8th Generation Honda Civic Forum - View Single Post

***Curt*** · 06-21-2009, 08:08 AM

Sirbelch, thanks for the extensive reply. In my reference to the BMW M3, anyone who's driven one senses a certain "taughtness" to the suspension, not harsh and not soft, but tight and very responsive. That's generally speaking what I'm looking for, but for those who want more, the aftermarket offers lots of options for those BMW owner as well.
Anyone who's spent time (and $$$) playing around with their suspension options has come to understand that the shocks, springs and sway bars determine the basic handling characteristics of any car, and if you don't start with a combination that works together in a complementary way, most anything else you try to do is sort of like trying to fix a cut with a Band Aid when you should have gotten stitches. End links, harder bushings, etc. can all add to the exactness of chrispness of that shock/spring/sway package. And the choice of tires can either add to or detract from how well that shock/spring/sway package works. And what I've come to appreciate and many never do is that a great after market seat does wonders for the driver's ability to be "at one" and in touch with the entire combination of pieces and parts built into any car.
Having said all of that, yes, my MR2 Spyder's suspension package was engineered by TRD and includes that shock/spring/sway package I was referring to. There were lots of options with coil-overs, larger adjustable sways, and multi-way adjustable shocks, all of which can totally screw up things for all but the most knowledgable when it comes to getting them all balanced and working together in a complementary way. For my Civic Sedan Si (I guess to sound like I'm getting with the program it's a FA5) I don't plan to autox or track the car (those days are long since past), but I want a suspension setup that if I wanted to jump out onto an autox course, while I might not come home with any prize, I wouldn't embarass myself either.
Sirbelch, you stated that, ".......maybe you should look into the HFP suspension. No one knows the specs of it, but from what I have read, its about 15% stiffer than a stock Si. Mugen also makes a suspension for the Si. Its not the same one on the Mugen Si, but a little more handling orientated." This sounds like the direction I want to be going in. Do any of you guys have a little more information/specifics on these in terms of the shock, spring and sway bar differences they have versus the Si?
Thanks, all.

06-21-2009, 08:08 AM	#8 (permalink)
*Curt* VIP Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Brevard, NC Posts: 191	Sirbelch, thanks for the extensive reply. In my reference to the BMW M3, anyone who's driven one senses a certain "taughtness" to the suspension, not harsh and not soft, but tight and very responsive. That's generally speaking what I'm looking for, but for those who want more, the aftermarket offers lots of options for those BMW owner as well. Anyone who's spent time (and $$$) playing around with their suspension options has come to understand that the shocks, springs and sway bars determine the basic handling characteristics of any car, and if you don't start with a combination that works together in a complementary way, most anything else you try to do is sort of like trying to fix a cut with a Band Aid when you should have gotten stitches. End links, harder bushings, etc. can all add to the exactness of chrispness of that shock/spring/sway package. And the choice of tires can either add to or detract from how well that shock/spring/sway package works. And what I've come to appreciate and many never do is that a great after market seat does wonders for the driver's ability to be "at one" and in touch with the entire combination of pieces and parts built into any car. Having said all of that, yes, my MR2 Spyder's suspension package was engineered by TRD and includes that shock/spring/sway package I was referring to. There were lots of options with coil-overs, larger adjustable sways, and multi-way adjustable shocks, all of which can totally screw up things for all but the most knowledgable when it comes to getting them all balanced and working together in a complementary way. For my Civic Sedan Si (I guess to sound like I'm getting with the program it's a FA5) I don't plan to autox or track the car (those days are long since past), but I want a suspension setup that if I wanted to jump out onto an autox course, while I might not come home with any prize, I wouldn't embarass myself either. Sirbelch, you stated that, ".......maybe you should look into the HFP suspension. No one knows the specs of it, but from what I have read, its about 15% stiffer than a stock Si. Mugen also makes a suspension for the Si. Its not the same one on the Mugen Si, but a little more handling orientated." This sounds like the direction I want to be going in. Do any of you guys have a little more information/specifics on these in terms of the shock, spring and sway bar differences they have versus the Si? Thanks, all.