HFP Suspension Review

[sf-si-02]

Ok, I went from stock to stock plus progress sway bar. The sway bar has always been the best bang for the buck on my older civics, so I always start with that. HOwever with the fg2... it did not make all that big a difference. I think the tail is sufficiently regid, that the sway bar does not have all that much work to do. If you disagree, I dare you to drive an ep3 before and after a sway, that is a WORLD of difference.


After the Progress, I finally got hfp suspension. Let me tell you, the other reports are not exagerations. The car rides rediculously well. It is harsher, and really, no different than say pro-kit and tokico on an older civic. The magis is in fact the lack of a drop. You can still take speed bumps at full speed, and yuo don;t have to crank the wheel like a retard everytime you come off of a driveway... its awesome

Install was a pita, although it is straight forward, the front trailing arm bolts are impossible to get to with a torque wrench. Unilike the ep3, the fronts are a piece of cake on this car, and the rears a pita. All in all I think it took me 45 minutes up front, and 45 for the left rear and by the time I did the right rear it was down to 35ish. Not too shabby.

[cappykd]

Originally Posted by sf-si-02

Ok, I went from stock to stock plus progress sway bar. The sway bar has always been the best bang for the buck on my older civics, so I always start with that. HOwever with the fg2... it did not make all that big a difference. I think the tail is sufficiently regid, that the sway bar does not have all that much work to do. If you disagree, I dare you to drive an ep3 before and after a sway, that is a WORLD of difference.


After the Progress, I finally got hfp suspension. Let me tell you, the other reports are not exagerations. The car rides rediculously well. It is harsher, and really, no different than say pro-kit and tokico on an older civic. The magis is in fact the lack of a drop. You can still take speed bumps at full speed, and yuo don;t have to crank the wheel like a retard everytime you come off of a driveway... its awesome

Install was a pita, although it is straight forward, the front trailing arm bolts are impossible to get to with a torque wrench. Unilike the ep3, the fronts are a piece of cake on this car, and the rears a pita. All in all I think it took me 45 minutes up front, and 45 for the left rear and by the time I did the right rear it was down to 35ish. Not too shabby.

I love my HFP kit and Progress bar.. Your right I can't stand cars that rub, bottom-out etc. I can drive the SI with an HFP kit just like a normal car.

[sf-si-02]

Originally Posted by cappykd

I can drive the SI with an HFP kit just like a normal car.

only faster

[SiCali]

this is good news for me, verifying what i want out of the HFP suspension kit. this is my daily driver, but i do want to take the occasional onramp/offramp at 80+mph

[sf-si-02]

Originally Posted by SiCali

this is good news for me, verifying what i want out of the HFP suspension kit. this is my daily driver, but i do want to take the occasional onramp/offramp at 80+mph

Dude, you will feel the differnce at any speed, its truley day and night. Hit me up if you are in socal and need help with install

[SiCali]

i just ordered my HFP kit from collegehillshonda.com. apparently they're having a sale, and it's lower than all the ebaymotor stores and it's tax free the only thing i'm waiting for is a good deal on some brand new HFP 18" or wait out and get the CSX Type S rims.

as for install i have two or three ppl up here in norcal that will help me w/ the install. thx for offering tho. hopefully some day i may move down to socal.

[Tim620X]

Where can you find this stuff? Shouldn't Honda have a website for everything HFP?!

[Jester FPS]

any pics?

[sf-si-02]

Originally Posted by Jester FPS

any pics?

Dude, there is nothing to show, unloaded, the springs were maybe 1/2" shorter than stock. I'll tell you this though: when I installed, I put the car on the lowest setting of jackstands, befiore removing the wheels. To remove the wheels, I locked some wood between the tire and the floor and wa able to remove the lug nuts. After the hfp, the wood was not tall enough to floor

[Si-aficionado]

Originally Posted by sf-si-02

Let me tell you, the other reports are not exagerations. The car rides rediculously well. It is harsher, and really, no different than say pro-kit and tokico on an older civic. The magis is in fact the lack of a drop. You can still take speed bumps at full speed, and yuo don;t have to crank the wheel like a retard everytime you come off of a driveway... its awesome

Good news..
You said it rides very nice, but how about performance?
Any big diference in understeer/oversteer?

[sf-si-02]

Originally Posted by Si-aficionado

Good news..
You said it rides very nice, but how about performance?
Any big diference in understeer/oversteer?

Yeah, well, my biggest satsifaction from all of this, is that the body roll is significantly lower, by say 70%! As such, at high speeds, all four wheels stay planted on the road. As for under/over-steer, I can now throw the tail around... I have always had the rear sway bar, but at high speed sharp turns, I would try to kick the tail out (akin to a drift... though I know this is not drifting) and I could not, because the sway bar was not allowed to play its role, the shocks would absorb too much energy. Now, the shocks/springs are hard enough that I can use the sway to full advantage and kick the tail out in controlled settings.

Note, the hfp suspension is deliciously progressive, it is still nice and soft for the first 10% of travel, and then gets signifficantly stiffer thereafter. Yes, even the first 10% is stiffer than stock (noticeable so ) however once you get past that 1/4" or whatever 10% is, its awesome!

[SiRyan]

Yup! I love my HFP's. Handles almost as good as AWD....maybe not but almost.

[BionicElite]

hfp and progress, sounds like a great set up! any problems with install? And i havn't checked it out yet, but did you use si endlinks? if i had the money, i'd go with hotchkis but i wanna know if stock will do for the occasional weekend of hairpin turns around the hills here.

[Tim]

Would it be possible or advisable to use the HFP struts with aftermarket springs, like Eibach Sportlines?

[cappykd]

Originally Posted by BionicElite

hfp and progress, sounds like a great set up! any problems with install? And i havn't checked it out yet, but did you use si endlinks? if i had the money, i'd go with hotchkis but i wanna know if stock will do for the occasional weekend of hairpin turns around the hills here.

I used the Hotchkis.
Buy the kit and install it yourself and with the money you save, you can get the end links.

[cappykd]

Originally Posted by Tim

Would it be possible or advisable to use the HFP struts with aftermarket springs, like Eibach Sportlines?

Yes it is possible but the shocks are designed for the HFP springs sp like other drop springs you may wear the shocks out quickly. It may handle worse. You also don't know if that will make you rub or scrape.

Most of the Auto-x and Road race guys will tell you that dropped cars without proper matching shocks and struts will make handling worse not better.

LOVE the new wheels BTW. How much do they weigh each?

[sf-si-02]

Originally Posted by BionicElite

hfp and progress, sounds like a great set up! any problems with install? And i havn't checked it out yet, but did you use si endlinks? if i had the money, i'd go with hotchkis but i wanna know if stock will do for the occasional weekend of hairpin turns around the hills here.

Why use hotchkis? The stock ones work fine. Until they break I am keeping it stock. even if they do break, stock is very inexpensive.... hotchks for a 22mm bar is overkill IMO

[cappykd]

Originally Posted by sf-si-02

Why use hotchkis? The stock ones work fine. Until they break I am keeping it stock. even if they do break, stock is very inexpensive.... hotchks for a 22mm bar is overkill IMO

Among other things I like the fact that they are greasable.

[sf-si-02]

Originally Posted by cappykd

Among other things I like the fact that they are greasable.

Thje honda ones are greased and sealed. Again, if you are hitting enough G's to break stockers, than congrats, I have yet to do so. In fact, I used the exact same honda ones on my ep3 and never had an issue with all my suspension stuff. The guys with the crazy 27mm mugen bar would break them every day though. I am not that baller... yet

[Cookstar]

I used the stock endlinks like Progress recommended in their reply to my email. I've yet to break one.