I just changed the drive axles in my 95 Civic DX, now it's riding super stiff. I can't imagine what I could have done. I took the wheel off of one side and looked around but didn't see anything suspect. This is a rock stock car. I've got a service manual, so I thought I did everything right, not that it seemed like there was too much to it but I guess I must have done something wrong.

Is there any chance the the CV joints in new axles are so stiff it would affect the ride? I'm stymied, any help would be appreciated.

 

What exactly do you mean by stiff ride?

 

It feels like I'm driving a go-cart with no suspension. Slight exaggeration but you get the point.

 

Have you checked the springs and shocks? Has the car been lowered?

 

The car has not been lowered. I tried bouncing on the corner to check the shocks but it was so stiff I could hardly get it to bounce. I was afraid I would dent the fender if I tried too hard.

 

Did you put the bolt back in that holds the forked part from the strut onto the lower control arm? Without that you'd have no springs.

Really there is nothing to go wrong there to cause what you describe. The axles themselves just transit torque from the transmission, they won't affect the ride at all.