[civicdude06]

Ok I don't know a whole lot about the various suspension parts but I do know my goal. I just bought an 06 EX mt and I would like to decrease the amount of body roll. I'm willing to sacrifice some ride quality because I just came from an 03 Tiburon so I'm used to a stiffer ride and less body roll. i.e. I want to be able to change lanes in tight spaces without worrying about the body roll correction putting me into the side of another car. How do I accomplish this? I know the parts may not be out yet but at least I'll have the knowledge of what to do once they do. Can it just be lowering springs or do I need some other parts as well? Thanks for your help.

 

[eluwak]

I want to be able to change lanes in tight spaces without worrying about the body roll correction putting me into the side of another car. How do I accomplish this?

This is a simple fix and the best part is it's FREE!!!

SLOW DOWN and don't drive aggressively. You won't believe how many people die around here that don't follow this advice.

 

[grancuda]

You can start by adding lowering springs which should have a stiffer rate. Then once someone makes larger diameter sway bars, add those along with a polyurethane bushing kit for the sway bars. If that is not enough add some stiffer struts. I don't know what size rims you are used to but if you are going to all the trouble of the suspension adds then throw in some 18" wheels and it should handle great.

 

[civicdude06]

This is a simple fix and the best part is it's FREE!!!

SLOW DOWN and don't drive aggressively. You won't believe how many people die around here that don't follow this advice.

Pointless post, obviously I'm not going to do that or I wouldn't be asking this question!

 

[skittleslegend]

if you add springs, I'd recommend getting struts. Or wait til they're both available, which should be after SEMA

 

[civicdude06]

You can start by adding lowering springs which should have a stiffer rate. Then once someone makes larger diameter sway bars, add those along with a polyurethane bushing kit for the sway bars. If that is not enough add some stiffer struts. I don't know what size rims you are used to but if you are going to all the trouble of the suspension adds then throw in some 18" wheels and it should handle great.

Awesome, I checked out howstuffworks.com and they had a little tutorial on suspensions that should get me headed in the right direction concept wise. Are any of the products you mention available yet? Is there any particular order those should be done in so that I can find suitable handling while still keeping as nice a ride as possible?

I know what a sway bar is but what does the polyeurathane bushing for for it?

 

[eluwak]

Pointless post, obviously I'm not going to do that or I wouldn't be asking this question!

Are you 12?

Street racing and aggressive driving is NOT cool... Slow down and drive safe for the sake of others if not for yourself... I hope you don't kill someone in the process of learning that.

 

[civicdude06]

FTR, Aggressive driving!=Reckless driving. People need to get that straight. There is a real fine line between being reckless and being aggressive. Reckless=dickhead. Aggressive=good driver. Agressive means I know all my surroundings, I'm attentive, I anticipate. I have to do all these things to be aggressive without being reckless. In other words, I look at the head of the driver in front of me when I'm in the center lane getting ready to pass on the right to see if he's checking his mirrors because that's the difference between me coming up in his blind spot while he's merging and getting hit and a safe pass. I am an aggressive driver, not a reckless driver. I know when and where to use speed and when and where not to use speed. The only reason I wrecked the Tib was because I overestimated what my vehicle could do and I let my instincts react before my brain could.

And if I was 12 I certainly wouldn't be driving.

 

[eluwak]

The only reason I wrecked the Tib was because I overestimated what my vehicle could do and I let my instincts react before my brain could.

Thank you for proving me right.

 

[civicdude06]

Proving you right? Well if you're right then you're an aggressive and reckless driver too! And everyone else on this planet is a reckless and aggressive driver. Hey grandma? Yep you're a reckless and aggressive driver. Better watch out for those grandmas. So I wanna hear the explaination on how driving in a straight line and swerving to avoid hitting half a deer laying in my lane is reckless and aggressive because that's what happened. I hope this is good! *eats popcorn and waits*

 

[eluwak]

So I wanna hear the explaination on how driving in a straight line and swerving to avoid hitting half a deer laying in my lane is reckless and aggressive because that's what happened.

The answer is... Driving too fast for conditions.

So what did I win?

Decartes was a moron!

Check your sig while you're at it...

 

[skittleslegend]

Awesome, I checked out howstuffworks.com and they had a little tutorial on suspensions that should get me headed in the right direction concept wise. Are any of the products you mention available yet? Is there any particular order those should be done in so that I can find suitable handling while still keeping as nice a ride as possible?

I know what a sway bar is but what does the polyeurathane bushing for for it?

You should also pick up this month's Sport Compact Car. It has an extensive article on Suspension tech. It's a really really good article. It's the issue with rear of a Skyline GTR on the cover.

 

[civicdude06]

The answer is... Driving too fast for conditions.

So what did I win?



Check your sig while you're at it...

Actually you didn't win. The word aggressive is a descriptor that requires a comparison to a similar object. In this case, people. Hence, in order for you to call me aggressive you have to compare me to the other drivers around me. You calling me aggressive is based on the fact that you say I'm driving too fast for conditions. If I were driving 100 mph on a dessert road in Arizona you might say I was driving too fast for conditions but you cannot say I am driving aggressively because there are no other people around for you to make a comparison to. So you cannot say that I am an aggressive driver using the basis that I was driving too fast for conditions. Furthermore, "driving to fast for conditions" is totally subjective and you can't really base any argument off of it that is meant to hold any water. You could be driving through a town at the posted speed limit and a child could run out in front of your car and you kill it. Using your logic you were driving too fast for conditions. Your assumption requires that too many other variables fall into play nicely without knowing any of the true details.

And my sig? Descartes is a moron! Well, was if you want the correct tense.

 

[civicdude06]

You should also pick up this month's Sport Compact Car. It has an extensive article on Suspension tech. It's a really really good article. It's the issue with rear of a Skyline GTR on the cover.

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to pick up a copy.

 

[eluwak]

Actually you didn't win. The word aggressive is a descriptor that requires a comparison to a similar object. In this case, people. Hence, in order for you to call me aggressive you have to compare me to the other drivers around me. You calling me aggressive is based on the fact that you say I'm driving too fast for conditions. If I were driving 100 mph on a dessert road in Arizona you might say I was driving too fast for conditions but you cannot say I am driving aggressively because there are no other people around for you to make a comparison to. So you cannot say that I am an aggressive driver using the basis that I was driving too fast for conditions. Furthermore, "driving to fast for conditions" is totally subjective and you can't really base any argument off of it that is meant to hold any water. You could be driving through a town at the posted speed limit and a child could run out in front of your car and you kill it. Using your logic you were driving too fast for conditions. Your assumption requires that too many other variables fall into play nicely without knowing any of the true details.

You told me enough to warrant my thoughts... You're complicating something that's very simple to evade responsibility. You were driving in a straight line and tried to swerve to avoid the carcass in the road but lost control of your car and wrecked it. The first thing is you should be thankful that YOUR actions didn't kill anyone. Second, if you can't see ahead of you at least the distance it takes you to stop then you're going way too fast. You don't have to do a comparative analysis to anyone else to know this.

Also, cutting people off by squeezing into what little safety zone they have is commonly accepted as aggressive behavior.

And my sig? Descartes is a moron! Well, was if you want the correct tense.

My point was you originally spelled his name wrong.

Look... I don't care if you want to improve suspension performance as mine will be improve a little later on too. You want a good street performance setup for a McPherson Strut setup then spend some time over in the suspension forums of VWVortex and do a search on Peter Pyce. The same concepts will apply to the Civic. Just learn to respect others on the road and your driving privileges.

 

[civicdude06]

Ah, now your argument for being an aggressive driver is becoming more clear. It is a good argument now.

My peeve about this whole thing was that I didn't like you calling me aggressive and dangerous wihtout knowing the circumstances and making assumptions. Just know that I'm not some kid in a Civic who thinks Vin Diesel is da bomb. I've been driving for years and I've always driven this way. I've never injured anyone, and never been in an accident before this one. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to make myself blameless, but I'm trying trying to feel like I endangered the entire world either. I know I am to blame. I know exactly what I did wrong and what I should have done. And I'll never do it again. That's the important part.

I also enjoy driving the country roads and hugging the turns (I'll drink to that) and the Civic needs a little work before it can do that.

I wasn't trying to ride your case, I just have a thing for arguments and them needing to be valid.

 

[DumbasSi]

Stiffer lowering springs can reduce the vehicle’s center of gravity, aiding stability. Lowering springs use increased spring rates engineered to cope with the reduction in travel, while still preventing bottoming of the suspension under most conditions found during normal driving. The increased spring rates help control side-to-side body roll during cornering, as well as the pitch and nosedive during acceleration and braking.

Larger diameter, stiffer sway bars can reduce body roll and increase lateral stiffness also. An Si rear sway should bolt on with little or no modifications. Just remember a stiffer from end will increase understeer and a stiffer rear end will increase oversteer. The key is to find a ggod combination of the two.

 

[civicdude06]

I saw in another suspension thread that someone talked about added 18" rims to their suspension modifications to help minimize body roll. How do larger rims help here?

Changing the camber would also help the grip of the wheels in cornering correct?

 

[DumbasSi]

Bigger wheels would do very little to effect body roll. Stiffer, lower sidewalls maybe, but not larger diameter wheels. Big, heavy wheels add unsprung weight too. Smaller, lighter wheels are much better for handling, not so good for looks though. By reducing unsprung weight, lighter wheels provide more precise steering input and improved turn in characteristics.

As for alignment, a very aggressive set up will definatley help the car handle much better, but will burn through tires very quickly. Maximum negative camber, maximum positive caster and most aggressive toe settings you can get away with.

A normal performance alignment calls for the manufacturer's maximum negative camber, maximum positive caster, and preferred toe settings. While remaining within the vehicle manufacturer's recommendations, these alignment settings will maximize tire performance.

 

[MaxxxRacer]

A degree or two of negative camber is ALL that you need. Any further and you will get excessive wear and poor handling.

Maximum toe-in is also not the greatest thing either. Only a minimal amount is wanted. While toe-in provides straight line stability, it hinders the responsiveness of the car to steering inputs from the driver while increasing tire wear and slightly reducing gas mileage.

As to caster.. Deffinetly go gung ho on this one. Not really much negatives with this unless you go crazy with it and do 30 degrees or something stupid. But luckily there arnt any streetable cars that will allow this without some serious suspension modifications as Im sure someone would try it if at all possible.



Also, according to TOV the Civic has noticeable understeer so that stiffer rear sway would be the way to go.