Front Suspension Tuning

[Hajdoki_Ep3]

Over at Honda tech i found an article about tuning the ep3/dc5 suspension...interesting read
Anyways i'm deciding to follow these steps to a better handling car for track

Forum thread
http://ht-archive.net/showthread.php?t=2639666

Im directly looking at the parts to improve my front suspension for now

Quote
Next issue to look at with the top pic is camber......Camber is a term used to describe what angle the tire is set at with regard to the road. In stock form, camber is not adjustable and the stock suspension is set for about zero degrees camber. This is great for drag racing and making tires last for 60,000 miles but it sucks for generating grip in turns. Having a couple degrees of negative camber helps the outside tire to take a set and helps keep the tire tread on the road surface. There are 3 ways to get more camber in a ep3/dc5.
1) Camber plates, these angle in the top of the strut and as a result angle the tire.
2) Crash bolts, these mount where the strut and the bearing carrier connect. This allows you to angle in the bearing carrier and allows you to angle in the tire inward.
3) Type-r LCA, these are wider than stock and as a result angle the tire inward. WARNING! If you decide to use these, you should not use your stock axles and you will need type-r front sways because of the extra width of the LCA.
What is the best camber setting for the front suspension? It depends on what you are doing and what tires you are using. As a general rule I would say -1 to -1.5 degrees for dd and about -3 for the autoX guys.
Cliff notes: Negative camber good for cornering in the front suspension.

Now look at the lower pic, the first thing I want to to look at is the front bushing on the LCA. That bushing is there to change toe settings as the cornering loads increase. It adds toe in as the gee forces go up, this = increasing under steer! Anyone that is trying to get our cars to handle needs to replace this bushing asap. Both Mugen and Energy Suspension make kits for this.
Cliff notes: The front bushing in the LCA needs to be replaced to make our cars handle.

Now I want to address the Caster angle of our suspension in the front. If you look at bottom pic you will notice the strut is almost strait up and down. The stock caster angle is around 1.5 degrees.....this sucks for handling and strait line tracking. If Honda screwed up anything with our cars suspension, this is the biggest thing. It is also the hardest to fix but it can be fixed. K-Mac makes a Camber/Caster plate for this. The strut towner's can also be re-drilled to angle the strut back. For road racing there are bushings for the LCA that shift the LCA forward to angle the strut back.
Cliff notes Caster good but hard to get.

As you read the red I was thinking i would do just that. I found access to some 2002 Type R LCA and Front Sway, but the problem was no luck with the axles, but they do have K20A DC5 axles, wondering if these would work?
Also If i do get full coil over kit will it matter if i change anything listed in the red?


As for the Green, I'm wondering how much the re drilling would be and if it is actually worth it? and does it say I can re drill it and that's it or need the caster/camber plates and the drill?

[Jpax]

but they do have K20A DC5 axles, wondering if these would work?
Also If i do get full coil over kit will it matter if i change anything listed in the red?

the Dc5 axles are the same length as the type s , they will work with the DC5 control arms.

if you get a coil over kit try and get it with camber plates as this will help your alignments as well. the coil over kits will work on either ep3 or dc5 Hubs because the coil overs bolt to it, and your Hubs on the control arms. you only have to make sure you have DC5 axles with the DC5 control arms and get the Dc5 sway bar too.

[Hajdoki_Ep3]

the Dc5 axles are the same length as the type s , they will work with the DC5 control arms.

if you get a coil over kit try and get it with camber plates as this will help your alignments as well. the coil over kits will work on either ep3 or dc5 Hubs because the coil overs bolt to it, and your Hubs on the control arms. you only have to make sure you have DC5 axles with the DC5 control arms and get the Dc5 sway bar too.

So i cant go Ep3 type R Sway and LCA and DC5 axles?

[Jpax]

The ep3 type R control arms are the same length as the DC5 type R and you will need the longer axles and sway.

At least thats what Siborg is runing for his 5 lug conversion. so it works on his 2003

[Hajdoki_Ep3]

The ep3 type R control arms are the same length as the DC5 type R and you will need the longer axles and sway

Ok so IF i swap out the Stock LCA, Axles, Sway and add

ep3 type R LCA
ep3 type R Sway
dc5 type R axles

all is good?

[Jpax]

yes that is good - that is what I have been told from siborg on the phone just now - I called to make sure lol.
i woke him up his old ass was sleeping

[Hajdoki_Ep3]

yes that is good - that is what I have been told from siborg on the phone just now - I called to make sure lol.
i woke him up his old ass was sleeping

Lmao thx for that, and tell siborg thx next time u see him
or call him again say thx from hajdoki and hang up lol w/e u want to do
thx though
cant wait for better setup for track this season :)

ps someone has tien flex with upper mounts on another ep3 and is in need of stock suspension (mine)-to sell the car- if we were to do swap is it worth it, or save for another suspension setup?

[Jpax]

So i was wondering my self this same question now I looked here and they say the ep3 type r control arms are DIFFERENT then the DC5 control arms

http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2363321

so now Im going to say NO then, because I can't remember shit

[Hajdoki_Ep3]

So i was wondering my self this same question now I looked here and they say the ep3 type r control arms are DIFFERENT then the DC5 control arms

http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=2363321

so now Im going to say NO then, because I can't remember shit

lol So i guess its run Dc5R everything or keep the same...I know my place i get my parts is getting a DC5R stipped next week, so that means running DC5R LCA, Axles and Sway would be my best choice?


Even though looking back at my article they said that when upgrading the LCA to type r, u need type r sway but when they spoke of upgrading axles, they only said BETTER axles? i don't think the fit matters in this case?

Either way whats better DC5R LCA,Sway,Axles

Or Ep3r LCA,Sway, Axles

Apparently according to ur find DC5R?

[LLH]

here you go JDM EP3 parts cataloge..

http://japancars.ru/cat/honda/index....dtyp=8585,8586

Is there any diffrence on the EP3R and the EP3 Si LCA other than the part number??? American made sway bars for the Si, japan made sway for the JDM EP3R, and sways made in EU for the EDM EP3R are interchangable. So same width between the endlinks fastening point i guess..

[Jpax]

lol So i guess its run Dc5R everything or keep the same...I know my place i get my parts is getting a DC5R stipped next week, so that means running DC5R LCA, Axles and Sway would be my best choice?


Even though looking back at my article they said that when upgrading the LCA to type r, u need type r sway but when they spoke of upgrading axles, they only said BETTER axles? i don't think the fit matters in this case?

Either way whats better DC5R LCA,Sway,Axles

Or Ep3r LCA,Sway, Axles

Apparently according to ur find DC5R?

yeah if your going to swap out control arms get everything DC5 , that includes the swaybar - and axles