Hey guys,

I'm new to the Honda scene. The 96 Civic I bought already has some mods done to it. Suspension specific mods: Neuspeed Lowering Springs (?), Tockico Adjustable Shocks, Skunk 2 Front Upper Control Arms, Neuspeed Front Upper Strut Bar, ICW 16" Wheels, AEM Front Big Rotors, and no-name tires. I absolutely love the way the car handles! I'm wanting more however.

Here's my plans after some research.

Already bought: 205/45/16 Kumho Ecsta ASX tires to replace the worn out no-names. I bought these since we're heading into winter soon in Missouri.

Very Near Future: Skunk 2 Rear Camber Kit, and Skunk 2 Rear Lower Control Arms.

Next on the list are Password JDM Front & Rear Strut Tower Bars and Trunk Brace (all 2 point). I'm wanting to go with 2 pt. bars because I want to keep things simple and my trunk space useable (this is my daily driver).

After that I'm wanting to add bracing underneath the car. I'm wanting to add a rear swaybar/lower tie bar combo piece. I'm not sure if this is a good idea and if it is I'm not sure which brand would be best. I'm also wanting to add a front lower tie bar/chassis brace. I'm not really sure what is out there and which one to go with. I'll probably do Omni Power Front Lower Control Arms at the same time as the front lower chassis brace. (I'm waiting for the newness to wear off on those and their price. [sm=smiley2.gif] )

I'd like to get a new set of wheels, but that will probably be next spring with some really nice summer rubber.

Last on the suspension list is a full coilover setup. I'm not sure what brand I'll go with. Skunk 2, Omni Power, D2, Etc.

Please let me know what you guys think of my plans. Suggestions on parts and brands. I am really big on keeping the parts similar through out. For instance, I've already got the Skunk 2 Front Camber Upper Arms so I'd like to keep the rest of the camber and arms Skunk2 where I can. I'd like all of the upper chassis supports to be the same (strut bars, etc.) . You get the idea. Also please don't suggest cheap $$$/quality parts. I don't mind spending money on parts as long as they are good, solid parts. I don't want to buy a part and be disappointed or replace it because its junk. Sorry that my second thread is like the first and very long, but I've thought about this alot. I'm trying to show that, which makes the initial post really long. [sm=smiley9.gif]

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C'mon guys! 20 views and nothing!? Any oppinnions on the brands I've suggested? Any suggestions on the rear swaybar/tie bar combo? Front traction bars? From what I've read Full-Race is the way to go up front. Any suspension gurus out there that would like to chime in? Lets hear some thoughts. [8D]

 

I dont have any first hand knowledge on any of it but I guess I will comment since no one else is. From what I have researched on the Coilovers I have heard alot of good things about Tien. Skunk2 of course has good reviews as well though. I am leaning towards the Tiens though.

For tires those are the exact tires I am looking at purchasing as well seeing that we are heading into winter as well here in utah. So I think those are a good choice.

Good call on the 2 point bars for the daily driver after reading you say that I realized that I should prob get 2 pointers as well as for brand I am not sure on those either I know you said you didnt want cheap stuff but I have read for the strut bars alot of ppl using the ebay ones and working very well not sure though, they dont seem to be something that a company could screw up to bad though....lol I am not much of a help.

I know nothing on about the cambers and stuff so good luck post whatever you decide to do so I can look at your setup and plan mine better :P

 

mombo,

Thank you for replying!!! I was starting to wonder if I was going to get one.

As far as e-bay bars go I've seen a few and I wasn't impressed. Sure you can get them really cheap, but I'm not sure how much rigidity you're going to gain. What I really liked about the Password JDM pieces is that they look very solid. Something else I also like about them is they ARE NOT adjustable. I personally don't see a need to adjust upper strut tower bars. For me they are there to prevent flexing of the strut towers by connecting them together. I don't see preloading necessary especially for a daily driver. The password bars also are re-enforced imbetween the bar and the mounting plate. They look like really nice quality pieces. I'd like to get their front 3 point bar but can't get myself to spend $300 on a front strut bar (twice as much as the 2 point).

The tires just showed up today! [8D] I'm going to wait to put them on when I get the Skunk 2 rear camber kit and lower control arms. This way everything can be done at the same time and everything is adjustable when they go to align it. I haven't ordered these yet, but will in the next day or two.

It seems that Skunk 2 stuff is more expensive (especially on the camber and control arms) but I don't have to buy the front camber kit since it was already on the car. This is how I'm justifying spending more on the rear pieces. I was looking into Omni Power suspension stuff before I found out that I have the Skunk 2 front kit already. I do know that if you get the replacement upper arms (front and rear) depending on which you get you get at least 4 degrees of adjustment. This costs more than the cam bolts, but will give you a lot more room to adjust. It just depends on what you need.

As far as the tires go I got them from tirerack.com. They were $70 each. I had a hard time finding 205-45-16 in a performance all season. I looked all over tire rack and didn't find anything better especially for the price. We'll see how they do.

I haven't decided on what to do for underneath the car yet. I'm also not planning on doing that stuff for a little while. I'll be doing more research if this thread doens't pick up.

I hope that my upgrading will be some help for you and your modding. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. I'm not a suspension know it all, but I'll try to explain things the best I can.

 

Have you looked into the Megan Racing stuff? (for the strut bars and all that) I was just wondering if they were any good as well.

As of now for my suspension I am looking at getting those Tockico Illumina's (white ones) and some Tien S-tech springs....Not sure if I need anything else hopefully those two together will make for a much smoother ride. Hopefully the two will work together good.....lol

As for tires I have no clue what size I am looking for. I am going to be investing in some 17's I believe. But I couldnt figure out what to do for the tires on the first number. I know that ???-45-17 should work but I was unsure of the first. Do you know if the 205's will work for me as well? or do I need to do 215, 225....and so on

 

you dont need camber kit unless your allignment cant be fixed by regular adjustment.. i put the teins on my hatch with 15" konigs.. and had no prob with this.. the ebay kit for strut braces from what everyone including myself will say is that it is good for the cash.. sway bars.. u will want front/rear not just the rear.. u can do stock or aftermarket on those.. just keep in mind you will probably need to replace the control arms and dampner forks on the front if u add these.. plus u may have issues with exhaust in the rear depending on your exhaust. not sure of ur performance mods.. but if i were you i would drop on some bolt on's or start saving for some HP mods to go with that handling...

 

mombo-
No I haven't looked into Megan Racing's stuff. It could be a good alternative to e-bay bars. I'm almost positive that the Illuminas are what I have and I really like them. I haven't messed with adjusting them yet but I really like how they behave on the street. Tein springs should be just fine. I feel 17's are a little large, but certainly not overly large. I don't know what sizes you'll need, or will fit. 205s would probably be just fine, but do some research on proper sizes.

mentaldisorder-
You are 100% correct you don't necesarilly need camber kits to adjust your camber. It can be adjusted somewhat as is, and there are cheaper ways of dealing with camber. I personally want to do more than adjust the camber back to stock specs. I would like to be able to have plenty of room in adjusting to find the handling I really like. I would possibly look into taking it autocrossing and would like to really dial in the suspension and then change it back for everyday driving. Expensive camber kits aren't necessary for everyone. I'm not wild about e-bay bars, but they do offer an amazing $ value. Thank you for the advice on swaybars. I wasn't aware at first that the civic didn't have any swaybars at all. Thank you for clearing that up. As far as performance mods go I have I/H/E. Injen Cold Air Intake, DC Sports Header, and Flowmaster Exhaust. I plan on changing some of the stuff and adding more as well.

Thank you both for replying. Its greatly appreciated.

 

What bolt ons are you reccomending? And what are HP mods? Sorry havent been around long enough I guess and kind of new to the whole car modding stuff. As for exhaust I was planning on the Megan Racing Drift Spec.


edit: so bolt ons are the i/h/e stuff I am guessing?

 

As far as bolt ons go all I can say is ...... RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH!!! Find out what others are using, what order they do things in, and what to expect from those mods. I can't even begin to tell you what to do on your Honda. I'm still learning too! I can say that on just about any car increasing its ability to breath in and exhale will be the best places to start. Even with these mods though do plenty of research so that you don't kick yourself later on. Its not only what you buy but also how it works together with everything else you do. Good luck.

I/H/E = Intake/Header/Exhaust
Also before you start modding you need to make sure that your care is in good running order. Tuned up, fluids replaced, everything in good working order, etc.

 

im dont feel like reading all those insanely long posts right now, so forgive me if im repeating some stuff

first off, i'd never use S-techs. they were designed to be used with stock shocks, so therefore they are softer than other springs with similar drops, so if you're replacing the shocks with aftermarkets then the springs arent really worth it. also..although they are softer, they still wear out stock shocks faster than stock springs. so personally...i'd stay away from them. what do i recommend instead? H&R Sport springs. same drop as S-techs but stiffer while still maintaining a stock comfort level.

second, for bars. you can get ebay bars, 75 bucks including shipping for all four strut/sway bars. good luck finding megans that cheap.

third, ive seen mention of camber kits, and also noticed you didnt mention rear camber kits, LCA's, etc. theyre not really nessecary, but they are a very good idea. otherwise your negative camber from lowering will run you through tires much faster. a rear camber kit from megan will run 80-90 bucks on ebay including shipping, and yes you want name brand camber kits. same with LCA's. name brand. you can get Megan Racing's for a little over 100 bucks for a set of 'em on ebay. you can get Omni Powers for about the same price.

any other questions, let me know. please...no more 5000 word essays either