Suspension Help Needed

[obsoletearturo]

Hi to everyone reading this thread. I just recently purchased a 2002 ep3 si us edition with only 71,000 miles and garage kept. Everything works great on the car. The only thing not stock is the suspension.(Disclaimer- it at any point i don't know what im talking about, it's because im a total noob at modding car, im new to this.) Apparently lowering springs were thrown on the stock struts. My plan is to buy ground control's and throw them on top of the koni shocks i plan to buy as well and throw on all four sides of the car. I also wanna use 17" Dunlop Direzza DZ101 215/45-17 because i feel like it would be a good fit. I also wanted to use the s2000 upper shock mounts although i don't know if it's necessary or not.

GROUND CONTROLS http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=522/CA=55
UPPER SHOCK MOUNTS http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=743/CA=188
Dunlop's http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Dunlop&tireModel=Direzza+DZ101&partnum=145WR7DZ101&vehicleSearch=true&fromCompare1=yes&autoMake=Honda&autoYear=2002&autoModel=Civic%20Si%20Hatchback&autoModClar=

I know im going to need a camber kit and maybe sway bars or struts bars etc to improve suspension but i honestly don't know what to do from here.
Help me out fellow ep3's

[obsoletearturo]

I also wanted to possible do an under coating for the car considering i live in chicago and i don't have a garage although i will have a parking spot in the backyard. Chicago has brutal temperatures and winters so i need the best possible solution to avoid rusting as much as possible.

[Powers]

You seem to be on a good path. The first step is tires. The tire you want is a good one for sure. But is go a little fatter like 225/45. Next up would be the springs and shocks. Ground controls and koni yellows are good. Swift makes good springs to throw on there too (just ask hasbro).

The reason for tires first is to get correct spring rates. The more grip your tires give the stiffer the spring rate.

Also lowering your car more then 1.5 inches hurts how your car handles.

After choosing springs you'd choose sway bars. They are more of a fine tuning aspect though.

[obsoletearturo]

Thanks a lot for the advice. I will take your word and go with the 225 tires, ill have to get some nice rims too. The only reason i wanted to do suspension first was because the previous owner had put lowering springs. Alright so if i get some 222-45-17" what should my spring rate be at? 2.5? I think ill do a cold air intake to start with and then buy the tires and rims.

[obsoletearturo]

225*

[Hasbro]

I gather this a full time street car. What do you want the car to do? The tire determines the suspension as the suspension can only peak at the tire's peak. So, tell us what you want from the car for starters. Then pick the tire and then ... etc.

[obsoletearturo]

ah thanks for chiming in hasbro. well i would like to have a set up that is road worthy but also street spirited, enough to possibly take it to the track a couple times.

[Hasbro]

Are you set on the Dz101s? I haven't been around mid performance tires but would imagine they would chunk if put through some vigorous manuevers but I could be wrong. They are decent (not neccesarilly a bad thing) at everything and the Konis are capable of utilizing a much better performance tire. A street car is a blending of a lot of things so what's the most important aspect of the car to you? Quiet, comfort, rain performance, cornering, tread life, looks, etc. My car, for instance is built to be an excellant handling road car but there are a lot of the other aspects that are sacrificed. It's fairly noisy , a bit rough riding, low tread life, mileage is impaired from the wider tires, ok traction in wet. I think defining and building a road car is the most complicated due to the owner's idiosyncracies. Which also makes it a lot of fun! And one of the big challenges is the suspension design isn't very good from the start so wise decisions need to be made. Decisions that a good portion Of EP/RSX builders often overlook. Of course, that's just my opinion.:msmile:

If you want to slam it I'll bow out here and let someone else chime in. Konis don't like to be lowered more than 1.5". Are you sure you want an adjustable coilover or would A-Specs, a non adjustable coilover, suffice? They drop approximately 3/4", are a Honda product similar to the Type R set up, are about $650.00, and are a great compromise between comfort, looks, and performance, and last a long time. The coilover we should have recieved in the first place. I'll stop here.

Happy Mother's Day!

[obsoletearturo]

a-specs would be 650?