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View Full Version : hfp suspension questions and tips please



i_love_my_ep3!
12-09-2010, 11:43 PM
I just installed my hfp suspension today and it's awesome, I love it:mcool:

What sway bar combo would you recommend for this suspension?
I plan on having this as my daily driver and spirited driving lol
Any tips or recommendations on which set up I should go with to get the best performance out of this suspension?

Thanks in advance!

powdbyrice
12-10-2010, 12:02 AM
depending on what tires you have, maybe better tires.
depending on your alignment specs, an alignment.
i like the type-s rear sway. i had the 19mm. it was cheap. but this isnt a necessary mod. the HFP drives fine with the stock rear sway.

usedep3
12-10-2010, 12:13 AM
depending on what tires you have, maybe better tires.
depending on your alignment specs, an alignment.
i like the type-s rear sway. i had the 19mm. it was cheap. but this isnt a necessary mod. the HFP drives fine with the stock rear sway.

i concur. better tires and a beefier rear sway

Zzyzx
12-10-2010, 09:39 AM
Anti-roll bars are wonderful fine tuning devices. So... I have to ask, How is the car handling now? as in is it understeering more then you'd like or oversteering more? Have you chalked your tires to see how much they are rolling over? What was your alignment set to? did you pick up a camber kit for at least the front end?

i_love_my_ep3!
12-10-2010, 11:06 AM
i didt it last night soo havent got it alignhment yet but it handles conering really good and the damping feels really smooth.

i should have said wat im driving on my ep3 is a 2002 i have 16" rota curcit 8's for got the specs on the rims and tiers as of now everything else supension wise is stock sorry im at work, im sure until i provide specs i cant get much help right now.

but that was my next question wat tiers should i get , and what size for them?

the weather here in texas dallas to be more exact, it rains randomly for no reason and it gets pretty dyam hott here too, also gets fairly cold but nothing like up north we do see some black ice and shity snow as well soo i was thinking of getting all season tiers but dont know whats good im 17 i have only been driving 2 years soo not to much experience in tier and rim and alighnment specs ect ect. sooo all your inputs are very helpful and very im happy im getting responces thanks alot guys by the way. winter is right around coner here.

Blue03Si
12-10-2010, 12:24 PM
I have the HFP suspension with the 19mm DC5-S rear bar and I love it. Its stiffer than stock and has a slightly better stance. The 19mm bar is an improvement over the stock 15/17 bar. But if you got the money just get the CTR/ITR bar instead. Just be carefull as the rear end will break loose easier if you have a bigger bar.

RedSiBaron
12-10-2010, 12:34 PM
i run the CTR rear sway, i only paid 80 something for it and its a bigger bar (22mm) than the type s and i highly suggest it for a daily driver

as for tires i assume you'll want all seasons...i am running the goodyear eagle GTs and they are absolutely fantastic in all conditions. great in the snow, great in the rain, great in the dry, and they arent directional so you can do cross corner rotation

Paul 631
12-10-2010, 07:09 PM
I have HFP suspension & the ITR rear bar... really helps with understeer, but doesn't make the car too tail happy.

It's perfect as a wet weather setup on a DD, but for a weekend/autox car I'd go with a slightly stiffer rear bar.

shanewdude
12-10-2010, 09:38 PM
Anti-roll bars are wonderful fine tuning devices. So... I have to ask, How is the car handling now? as in is it understeering more then you'd like or oversteering more? Have you chalked your tires to see how much they are rolling over? What was your alignment set to? did you pick up a camber kit for at least the front end?
I like Zzyzx's advice on suspension... you recommended some alignment specs that seemed good for an aggressive daily driver once... what were they? Anyway, op, listen to this guy!


i run the CTR rear sway, i only paid 80 something for it and its a bigger bar (22mm) than the type s and i highly suggest it for a daily driver as for tires i assume you'll want all seasons...i am running the goodyear eagle GTs and they are absolutely fantastic in all conditions. great in the snow, great in the rain, great in the dry, and they arent directional so you can do cross corner rotation

I've got a CTR rear sway with no other suspension mods (stock 04) and it made the car feel more like the way I wanted it. It's almost neutral in corners (not much understeer, just a little snappier on the rear end). Paid $100 for mine. There is an RSX rear sway that's 21mm, I thought, and it's been recommended as an alternative to the CTR sway due to being a bit cheaper.

Like others said, tires make a big difference, too. Start from the road up! I'm using Bridgestone Potenza G019 grids, and they are nice and stiff with WAY better grip that my stock Michelins had. They are a little heavier than other tires, but they have a higher treadwear rating. They are great in the wet. They are only H speed rated, which is enough for daily driving the ep, and they tend to be less expensive than other higher performance tires. When I asked a the tire guys I buy from about BF Goodrich Geforce tires, they suggested the Potenza's as a "drivers tire" with more feel and sensitivity. I'm happy.

EPSU3
12-11-2010, 03:28 PM
I'm on HFP with 16x7 rota torques. 21mm sway and it feels pretty good. Check out crsx, a used one can be snagged for under $80 on a good day. I also had to get new endlinks due to rust. Not sure if they play any role in the handling/feel

i_love_my_ep3!
12-18-2010, 01:05 PM
sorrry guys i went out of town but im really impressed with the feed back i always get flamed up or told to search lol...

I will deffenitly look in to the good year gt's and the bridgestone potenza tiers.

dose anyone recommend a tier size, or size combo?

drumguy
01-02-2011, 06:40 PM
Does ANYONE know where I can find HFP suspension? I have two blown shocks. I was planning on replacing all four, but I would REALLY REALLY like to just get the hfp suspension set up. I know I could do Aspec but I'd rather it just drop right in. I am kicking myself cause I should have bought the kit before it was discontinued. Am I shit outta luck here? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP.

Blue03Si
01-02-2011, 09:14 PM
Does ANYONE know where I can find HFP suspension? I have two blown shocks. I was planning on replacing all four, but I would REALLY REALLY like to just get the hfp suspension set up. I know I could do Aspec but I'd rather it just drop right in. I am kicking myself cause I should have bought the kit before it was discontinued. Am I shit outta luck here? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP.

I think you're SOL. Everyplace I knew that sold them no longer does. Might have to be a private sale or ebay if you can find one.

Paul 631
01-03-2011, 04:05 PM
Does ANYONE know where I can find HFP suspension? I have two blown shocks. I was planning on replacing all four, but I would REALLY REALLY like to just get the hfp suspension set up. I know I could do Aspec but I'd rather it just drop right in. I am kicking myself cause I should have bought the kit before it was discontinued. Am I shit outta luck here? SOMEONE PLEASE HELP.

There has to be at least a handfull of honda parts departments somewhere in the US that still has them, maybe call the local parts depo, see if they can search a larger area.

When my hfp struts go, I'm tossing on some bilstien sport shocks.

Blue03Si
01-03-2011, 04:20 PM
There has to be at least a handfull of honda parts departments somewhere in the US that still has them, maybe call the local parts depo, see if they can search a larger area.

When my hfp struts go, I'm tossing on some bilstien sport shocks.

When mine go i'll rebuild mine with Koni Yellows.

Slip_Angle
01-03-2011, 10:55 PM
My tire recommendation = Hankook Ventus EVO V12's

I came from Dunlop Z1's, which are a GREAT tire but the EVO is better for a daily driver -- offering great comfort/noise, wicked wet and dry grip and a low wear rate plus they are cheap.

makavelibranded
01-03-2011, 11:37 PM
, but for a weekend/autox car I'd go with a slightly stiffer rear bar.
I disagree since I can throw my ep3 up on 3 wheels no problem when racing with the itr rear sway back on my old tein s tech, and stock shocks setup. You want to tune your spring rates, and sways according to your tires.

I also dont agree on all seasons unless your broke, high performance summer tires can last just as long, can out turn, brake or whatever in all weather conditions, which is much more safe so long as you choose the right tire. Ive driven in snow and ice, and have raced in the rain on my KDW 2's no problem.

Slip_Angle
01-04-2011, 07:50 AM
^^ Agree.

Sway bars take away grip. I'd rather have an under-steering car with more grip than an over-steering car with less grip... The ITR bar is pretty ideal and a nice balance. Matches the HFP suspension very well.

Blue03Si
01-04-2011, 09:18 AM
My tire recommendation = Hankook Ventus EVO V12's

I came from Dunlop Z1's, which are a GREAT tire but the EVO is better for a daily driver -- offering great comfort/noise, wicked wet and dry grip and a low wear rate plus they are cheap.

I just switched to these tires, running 225/45-17. I had my first auto-x in the wet with them on new years day and they really surprised me. I was posting better times than some of the awd guys. Great tire and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they handle in the dry.

Slip_Angle
01-04-2011, 11:32 AM
I just switched to these tires, running 225/45-17. I had my first auto-x in the wet with them on new years day and they really surprised me. I was posting better times than some of the awd guys. Great tire and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they handle in the dry.

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/09q2/tire_test_nine_affordable_summer_tires_take_on_the _michelin_ps2-comparison_tests

Zzyzx
01-04-2011, 11:38 AM
I just switched to these tires, running 225/45-17. I had my first auto-x in the wet with them on new years day and they really surprised me. I was posting better times than some of the awd guys. Great tire and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they handle in the dry.

The more you compete the more you'll realize that the largest variable to how fast a given car is will always be the driver. As an old racing hand once told me "It takes a lot of car to make up for bad driving". So be happy that you were faster then some of the AWD cars, but be happier to realize it was you the driver that was the winning piece rather then any particular part on the car.


If you were running an SCCA event, check the PAX results. that should give you a better idea of just how much better you drove vs the other cars. As the PAX, while not perfect, does give you a good look of driver skill minus the car.

Blue03Si
01-04-2011, 12:57 PM
The more you compete the more you'll realize that the largest variable to how fast a given car is will always be the driver. As an old racing hand once told me "It takes a lot of car to make up for bad driving". So be happy that you were faster then some of the AWD cars, but be happier to realize it was you the driver that was the winning piece rather then any particular part on the car.


If you were running an SCCA event, check the PAX results. that should give you a better idea of just how much better you drove vs the other cars. As the PAX, while not perfect, does give you a good look of driver skill minus the car.

It was an event through another club, but they follow the SCCA format. My index was 12 out of 90 participants and my over all rank was 26 out of 90 on a very cold and wet course. Don't think i'll be that high in the index again, but I can only hope!

makavelibranded
01-04-2011, 02:20 PM
If you were running an SCCA event, check the PAX results. that should give you a better idea of just how much better you drove vs the other cars. As the PAX, while not perfect, does give you a good look of driver skill minus the car.

can you please elaborate on what pax is? ive searched a few times and couldint find a thing on it

Zzyzx
01-04-2011, 02:23 PM
It was an event through another club, but they follow the SCCA format. My index was 12 out of 90 participants and my over all rank was 26 out of 90 on a very cold and wet course. Don't think i'll be that high in the index again, but I can only hope!

You did well regardless. Rain is the great equalizer, as it punishes mistakes much more severly then dry weather.

the few times I got to compete in the wet were some of the most fun events. Its like trying to tap dance on ice.

Slip_Angle
01-04-2011, 02:25 PM
can you please elaborate on what pax is? ive searched a few times and couldint find a thing on it

PAX is a handicapping system used to even out cars capability in autocross. So if you bring a ringer like an S2000 to autocross and your friend has a pinto, you still have just as much a chance to win.

http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm

PS. How did the EVO V12's do with respect to tire wear? Have you tried them in the dry? Any chunking?

Zzyzx
01-04-2011, 02:32 PM
can you please elaborate on what pax is? ive searched a few times and couldint find a thing on it

PAX is a handycaping system designed to remove differences in classes so that you can directly compair drivers.
here's a link to the PAX indexes as they have changed over the years. http://www.autox4u.com/pax.htm

I'll quote them so I dont have to rewrite a discription...

Written By Tony "Mario" Crea
PAX could best be described as a relative index of performance in autocrossing, much the same way a handicap rating is given in the game of golf. PAX indexes are based on results from the SCCA National Championships (the best of the best) each September. How strongly a class performs compared to the thirty-something other classes represented helps determine PAX indexes the next year. The following is an example showing how PAX is used at events...
The class "A Modified" is the fastest class in autocrossing; it is expected that the cars in this class represent the pinnacle of autocross-specific race car design, engineering, and performance. The class rarely disappoints! Due to its unbelievable performance the PAX index for this class is 1.000 (no handicap is given). This means that if an A Mod car runs a time of 50 seconds, it will show up on the final results as 50 seconds.
Now let's compare this to a car in "C Street Prepared", which has a PAX index of .844. A car in CSP runs a time of 62 seconds on the same course as the A Mod car, yet its time will appear as 52.328 on the final standings. This was done by multiplying the raw time by the PAX index. As a result, the CSP car finishes only 2.328 seconds (not 12 seconds) behind the A Mod car. Yes, it still lost based on raw speed alone, but it allowed the driver in the CSP car to finish much higher overall. Thus, most regions base their overall driver championship on PAX performance whereas class championships are based on raw times.

i_love_my_ep3!
01-04-2011, 08:40 PM
ok guy thanks for all the replies well this is my ideal set up in mind


hfp suspension
rear itr sway bar, i dont know what a good front sway bar
energy suspension master bushing kit
all new endlinks and tierods


dose having a specific tier size for the front and rear help preference

i really just want to improve my over all suspension i dont see the point of having a fast car the handles like shit:tehe:

i_love_my_ep3!
01-04-2011, 08:52 PM
any inputs or changes should i do to this set up to get the best bang for my buck come on guys :mangel:

makavelibranded
01-04-2011, 09:35 PM
As for the front sway its completely up to you and you can try it out to see if you like it but a smaller front sway i think will benefit you like from the 01-05 2-4 door civics. Its just what I think everyone will setup there car differently, drive differently and whatnot. Id say take the front off completely but I have the spring rates to compensate for it.

On mine ive had it oversteer without it up front so dont get all crazy with it just in case, your not going to notice a difference in handling performance untill you push your car. Most car manufactures will turn there cars for understeer keep that in mind aswell.

makavelibranded
01-04-2011, 09:36 PM
PAX is a handicapping system used to even out cars capability in autocross. So if you bring a ringer like an S2000 to autocross and your friend has a pinto, you still have just as much a chance to win.

http://www.tirerack.com/features/solo2/handbook.htm


[QUOTE=Zzyzx;833420]PAX is a handycaping system designed to remove differences in classes so that you can directly compair drivers.
here's a link to the PAX indexes as they have changed over the years. QUOTE]

thank you both for this :thumbu:

i_love_my_ep3!
01-04-2011, 09:44 PM
thanks

dose any one else have any inputs on those or reviews on the handkook evo tiers and how much would a set go for

Slip_Angle
01-04-2011, 10:06 PM
thanks

dose any one else have any inputs on those or reviews on the handkook evo tiers and how much would a set go for

$100 bucks a tire in a 215/45-17. The EVO doesn't seem to come in a 16" size...

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/tires/hankook/product/submitProductSize.do?pc=11192&typ=Passenger/Performance&tmn=Ventus+V12+Evo+K110

i_love_my_ep3!
01-04-2011, 10:09 PM
dyam im screwed i have 16s ok well anyone have another recommendations for a set of rubber that grips really good looking to spend no more then 500

Blue03Si
01-05-2011, 12:32 AM
$100 bucks a tire in a 215/45-17. The EVO doesn't seem to come in a 16" size...

http://www.discounttiredirect.com/direct/tires/hankook/product/submitProductSize.do?pc=11192&typ=Passenger/Performance&tmn=Ventus+V12+Evo+K110

I'm pretty sure they come in a 16". Check tirerack, discount tire has a really crapy selection.

Zzyzx
01-05-2011, 09:53 AM
ok guy thanks for all the replies well this is my ideal set up in mind


hfp suspension
rear itr sway bar, i dont know what a good front sway bar
energy suspension master bushing kit
all new endlinks and tierods


dose having a specific tier size for the front and rear help preference

i really just want to improve my over all suspension i dont see the point of having a fast car the handles like shit:tehe:

leave the front bar stock for now. Install the rest, get a good alignment & then re evaluate how the car is handling.

Did I mention you should get a good alignment? Yeah, you're going to want a camber kit too.

makavelibranded
01-05-2011, 10:13 AM
Yeah, you're going to want a camber kit too.

just wondering how you have your camber setup? i run neg 1 in the back and neg 2 up front

Zzyzx
01-05-2011, 10:20 AM
When I was competing regularly with the Local SCCA (autocross) my alignment was -2.5 deg camber on the front, -.75 on the rear, with 1/32nd toe out on the front (to account for bushing distortion) & 1/32nd toe in on the rear.

Now that I dont autocross so much, I dropped the nose to -1.5 deg camber, the rest is the same.