Suspension questions
Suspension questions
I have a 99 sedan dx that I am attempting to turn into a 4 door si. I recently put the so rims on with 195/55/15 tires. I am now moving on to suspension and brakes. First off I am planning on doing a rear disk swap with that said I don't know If I should do the swap first or if it would be ok to do the suspension then the swap. I do not want to slam my car I am looking for a suspension with better handling and a drop to hug the wheels. I want to be able to drive comfortably and not lose too much ride comfort. If at all possible I would like to improve on it but I hear that it doesn't work that way. Also I do not want to have to worry about the wheels rubbing the fender. I am willing to spend 1200 on the suspension. Any input would be great.
Re: Suspension questions
Just so we're clear there isn't a 4 door si. The closest sedan trim that's close to (and IMO better than) the Si is the Vi-RS. 195/55 tires on 15'' rims are good if you're looking for ride comfort but typically you would run a 205/50/15 tire. It's all preference, really.
Rear disc swap is a pain in the royal ***. I did the rear disc brake swap and the suspension at the same time (including all the bushings...ugh) because I wanted to clean and de-rust the undercarriage and the insides of the wheel-wells. If you lower the car on stiffer springs you're automatically going to have a less-comfortable ride. The stiffer you go, the worse it will be. Note that the wheel motion ratio of our cars is 1.5 to 1.3 f/r, but a 57/43 weight distribution. Therefore you want your rear spring rates to be as close to the front as possible. I am running 380/350 F/R Ground Control sleeves on Koni Yellows. The comfort (for me anyway) is great. I drove 5 1/2 hours down to college here and was very comfortable the whole way down. Most aftermarket spring companies make OE stiff replacements that only drop the car .75'' and offer a little bit stiffer spring rates. Perfect if you're on a budget and aren't competitive with your car (autox, etc).
Note that if you drop below 1.5'' you're going to need to invest in some camber kits (I recommend buddy club). My car is dropped 1.5'' in front and 1.7'' in rear and it looks extremely clean. No fender rolling required
Good shocks and springs will run you around $800. Camber kits will run you $300. Misc stuff that you either break or want to replace (i.e. top hats, bushings) will probably be anywhere from 200-300$.
Rear disc swap is a pain in the royal ***. I did the rear disc brake swap and the suspension at the same time (including all the bushings...ugh) because I wanted to clean and de-rust the undercarriage and the insides of the wheel-wells. If you lower the car on stiffer springs you're automatically going to have a less-comfortable ride. The stiffer you go, the worse it will be. Note that the wheel motion ratio of our cars is 1.5 to 1.3 f/r, but a 57/43 weight distribution. Therefore you want your rear spring rates to be as close to the front as possible. I am running 380/350 F/R Ground Control sleeves on Koni Yellows. The comfort (for me anyway) is great. I drove 5 1/2 hours down to college here and was very comfortable the whole way down. Most aftermarket spring companies make OE stiff replacements that only drop the car .75'' and offer a little bit stiffer spring rates. Perfect if you're on a budget and aren't competitive with your car (autox, etc).
Note that if you drop below 1.5'' you're going to need to invest in some camber kits (I recommend buddy club). My car is dropped 1.5'' in front and 1.7'' in rear and it looks extremely clean. No fender rolling required

Good shocks and springs will run you around $800. Camber kits will run you $300. Misc stuff that you either break or want to replace (i.e. top hats, bushings) will probably be anywhere from 200-300$.
Re: Suspension questions
Cool thanks for the info and I know they didn't make a 4 door si that's why I'm trying to build one. No one else will have one and it'll be pretty cool to say once I'm done it's a 4 door si and I have the only one haha I'm about half way with swapping over parts for it. I should probably post some pics too. Are there any brands otter than koni and buddy club you would recommend?
Re: Suspension questions
Koni and Bilstein are my favorite companies for shocks. For springs you got a pretty decent selection. H&R, Ground Control, Eibach, etc. Since you're looking for ride comfort I'd go for a progressive style spring instead of linear.
Re: Suspension questions
I run autox so I want to gain some better handling and not lose too much comfort. I need to find a good medium. I have done some research on line but a lot of people say a lot of different things. If I do the 1.5/1.7 drop would I be sacrificing a lot of comfort? I drive a ton and I like it to be comfortable but at the same time able to have fun while driving. Would you still recommend the same things you did before? Should I buy a camber kit regardless of how low I drop it? And would you say it's safe to change suspension without the rear disks? Or is there a certain version I need to buy for rear disks?
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Re: Suspension questions
first decide which car you getting rear parts from - I do believe most of them are interchangeable, but not sure.
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/2...on-inside.html
then you can start looking around for what suspension parts will fit on the rear end that you choose (or found in the scrap yard).
note that up to some point in lowering, a damper that can handle the springs will not be unconfortable, as long as it can control the spring. Not sure where the turning point is. dampers too soft makes the springs play as they please and damper will hit bottom. if well controlled, they will not be necessarily unconfortable. All about working range of the design of the springs/dampers.
https://www.civicforums.com/forums/2...on-inside.html
then you can start looking around for what suspension parts will fit on the rear end that you choose (or found in the scrap yard).
note that up to some point in lowering, a damper that can handle the springs will not be unconfortable, as long as it can control the spring. Not sure where the turning point is. dampers too soft makes the springs play as they please and damper will hit bottom. if well controlled, they will not be necessarily unconfortable. All about working range of the design of the springs/dampers.
Re: Suspension questions
If you're just looking to do well in autocross learn how to drive the car first before you start modifying it. I ran two full seasons while my car was bone stock (H stock FTW!) before I even added an intake. If you add parts you are put in more competitive classes, against better drivers. The egg's gotta come before the chicken.
Re: Suspension questions
Yeah I've been doing it for 3 years and I was very competitive with the modified cars times. It's time to start upgrading now that I have some money coming in. I also have been running stock in it too so I'm scared to modify with how well I have done but if I'm as good as I think I am then I'll be just fine. Also I plan on getting the rear disk off a 5th or 6th gen si
Re: Suspension questions
The next step up from H stock would be STS, which opens up some wheel options, suspension options and engine bolt-ons. I'd start with just getting the shocks and springs. Get the feel for the lower ride height and determine if the car is still understeering frequently or if it's tail happy. That will gauge what size sway bars you need. I would look for a rear disc swap off of a 94-01 Integra. The rotor size is the same (10.3'' Front... 9.X'' rear) but the calipers have a bigger piston size (3mm?). Grab a GSR master cylinder with the brake booster (1''), some steel brake lines, hawk brake pads and you'll have yourself a very, very nice brake setup for autocross (that's the exact setup I have and it works fantastic).
If you've been driving for that long on a stock civic the shocks and springs are going to require a huge driver adjustment, and the margin for error (on and off the autox course) are going to be much narrower. It's the equivalent of giving your civic a line of cocaine that doesn't end.
If you've been driving for that long on a stock civic the shocks and springs are going to require a huge driver adjustment, and the margin for error (on and off the autox course) are going to be much narrower. It's the equivalent of giving your civic a line of cocaine that doesn't end.
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