods like the ones we're all doing, the rest of the suspension and the tie rods too, would have been designed better... im honestly thinking that if its anything, honda jus got lazy with r&d on this car... either that or they just rushed the car to production too fast.
and i do agree that it seems like honda made this car to be more practical too...

[tbone_ep3]

They made the ride high for the general public. Back home I used to see oldies driving ep3's. They would have sold even more if they made automatics...the oldies love that shit.

[rgGolf4]

I would imagine that the suspension decision on Honda was more for cost and safety than anything else.

[02NJHondaep3]

possible theory???: SUV Craze. Even though our car isn't an SUV, people have superiority complexes.The Si is a commuter car. People want to be able to push their way into traffic. They want to feel "taller" and "bigger" in their cars when on the road.With a drop, have you noticed where truck lights appear in your rearview? It wouldve been more reasonable to have our car with 16s though.That however can affect performance and gas mileage (not much but an arguable amount. Hey at least they're not 14s! The wheel gap can be explained with the "big rim bling" craze.

also our cars are fat pigs.

Those are just my thoughts however.

[Graywolf]

Wait, you mean I'm not driving a truck? I thought for sure my SUV had 4 Wheel Drive.

[ragebomb]

Originally posted by Mugen Power
It's probably to make the car more practical (i.e. being able to get over speed bumps and inclined driveways) and to make its ride quality better.
I agree. Seems like an adjustment for the American market. I was in a test drive with a dealer a few years ago for a Civic sedan and the dealer, was really trying to impress us with how floaty the suspension was. "See, you go over this dip and it feels just like an '88 Buick LeSabre!"

[BarracksSi]

Originally posted by Finger
with all the pot holes around here, i'm glad the ep has a high height.


Ditto for me. Last thing I want to do is make my car ride more stiffly. Heck, my mom would even like one if it came in automatic.

Is that a bad thing, though? Knowing that my 57-year-old mother with a bad back would like my car? Well, not really. I can't imagine that showing off a bouncy car on a date would be a good thing.

That's why I'm thinking of buying back my '86 Si if I get into autocrossing. I could use the more comfortable EP for daily driving, and do what I can to the '86 to make it into a track car and not worry about how stiffly it would ride.

[eurosteez]

Perfect rally height
its good for offroading. I went on some local forest service roads the other day and our car kicks ass on dirt roads. I scraped like twice but it would have been waaayyy more if I was lower. I actually passed some fool in a truck on some turns, the fool got pissed though and womped my ass with mud once the road got rocky and he caught up to me. but anyways go drive on some dirt roads and you'll have another respect for the car

[BarracksSi]

I was thinking about how many more lowered cars I saw in Arizona and California than I do back in DC, and I couldn't help but notice how the roads aren't as beat to shit in sunny climates.

If I lived somewhere that's perpetually warm, I'd consider a drop. Otherwise, with the way ice breaks pavement, I'll stick with stock.