Rep Power: 0

A few questions from a newbie.

Does anyone have pictures of a 4th generation civic on 16-inch wheels? I'm debating 15 or 16.

Also, any suggestions on shocks? I'm looking at Tokico Blues.

Thanks for any help.

 
Rep Power: 0

I'm debating Sprint or H&R springs, possibly mixed with Tokico Blues or KYB.

Here's the car:

 
Rep Power: 0

I know I'm just talking to myself in this thread, but I thought I'd pass along that I went with the H&R Sport springs with a 1.9/1.8 drop. A guy purchased the wrong ones and was selling them on ebay...I got'em for $80!!!

 
Rep Power: 0

thats a godo deal, and a really clean car, 16s would look good on that car, keep us updated

 
Rep Power: 0

Thanks....will do.

By the way, I see you are in Southern Illinois. Are you anywhere close to Marion?

 
Rep Power: 264

wow that is one clean ef, congrats! take good care of it, as I'm sure you will

 
Rep Power: 0

THANKS!

I'm building on a budget, and some have told me not to worry about getting name-brand when it comes to a short ram intake or a strut brace. I found a couple things on ebay that are really cheap, which makes me skeptical.

I was wondering what you guys thought of this stuff:

Short Ram Intake from RC-Factory
$6.00 plus $26.00 shipping


Front Strut Tower Brace
$6.00 plus $15.00 shipping

 
Rep Power: 278

If you're going with that intake, I'd go to Wal-Mart and buy a K&N filter, throw that one away, it's likely garbage. There's nothing special about the piping so you don't need to worry about that.
As for the brace, I'd be surprised it'll be rigid enough to make a difference in the handling. It's probably just a soft untempered metal to make you feel good about your car or show off for looks. You need something very rigid.

 
Rep Power: 0

Here's what the listing says:

Item Condition: Brand New
Maker: Bomz Racing
Unlike other strut bars, this strut tower/tie brace is made of Aluminum Alloy and it is much stronger than the others
It helps to eliminate chassis and upper & lower strut mounts flex for radically better handling and steering response
Guarantee 100% Brand New And Ready To Ship
Easy Installation with simple tools
Retail Price: $100 + Tax
Serious Bidders ONLY Please

 
Rep Power: 249

I fail to see how it's any different than a Neuspeed, etc. strut bar. Those are aluminum also. But for $100? You can get a name-brand that you know is high quality for a shade more than that. If it was me, I'd go with peace of mind coming from a reputable company.

 
Rep Power: 0

actually, i live in marion, why?

 
Rep Power: 0

They were saying the retail price is $100...but they are selling it for $6.00 plus $15 shipping.

 
Rep Power: 0

I pm'd you!

 
Rep Power: 249

Oh wow that's sketchy. I wouldn't put that anywhere near my car.

 
Rep Power: 0

I thought the exact same thing, but the picture (below) looks like all the other ones that are more expensive. And then I thought, heck, for $30 shipped, why not take a chance. If it's crap, it was just a $30 gamble. If it's good, then it was a heckuva deal. I'm torn!

 
Rep Power: 278

Do it and let the rest of us know!

 
Rep Power: 0

Will do! I plan on posting reviews of different products as I do things to the car.

 
Rep Power: 249

I've gambled on cheap eBay parts and lost more times than I've won, but it's your call.

 
Rep Power: 264

ok, I'm going to try my best to explain to you why this might not be the best option for you if you're looking for performance, don't worry, we've all been in the same boat as you. about 6-7 years ago I used to have these same questions but unfortunately none of the experts bothered to explain exactly how this stuff works. I've basically lived and learned some of this stuff and some came from my profs at the uni.

The whole point of a front upper strut bar is to reduce movement (flex) of one side of the body relative to the other side during cornering, as a result, keeping both wheels more planted on the road, resulting in more grip and greater steering response.

How they do it is by transfering the horizontal (very little) and vertical loads from one side to the other during cornering, and as a result, trying to "balance them out". ok, now that we've established that, let me explain how having jointed connections between the 2 strut towers will compromise this ability, and the reason why the "cheap" or "no name" bars always seem to like using these connections rather than having one solid piece.

Having jointed connections allow vertical movement in these strut "bars" at the location of the joints during hard cornering, what does this vertical movement mean? it means that only very little (horizontal) force is being transferred by the connecting rod, making this piece, as engineers like to call it, almost a "zero force member", meaning its practically useless. Doing this allows these manufacturers to use cheaper and of course much weaker materials to make these bars, because they're practically not bearing any load and are subject to very little bending.

The good name brand bars use a welded connection which results in full load transfer, requiring better materials to handle these loads, thus making these bars more expensive, plus, welding takes more time & skill than assembling a nut and bolts, and lets not forget the time an engineer spends designing/choosing proper material for them.

The best strut bars imo are the welded ones that not only connect the 2 strut towers, but also tie into the firewall, , this not only enhances the rigidity of the front end, it also allows the bar to withstand the "torsion" created by the couple action of the loads on both sides. I think Benen makes a bar like this for the ef, I've also seen option-jdm bars that do this, very nice bars

Anyways, good luck with ur ef

ps. I have a quiz on this stuff 2moro, damn this was a good review before I go to bed lol

 
Rep Power: 0

Awesome stuff, MrXclusive! Greatly appreciated.

After that, I think I'll be passing on that cheap strut bar.

On to the intake. I might try that one and go buy a K&N or AEM filter for it.