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hopeful_si
01-16-2003, 12:03 PM
Before I go off and spend a ton of money on the civ, what suspension upgrade is the best for all around good handling? I am NOT looking for some huge drop just to look good. I was checking out the ground control coil-overs but if the Eibach pro-kit handles well enough i might save my $$$ and get those. Also, where can i get ground-control coil-overs cheapest (i didn't see it in that suspension parts sticky) Any thoughts?

taikahn
01-16-2003, 12:17 PM
Eibach SPortlines --- love em.

hopeful_si
01-16-2003, 12:19 PM
how big of a drop is that? and did you have to do any camber adjustment etc to make it handle well?

hopeful_si
01-16-2003, 12:25 PM
Alright, there are like 3 other threads talking about this same subject but oh well. Anybody care to tell how well the the ground control coil-over set up is. All i ever hear about is how good it looks dropped, i'd like to hear some reactions to how well the car handles with the G.C coil-overs. Thanks!

JSIR
01-16-2003, 04:33 PM
I've done the Eibach Pro-kit lowering springs, with RSX-S rear sway bar (19mm), and a rear lower tie bar (DC Sports). I can pretty much take the car through any turn at any speed now without a problem. I doubt any coil-over kit could improve upon this setup. The lowering springs and RSX-S rear sway bar seemed to improve handling about the same amounts, the rear lower tie bar not as much, but it looks good .

A good set of tires is a must as wel,l to go along with the other mods.

hth.

Joey

myeverlovinsir
01-16-2003, 04:40 PM
Originally posted by JSIR
I've done the Eibach Pro-kit lowering springs, with RSX-S rear sway bar (19mm), and a rear lower tie bar (DC Sports). I can pretty much take the car through any turn at any speed now without a problem. I doubt any coil-over kit could improve upon this setup. The lowering springs and RSX-S rear sway bar seemed to improve handling about the same amounts, the rear lower tie bar not as much, but it looks good .

A good set of tires is a must as wel,l to go along with the other mods.

hth.

Joey

Just wondering if there is any noise, bouncyness? What depth did you lower to? Do you think the stock shocks will hold up? tks.

JSIR
01-16-2003, 04:53 PM
the ride is perfect, no noise, and no bounciness. The Eibach Pro-kits were designed to work with the stock shocks, so I expect them to last a long time. I personally like the stock shocks (same ones as the CTR shocks made by Showa) and I wanted to keep them working as long as possible so that was my decision to go with Pro-kits.

Total drop was close to 1.5 inches all around with the Pro-kits.

The RSX- S rear sway bar has no drawbacks at all either, it is quiet, uses stock parts, and wont rip the subframe.

My next upgrade will be the Neuspeed front upper strut bar and then I should be done with suspension mods. I've already got a set of Yokohama AVS ES100 tires to use with this setup.

JSIR
01-16-2003, 04:53 PM
the ride is perfect, no noise, and no bounciness. The Eibach Pro-kits were designed to work with the stock shocks, so I expect them to last a long time. I personally like the stock shocks (same ones as the CTR shocks made by Showa) and I wanted to keep them working as long as possible so that was my decision to go with Pro-kits.

Total drop was close to 1.5 inches all around with the Pro-kits.

The RSX- S rear sway bar has no drawbacks at all either, it is quiet, uses stock parts, and wont rip the subframe.

My next upgrade will be the Neuspeed front upper strut bar and then I should be done with suspension mods. I've already got a set of Yokohama AVS ES100 tires to use with this setup.

myeverlovinsir
01-16-2003, 05:00 PM
Nice dbl post;) , good to hear, most aftermarkets bounce and make noise, squeek and are problematic with bottoming out... 1.5" seems a moderate choice. I saw the yokes, very nice indeed. Will likely opt for those as well. Thanks for the info Joey.:)

Wish me luck tommorow, will be clickin like a bat out o hell to see the release notes from hondata. ha. Will let you know when it's done and you can come see the dyno for yourself.

Glen

JSIR
01-16-2003, 05:41 PM
sounds good Glen, keep us posted.

Hey Hopeful Si, just noticed you were in Michigan, you should check out our event on Jun23, 2003 in South Haven Michigan, I think that is about 3 hrs west of you. If you want a place to test out suspension mods, Gingerman Raceway is the ticket. If you are interested I can send you some info.


Joey

myeverlovinsir
01-16-2003, 05:49 PM
Joey, another question regarding your Pro-Kit. Was there any discerning difference between getting the Pro-kit vs. the Sportlines? I know they are a little more expensive, but wondered if there was some info you had on a comparison note?
Sportlines offer a greater drop from what I can tell, anything else?

SiR Medic
01-16-2003, 06:45 PM
what suspension upgrade is the best for all around good handling?

Actually any good source will tell you that the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to handling is... Upgrading your wheels and tires!

If you are still on your stock rims and tires, no amount of suspension tuning will pay off as much as doing a simple wheel/tire swap.

Get yerself a nice set of Bridgestone Potenza S-03s, 205/45ZR-17s, on some light-weight wheels.

Then... worry about springs and other crap!

Jpax
01-16-2003, 07:20 PM
Originally posted by SiR Medic


Actually any good source will tell you that the biggest bang for your buck when it comes to handling is... Upgrading your wheels and tires!

If you are still on your stock rims and tires, no amount of suspension tuning will pay off as much as doing a simple wheel/tire swap.

Get yerself a nice set of Bridgestone Potenza S-03s, 205/45ZR-17s, on some light-weight wheels.

Then... worry about springs and other crap!

I thought it was OS - 2 s not 3s.....? right.

hopeful_si
01-16-2003, 08:35 PM
I'd love to get out there but i don't think i'll ever be able to make it out that far. Thanks for all the info though! take care

JSIR
01-16-2003, 09:01 PM
Originally posted by hopeful_si
I'd love to get out there but i don't think i'll ever be able to make it out that far. Thanks for all the info though! take care


ah that's too bad, it's a five hour drive for me , but I enjoy it, I like the area too. good luck with your mods.

JSIR
01-16-2003, 09:18 PM
Originally posted by myeverlovinsir
Joey, another question regarding your Pro-Kit. Was there any discerning difference between getting the Pro-kit vs. the Sportlines? I know they are a little more expensive, but wondered if there was some info you had on a comparison note?
Sportlines offer a greater drop from what I can tell, anything else?

I am not sure of the price difference between the two, I never checked but they should be relatively close in price. The biggest determining factor was that I didn't want a huge drop. Sportlines drop a bit more, over 2 inches, Pro-kits are right around 1.5 inches. Our cars are pretty good handlers, the main reason being the stock shocks IMO, they really take up the slack in the stock setup. I wanted to keep the stock shocks working well as long as possible, it seems that 1.5 inches (or less) is the majic number when it comes to preserving stock length shocks. Drops over 1.5 inches seem to kill shocks quicker, this even applies to aftermarket shocks like KYB and others that are not shortened. Drops over 1.5 inches will eventually get a bouncy feel to the ride, and the shocks will blow in due time.

Sportlines seem to have firmer spring rates as well, so basically bigger drop and firmer springs/ride. Cosmetics play a role in most lowering springs, basically comes down to how low do you want the ride. If you recall when we had our three cars together, Rob had Sportlines, I had the Pro-kits, and yours was stock, it was a good shot of the different ride heights.

So for me, the ride height is perfect (not overly low), ride comfort is perfect (stiffer but not too stiff), stock shocks should last a long time, and handling is much improved. I got everything that I wanted in the purchase. The ride height is just slightly lower than the CTR, which has lower springs than our stock setup, so the shocks should work fine with Pro-kits. But there are lots of guys in the import scene that would think Pro-kits are way too high still, not me. So cosmetics play a big role too.

myeverlovinsir
01-17-2003, 07:17 AM
Thanks Joey, Excellent response.:D