[honda93]

Does anyone here have (or know of) someone who has a pair of the new 8th gen OEM front struts lying around? I know many of the cars prepped for the SEMA show had custom pieces, and I need to buy these OEM struts so that Koni-NA can insert a double adjustable race shock in the factory strut housing.

It turns out that Koni is having trouble acquiring Honda stampings to make a direct replacement product and I honestly don't think a product will be available by June when the national level autocrosses visit the northeast.

For those of you who have seen my posts, I am building my LX Coupe into a MINI fighter in the SCCA's H Stock class. I really don't want the 2006 season to come and go because of some logistical issues between Honda and Koni, especially since options exist that can allow me to beging testing and tuning shock valving prior to the start of the season in March.

Please help!

Anthony "Mario" Crea

 

[webby]

sorry I can't be of help on this one. You might have luck contacting one of the actual companies like tein, greddy, hasport, etc to see if they would be willing to work with you.

 

[Silver8th]

How about EIbach?

 

[honda93]

How about EIbach?

Thought of them as well. I may just wait for an off-the-shelf unit for a variety of reasons. I'll reveal here that the spring rates for the Si (as seen in a video on the TOV website) are as follows:

Front 200 lbs. / inch
Rear 230 lbs. / inch

This means that the DX, LX, and EX Coupe rates are approximately:

Front 170~175 lbs. / inch
Rear 200 ~ 205 lbs. / inch

This is taking into account the Si front rates are listed by Honda as being 17-18% stiffer and the rears are 14-15% stiffer than regular Coupes.

However, the Si is at least 200 lbs. heavier than my LX (2750 for the Si versus 2550 for my LX in Stock class autocross trim) and that levels the two cars out with regards to spring rate versus vehicle weight. Getting Koni's that are beig developed for the heavier, marginally stiffer Si will only benefit me even more. So patience is the keyword rather than haste.

I just hope that Koni can get a direct replacement product to market by the end of May so I at least have 2 weeks of testing before I go to MA for the Devens National Tour!

Anthony "Mario" Crea

 

[Silver8th]

Wish I could be doing what you are.. I have a little bit of seat time auto-xing and love to drive fast. Sounds like alot of fun what your doing. We'll be pulling for you. Go Mario, Go Mario,

 

[honda93]

Wish I could be doing what you are.. I have a little bit of seat time auto-xing and love to drive fast. Sounds like alot of fun what your doing. We'll be pulling for you. Go Mario, Go Mario,

Thanks man... Things get a little more serious when you've been doing it for 11+ years now and have close to 250 autocrosses under your belt. One makes a shift from: "Doing it for fun" to "Doing it for fun, AND to try and win money and tires AND become a household name in the sport"

I would obviously fall into the latter of the two categories!!!

I've decided that since the shocks are going to be the ONLY mod to the car that there's no sense selling myslef short on them. I'm going to wait for the direct-replacement units but then I'll have THEM valved stiffer and made to be double adjustable (compression and rebound). The setup should run about $1000 - $1200 just for shocks, but they have to "trick" the springs into thinking they are stiffer than they really are...

It's just that June (and the national level events here in the northeast) is not really that far away and Koni is saying that having something for May is questionable (maybe even doubtful).

This is why I am still looking for someone with a set of OEM Si struts and shocks... They are valved 45% stiffer than the DX/LX/EX units.

Until Koni builds what I need, at least using Si units will be a plus over the LX units so I can attend the big events and not be totally unprepared... PUT OUT THE WORD FOR ME EVERYONE!!!

Anthony "Mario" Crea

 

[webby]

so if you're having them valved stiffer - couldn't you get yourself a set of rsx koni yellows and then have them fixed?

 

[honda93]

so if you're having them valved stiffer - couldn't you get yourself a set of rsx koni yellows and then have them fixed?

Front and rear suspensions are totally different...

 

[unplugged]

get a new pair of honda struts for the civic to get revalved. Or search around for a junk yard if you can find one so soon.

 

[webby]

Front and rear suspensions are totally different...

I guess I don't get what that is supposed to mean. I know that it is different, but u can get rear and front konis. If you're going to have them revalved - is this not an option?

http://www.8thcivic.com/store/01civic/suspension.php koni yellows about half way down? front and rear are listed.

 

[honda93]

I guess I don't get what that is supposed to mean. I know that it is different, but u can get rear and front konis. If you're going to have them revalved - is this not an option?

http://www.8thcivic.com/store/01civic/suspension.php koni yellows about half way down? front and rear are listed.

Webby,

I believe you were the one who turned me onto this information, or at least this site as a source for honest, truthful info...

http://www.hondanews.com/CatID2013?mid=2005083039848&mime=asc

The RSX is basically the same as the 2001-2005 Civic and RSX's. The geometry was redesigned on the 2005+ RSX, but not much else. Trust me, there are NO Koni products available yet! Whatever it is you have posted on the Store page, I'd venture a guess and say it isn't correct

I'm not trying to be an ass about this, but as I've said before, the chassis and suspension on the new 2006 Civic made me buy one solely for Stock class autocrossing (though I daily drive the car) and the struts/shocks are the ONLY big item I will be investing money into; so I have to do my homework on this topic.

Maybe this will help further... Lee Grimes, one of the managers at Koni North America wrote this back to me just the other day (January 17th)...

"Anthony,

As of the end of last week, we have been offered an Si for ride testing so our R&D dept should have it scheduled by the end of this week to be developed in the next few weeks. We have a set of Si OE damper samples to be sent to Holland for the beginnings of engineering on the physical aspects (strut housings, brackets, etc.). The US tuner who said he thought he might be able to get access to stampings continues to work on it but has not made any real headway yet. So things are inching along and there is forward momentum. The wildcard is the stamping and we will be lucky to have anything my early Summer I'd think but it is too early to tell. The closer we get, the more I think the 8611 front/8042 rear is going to be your best option for autocross parts especially if you need to get going early in the season."
Lee


The part numbers he lists are inserts for the fronts and modified Mustang parts for the rears. Seriously, nothing exists in the world yet for them and I intend on being one of the first to get their new product.

Anthony "Mario" Crea