HFP SUSPENSION vs STOCK SI (Sedan)

[Bombero]

Now I will give my first assessment of the noticable difference in handling between
the Stock Suspension & The Sport Suspension.And there is a
noticable difference.On my way to work this morning there are several
decent test corners that I usually push the car to the limit
(traffic permitting). The first is a nice 25 mph S-Turn ramp onto I-85.
The ramp has a pretty decent downward incline.Hence increasing the speed and Gs.
The entry into the S's is done in 2nd gear to redline, to 3rd gear to
the sweet-spot 6000 - 6500 rpms throughout the corners.....
With the stock suspension I could take the corners hard and deep @
50 mph+ in 3rd gear. Lifting only when the car would began to push (understeer).
Of course lifting at this point would immediately cause the
push to become oversteer....
Anyway I would continue feathering the trottle through the turns.Exiting
onto the interstate @ approx 55-58 mph. The entire feel of the car through
these S's was very smooth with some noticable body roll. Which IMO is
the reason for the smoothness.

Now, I took these same S's this morning with the HFP Suspension. Noticable
difference guys. The first thing I immediately noticed was that I didn't have
to lift at all through these S's. The car remained pretty neutral throughout
these corners.I experienced little to no push.Hence I didn't have to get out of
the trottle.There was no body roll.Nor tire squeal.
The car stuck so well that it had the feeling of scrubbing off speed..... But when I briefly took a look @
the speed I was approaching 63mph Remember this is a 25mph ramp.
The fact that I didn't have to lift created some killer Gs and attributed to the increased speed.
Now I have to admit that the feeling of the stock suspension
through these corners was smoother.Which shouldn't really be a surprise to anyone.
But with that smoothness came the noticable push @ the limits of the
car.

Now,I will talk about my second set of S-Turns. This set of corners are set-up totally different.
Being that no. 1 they are level. And no. 2 they are approached from a long straight section of road.
So one can approach the turns as fast as one wants.These corners are also posted @ 25mph.
I usually approach this set of corners at approx 65-70 mph in fourth gear.
I gear down to third @ approx 50 yards away from the entry. So I carry
into these S's in the sweet-spot of 6000 - 7000 rpms.I have always enjoyed
these corners the most. But at the same time I have feared these corners more.
Because these corners have NO ROOM for error of to the sides.Steep drop offs on both sides.
Plus sometimes there is oncoming traffic
in the other lane. Anyway,the results here are pretty much the same as the
on ramp S's. The main difference again is not having to lift at all exiting the
second corner. Where with the stock suspension here too I had to feather
the trottle to control the understeer.

Conclusion, just as the engineers @ Honda Planned.
The HFP Suspension does perform noticably better than the stock suspension. I don't have a
G-Meter but I do have pretty good senses.And the HFP pulls noticably more
G's than the stock suspension. Not having to lift at the limits of the car is
IMO a noticable improvement in handling. But with all of this said.The stock
suspension still has that smooth feel that I like. Being that I know where the
limits were and how to control them. But in the end,I can see how a car with
equally matched drivers that the HFP car would put up noticably better times/
speeds @ the track..... Easily....

B.

[Agnt004]

Nice review +rep

[Litlelev]

good stuff, hows the ride over bumps/ bad roads?

[Monty]

How is it for daily driving? If you had two Si Sedans in your garage, one with the HFP Suspension and one stock, which one would you pick to drive to work in the morning?

[20civic07]

obviously the stock one you would pick to drive in the morning just to go to work... but if you were going somewhere else, you'd want to drive the HFP suspension...

[Bombero]

Originally Posted by Monty

How is it for daily driving? If you had two Si Sedans in your garage, one with the HFP Suspension and one stock, which one would you pick to drive to work in the morning?

This is a good question.And the answer is easy. I would pick whichever
one I felt like driving that day.
But seriously, I know what you are asking.
And the answer is I think I would drive the stock suspension
more often than the Sport Suspension. But IMO the SI's ride totally
stock without different wheels was pretty firm. Right off the showroom
floor.Then with the addition of the 35 series tires and rims the ride became
a little more firm.Now with the Sport Suspension I have noticed yet
another firming of the ride. But I knew that would happen before I
purchased the HFP system.I personally like the looks of the 3/4 inch lower stance of the car.
The better handling (in my circumstance ) comes as a
nice bonus.Of course I kept my stock suspension. But don't ever think I
will return to it. I like driving to the limits too much....

[bluetroll]

i completely agree with you... i love my hfp suspension... add the progress sway bar.... it's amazing

[CatScratched]

Great write-up. I was unsure of whether I wanted to give up the small bit of smoothness we have in the stock suspension.

It will be well worth the sacrifice because I like to push it hard too!

+1

[bluetroll]

a note tho, on rough roads... it'll break your back... no joke.

[iomatic]

How rough?


A question about warranty: will HFP be fully warrantied (like if your suspension fell off) only if installed by a service dealer, or if you install it yourself, only the suspension parts are warrantied?

I mean, if I installed it with the right torque specs, completely correctly and I don't have a record showing a 'real' Honda service center installed it. Then in a weird fluke, the suspension happened to fly off or break or otherwise make more damage than a suspension can (you know, wheels start flying off the strut towers pierce through the hood and decapitates someone or something), could Honda then determine that it wasn't their fault and subsequently not cover it?

Sorry for the long rant; just trying to get clarification on what's covered. And please don't point me to the @#$&( Magnusson act; that doesn't answer the question.

Thanks.

[PokeyD16Z]

perhaps answered before, but wonder how an HFP Si compares to an HFP DX/LX/EX Sedan (with Si sways?)

[jasonskater]

wow awesome write up man. im looking into the hfp suspension for my fa5 and the main reason im going for the hfp is the less of a drop it does and the warranty is still covering them.

[honda_man12]

appearence wise...do you actually notice it being considerably lower than stock? as in the wheel gap getting smaller?

[fiji-blew]

Originally Posted by iomatic

How rough?


A question about warranty: will HFP be fully warrantied (like if your suspension fell off) only if installed by a service dealer, or if you install it yourself, only the suspension parts are warrantied?

I mean, if I installed it with the right torque specs, completely correctly and I don't have a record showing a 'real' Honda service center installed it. Then in a weird fluke, the suspension happened to fly off or break or otherwise make more damage than a suspension can (you know, wheels start flying off the strut towers pierce through the hood and decapitates someone or something), could Honda then determine that it wasn't their fault and subsequently not cover it?

Sorry for the long rant; just trying to get clarification on what's covered. And please don't point me to the @#$&( Magnusson act; that doesn't answer the question.

Thanks.

[jfman]

Any of the SI's came with it from the factory? Got any pics of the hardware?

[ortivt6]

[Andrei'sCivic]

Originally Posted by bluetroll

a note tho, on rough roads... it'll break your back... no joke.

Yeah I had the HFP suspension on my LX and let me tell you it was good, however I felt for how stiff it was it should have given me less body roll. The biggest thing the coilovers have over the HFP suspension is the adjustable shock absorber.
-On the HFP the shock is set too stiff by Honda. You will feel the bad roads!
Everytime you're on the freeway and you drive off a ledge where the car will drop the shocks will not cushion this. The HFP suspension is great for a track or any smooth road where it feels smoother than stock. But any pothole, crevise any inconsistency in the road and bam! Right into you.
My Tein SS are a little stiffer (spring rate) but I can set the shock to a softer setting so now my car handles better or just as well with a better ride. What helps the ride is if you get 17" tires.

Here is the run down:
Stiff ride with HFP suspension.
Only lowers the car 0.8"
I reccomend 17" x 7.5" wheels with 225/40/17 tires. Get 18" rims with HFP and see what happens!