New Car! DC5R Questions :)

[GucciSir]

Hey guys!

So i finally bought a DC5 Type R that i have been after for months! It took me a while to find the right one but i finally found a genuine seller (He is a frequent OzHonda user)
Please see the pic i took below!
25968

Here are the details!

136 XXXkm
White with Red Recaros
TODA Headers
Custom 3inch exhaust from headers back
Kpro Tuned to 147KW ATW
Coilovers
Injen Intake
HID
A few other Goodies :)

I am absolutely stoked i must say what a car! Everything is just so good its so responsive! I came from an Auto DC4 so you can imagine the power difference.

I just had a few questions to ask

1. The Exhaust has to be the most loudest drone i have ever heard on a car. The ECU has been tuned so that VTEC kicks in at 4300RPM and the crossover makes the exhaust sound like a ferrari (not in a good way)! I really need to change over the exhaust before my neighbours slash my tyres lol. it has a massive 4inch cannon. Do i just have to replace it from the Axle back? it has 3inch pipeing from the TODA headers. If so, which Axle Back would you recomend to give it a nice Crossover but not overly loud.

2. Since the ECU is chipped to kick VTEC in at 4300 RPM, Is this no good for the engine as it is used alot more than what it would stock?

3. Im not sure if this is normal, i noticed in the engine bay there is a hole on each side where the steering rack goes through to the front wheels ( Not sure if that what it is ). But basically you can see both front wheels from inside the engine bay! im not sure if this is normal? it looks like this could dirty the engine bay?

4. The coilovers are adjusted pretty low and when you do a full lock you can hear them making a popping sound. The owner told me it was happending as soon as he installed them and his mechanic said its a common issue on the DC5 when you change to coilovers. Would raising them fix this problem?

Thank for the assistance! Hope im not asking to much ;)

[u mad?]

1. find a twinloop axleback, might be hard to find in 3", or consider a xforce varex.

2. Its fine for the engine.

3. Sounds like you are missing splash guards/ fender liners. No biggie, but if you wan't them, keep an eye out for wrecked dc5, maybe contact wreckers ect.

4. Popping? are they pillowballl mounts?

[GucciSir]

Thanks for the reply!

1. A good mate also recomended XFORCE Varex hopefully i can find a sound test on a DC5R!

2. Awsome!

3. I think that could be it. I have a pic on my phone of the hole : http://i1331.photobucket.com/albums/w588/pizzay/1463954_10151785965202894_950806456_n_zps777cdd02. jpg (http://s1331.photobucket.com/user/pizzay/media/1463954_10151785965202894_950806456_n_zps777cdd02. jpg.html)

4. Well he said he had the CV and Ball joints fully checked to make sure that was not it and it is defintely the coilovers as it only appeared when they were installed. He sent me this link to confirm http://www.itr-dc5.com/forum/index.php?/topic/19379-clunking-noise-at-full-lock/

[45SET]

1. Varex is illigal. Go to an exhaust shop and tell them "The car is too loud, can you put an extra muffler in". Or have them change the entire exhaust to something around 2 1/2'

2. Do oil changes regularly, and don't push the car while it's cold, and you'll be fine.

3. It's normal, and how it came from the factory

4. What type of coilovers are they? It's the spring rotating on the perch.

[GucciSir]

Thank for the reply!

Im hoping to track down either a Xforce or Mugan twin loop Axle back so i dont have replace to much of the pipeing.

Im surprised those engine panels are from factory. It looks on a wet day the wheels may flick a bit of water into the engine bay and maybe damage the block. I guess not otherwise it would be a known problem :)

The colivers are TEIN type HA. There adjusted pretty low. A mate of mine said he had the same cabin noise with his coilovers and he got them Tightened and it went away. Not sure if this is what needs to be done?

[eLtrix]

Hey dude! Congrats on the purchase!

First off, you could probably get away with just changing the axel back to a twin loop BUT it may not match up with your current mid pipe. So its rather hard to say whether you can just change the axel back. I personally would recommend changing the whole thing from the mid pipe to something like the mugen twin loop. You will love it, I know I did!

Secondly, having the lower vtec cross over point is fine but make sure of two things: oil level and you dont smash it when your car is cold.

Third. Thats normal!

Fourth. I can't put much input here but I do have the same problem but It has never really bothered me. I've had my own suspension looked at and we couldn't really find a problem to rectify to get rid of the "popping" sounds.

Hope this helps and make sure to sign up on clubITR as we are having a EOYM soon and you should definitely come along!

[u mad?]

Don't go smaller exhaust op, you will lose power.

[infurNOS]

Youtube 'dc5 exhaust catalogue'. Some good exhausts are demoed there so you have an idea of sound.i recommend fujitsubo...reasonably priced and awesome sounding.

[GucciSir]

Thanks for the reply guys! I will defintely join clubITR today :) excited for some meets!

I will look at getting either a Mugan or fujitsubo Twin loop from mid pipe ! Quick question though, i have not really been able to find either to buy online for DC5? i even contacted Xforce and they advised me that they no longer stock their twin loop which is odd i thought it was popular?

I am located in Syd, Any reccomendations as to where i might look to find either of these? i tried ebay and gumtree but did not find much ...

[infurNOS]

Thanks for the reply guys! I will defintely join clubITR today :) excited for some meets!

I will look at getting either a Mugan or fujitsubo Twin loop from mid pipe ! Quick question though, i have not really been able to find either to buy online for DC5? i even contacted Xforce and they advised me that they no longer stock their twin loop which is odd i thought it was popular?

I am located in Syd, Any reccomendations as to where i might look to find either of these? i tried ebay and gumtree but did not find much ...

JDMYard. They are a trader on here

[amant02]

Hey Op, I have the same 4 problem.

The noise is coming from your tie rods.

We have to modify a fair bit to lower our dc5s.

For the rest as everyone else says. I would also look maybe to get really good resonator installed into your current set up. This will quieten down your exhaust probs be the cheapest option.

Shorten/Longer tie rods.

Rear camber kit.

This will adjust the cars geo back to OEM spec's.

[WATAJK]

Use a Varex exhaust mate. Plenty of people i know use them and have no dramas. Just don't be silly and close the valve when a police officer is suddenly behind you as it'll be a dead give away.
Also you won't be able to see the remote unit on top of the rear muffler due the the rear lip design on the Dc5 so you'll be safe mate.


Don't go smaller exhaust op, you will lose power.

What he says is true as your car has been tuned with your current exhaust in mind. Stick to something similar.

[u mad?]

Varex have saved my mates asses so many times from cops, when they have been pulled over for sound level test, close valve (be subtle) and no probs, cop sends you off on your way.

[GucciSir]

Thanks for the info guys!

im speaking to Xforce at the moment about a Varex because its quite hard to find a Twin Loop without having to buy the whole cat as well!

Amant02 mentioned Shoter/Longer Tie Rods. Im bringing my car in a few weeks to the workshop to get it all adjusted. What exactly would i need with lowered coilovers? shorter Tie rods im guessing?

Thanks!

[amant02]

Depands on your settings sir.

Rears will need camber kit to get it Neutral - Im running slight toe out to create abit oversteer to counter the fwd understeer. At the cost of tire tread.

Front depands on your pocket. You can cut the oem tie rods - Riskyy!

I believe on my setup Ill be running J racing shorter tie rods v2, havnt decieded what to do about the caster.

I learn new things everytime i buy a car lol. I will be posting up my research on Camber/Toe/Caster/Suspension soon to help people like me who had no idea on this before hand. After my research i truly do belive this is something all enthuasit needs to know about and how to take advantage of it.

There are a few desgins avaiable on the net. Todds/Js racing/ DaVinic Desgins.

[GucciSir]

Thanks for the info Amant!

I still cant believe how difficult it is to lower a DC5? thats rediculous! il be very intrested in looking at the research you post up on this. The owner before me who put in the coilovers also didnt have a clue he said he took his car straight back after he got them installed once he heard the clunking noise and they told him it was a common issue with the DC5 and nothing to do with CV or ball joints.

il look at getting the camber kit and tie rods and take it to a mate of mine that does suspension and tyres. its not doing any damage on the OEM tie rods at the moment is it?

[amant02]

I dont think you would be dmging the rods, i think the steering rack is the one that cops it.

no idea tbh, but that's what i gather from looking getting a look when the car was on hoist yesterday.

[chargeR]

Hey Op, I have the same 4 problem.

The noise is coming from your tie rods.

We have to modify a fair bit to lower our dc5s.

For the rest as everyone else says. I would also look maybe to get really good resonator installed into your current set up. This will quieten down your exhaust probs be the cheapest option.

Shorten/Longer tie rods.

Rear camber kit.

This will adjust the cars geo back to OEM spec's.


Depands on your settings sir.

Rears will need camber kit to get it Neutral - Im running slight toe out to create abit oversteer to counter the fwd understeer. At the cost of tire tread.

Front depands on your pocket. You can cut the oem tie rods - Riskyy!

I believe on my setup Ill be running J racing shorter tie rods v2, havnt decieded what to do about the caster.

I learn new things everytime i buy a car lol. I will be posting up my research on Camber/Toe/Caster/Suspension soon to help people like me who had no idea on this before hand. After my research i truly do belive this is something all enthuasit needs to know about and how to take advantage of it.

There are a few desgins avaiable on the net. Todds/Js racing/ DaVinic Desgins.

Sorry guy but you're leading the threadstarter astray. It's extremely unlikely that his tie rods are making the noise mentioned in point 5. of the first post, it's almost definitely the springs binding on their seats and popping free as he turns the wheel to full lock as 45SET says above.

All those aftermarket tie rods you mention do not fundamentally change the geometry of the tie rods, they simply allow for more toe adjustment at low ride heights or with a lot of camber. DaVinci designs and Todd's are the same product. J's racing are crap. Not all coilovers require a change of tie rod to achieve correct toe settings!

On top of that a rear camber kit is not required in any way, depending on ride height the rear camber maybe be perfectly acceptable for normal road use without one.

Don't post forums if you're not sure, this is how misinformation is spread.

[amant02]

This is what I've been advised by Pedders, Jax and SB Automotive.

SB automotive did say something about spring rates, but i dis regarded that as I thought the coil over are designed with matching springs and shocks.

After reading related searches on Google, I've been able to finally get my wheels aligned properly.

How would we stop the springs binding??

[EVLGTR]

DC5's are notorious for suspension modification. The lower you go the crappier the handling. Good luck with more issues later on.

[GucciSir]

that’s comforting to know!

Lately i have been feeling popping vibrations when shifting gears or decelerating from 3 gear down. It feels as though it is coming from the chassis although sometimes you can feel it in the gearbox. Randomly, it will vibrate quite hard for 5-10 seconds and then suddenly stop. I am quite certain this would be Engine Mounts? It would explain why you can feel it when there is a shift in the engine. What do you think?

Also back to the exhaust, I am very unfamiliar with aftermarket ECU's and how they work. If i switch out the whole exhaust system from a 3inch to something like a mugen twin loop, i am guessing i will have to get the KPRO re-tuned? how expensive is a retune for the exhaust ?

[u mad?]

Not really a re-tune, just a touch up, though it'd be fine to leave it as is. Though you will loose a decent chuck of power going down to a mugen exhaust. Seriously, just go buy a 3" varex.

The mounts are common problem in dc5r, check to see if there is any leaking hydrolic fluid, itll be black and sticky. Just upgrade to hasport mounts.

[GucciSir]

I was considering the Varex but i was told that if you have the butterfly closed you will loose power? The only reason i want to change the whole exhaust system is because i want one with a nice note. This custom one almost sounds like a screamer at WOT. Also, i have read alot that 3inch is really only for forced induction and you could even loose power having this on a NA setup, what do you think?

Thanks i will defintely check tonight im quite sure it is the engine mounts. What do you think of the innovative 60A? I was looking at hasport and they much more stiff from the sounds of it. I only need them for street use

[u mad?]

Thats bullshit, you will lose power going to a smaller exhaust, k series love big high flowing exhausts. Yes you will lose some power with the butterfly closed, but if you want that extra little bit, just open the valve. Maybe also consider adding another resonator to your exhaust system.

The hasports start at 63a from memory, those innovative will still vibrate. Either way you can't go wrong, though i'd stick to the hasports, peace of mind high quality mounts.

[infurNOS]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to u mad? again.

[doosra]

I had an issue with my front coilovers making noises when I first installed them. After researching, I realised it was because ep3/dc5 have McPherson strut which means they rotate when u turn and what was happening was the spring perches were coming loose and this was quite dangerous as the coilovers were getting higher and higher out of their slot. If not monitored, could be disasterous, but you should be able to figure it out before it happens as its quite noisy and clanky. I just used loctite on the coils and have been fine ever since.

I didn't end up changing tie rods and car seems fine. Everyone seems to think its a must be change but mine has held up fine for 1.5 years now.. Any thoughts on this part?

[amant02]

I had an issue with my front coilovers making noises when I first installed them. After researching, I realised it was because ep3/dc5 have McPherson strut which means they rotate when u turn and what was happening was the spring perches were coming loose and this was quite dangerous as the coilovers were getting higher and higher out of their slot. If not monitored, could be disasterous, but you should be able to figure it out before it happens as its quite noisy and clanky. I just used loctite on the coils and have been fine ever since.

I didn't end up changing tie rods and car seems fine. Everyone seems to think its a must be change but mine has held up fine for 1.5 years now.. Any thoughts on this part?

sure if you don't mind the uneven tread wear.

I dont think everyone needs tie rods. My car needed perches and camber plate. - N+ with spoon struts.

[doosra]

Tyre wear has been fine. I think u only need aftermarket tie rods when u want to have more negative camber. I've got camber plates with my coils and I'm only about -1 so seems fine.

[chargeR]

Everyone seems to think its a must be change but mine has held up fine for 1.5 years now.. Any thoughts on this part?

It's an unfortunate piece of misinformation that seems to have been spread by people that have NFI.

[DreadAngel]

Thats bullshit, you will lose power going to a smaller exhaust, k series love big high flowing exhausts. Yes you will lose some power with the butterfly closed, but if you want that extra little bit, just open the valve. Maybe also consider adding another resonator to your exhaust system.

K series [Or F20C for that matter], get ⌀70mm Centre Pipe, you'll be laughing :) Almost all the JASMA approved JDM spec systems have a ⌀60.5mm Centre Pipe with a ⌀90-100mm Tip, a lot of this is a compromise of power and noise emission. The only problem you'll have with ⌀70mm Centre Pipe is louder but with the right muffler, it's not a problem ;)

I've also written a big piece on DC5/EP3 suspension modification and the issues you'll run into. It's somewhere in the EP3 forum lol. Absolute ****s to do suspension work on IF you're aiming for a compromise between road and racing. Even spirited street is a bitch.

[GucciSir]

Hi DreadAngel,

Could you please point me in the direction of the DC5/EP3 suspension modification and the issues i havnt been able to find it! The noise seems to be getting worse and i am sure its the springs binding and i really need to take it to get fixed. Im most likely thinking of going to Heasmans Sydney as they are by the far the best guys in suspension in Aus. Before i do that i just want to know more about what needs to happens and why you cant just slap coilovers on a DC5.

Also, the ride is very uncomfortable i mean i can feel just about every little crack in the road. The coilovers are TEIN HA and it really isn’t sitting to low. I am slo running the stock wheels. I am dreading the day i put on new wheels with low profiles tyres i could only imagine it will amplify the issue. Other than raising it, is there anything that can be done to reduce the stiffness in the suspension to make it a little more comfortable for road use?

Cheers,

[DreadAngel]

Hi Gucci,

Check this (http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?164096-how-much-dampening-is-good) thread out, will help you with what you're facing and explain why you've got an uncomfy ride ;)

Macpherson 101 right there ;)

If you need more drop me a line :)