Most reliable suspension kit

[shenmuep3]

Okay guys I want to lower my car but want to do it so that I will not run into any problems in the future, mainly, I do not want to have my steering creak. I was thinking of getting the hfp suspension. Also the mugen kit I heard was mafe by the same manufacturers as the honda oem suspension and that it was also reliable. Which suspension should I get that will not put a lot of stress on the steering? Money is not an issue, if I have to save a lot of money for a long time so be it, I just want piece of mind and a sick looking ep that is lowered. Thanks, any input would be great!!!

[thechromecoyote]

for OEM reliability, go HFP or Mugen

Otherwise save up for a damn good set of coilovers. I dont have personal experience with any of those though.

[clutch797]

I'm running hfp suspension and i have the dreaded "creak". It's gunna happen no matter what. Droping the car just speeds up how fast it happens. Oh yea, I would go hfp, I love mine.

[shenmuep3]

I actually just got my rack replaced under warranty a month ago, I thought that the new ones were desigend to not creak anymore? That would suck major if that was not the case!!!

[MugsyTheGr8]

you don't need coilovers for a good setup. a few companies make quality dampers that you can pair with lowering springs, or a custom set of springs from ground control. but i guess the pre built coils are convenient and look cool.

and if you major concern is not getting a steering rack creak, that isnt entirely dependent on on your suspension set up. lowering will make it worse, but i had a creak at stock ride height.

[shenmuep3]

What is the difference between mugen and hfp, also do either of these put less strain on the tie rods my relocating them, if I dont make any sense it probably because I have no idea what I am talking about, I just remeber reading somewhere that the HFP and the Mugen both have and attibute on them which relocates the 'tie rods' or maybe it was something else, i dont remember i just got the impression that these kits put less strain on the steering rack, is this true or is my memory just failing me or am I going scenile and imaging things. Thanks for all the replies!!!

[Mr Honag]

Here are some great reads from Honda-Tech's archives discussing the Mugen Sports Suspension Kit and the HFP Suspension kit:

http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1077871
http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1289799

From what I gathered, it seems that the Mugen kit fixes the tie rod problem whereas the HFP kit does not; the Mugen kit does this by relocating the steering arm.

I, too, am looking into upgrading my EP3's suspension, and my heart's set on the Mugen SS. After reading EP-Solo's comment, I think I'm going to bite the bullet and get a brand-new set. Hope all goes well with your search!

[shenmuep3]

Since the steering arm is relocated with the mugen ss, shouldent this take care of any worries about the steering creak since there seems to be no strain on the rack due to the steering arm reloaction?

[creamSODA]

good luck finding a HFP set

[shenmuep3]

I think I am going to get the mugen ss but my question still remains, since the steering arm is relocated with the mugen ss, shouldent this take care of any worries about the steering creak since there seems to be no strain on the rack due to the steering arm reloaction?

[02_epdriver]

Mugen SS are the way to go!!

[thechromecoyote]

Doug's been rocking his over 100k.

more pics of creamSODA's avy though :mangel:

[Civicvtec1ps]

Actually mugen ss steering arm is not relocated.

I know people have been saying for years, but its not.

Anyone have pic side by side with stock components? I remember seeing somewhere, but never saved it.

My vote also goes to mugen, if you dont care for riding high :mcool:

[HappiChild]

i'd like to learned more about this too.

my cousins' s2000 got koni yellows and swift springs. very nice ride quality. i dont know if swift offer springs for eps. but koni's are something worth to look at

[shenmuep3]

Do you think you can find this, this seems to be a bold statement since I read this from multiple different sources. Pics would be great if you could provide them.

[Ep3T0n3y]

I never had the creak problem, untill i got my dspecs and sportlines.


I love em to death but... eh whatever.

[trickkykidd.02]

Best bet is a mild drop 1" (HFP or JDM) to max 1.5 ie Tien Stech and others matched with some good stuts Koni Yellows or Dspecs (both adjustable) or Tokico Blues for non adjust.

I just set mine up with UKDM springs and Dspecs. Everything feels better from braking to ride quality and handling.

[SI DRAFTER]

Anyone Have The Koni Sport Suspension Kit?

[powdbyrice]

one guy had the blues w/matching springs. drop was nice. a bit more than the HFP. i can't remember who it was and the pix died with the server crash. =(

its all about how much you drop the car. as stated above, 1-1.5" max.

if i was to buy another suspension, i'd go with progress coilovers or the tokico blue kit (probably the progress kit)

[epshtielsl]

Doug's been rocking his over 100k.

more pics of creamSODA's avy though :mangel:

+1 Pics or :ban: ...man we need our old smilies back :mfrown:

I think I remember seeing her somewhere before. I think it was some de-motivational poster bashing her "emo bangs." She's still kinda cute though.

:msmile: (this one is goofy though, I like it)


Actually mugen ss steering arm is not relocated.

I know people have been saying for years, but its not.

Anyone have pic side by side with stock components? I remember seeing somewhere, but never saved it.

I haven't heard this. Everyone I talked to said the Mugen SS relocated the steering arm. More info would be awesome.

[OPTIMISE]

Im pretty sure that the issue with the steering rack is a lack of lubricant within the internal design and that lowered or not the issue will eventually surface... Im on Dpecs and prokit and the creeking just started about 1-2 months ago... waitin on doug to see this thread for more detailed info...

[shenmuep3]

Bump for an answer as to whether or not mugen ss will cause steering creak even though the steering arm is relocated.

[powdbyrice]

PM talonxracer

[MugsyTheGr8]

Bump for an answer as to whether or not mugen ss will cause steering creak even though the steering arm is relocated.

the creak isnt caused by the arm angle, its caused by the lack of lubrication in the rack. lowering the car will just speed it up. read Optimises post

[shenmuep3]

Why does lowering our car speed up the creak in the steering if the steering arm angle is not contributing to it. What is it about lowering your car that speeds up the process of getting the creak?

[shenmuep3]

bump

[MugsyTheGr8]

i wish we still had the thread novak made.:mfrown: if your rack creaks, it would have done it anyways. it has to do with it not being lubricated internally.

[blkep322]

for quality of course the hfp is going to be up there, along with the mugen. but with those two setups there isnt a way to control the height. youre pretty much stuck with what it sits at. the handling on both are amazing, ive had the hfp's and now i have tein basics. its just all about what you want more.

[SyckSiR]

i have tein ss-p rebuild by selex in montreal.....selex shocks r sooooooo nice, as the damping is self adjusting based on the vehicles speed. such a wondrous ride.....

[MugsyTheGr8]

i have tein ss-p rebuild by selex in montreal.....selex shocks r sooooooo nice, as the damping is self adjusting based on the vehicles speed. such a wondrous ride.....

how do they go about doing this?

[civictype_r04]

I say mugen cause it's baller.:mbiggrin:

[SI DRAFTER]

Where can you find HFP suspension?

[MugsyTheGr8]

Where can you find HFP suspension?

wait for it to pop up on ebay or in the classifieds:mfrown:

[Nitrofaint]

Mugen is a good choice, although rather expensive when new.

My suggestion would be a combination of one of the following:

Springs:
1) Eibach Prokit or Sportline
2) Ground Control Coilover (adjustable springs)
3) H&R
4) Skunk2
5) Nuespeed

Shocks
1) Tokico HP
2) Tokico D-spec
3) Koni


Based on how much suspension tuning you are going to need will dictate how much you will need to spend. And are you looking to do this just for looks, performance, or both?

[mustclime]

Have you thought about the A-spec suspension kit....they can still be found at the acura dealers for about 650...you will need the rsx tie rod ends and nuts to run them, but the ep3 tie rod ends suck anyway.:mangel:

[theyb]

If money is not an issue, Mugen ss.

unless you want to go lower than 1.4.

[shenmuep3]

How low does the a spec suspension put you at, I am looking more for looked than for performance. Will the a spec suspension be covered under warranty even thought it was sesigned for the acura rsx? Thanks for all the responses guys!!!

[eunsangie]

got mugen ss and i like it. not too low but good drop. but i do have steering creak though. it didnt have it when i had my oem rims but once i swapped to my old 17in rim, it started to creak on me.

[drjd888]

I actually just got my rack replaced under warranty a month ago, I thought that the new ones were desigend to not creak anymore? That would suck major if that was not the case!!!

Anyone know if this is true? I don't have that steering rack creak but I would like to get them replaced while im still under mfg warranty.

[metalviper]

might as well try! just keep bugging them about it b/c most likely they will not just say ok we will replace it unless its been in a tsb

[RS_man]

I have the Mugen SS, bought it new and totally worth it, and I love it. The set is about 1100 after tax and shipping have been applied.

One thing that my consience continues to play in my head and that is, with the Mugen SS is ther any need to get camber adjusters or does that drop not affect the suspension geometry as much?

[dichotomous]

get the EP3-R setup, its how the EP chassis "should" handle on the street and lasts like OEM because it IS oem.

[epcivicboy08]

get the EP3-R setup, its how the EP chassis "should" handle on the street and lasts like OEM because it IS oem.

does the type r have the HFP suspension?


and i think someone said that the HFP suspension gives you a 1" drop, is this correct?

[WhiteComet]

The HFP is advertised as a 1" drop all around.

I actually had it and it's more of a 1" drop in the front and .75 inch in the back.

This is good because the gap on the rear is larger than the gap in the front.

With alot of setups like the Prokit, the gap in the front ends up being larger than the rear...which looks really awkward IMO.

Does anyone know why so many springs are set up to have the rear drop more than the front?

[BlackEP9]

Does anyone know why so many springs are set up to have the rear drop more than the front?

They aren't, apparently aftermarket springs tend to sag even faster than OEM over time.

As for reliability, I found nobody on this forum who complained about H&R springs sagging so that's what I bought.

[WhiteComet]

They aren't, apparently aftermarket springs tend to sag even faster than OEM over time.

As for reliability, I found nobody on this forum who complained about H&R springs sagging so that's what I bought.


Thats not true. I have seen many people that took pics of their cars right after they got their springs, and the gap in the front is bigger than the gap in the rear.

Here are some specs copied from the spring/drop rate post. You can see that many of them drop the rear more than the front.

Eibach Pro-kit: Spring Rate: (15-20% more than stock) - Drop: (1in Front/1.1in rear)
Eibach Sportline: Spring Rate: (20-25% more than stock) - Drop: (1.4in Front/1.5in Rear)
H&R Sport: Spring Rate: (25-30% more than stock) - Drop: (2in all around)
Neupseed Race: Spring Rate: (200 Front/280 Rear) - Drop: (2in all around)
Neupseed Sport: Spring Rate: (200 Front/280 Rear) - Drop: (1.5in Front/1.5in Rear)
Progress: Spring Rate: (280 Front/500 Rear) - Drop: (1.8in Front/1.5in Rear)
Sprint: Spring Rate: (20-25% more than stock) - Drop: (2in all around)
Spoon Progressive: Spring Rate: (413 Front / 458 Rear) - Drop: (1.5-1.7in all around)
Tanabe df210: Spring Rate: (10-15% more than stock) Drop: (2in Front/2.3in Rear)
Tanabe nf210: Spring Rate: (10-15% more than stock) Drop: (1.5in all around)
Tanabe gf210: Spring Rate: (20-30% more than stock) Drop: (1.3in Front/1.5in Rear)
Tein H Tech: Spring Rate: (257 Front/476 Rear) Drop: (.8in Front/.7in Rear)
Tein S Tech: Spring Rate: (280 Front/515 Rear) Drop: (1.4in Front/1.3in Rear)

[BlackEP9]

Thats not true. I have seen many people that took pics of their cars right after they got their springs, and the gap in the front is bigger than the gap in the rear.


...and then again there are many people who have nice even drops as you can plainly see by their PICS ON THIS SITE...

Do a search, many people on this forum have verified spring sag and so far as I have read here, you are the only one spouting that it is NOT true. So who are you again that we should think you know what you are talking about?

[NHBP ep3]

i have tein ss-p rebuild by selex in montreal.....selex shocks r sooooooo nice, as the damping is self adjusting based on the vehicles speed. such a wondrous ride.....


i am also wondering how this is done

[oldskoofame]

you mean..most reliable driver??:mrolleyes:

[WhiteComet]

...and then again there are many people who have nice even drops as you can plainly see by their PICS ON THIS SITE...

Do a search, many people on this forum have verified spring sag and so far as I have read here, you are the only one spouting that it is NOT true. So who are you again that we should think you know what you are talking about?

I think you misread my post. I was responding to your original response to my question on why some companies drop the rear more than the front out of the box I'm not doubting you that springs sag at all. So no need whine about anyone disagreeing with you there. Did i hit a nerve?

I'm not an expert by any means, but I have seen cars in person right after installing springs, and its pretty common for the gap in the front to be slightly bigger than the gap in the rear. This is a known issue and is reinforced by those droprates that another member posted. Do a search, this has also been covered many times.

Regardless of that issue, the cheap coils or wannabenamebrand Neuspeed springs are known the have the worst sagging issues and even deform after about a year or so.

[brownryce]

no one like tein ss-p for dd?