suspension advice needed
 

I know this has been discussed before, but I still need some help with my specific situation. I need to change the suspension in my '91 CRX. After the B16A swap the front was sagging badly while the rear was jacked, so I put in Eibach pro-kit springs and KYB GR-2 struts, later I added a traction bar. This leveled it out, but the car is sitting much lower than the 1.2" drop specified by Eibach, the UCAs are slamming the shock towers on bumps, the adjustable balls joints I made the mistake of installing are trying to punch a hole through the sheet metal. Every tiny bump feels like a giant pothole and I bottom out easily. I have 2 1/2 - 3" max clearance. I drive 36 miles a day in this car, the majority over rough back roads. Not only do I worry about damaging the car, it is not good for my bad back. Less importantly, unlike most Honda modders I don't like the look of a car that is too low. Stock is too high, but mine is to low. I prefer the top gap to equal the gap at the side of the wheelwell, no less no more.

So what I want is: A set of coilovers that perform at least as well as stock but can handle the extra weight of the B16, yet are still tolerably soft. I would like adjustable height so I can raise it muself if it sits lower than specified. I can't afford much right now, I'm hoping for ~$500. I can't afford top of the line. (I can't afford the supercheap ebay either since they will break and/or not meet my needs and need to be replaced later. That is just throwing away money.)

Realizing that that combination likely doesn't exist, does anyone have recommendations for the closest compromise?

Also, what should I ask for the Eibach / KYB set with 5-10K on them? Maybe I can get some of them cash for the new setup that way.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

I'd get a set of Ground Controls in the spring rates that the pro-kit comes in. 275f and 225r. Ground Control will sell them to you in the $250-275 range, and you can keep your GR-2 they are fine for those rates and height.

I'm buying a pair of new springs for my old GCs to replicate that exact setup.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

If you want to stay at the same height with then I'd say the ground controls but higher spring rates so they don't bottom as bad but the ride will be stiffer.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Upon further reflection, I think old boy needs an alignment or possibly has bent or somehow damaged suspension. B-series swaps add a whopping 40 lbs to the front end, there should be no sag.

I wouldn't own any of the popular matched suspension Omni/Tein/K-sport/etc crap on the market for anything I plan to drive. It's too stiff, makes the ride unpleasant. I've yet to be in a Pro-kit equipped car that I - and everyone else riding in the car - didn't like. There is a reason I want to replicate the spring rates, and use my GC threaded collars to set ride height where I like it.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Thanks for the replies. For some reason I thought the B16A was ~150 pounds heavier.
If the ground controls are decent quality and can give me some extra height I may go that way. I can live with the ride as long as the UCA aren't hitting the top, which is probably the worst of the roughness anyway. Eliminating that should make the ride better.
I don't really see what could be bent or broken, both sides are equal so wouldn't it have to be bent/broken on both sides? I've had it all out and nothing is obviously broken. I replaced one UCA because I was stupid and tried to press out the ball joint without removing the retaining clip and bent it, so one side is new... Right now the UCAs rest at about 55 degrees with only about 2 inches clearance to the shock tower. (less then that with the ajustable ball joint bolt.)
I'm almost starting to wonder if I got the wrong springs from Eibach, maybe they put sportline springs in a prokit box? I remember I didn't need to use a spring compressor to assemble them, the spring was so short the strut bolt was high enough with just a little hand pressure.

BTW, does the traction control bar make bumps harder? Since it eliminates all horizontal play.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Nope. 40 lbs. An automatic D-series drivetrain is heavier.

Pro-kit shouldn't lower you until you are tucked, they should balance your ride height so the wheel gap is balanced - how you've stated you like it. A friend ran them on his ED sedan with LS/turbo recently... I've been trying to buy them off of his since he parted out the drivetrain and is building a wagon now. I am pretty sure you got the Sportline springs. I'd call some people up and see about an exchange.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Jd what do you think about these; http://tunertoys.zoovy.com/product/4...rt_Spring.html

Re: suspension advice needed
 

I think they mean slight understeer, and lower a car more than I like. Better than most springs though.

You check these out yet? http://tunertoys.zoovy.com/category/...ngs.coilovers/

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Those are what I bought from TT. Haven't tried them yet, waiting to finish rest of suspension. I got the comp.-drag setup.
The thing I like about these are, for 20.00 a corner I can change the ride performance to my fit my needs weather it be going in a
stright line, street, or x-cross

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Yes, I saw them; but for a little over $300 I can get just the springs and kyb shocks. Do you think it will ride ok?

Re: suspension advice needed
 

So on the ground controls, I don't see the spring rates listed, just "cush" "Street" or "sport." I talked to them but the guy didn't say what rates "cush" are, but "street" is 325f 250r I think. Its 3xx anyway. He just said to get "street".

I leery of getting a stiffer spring than I supossedly have now, does anyone happen to know the "cush" rates? If not I'll call them again tomorrow.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

When I ordered from them I was directed into a spring that was too stiff. I don;t thin they quite grasped the 400 lb difference between an 89 HF and a 91 Si.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

i have some CDM full coilovers for $450 shipped. i honestly know nothing about them, but i am going to give them a shot myself one of these days

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Pictures?

Re: suspension advice needed
 

all i have is this pics. these arent for a civic, but it gives you an idea of what they look like

http://www.evansperformance.net/Pics...suspension.jpg

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Are they damper adjustable as well or just height?I remember some CDM coilovers that B18turboef sold were just height and were around 4-500.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

those are only height adjustable. The 16 way adjustable ones are $100 more

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Oh snap, I was wanting 17 way adjustable.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

damn, 16 is all I got

Re: suspension advice needed
 

I want suspension that lets my car do this: http://br.youtube.com/watch?v=jv4m41viy4I

Re: suspension advice needed
 

I have some badass super light CDM wooden lugnuts that will do that.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Sweet, what's your paypal?

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Re: suspension advice needed
 

those almost look like a copy off the form & function 2

Re: suspension advice needed
 

CDM is always a copy of something. i dont think the chinese know how to have an original thought

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Well I bought the ground controls and I'm not happy right now. First, they sent me the higher spring rates 350 and 250, but they say that is the softest available for a CRX. So I decided to try them, and after partially assembling one found that at maximum height they are still at least 1/2 an inch (probably an inch) shorter that the eibach pro-kits. I'm trying to raise the car not lower it more! These are supposed be 0.5" to 3in" lower than stock, the eibach's are supposed to be 1.2" lower than stock, why are these shorter? I didn't even put them on the car. Plus I asked about returns if they didn't work, and they said sure no problem, but on the packing list it says 20% restocking fee... plus the $30 freight i'll be losing, plus the freight for me to return them...

So now I need to find another brand.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

You are supposed to be able to get them in any rate you want them, or that was the deal when I bought mine in '01. Did you get them from GC?

The fronts at full extension even out the wheel arch gap, perfect IMO but you have to dial them all the way up. You can buy springs in different lengths to give a different range of adjustment. Rears you can lift or slam a good range.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

man that sucks ass. Call up gc and ask them what the fucks up.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Well, they will swap me some 8" springs for the front at 340 lbs as opposed to the 6"(?) 350 lb for just the freight. I also discovered, and GC told me it is part of my problem, that my KYB GR-2s are blown. I pushed one to the bottom and it didn't even start raising for several seconds, and was creeping even then... I also see that the shocks have been bottoming out, my stock bump stop has been beaten to oblivion. All that is left is a 1/16" wafer and part of the outer husk.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

That is equal parts cool and sucky.

Hey, if you are going to lower your car at all make sure the strut's top hat mount is raised a little bit? If you lower an inch, raise it an inch; that way the strut is always in it's "sweet spot" that is was designed to dampen. It's as easy as some black iron pipe at Homeboy Depot, yo!

Re: suspension advice needed
 

i have always thought about doing that, just never acted on it. it always seemed silly to lower the car and not put the shock back where it should be

Re: suspension advice needed
 

I've only seen it done once, but it was pretty clean and looked simple to do.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

some of you guys like to spend wayy to much ------ money on shiny name brand ----.


Cheap/ Fast suspension. the way you should setup

Get a shitty Ebay kit, Toss the springs, use the sleeves

KYB-GR2's are crap , toss them too and look for a used set of Koni's (or new) or tokico's... GR-2's and other non adjustable "performance" shocks are BS.

www.stockcarproducts.com or other stock car parts suppliers sell springs in any rate you want. the issue I have with the GR stuff is that they send you some shitty , short ass springs. You lower the car too much and it just destroys the shocks when you run stock hats. Run a 8-10" spring depending on application


Street car I would run 350-75 Front , and 400-425 rear. Keep the ------ about 50 Lbs. on a FWD car the REAR NEEDS TO BE STIFFER

Alignment
Front Camber 2.0-2.25 deg
Front toe zero
Rear Camber 1.75-2.0
Rear Toe 1/16 in total

Toss the front sway bar or get a HF front bar.

Set the rears 1 click from full hard , and the fronts 1 click from full soft.

Extend the hats 1" so you increase travel.

I ran my 2002 DX civic which was otherwise bone stock with this setup and was always top of the heap in my class, running shitty azenis when others had Hoosiers.


Skip the JDM, 9000 way adjustable shocks. Unless you get the car on a suspension dyno and are hardcore (ie sponsored) it's just 9000 ways to set it all up wrong.


just my 2 cents from 15 years of autocrossing.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

For daily driver duty I still recommend 275/225 rates and GR2s. They are a little iffy on the 275 rate, but are not oversprung.

Those alignment settings may have worked well for your '02, but the earlier 88-00 cars have a different suspension design. -1.5 degrees camber MAX and then you have to sling every corner as hard as possible to avoid chewing up the insides of the tires - that's only street car if you are 18 and about to lose your license due to a pile of moving violations.

Most people want a stiffer bar as the front end rolling around atrociously is great for the sub-40 mph game, but causes the car to get squirrelly at higher speeds and if sudden highway maneuvers are needed. Keep in mind this is a turbo-oriented site, so these things are important.

There's quite a lot of variables here, actually.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

I run the h&r springs on my crx. But they came off of a 91 teg, I also used the 91's struts. Only lowered the car about 1" I called up h&r and they said the spring rateds for the teg was 300f and 260r, then I also put on the 91 teg front swaybay. Over all it handles pretty good.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

Re: the cheap ebay coilovers... They may be just fine, but in my experience you get what you pay for with cheap stuff like that. I'm too afraid of getting something that doesn't do what it is supposed to, or breaking in 5000 miles, then I have to buy something else anyway.

Re: suspension advice needed
 

I dunno how the cheap eGay sleeves are, but the OG chinese ones (Skank2) were famous for cracking yea on about the time I bought my GCs.