whats suspension? whats Tien?

[theclassic32]

the only way you get responses here if you say something stupid in the topic so there. im a newb and i need some help. im trying to get a good suspension setup going for my 94 accord coupe. i already have the Tein cs w/edfc. what else would i need to improve on my suspension? i want to go with 18" rims. has anyone tried the energy suspension kit? what would you recommend, sway bars, strut bars, tie bars, camber kit? i want to lower my car 1.5" please if you can include some name brands that would be a great help thank you.

[BullShifter]

Originally Posted by theclassic32

the only way you get responses here if you say something stupid in the topic so there.

If you say so

What will be the main purpose of the car? Have you read any other of the post in this section that cover this subject 10 million times? If not SEARCH!

If your looking to "upgrade" 18" wheels are not the way to go. Energy Suspension or Prothane poly bushing kits work wonders but you will have to deal with a harsh ride, gets worse with colder temp, and they can be noisy. Not worth it for a street car, IMO. If you plan on taking full advantage of the teins then camber kits are needed. Sway bars & strut/tie bars are also a good idea. The biggest factor is TIRES

[theclassic32]

i have searched but all they every talk about are civic's which may be a little different than accord's. so your saying 18's are not a good choice i guess 17's would be better? well at least i will save a little money. Now for the sway bars, strut bars and tie bars, do i get both front and back? i hear a lot of people say thats its not worth to get a sway bar for the front. what about lower arm bars? whats a good camber kit? i've searched and i see people have disliked ingalls. what are some good brands for these upgrades? im trying to get my suspension done by the end of march.

[LVApex]

For best performance, you want to run the smallest diamiter wheels you can fit over your calipers and the widest ones you can fit with out rubbing on the uprights :P

[BullShifter]

Civic, Accord, etc. A front wheel drive setup is generally the same. If the purpose of the car is for street use rather than street/track the suspension parts will vary. 16" or 17" would be ok. Stock front sways work fine, rear is the place to upgrade. I got both front/rear aftermarket & stock sways. After trying different ways, aftermarket rear & stock front work best for my driving style. With a bigger rear sway you should use at least a lower tie bar. Uppers are pretty much just eye candy if the other suspension parts are done right.

Originally Posted by BullShifter

If you plan on taking full advantage of the teins then camber kits are needed.

Ingalls are our first choice when it comes to camber kits. I've heard bad things too but never had an issue yet. I guess it's all in who installs it. LCA's are a waste unless it's a pure bred competition car(road race, drag race, auto x, rally)

[theclassic32]

i appreciate your input. my car will be for street use only. so i guess a rear suspension techniques sway bar would be good. what about a brand for the lower tie bar or does it matter? i checked out the ingalls camber kits but its confusing, they have different ones. They have the Adjustable Ball Joint, Adjustable Mounts and smart arms for the rear. Is it pointless to get camber kit for the rear? which ones do i get? im looking to drop the car either 1.5 or 1.75 inches. How about strut bars? does brand name matter? should i get for the rear or front or both? sorry im being a pain in the ass its just when it comes to suspension im just so lost.

[eckoman_pdx]

For strut bars, you want to look for one that is a single piece (like Bennin Industries) versus one that has the bar connected to the mounts with big bolts (like DC sports).

Tires are a HUGE factor, run Quality tires. Big big difference. Crappy tires will ruin yiour handling. If you can afford it, the BF Goodrgide KDW-NT (AKA KDW-2) is a great wet-dry tire.

For LCA's, they pretty much just look pretty or save weight...expect for the 92-95 civic/94-01 teg and 96-00 LCA's from SPC Performance. Thet are 1/2" shorter per side than stock, so running those can help elimiate clearence issues if you run a tire that doesn't want to clear width in the rear. You have to run the rear camber kit though when you have these, and you may need the spc toe adjusters as well.

Also, I like theradjustable ball jpint style camber kit. If you get an adjustable ball joint camber kit for the front, make sure it's a low profile one. You shouldn't have issues with a 1.5" drop, but some of the older SPC styles were famous for popping a hole in the engine bay above the ball joint eventually because the ball joint bolt on the top wasn't low profile at all (it was a lot higher than stock). SPC has some new upper a-arm style camber kits for civics that are low profile (not sure about for Accords), SKunk2's/Omnipowers is low profile also...I think ingalls might have some lower profile ones...though I don't know off the top of my head. You'd have to check.

As for rear camer kit, I always felt if you have one for the front, get one for the rear. SPC makes some decent rear camber kits.

[SilverY2KCivic]

For lower tie bar I'd recommend something one-piece or at least one that ISN'T universally adjustable (hinged). I have a Cusco rear lower tiebar on my Civic and it's great. It's one-piece so almost no chance of flex or movement from it. Cusco, Tanabe, Neuspeed, Skunk2, and Carbring all make wonderful one-piece tiebars. My Cusco only set me back about $80 from Options Auto Salon ( www.optauto.com ).

[theclassic32]

ok i bought the suspension techniques rear sway bar. now i've checked for rear lower tie bars and all i keep seeing is DC sports. This is suspension stuff is so confusing. they have front upper this, front lower that, rear lower this, rear lower that, upper, lower, front, rear, behind and around off the backboard into the hoop if anyone is kindly enough just to make a list for me containing what i should get for my car and what brands that would so much easier. thank you.

[SilverY2KCivic]

Originally Posted by theclassic32

ok i bought the suspension techniques rear sway bar. now i've checked for rear lower tie bars and all i keep seeing is DC sports. This is suspension stuff is so confusing. they have front upper this, front lower that, rear lower this, rear lower that, upper, lower, front, rear, behind and around off the backboard into the hoop if anyone is kindly enough just to make a list for me containing what i should get for my car and what brands that would so much easier. thank you.

Go to the link I provided above, they have all the brands I mentioned. Just pick whatever bar fits your wallet. You're looking for a rear lower tiebar.

[theclassic32]

i went to that site all they have is the DC rear lower tie bar. they have lower arm bars, is that the samething?

[SilverY2KCivic]

Originally Posted by theclassic32

i went to that site all they have is the DC rear lower tie bar. they have lower arm bars, is that the samething?

Yes it is. There isn't nearly as much suspension aftermarket for Accords though suspension wise.

[theclassic32]

Thanks a lot silverY2K. i just ordered the skunk2 rear lower arm bar. So whats next? should i get a front lower arm bar? what about front and rear strut bars? i was looking to get the cusco ones. Basically i don't want to get anything thats not going to help my suspension.

[BullShifter]

If you don't have good tires your suspension work is pointless. Make sure you have good tires then worry about front/rear upper bars. Like I said before if you do the struts/springs, swaybar, rear lower right the upper bars are pretty much for looks. Don't get me wrong they still do something just not a lot.

[theclassic32]

well so far this is what i have bought for my suspension:

tein cs coilover w/ EDFC
skunk2 rear lower arm bar
suspension techniques rear sway bar
cusco type os rear and front strut bar
ingalls rear and front camber kit

am i missing anything for my suspension besides wheels and tires? is there anything i should get to improve my suspension? In advance i just want to thank everyone for posting and helping me. Nothing is on my car yet im waiting to get everything for my suspension and then slap it on all at once.