Advice with Civic Suspension Mods (Eg)

[zel05]

Hey guys...i have just purchased an Eg Civic.

It currently has quite a few mods, including:

Tanabe Sustec Pro coilovers (as far as i could tell, not dampner adjust, only height) (At a guess, and from looking at what tanabe generally offer, i would say the spring rate is 8 fr, 6 r...
front strut brace
rear strut brace (currently not fitted)
front sway bar (98 type r teg item)
rear sway bar (stock)
98 type r teg front and rear brakes (with 5 stud conversion)
17inch rims (with 205/40 tyres)
Type r lca's all round...

oh, and a b18c with mugen headers w/ exhaust and CAI...(makes roughly 140hp atfw) :o



Ummm...driving around last night, reallly nice to drive...however...take a corner too quickly, and the whole back end comes out...I bought a front wheel drive to avoid this lol...

Can anyone give me some suggestions as to where i can be looking to adjust my suspension or parts to better improve my handling. I realise my tyres arent the best, as they are just normal road tyres and not semi slicks or anything, but i figured they'd could do better then this.

I figure with the addition of the rear tower bar or sway bar, this might help...but i would have thought stiffening up the rear would add to the oversteer...and not really help my problem??? I know tyres would be the most common sense method to fix this, but i have only just bought the car and am not willing to spend over 1k on getting onto some 16's with semi's just yet.

Thanks for the help guys

[barefootbonzai]

There's nothing you can really do if you're tyres are shit. On shit tyres you're probably better off taking all the stuff the makes your car rigid. Cause the more rigid your car is the more force it puts to your tyres.

On another note, whos car did you buy? Any pics?

[ekslut]

what tyres do you have? There is no need for semi-slicks on a road car, but make sure they are good quality performance tyres.

And yes, generally if you stiffen up the rear, this will cause the rear to come out more. But I have found in the past that this is not always the case. I had a case when I changed all my strut braces and ended up with huge oversteer, but then I fitted the c-pillar bar I had and it fixed it all up, handled perfect.

Personally, I would get a ITR rear swaybar to start off with and see what that does. Sounds like you have a excellent package there anyways :thumbsup:

[zel05]

Thanks guys...I will post some pics up tonight...

Silver eg with bomex kit, 17inch G game rims and red leather interior, oh and the b18c...you may know of it...apparantly a few people do...

Hmm...interested to find out whats going on...

The rear tyres need replacing, so i will have a look at the difference once they have been replaced.

[SLOWEGG]

Upgrade the rear sway to an ITR to balance out witht he front ITR one. The main problem why you're sliding out would be your tyres. Your handling is as good as your tyres are.

[spetz]

If you upgraded front swaybars and not rear it's weird the rear is coming out

Could it be your driving style?
Upgraded rear will only make this worse

[45SET]

driving habbit (first hand experiance :p)

a SR20 datto 1600 is going to handel alot more differant to a B18 EG :p

get the tyres replaced (in the process change with my DC5r 16's) and get some decent tyres, and you'll be sweet.

[JasonGilholme]

If you upgraded front swaybars and not rear it's weird the rear is coming out

Could it be your driving style?
Upgraded rear will only make this worse


Most of the time it is the driving style.

I think you've got that sway bar deal the wrong way around. Rear Swaybar will REDUCE overseer/INCREASE understeer and a front swaybar will REDUCE understeer/INCREASE Oversteer

He really needs to get a bigger rear sway bar. An ITR one may be a good idea but i'd be inclined to gor a whiteline item with heavy duty mounts ;)

[zel05]

hmm...quoted from the great WikiPedia itself...

The correct reaction to oversteer is to gently steer into the slide and take the power away as needed without pitching the car forward. Indeed, cutting the power mid-corner can induce oversteer even in a front wheel drive vehicle. This is known as lift-off oversteer. "Trail braking," or continuing to apply brake pressure after turning into a curve, can induce oversteer by transferring weight off of the rear tires, regardless of whether the car is front, rear or all-wheel drive. Note that in a front wheel drive car it is often better to simply accelerate hard to correct an oversteer slide.



I would definately say this problem i am having is to do with 2 things. 1. The tyres at the back will definately need replacement. I looked at them today...they are not in good shape. 2. My driving style is suited towards a rwd car. As previously eluded to, i once owned a datsun 1600 with an sr20det...i had to learn very quickly how to drive that car properly without having a stack...i guess this has just rubbed off with this new car.

Tonight i tried taking corners and just accelerating through...or...not braking as much, and well everything looked a little better...I was still concerned that my tyres wouldnt be able to handle it, so i took it a little easier...



Sorry i didn't get pictures up tonight...I was having drama's with my fishtank and needed to do a big water change...so no time unfortunately :(

I should do an intro type of thing anyway i guess

Thanks for your help guys, i will update on my progress

[Muzz]

Most of the time it is the driving style.

I think you've got that sway bar deal the wrong way around. Rear Swaybar will REDUCE overseer/INCREASE understeer and a front swaybar will REDUCE understeer/INCREASE Oversteer

He really needs to get a bigger rear sway bar. An ITR one may be a good idea but i'd be inclined to gor a whiteline item with heavy duty mounts ;)

Are you sure?
A stiffer rear bar will increase oversteer
A stiffer front bar increases understeer

[ekslut]

Are you sure?
A stiffer rear bar will increase oversteer
A stiffer front bar increases understeer

as a general rule you are correct :thumbsup:

But remember everything has to work together, if there are mismatched parts around then it can have effects that you would not expect.

If your rear tyres are almost gone, then that would be your problem there. As the tyres wear down so does the grip, so get yourself a set of new good performance tyres. Dont be tight with money here either, coz this is whats going to make the biggest difference. You can do all you want to the suspension, but if your tyres can't handle it then there is no point.

And yes, change your driving style. Dont suddenly lift-off the accelerator or brake mid corner, and always be on the accelerator while cornering. You will find also you can enter quicker into the corners and accelerate more through them. A good driving style is about as being as smooth as possible. Any sudden movements upset the cars balance.

[zel05]

cool...this is exactly what i was after with my new car...

I can learn more and more about actual driving styles...learn more about the physics of my car...and learn to adapt my car to better it...

can't wait to get into it now!!

[GnJracing]

Got any pics yet?

[zel05]

lol...im slack...The car is at the mechanics atm getting some new rear tyres and some cv boots changed...You'll probably see it at willowbank before i even get around to taking them...lol

Definately on the weekend! :P

[zel05]

well in the end i raised the suspension in the front and the rear, did some minor rear gaurd work, and added to the new rear tyres on the back, oh, and the rear strut brace...everything has come up a treat.

I have also changed my driving style quite drastically...and im still improving on that aspect of it all...Needless to say, i can take corners with a lot more vigour now, and it impresses quite a few people.

One thing i have learnt, however, is that there will be a limit to how quick i will be able to take a corner. In one instance i noticed a hint of understeer. I would assume this was from a combination of taking the corner a bit hot, and the angle of which the corner was, 90 degreees. Either way, it still managed very well, and i have the slight recollection that it was the smallest of understeer caused by lack of traction all around rather then steering issues. but...the corner was a quick and tight one.

Im still contemplating trying out a rear sway bar, as i feel the ridigity i got in the back with the strut brace really helped out. I know i should avoid going over board...but having said that, if it doesnt work, i can always change it back. And like people have said earlier, you can only go as good as your tyres let you, despite how good your suspension is.

Anyway, i did take some pictures of my car over the weekend, so for those that missed the thread, here is it...

Thanks for the advice guys...

http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=56578

[Muzz]

Let me be the 1st to say - absolutly beautiful car mate:thumbsup: , wish my ek was that clean!
Edit: How much it set u back if u dont mind me asking?

[zel05]

Thanks mate...Lets just say it was very cheap for what it is...a mini type r...

I'd rather not say how much i paid for it.

[Muzz]

yeah thats cool, id probly be the same:thumbsup: