coilovers, struts, sway bars, ............
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coilovers, struts, sway bars, ............
What exactly are all these things? I know i sound like such a n00b, but that's cause I am....... Just trying to get some info. So what exactly are all these, what's the difference, and which ones give the best performance gain for the price, in terms of cornering ability:
coil-overs
shocks
springs
struts
(anti)-sway bars
anything else that is suspension related that i missed.....
thanks a lot!
coil-overs
shocks
springs
struts
(anti)-sway bars
anything else that is suspension related that i missed.....
thanks a lot!
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From: Tallahassee Florida, Florida, US
Rep Power: 0 Well someone else will probably take the time and reply to your q's but in the future please just take the time to read posts already out on the boards and you'll find all the information you need on simple stuff. Once you read up on what other people talk about it just starts to make sense and there's no need to start another thread.
Welcome to the site though
Welcome to the site though
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From: whittier, California, US
Rep Power: 0 i think we should teach him with a bar of soap in a towel and beat him senseless for not doing a search. 
heh heh heh then maybe he won't forget to search next time. 
aight... well im gonna be nice and tell you what they do. well im sure you know what a spring is... and im sure you know your car doesn't ride like shiet right? well thats because the spring and strust work together to obsorb the bumps in the road. shock/struts stop the spring from bouncing you all over... to regulate the bounce of the spring. the spring is there to support the weight of the car. anti sway bars do as they say. they are bars... and the stop the car from swaying. you can see them if you look up along the bottom of your car.... they look like pipe kinda and kinda bend around and shiet.... usualy on the rear side of the suspension setup. and coil overs... well you spring sits on this thing called a perch... a coil over is a replacement for the perch... but it moves up and down... allowing you to raise and lower the car via the screw like perch thingy.... they all work together to stop you car from bouncing off the road and riding like shiet... usualy if one breaks the other items start to fail... because they all rely on one another (not fail quickly... buts its a bad idea to ride on a lowered car without new shocks/struts... its a mess)
heh heh heh then maybe he won't forget to search next time. aight... well im gonna be nice and tell you what they do. well im sure you know what a spring is... and im sure you know your car doesn't ride like shiet right? well thats because the spring and strust work together to obsorb the bumps in the road. shock/struts stop the spring from bouncing you all over... to regulate the bounce of the spring. the spring is there to support the weight of the car. anti sway bars do as they say. they are bars... and the stop the car from swaying. you can see them if you look up along the bottom of your car.... they look like pipe kinda and kinda bend around and shiet.... usualy on the rear side of the suspension setup. and coil overs... well you spring sits on this thing called a perch... a coil over is a replacement for the perch... but it moves up and down... allowing you to raise and lower the car via the screw like perch thingy.... they all work together to stop you car from bouncing off the road and riding like shiet... usualy if one breaks the other items start to fail... because they all rely on one another (not fail quickly... buts its a bad idea to ride on a lowered car without new shocks/struts... its a mess) 
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From: Anniston, Alabama, US
Rep Power: 305 coil-overs: an adjustable spring assembly that allows you to fine tune your ride height. Two kinds are made, those that use your existing strut and those that are built onto a peformance strut. The strut/coilover will usually offer a better ride, but cost more. About the only down side is that they cost more and take a bit more time to set up. The up side is that you can adjust your ride to your liking.
shocks: You don't need them. They are a damping mechanism to stop the rebound and sway of a car. They are used when the spring and shock are two different components.
springs: Your car needs to have springs to allow it to contour to the road. Mostly what you are concerned about is how low they will drop your car. Lower is not always better, but that is your choice. The lower you go, the less wheel travel you will have and the bumpier or more stiff your ride will be. NEVER cut your stock coil springs. Replacement coil springs are available for a moderate cost and are worth the money.
struts: The dampening forces that are combined with your springs. Stock struts are usually weaker for a smoother ride at stock height. Investing in a good set of struts will make your car handle better and ride better.
(anti)-sway bars: A bar that connects the two front tires or two rear tires. The effect is that they reduce sway. Look under your car, if you see bars that connect the wheels, then you have them. Our cars have fronts, some do not have rears.
anything else that is suspension related that i missed.....
Camber kits: used to align the camber (wheel toe in) that will come from lowering your car any amount. Civics do not have factory adjustments for camber, so you need kits. Cam bolts in the front and new trailing arms for the rear.
Strut bars: tie the two opposing strut tower together to increase strength and decrease the suspension from flexing the body structure.
Tie rod bars: tie the two opposing suspension mounts together to reduce body flex.
If you are going to want to increase handling, I would do the following in this order:
1. Buy new tires and wheels. The stock units suck and look like bad. Go to at least a 17 or 18 if you don't have too many potholes where you live.
2. Get new springs or coilovers, preferably with struts. This way you only take apart the suspension once. And after you get them installed, align your car. Get a set of camber kits for front and rear. This way you won't eat tires.
3. Get strut bars.
4. Upgrade your sway bars.
5. Get tie rod bars.
shocks: You don't need them. They are a damping mechanism to stop the rebound and sway of a car. They are used when the spring and shock are two different components.
springs: Your car needs to have springs to allow it to contour to the road. Mostly what you are concerned about is how low they will drop your car. Lower is not always better, but that is your choice. The lower you go, the less wheel travel you will have and the bumpier or more stiff your ride will be. NEVER cut your stock coil springs. Replacement coil springs are available for a moderate cost and are worth the money.
struts: The dampening forces that are combined with your springs. Stock struts are usually weaker for a smoother ride at stock height. Investing in a good set of struts will make your car handle better and ride better.
(anti)-sway bars: A bar that connects the two front tires or two rear tires. The effect is that they reduce sway. Look under your car, if you see bars that connect the wheels, then you have them. Our cars have fronts, some do not have rears.
anything else that is suspension related that i missed.....
Camber kits: used to align the camber (wheel toe in) that will come from lowering your car any amount. Civics do not have factory adjustments for camber, so you need kits. Cam bolts in the front and new trailing arms for the rear.
Strut bars: tie the two opposing strut tower together to increase strength and decrease the suspension from flexing the body structure.
Tie rod bars: tie the two opposing suspension mounts together to reduce body flex.
If you are going to want to increase handling, I would do the following in this order:
1. Buy new tires and wheels. The stock units suck and look like bad. Go to at least a 17 or 18 if you don't have too many potholes where you live.
2. Get new springs or coilovers, preferably with struts. This way you only take apart the suspension once. And after you get them installed, align your car. Get a set of camber kits for front and rear. This way you won't eat tires.
3. Get strut bars.
4. Upgrade your sway bars.
5. Get tie rod bars.
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From: Detroit, Michigan, US
Rep Power: 0 WOW rickin thanks a LOT!!! Sorry for asking this Q when I could've found the answer, but I wanted to get all the info in one place, and to see which I should get. Now here's the catcher: I live right near Detroit.... pothole city!!!!!!! So I can't get huge wheels or lower the car cause my wheels will hit the wheel wells! Also, I am somewhat $$ limited and have no means nor knowledge to install any of this myself, except maybe a strut bar over the engine :-P lol. SOOO.... what could I get payed for and installed for under $300 or so that would increase my performance in turns? I know I cant do anything drastic, just want a little more bite into the road, and a little less roll. thanks again!!!
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From: Anniston, Alabama, US
Rep Power: 305 Probably the best way to increase your handling and looks would be to get a set of Eibach Prolines. They would only lower the car about 1 inch and would increase your handling and give you better looks. You would still have lots of wheel travel to absorb those potholes and still have good clearance. I would say you would be safe using your OEM struts with the limited drop.
As for wheel and tires, you could look at a 16 inch wheel with 50 series tire. This would still give you better handling.
I was pretty amazed at the difference just the new tires and wheels made. It seems the Stock Firestones are more for fuel econcomy than anything else.
As for wheel and tires, you could look at a 16 inch wheel with 50 series tire. This would still give you better handling.
I was pretty amazed at the difference just the new tires and wheels made. It seems the Stock Firestones are more for fuel econcomy than anything else.
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