Best setup?
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Pro Skater
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: NY Kid
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Best setup? ight heres the deal over the winter im gunna save up some money and then in the spring hopefully drop in a serious suspension setup.. so heres my question...what is the best setup all around mostly for street because im not gunna autocross... i need to kno like the best and most reasonably priced parts...so wats the best strut bars, sway bars, tie bars, and springs that work togethre and watever parts i left out...thanks alot
Autocross Junky
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There really isnt a Best... its more of a Whats the best suited for your needs/driving style... which means Testing-n-Tuning...
but heres a good order to go by when you finally do start modding.
1. Shocks
2. Springs
3. Wheels & tires (if your serious, you'll get 15X7s)
4. Alignment
5. Anti-roll bars. (as nessisary depending on how the car is handling with the shocks & springs)
6. Chassis reinforcements (tie bars, Strut tower bar, ect...)
but heres a good order to go by when you finally do start modding.
1. Shocks
2. Springs
3. Wheels & tires (if your serious, you'll get 15X7s)
4. Alignment
5. Anti-roll bars. (as nessisary depending on how the car is handling with the shocks & springs)
6. Chassis reinforcements (tie bars, Strut tower bar, ect...)
Autocross Junky
Hey! Look At Me!! I'm a Supporting Member!!
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,211
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From: Las Vegas, Nevada, US
Rep Power: 380 For shocks, I highly recomend Koni. If they are a bit to pricy for you, Tokico Illuminas would be then next choice(if/when the do actually come out).
Springs... For the street, Progressive springs (Springs with Viariable rates) are a good cromprimise. they ride pretty nice when just putting around and they get stiff when you push the car. though they can feel a bit wierd when cornering, thanks to the changing spring rates. other wise, Ground controls would be a good choice. they would allow you to set the ride height you want, as well as let you try out a few spring rates for a minimal price. (you can buy springs from GC for about $50 a pair, any length/spring rate) the adjustible ride height would also let you corner balance the car.
Tires are Excedingly important to a well handling car, choose carefully. Sticky tires ushually dont last long, and tires that last a long time ushually dont stick well. so Pick one that grips well enough and lasts long enough for you.
Alignments.... every one for gets that alignments are crucial for a well handling car. Just remember that Stock alignments arnt good for handling... you'r going to want to run some negitive camber on the front, some where between -1 and -2 deg on the nose, about half that on the rear would be good for the street. For toe, Start out with 0 toe Front and rear. Add in a little toe out on the nose for better turn entry, and fiddle with toe in/out on the back to adjust overster/understeer. (toe out will cause overster, toe in will cause understeer).
Anti-roll bars: heres your fine tuning.. Depending on what year/trim level civic you have, you could have a 25.4mm, 22mm or 15.9mm front anti-roll bar. on the rear you have either a 12mm or a 13mm.. now, depending on how the car is handling with what ever springs you end up with will determin what you should do with the anti-roll bars. If the car is understeering, a larger rear bar would help. the RSX 19mm rear bar is allways a good place to start (its cheep and readily avalible) though you may want to just get one of the many 22mm rear bars. Adjustibility here is allways a plus, as it will allow you to tune the suspension even better. For the front bars, Persoanally I feel that you shouldnt go any bigger the an OEM 25.4mm bar. If you have the 15.9mm front bar, you may want to up it to either the 22mm or 25mm. if you have the 25mm and the car understeers even with a 22mm rear, you may want to drop the front size down to a 22 or 15.9mm... its all about fine tuning here.
Someting thats important to remember. its best to change suspension components 1 part at a time. that way you can feel waht that part has or hasnt improved handling, and it will allow you to better tune your suspension to your liking.
Springs... For the street, Progressive springs (Springs with Viariable rates) are a good cromprimise. they ride pretty nice when just putting around and they get stiff when you push the car. though they can feel a bit wierd when cornering, thanks to the changing spring rates. other wise, Ground controls would be a good choice. they would allow you to set the ride height you want, as well as let you try out a few spring rates for a minimal price. (you can buy springs from GC for about $50 a pair, any length/spring rate) the adjustible ride height would also let you corner balance the car.
Tires are Excedingly important to a well handling car, choose carefully. Sticky tires ushually dont last long, and tires that last a long time ushually dont stick well. so Pick one that grips well enough and lasts long enough for you.
Alignments.... every one for gets that alignments are crucial for a well handling car. Just remember that Stock alignments arnt good for handling... you'r going to want to run some negitive camber on the front, some where between -1 and -2 deg on the nose, about half that on the rear would be good for the street. For toe, Start out with 0 toe Front and rear. Add in a little toe out on the nose for better turn entry, and fiddle with toe in/out on the back to adjust overster/understeer. (toe out will cause overster, toe in will cause understeer).
Anti-roll bars: heres your fine tuning.. Depending on what year/trim level civic you have, you could have a 25.4mm, 22mm or 15.9mm front anti-roll bar. on the rear you have either a 12mm or a 13mm.. now, depending on how the car is handling with what ever springs you end up with will determin what you should do with the anti-roll bars. If the car is understeering, a larger rear bar would help. the RSX 19mm rear bar is allways a good place to start (its cheep and readily avalible) though you may want to just get one of the many 22mm rear bars. Adjustibility here is allways a plus, as it will allow you to tune the suspension even better. For the front bars, Persoanally I feel that you shouldnt go any bigger the an OEM 25.4mm bar. If you have the 15.9mm front bar, you may want to up it to either the 22mm or 25mm. if you have the 25mm and the car understeers even with a 22mm rear, you may want to drop the front size down to a 22 or 15.9mm... its all about fine tuning here.
Someting thats important to remember. its best to change suspension components 1 part at a time. that way you can feel waht that part has or hasnt improved handling, and it will allow you to better tune your suspension to your liking.
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 10,857
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From: Gaithersburg, MD
Rep Power: 412 You are too nice spencer. You type that information at least 1 time a week. All people have to do is read the suspension FAQ and suspension tuning 101 and SEARCH! It says in the FAQ that there is NO BEST SETUP!! Please read it.
http://www.7thgencivic.com/parts_rev...cat.php/cat/10 read the reviews too.
http://www.7thgencivic.com/parts_rev...cat.php/cat/10 read the reviews too.
Last edited by robbclark1; Sep 15, 2004 at 06:27 PM.
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