Help me im a suspension virgin!

[sivic02]

Ok, im pretty new to suspension mods on our lovely little rice burners. I drive a 2002 Civic Si. Ive decided to call it quits with the engine mods for a while and let the aftermarket build up a little more than it is before i make any long term commitments (FI or Engine Swap). My car is a daily driver (usually spirited driving) and occasional track car. Ride quality isnt the most important issue with me since i enjoy pushing my car pretty hard during my daily driving on backroads, id rather have something a little more reliable in hard turns than comfort. So what are your opinions on what to do with my baby? Id like to drop it at most about 1.5in since the roads here arent that great and there are tons of speedbumps on campus. This isnt a complete track car so im not really looking into coilovers. So after all that information what should I get in your opinions? What springs/shocks, sway bars, strut bars, whatever. Also any favorite brands? What NOT to get would be great to. Thanks.

[BullShifter]

I'm not trying to be rude but this is the most commonly asked question. SEARCH is a great option.

Suspension upgrades are the best thing you could do for the $$$$. Just think you could spend $1500 on a good exhaust, header, & intake while only gaining very little power(the noise makes it seem faster). Take that same money and you could have a very decent suspension setup.

If it were my car I would use H&R springs($150 from www.tirerack.com ) with some adjustable struts Koni sports or KYB AGX. Next attention would be given the rear sway bar, either adding or enlarging the stock junk. With an upgraded rear sway and stiff suspension you run the chance of tearing or bending the flimsy econo car frame. In this case beaks can supply you with a reinforcement kit. Rear lower tie bars are also a wise idea with large rear sways. For the front I prefer a stock sway with poly bushings and shorter endlinks with poly bushings.

If the car doesn't already have good tires, that would be next considering they play the biggest role in handling along with acceleration and braking.

After all that I would worry about upper strut bars since they provide more looks than function with good springs/struts & a large rear sway. Strut bars are like icing to a cake. Don't bother with those $40 bar kits from ebay, they are junk. Look into solid mount bars, ones without hinged ends - Neuspeed.

You can't forget about an alignment, camber kits are optional at 1.5" drops anything more will require camber kits. It's not only the camber that changes, toe is also affected and that's the bigger tire eater.

Springs:
H&R
Eibach
Neuspeed

Struts:
Koni
KYB
Tokico

Sways:
Neuspeed
Suspension Tech.
Eibach

Strut bar & Tie bars:
Neuspeed

Camber kits:
Ingalls

DO NOT BE CHEAP WITH YOUR SUSPENSION or you will regret it. Price does reflect quality.

http://www.suspension.com/stam-bar.htm
www.tirerack.com
www.modacar.com
www.jegs.com
http://www.suspension.com/civic.htm
http://www.suspension.com/tips.htm

[sivic02]

Yeah I figured it was pretty common and I thought about searching for it but I figured peoples opinions change over time ya know. Like for example a few months ago I would have told someone that a "cheap" header like megan headers are crap, until i compared it to a DC sports short header and noticed that i couldnt tell a difference at all with it on. But im rambling now, sorry.

Thanks for the info I didnt even know anything about reinforcement kits.

[BullShifter]

Exactly, the only difference is quality. One company designed it while the other copied it with lower quality material. That's where the price difference comes from. The only way I think you would notice the difference with a header is comparing a stock exhaust manifold to a header on a fully built race engine. A header is worth what? 1 maybe 2 wheel horse power, better get a neck brace.

here's the link for beaks - http://www.beaksproducts.com/Products.htm

Opinions may change but people who work in the industry actually know what's going on.

[sivic02]

Actually i gained 7whp off of the dc and the same off of the megan so i know its not like dramatic hp gain but i like to measure what i get. I was just trying to say that peoples opinions on things change. Like on engine mods a lot of the time the most expensive choice isnt always the best choice. But i didnt completely know that about suspension mods but its good to know since thats going to be whats holding my car off the ground/keeping my body from twisting. Im now planning on getting some falken azenis soon since i need to replace my current crappy bfg's , eibachs on konis, and if i have enough money left over neuspeed rear lower sway bar. Thanks for the advice man.

[SiGNAL748]

jackasssi, whats your opinion on Progress sway bars? Any good?