lowering springs question

[flipkid]

will just using a set of aftermarket lowering springs (no shocks, no coilovers, jus springs) damage anything on a stock suspension?

[texan]

It's very possible you will blow the stock shocks, especially if the springs drop the car quite a bit and/or are much stiffer than stock.

[3.5litermoose]

yep. Definately will have to get some sport shocks from koni or bilstein. Those will run you about 300 bucks.

[Racing Rice]

and dont go to low.. or youll really need camber kits to help out..

[seriburi]

what are camber kits? what do they do? and how would it help if you go really low on the car?

[b16b bomber]

cambers help with the alignment of your car

the stock cambers dont have enough adjustability to align the wheels when you car is lowered, so you would have to buy aftermarket camber kits to allow you to have proper alignment

[texan]

CAMBER:
Camber is the angle the wheel deviates from perfectly vertical when looked at from straight ahead. Positive camber would have the top of the wheel inclined outwards, away from vehicle center, while negative camber has the top of the wheel leaning inwards to vehicle center. Contrary to popular belief, any and all camber angles hurt tire adhesion to the road, and for one obvious reason. Tires create the most grip when they put the biggest footprint onto the pavement possible, and any significant camber angles shrink the all important contact patch. The reason people associate negative cmaber with good handling is because as body roll occurs in a corner, positive camber is naturally imparted to the outside wheels. The suspension's camber angle at static ride height (plus it's camber curve, see below) will determine whether the wheel goes into positive camber during body roll, or simply balances out to zero camber. So just know that ideally we want zero camber at all times, but like most things automotive a compromise must be struck: dial in a bit of negative camber at static ride height for the least amount of positive camber possible at maximum effort cornering.


As you lower a Honda more and more, negative camber becomes an increasing problem. Bad tire wear, poor handling and directional stability can all be side effects of too much negative camber. Honda suspensions also have very limited (if any) camber adjustment, so buying a camber kit is basicaly just buying a greater level of adjustment so you can get the alignment specs correct.

[94civic]

how low can you drop a civic without having to use a camber kit

[texan]

The general consensus is about 1.5" before you start running into problems. 1.7" and you'll probably be alright (it depends upon your specific tire sidewall), 2" and you'll definitely be seeing camber issues.

[Racing Rice]

Originally posted by 94civic
how low can you drop a civic without having to use a camber kit

Also keep in mind that your car comes with a little negative camber from factory alittle bit of negative camber is good. Just try to keep it within factory specs and youll be fine.

[nemesls_2000]

Originally posted by texan
CAMBER:
Camber is the angle the wheel deviates from perfectly vertical when looked at from straight ahead. Positive camber would have the top of the wheel inclined outwards, away from vehicle center, while negative camber has the top of the wheel leaning inwards to vehicle center. Contrary to popular belief, any and all camber angles hurt tire adhesion to the road, and for one obvious reason. Tires create the most grip when they put the biggest footprint onto the pavement possible, and any significant camber angles shrink the all important contact patch. The reason people associate negative cmaber with good handling is because as body roll occurs in a corner, positive camber is naturally imparted to the outside wheels. The suspension's camber angle at static ride height (plus it's camber curve, see below) will determine whether the wheel goes into positive camber during body roll, or simply balances out to zero camber. So just know that ideally we want zero camber at all times, but like most things automotive a compromise must be struck: dial in a bit of negative camber at static ride height for the least amount of positive camber possible at maximum effort cornering.


As you lower a Honda more and more, negative camber becomes an increasing problem. Bad tire wear, poor handling and directional stability can all be side effects of too much negative camber. Honda suspensions also have very limited (if any) camber adjustment, so buying a camber kit is basicaly just buying a greater level of adjustment so you can get the alignment specs correct.

Nice info, THANX!!! What are some of the reasons for a tire to cup?

[LX98Civic]

Originally posted by Racing Rice
and dont go to low.. or youll really need camber kits to help out..

I went with Neuspeed sports / Bilstein HD's just for that reason. I do however need to do the old washer and new bolt trick for the rear.
Oh, and the ride is almost like stock.

[texan]

Originally posted by nemesls_2000
Nice info, THANX!!! What are some of the reasons for a tire to cup?

Generally speaking, tire cupping results from sudden and profound changes in wheel location, which is why loose or bent steering and wheel location parts (suspension hard parts, tie rods, etc.) are often to blame. Bottoming out due to extreme lowering with soft spring rates can also be to blame, as well as blown shocks in rare cases. So if you have a cupping problem it's due to something fairly basic not working right, and is definitely affecting more than just treadwear patterns (i.e. performance and vehicle stability).

[SlammedCivicSedan]

what does it look like when tires cup?

[CivicSiRacer]

WOW! Talking about revising an old thread Have nothing better to do?

http://www.kaltire.com/commercial/me...es/cupping.php