Newbie with the desire to auto-x. help

Springs, Struts, Swaybars, Bushings, Tower Braces & more
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Newbie with the desire to auto-x. help

By siraig
- Wed May 13, 2009 3:33 pm #116619 Hey all,

I just bought a very nice non-molested '92 EG Si. I have plans to eventually swap and boost. I love driving fast through the turns and all that good stuff and have the extreme desire to auto-x and in the future race in other scca events. I have set aside around 2-2.5k to do nothing but suspension. I want to get my suspension updated/upgraded to be able to support whatever power I decide to push later down the road.

My only requirements are that it needs to be within my pricerange. I am pretty dumb when it comes to what parts do what but I am learning.

So far.. I've been pretty much set on getting tien SS dampers, 3pt strut front, 4pt rear and camberkits. and beyond that.. I'm clueless.

Any help is greatly appreciated...
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By Greasedmonkey
- Wed May 13, 2009 4:53 pm #116650 Im glad you set aside money just for suspension. You will need it to be competetive.

I see you have a plan, and a list of what you want. Right off the bat, I will say this. DONT get the Tein anything. One thing I have learned while searching for suspensions is this. The suspension that works the best is the one that is used by the winners. That being the case, the best setup is Ground Control and Koni yellows, with GC top hats.

Its uses one of the best struts out there and you can get them a few different ways. Ground Control paired with Eibach springs have proven time and time again to be the best as well.

You will first need to know what spring rates you want to use for you car. You said you would like to autox and road race. I have what is equivilent to a 670 f/ 500 r spring rate set up on my car now. I am looking to grab a new setup from Ground Control/Koni before too long as well. My rates will then change to 700/600. Spring rates are all up to you.

If you dont mind a stiffer, harsher ride for street/daily then you can get 550+ front spring rates, and 450+ rear

Since you did say you wanted to race the car, I would suggest SPS3 or Race valved Koni yellows. Will cost more, but handle the spring rates better.

Here is a link to the GC/Koni setup I would suggest.
http://www.honda-tech.com/showthread.php?t=1689953
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By Greasedmonkey
- Wed May 13, 2009 8:34 pm #116743 I would also suggest getting a rear sway bar. It will help rotate the car some. Few good choices are:

Integra LS/GSR/ITR

If you get the ITR bar, you will need to grab a ASR subframe brace to strengthen the lower subframe in the rears.

Your stock front sway bar will be plenty for the car. I know, Thats all I have right now.

If you add a sway bar you will need new LCAs to mount the bar too. Function7 sells the best set on the market right now.

PasswordJDM and Benen both make a good 3PT front strut bar that wont break your bank, and Password also makes a good rear strut bar, though you wont notice too much with either of these mods.

Another thing to look at would be the Js racing fender Braces. Add strength to the frame work under the fenders to keep them from flexing under hard cornering or bumps. Very nice parts.

You will also want to make sure all your bushings are in good shape, that will help you out the most. Bad bushings make for poor handling.
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By siraig
- Thu May 14, 2009 3:04 pm #116863 Thanks a ton for the good reply. Posted on d-series.org and got pretty much the same information... so far its looking like this.

-Koni yellows w/ ground control coilovers
-Blox LCR's
-sk2 pro-series ft & r camber kits
-megan racing c-pillar bar
-asr 24mm swaybar w/ subframe brace
-pwjdm 4pt rear strut bar
-pwjdm 3pt front strut bar

that puts me at my limit pretty much. When I get more cash - I'm putting in a harness and bucket, new wheels with good rubbers, and goin to the local auto-x.
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By siraig
- Thu May 14, 2009 3:48 pm #116874 I'll be starting a built thread soon as I have tons of parts coming in.

Gotta fix the qp rust, get the cf hood/trunk installed. pull engine for pistons, cam, and other goodies. meanwhile repaint entire car/engine bay. possibly weight reducted rear. then re-install and DRIVE!

Are rota's heavy? I know they're not as light as some wheels - but are they even an improvement over steelies/stock alloys (have a set of them. "premium" honda wheels i think)? If not - then I wont waste my money till I find a nice set of wheels I like the looks of and are light. What are good radials to look into? I hear good things of nitto these days...
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By JUICE
- Thu May 14, 2009 3:55 pm #116877
siraig wrote:I'll be starting a built thread soon as I have tons of parts coming in.

Gotta fix the qp rust, get the cf hood/trunk installed. pull engine for pistons, cam, and other goodies. meanwhile repaint entire car/engine bay. possibly weight reducted rear. then re-install and DRIVE!

Are rota's heavy? I know they're not as light as some wheels - but are they even an improvement over steelies/stock alloys (have a set of them. "premium" honda wheels i think)? If not - then I wont waste my money till I find a nice set of wheels I like the looks of and are light. What are good radials to look into? I hear good things of nitto these days...


very nice. dont be shy to search the site. lots of good shit on here...

http://civic-eg.com/viewtopic.php?t=15
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By siraig
- Thu May 14, 2009 4:28 pm #116884 Thats an amazing link!! Thanks a ton for that.
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By Greasedmonkey
- Thu May 14, 2009 4:34 pm #116886 Please dont get blox LCAs. The sway bar mounting location is not right, and the bushing dont last long enough to be of any use.

Get Function7 or if not those, then skunk2.
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By VegasCivic
- Thu May 14, 2009 4:37 pm #116888 Remember with more mods you can get bumped up to a more challenging class.

check out the guidelines for a class, then stay in them.

Always have fun :thumb:
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By JUICE
- Thu May 14, 2009 7:57 pm #116947
siraig wrote:Thats an amazing link!! Thanks a ton for that.


thank teal, definitely check out the DIY section (on home page) if you have not already.... lookin through there will give you all kinds of ideas!

i gotta find a schedule for the autocross events around me.... love seein the occasional "beater" get pushed to the max!! always fun to watch..
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By Mordiiax
- Fri May 15, 2009 3:11 pm #117102 Can someone help me with some nice links to user reviews of the racekoni/GC combo?
I am really disapointed with my Koni Coilovers and instead of testing different kinds of coils im thinking of selling my present stuff and getting "the right stuff" from the start.

Sorry for intruding on your thread, siraig, but i hope it will benefit us all :)
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By Greasedmonkey
- Fri May 15, 2009 4:38 pm #117130 check out the road race/autox section on honda tech.

Post up question there and you will get tons of answers.
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Re: Newbie with the desire to auto-x. help

By martino
- Sun Aug 02, 2009 2:22 pm #134922
siraig wrote:My only requirements are that it needs to be within my pricerange. I am pretty dumb when it comes to what parts do what but I am learning.


one thing i tell people who ask me about bars is this: put one new part in, drive it, and compare the feel of the car without and with it. that will tell you what the effect of each bar is.

oh and another thing—your springs and dampers will do more for handling than bars will. i've driven cars with all the bars but stock/cut springs and cars with good springs and shocks but without the bars, and the cars in the latter category handle way better than the ones in the former.
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