Wisdom needed

dillon_1213

New Member
Well I need some advice for my hatch. I have 98 hatch cx and i want to drop it and get rid of the gap in the wheel wells and I was wondering what shocks and springs would do this. plus some more drop for when i get lower profile tires on some 16s and have it ride really good cuz i dont want to piss my lady friend off... or my self.
ps i wanna ad sway bars to cuz theres to much body roll so i plan on the subframe brace and lca
 

ek forever guy

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I've written a thread with basic suspension advice and it can be found both in my signature and stickied at the top of this forum.

At 16 I think you should probably be saving for college, but that's just me.

ASR/Function7 are the only braces i would buy, and for a 6th generation civic a 22/24mm swaybar would be fine. ASR, Progress, ST, etc make swaybars that would be just fine. A front bar would also be advisable, the 22mm from the Ex/Lx is considered the best OEM bar for racing purposes.

Are you planning on finding a local SCCA club to start racing with? It's a lot of fun and a very inexpensive hobby, outside of the car parts each event is ~$20-40 for a valuable, fun, and safe racing experience where you can learn a lot about the limitations of your car.

The only way to have a moderate drop and a "comfortable" ride is to have ~400-450lb front rates, and 250-300lb rear rates. If you've got really nice roads you could up the rates.
 


dillon_1213

New Member
HAH thank you. i Was confused on what to use and i am dual enrolled in highschool and college right now.. I currently am going to school to be come a semi tech but Im feel like i want to become a steam fitter my dads getting into that and it seems to be cool.
I already race dirt bikes buts itd be fun to to the track in iowa,
but whats really good for 600 i want to buy it throgh winter so when springs here my car will be slammed?
 

dillon_1213

New Member
Maybe koni oranges with ground controll sleevs and Eibach lowering springs then the sways would that drop it well and then i could buy yellows later to? or are those oranges not good for lowering
 


ek forever guy

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I'm not the person to ask. I personally believe you should save up and buy something quality to slam your car with if you want it to last.

Koni/GC with the extended top hats can be had for around $900. $300 sounds like a big difference, but divide that by the months you plan on owning the car and it probably amounts to a $10-20 per month difference. The setup will last and will be a lot more flexible with any future plans for the car.

I've learned the hard way that buying knock off wheels, cheap suspension, cheap seats, etc is a waste of time, money, and effort. Saving up and buying quality parts that will last the life of your car is worth every penny.

And no, the koni oranges are not good for slamming a car.
 

dillon_1213

New Member
I dont really want to race my car tho thats why i have the ktms haha.
But I do want it to last but what am i looking to buy I dont really know whats all need to dump this thing
 

ek forever guy

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I'm not sure you're listening...

Koni sport shocks, and Eibach ground controls. The sponsor marketplace on this website probably still has killed thanksgiving deals going on. Just ask for extended top hats for at least the front shock towers as well. This allows for further shock rod travel preventing the shock from bottoming out.
 

dillon_1213

New Member
thanks ya i was trying to ask abunch at once sorry

I love the look of your car but im scared of all the adjustablility of the yellows do i have to put sleeves on or can i run lowering springs
 

paulx022

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Sounds like you have a general idea of what you want to do and that's great. I'd personally just get coilovers, spacers and nice wheels. On a 16 please don't be one of those people that have low profile rubber band looking tires on your car. On a 16 you want at least a 50 series tire. Don't be that guy on 17's with a 35 or 40 with motegi's. Lol. But to each their own.
 

ek forever guy

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Springs will never sit even at all four corners for a number of reasons.

Coilover sleeves are ideal as your mind will eventually change as to the height you like. Riding around dumped gets old in about a week.

Technically, a spring/shock and a "full coilover" are both coilovers as the coil goes over the shock in both scenarios. The "full coilover" just has an adjustable aluminum sleeve.

As a side note, you don't need camber kits. So don't waste your money. Unless your car is ULTRA dumped or you need to fit some crazy wheel spec you don't need them to have even tire wear. Just get the car aligned and ask the technician to set the toe to .03-.05 OUT in the front and .03-05 IN in the rear. The car will handle much better with these configurations as opposed to 0 toe.
 

dillon_1213

New Member
I wont man trust me i dont want a low pro i jsut want some wide tire so it grabs and and some side wall for the cushion and so the next thing im buying is koni yellows then some springs
thats after i get my tax money plus my christmas money and work. But ya im going to paint my trim red and so it looks good and put my fogs in soon
I already read on the camber kits id didnt want them any way they seem ghey and dont have much of a purpose when im not dumping it 2 inchs from the ground
 

ek forever guy

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The width of the wheel does not matter, not really even the mm width of the tire, but the camber curve when the suspension operates is critical to contact. The type/brand of tire matters a lot more. A sticky 195 summer tire on a 6" wheel will stick a LOT better than a 225 all season on a 7.5" wide wheel.

Dumping your car will make it handle poorly and even be dangerous in a live-action scenario where you need to maneuver since the suspension geometry does not behave as it should.

Dumped a car sets the wheel bearing and the LCA at angles they were not designed to operate at, the car cannot and will not handle well.
 

dillon_1213

New Member
I really just hate how high my car rides and i want it to handle and ride well at the same time. I want sways to help body roll so its even better cornering right?
 

ek forever guy

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I really just hate how high my car rides and i want it to handle and ride well at the same time. I want sways to help body roll so its even better cornering right?
Swaybars reduce body roll, sort of, the increase the active spring rate of your suspension and tie the independent suspension together.

I understand hating how high your car is, I drove a stock height civic for 6 years. Slamming your car will make it handle worse, and getting whatever swaybars you want will not be optimal either, but generally speaking if you have no swaybars getting a 22mm front and 22mm rear is a pretty safe bet.

Slammed cars cannot ride comfortably. If you want to completely deny the physics as a science go for it, your car will ride like ass with that little suspension/shock travel, and the rates needed to prevent the shock from bottoming out and the UCA from punching a hole in your shock tower.

To reiterate: Slammed does not handle well, means shorter life for wheel bearings, tie rods, suspension bushings, shocks, and tires. You will be replacing all of these parts sooner than you would otherwise.

[Comfort]----------------------------O--------------------------------[Handling]

You can slide the O along this graph. Handling comes at the expense of comfort, and comfort at the expense of handling. There is no way to get both at the same time. Period. Your tolerance for harsh rides is a variable I cannot account for, that does not make the aforementioned theory untrue.
 

JohnS.

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Good information as always from ek forever guy :thumbs up.

There really isn't much else to say! lol
 

TigBitties

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no point in repeating what has already been said

except riding dumped doesnt always get old, ive been at it for about a year

but he is right, it rides like complete s**t. no open containers in my car, having coffee is rough, my boobs hit my gf in the face, i hit my head off the roof, i get legit hangtime. wheels have been off the ground already. it breaks a lot of s**t, wears it down quickly, you cant take certain roads, driving pretty much sucks. but in the end i love it and i would say it handles pretty damn well though still.

in the end, we cant decide what you do, just recommend that you dont cheap out on your suspension. it holds the car after all
 

CHILD

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i think our 3 cars: ek forever guy, 1sickvic, and I have the three basic alternatives to suspension heights, comforts, and usability.
 


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