Improving my DC5R's handling

[jas_kidd32]

I have researched about shocks+spring combos, coilovers and sway bars to improve my car's handling but I still not sure which should I upgrade first to have the most improvement; suspension or sway bars? I'm still not 100% about what they do and how they improve my car. I want to make a note that my car will never be tracked.

Firstly, if I go the shocks+springs or coilovers route wuold I necessarilly have to lower my ride height? I want to retain my current ride height so what options do I have? Brands, models? Will I have to change other parts in my car if I decide to upgrade the suspensions? My budget is ~$1500 installed.

Secondly, if I decide to get sway bars first which brands/models should I go for? How many of these braces can I upgrade; front and rear? Struts, Tie, Sway bars? Are they all the same thing? I've read a lot of people recommending upgrading the rear sway bar which made me curious.

Suspension and chassis experts, enlighten me :). Thanks.

[m3ntAL_l2]

-i would go with coils 1st instead of bars. get coils so u can adjust the ride height, with springs+shock combos the height depends on wot springs u got and u cant adjust it. $1.5k u can get a set of tein ss or add $200 or u can get flex(let me know if u need it).
-i woulde leave the stock sway bars on dc5r its already thick enough theres no need to upgrade to an aftermarket brand just for the name.
-if u want to stiff up the chassis maybe buy sum good strut bar for front n back, pillar bar, floor bar, tie bar, and no they r not the same thing, try search it to see the difference. cusco is a good brand for bars, but its quite expensive

[kookie]

If the car isn't tracked, don't worry about the bars as you will not feel the difference unless you track it. As m3ntAL_l2 has said, get yourself some nice coilovers that are height adjustable (trust me you will lower your car). The difference is day and night. If you decide you want to track or drive the twisties go get yourself some sway bars (rear is best bang for buck) as it will give a bit of over steer on the car.

Also if your lowering car make sure you get a camber kit as you will be running a bit negative, so tyre wear will be an issue also.

Good luck.

[Barge Ass]

Tyres?
Lightweight flywheel?
Helium balloons?
1 for me 1 for you! (in helium voice)

[mugsee]

-i woulde leave the stock sway bars on dc5r its already thick enough theres no need to upgrade to an aftermarket brand just for the name.


Is this from personal experience or your opinon? What was this statement based off and how did you come to this conclusion?

The stock AUDMDC5R rear sway bar is 19mm. The stock JDM rear sway bar is 22mm and the whiteline is 24mm adjustable. When compared to each other, you'll notice that it pales in comparison, especially because its built with a hollow construction as opposed to being solid in the whiteline. Rear sway bars are not just for brand name showing off (not that you can show them off in any case) but actually serve the purpose of improving handling.

Here is a mini review from a credible source:
For daily or for track they were great. It doesnt make alot of difference at low speed driving. You'll notice how different the weight shifts and at what speed. It will feel more direct and with coilovers the DC5 feels like a totally different car along with strut and tie bars. Im back to stock now and the difference is massive. I hate the DC5 stock. The best way to notice the improvement of swaybars on the road is too take a roundabout at a higher speed with quick steering action. Thats the first time I noticed a big difference. Also just by moving the car in a carpark you'll feel a stiffer ride as soon as you get it done. But not stiffer over bumps.

I've personally noticed less roll in the rear and more stability overall.

That being said, my vote goes to coilovers - looks + better handling however sway bars are definitely up there as a must.

[jas_kidd32]

Is it safe to upgrade to a thicker sway bar? I've read few threads talking about subframe tear out.

I'm looking at the 24mm Whiteline rear sway bar.

Which brand model coilover do you recommend? I know Tein SS is quite popular around here but it might be above my budget when considering installation costs. Although there is Tein Basic, which is cheaper but I haven't read much info about them here.

[jas_kidd32]

Will I need to worry about sub-frame tear out when upgrading from OEM rear sway bar to 24mm Whiteline's?

[WPN.22R]

You will definately feel the difference track or street with a change of sway bar.

Personally i would do sways first, then the rest of suspension. I use the Whiteline bars on my Prelude, and made a BIG difference.

[SeverAMV]

well if you're looking for tein ss coilovers, ebay have them for a relatively cheap price.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/TEIN-SUPER-STREET-SS-COILOVER-02-03-04-06-ACURA-RSX-DC5_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQcategoryZ33582QQihZ011QQitem Z320141109509QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

will probably be around $1300-ish, and the store currently has free delivery if you dont mind the wait for them to ship over from america. but at least it stays under your budget. if you're not sure how genuine they are, ask for more pics from the seller.

if all you want is a coilover system that only has ride height adjustments and is somewhat pretuned for your car, the same ebay seller has skunk2 coilovers from about $850-900AU

sways should improve your handling noticeably, and struts can improve the stability a tad.

[jas_kidd32]

What does the Tein SS have over the Skunk2 coilovers?

[EKVTIR-T]

Tein S Tech springs,front strut bar and rear sway upgrade.
Not too pricey and a good start.

[quangsta]

i would say swaybar first. then get urself a decent set of coilovers and or a caster kit.

do it one by one so you know how each one feels and compliments each other.

my knowledge which isnt much says sways bars to reduce body roll, coilovers increase tyre grip and by lowering reduce body roll, caster kit, turnability (if thats a word) and maybe help braking into a corner keeping the front a little more stable.

correct me if im wrong

[SeverAMV]

What does the Tein SS have over the Skunk2 coilovers?

well the skunk2 coilovers are the pro-s model, which only comes with adjustable height. stiffness and damper settings are pretuned for your car. skunk2 claim comfortable performance from them, which shouldnt be too bad a claim considering they're slight popularity in america.

tein ss coilovers are fully adjustable for damper, height, and stiffness i think, which is why you pay extra. but tein ss are also pretuned for the selected model.

the only reason why i wouldnt buy tein is because it costs nearly twice as much as the skunk2, which would be nearly more than what i payed for my car.

EDIT: after doing a bit more research, i think the TEIN SS coilovers use gas shockers? whereas the skunk2 use conventional shockers. the difference is only really noticeable if you start rallying on really bumpy surfaces at high speeds. at high speeds, the skunk2 might ditch all the oil in one hard bump and you'll lose damping response, whereas the TEIN SS continues to shine. but like i said, this is irrelevent unless you rally on some harsh surfaces.

i'd just choose the skunk2 because its a good set of coilovers for streets and twisties, and a half-decent set for the track. that, and they'll make my ass hurt less.

[krogoth]

ill give u a little advice

very general

ur dc5r already has ridiculously good handling stock

ther are few things u can do to further improve the handling...the sway bars and strut bars are definetley an option and will definetley improve handling, though im not sure by how much

as for subframe issues, i have no idea, again ull need to find out about

also, as i stated above coz ur car has awesome handling stock, to improve it ull have to buy high quality stuff

if u slap on some no name made in china brand coilovers in ur car, u may end up reducing ur handling instead of improving it

im not saying tein or skunk2 are not good, just make sure ther is an improvement from ur current handling before buying coilovers, esp since ur not too fussed about lowering and ur after handling

imo, if i had a dc5r and wanted coils, id go for the best, something like buddy club or bilsteins or something, spare no expense

also, tyres are a massive factor, dont cheap out with tyres either...wen its time to replace ur current set, chuck on some advans or some potenzaz or some a drive r1z...

u can also improve handling with light weight weels, but thatll cost u a bit for a good, reliable brand

[SeverAMV]

also, as i stated above coz ur car has awesome handling stock, to improve it ull have to buy high quality stuff

if u slap on some no name made in china brand coilovers in ur car, u may end up reducing ur handling instead of improving it

im not saying tein or skunk2 are not good, just make sure ther is an improvement from ur current handling before buying coilovers, esp since ur not too fussed about lowering and ur after handling

imo, if i had a dc5r and wanted coils, id go for the best, something like buddy club or bilsteins or something, spare no expense


are you suggesting TEINs are cheapo? im pretty sure they make one of the best suspension packages around.

but yeah, i agree with you, for a DC5R, only the best of the best should go in.

[krogoth]

are you suggesting TEINs are cheapo? im pretty sure they make one of the best suspension packages around.

but yeah, i agree with you, for a DC5R, only the best of the best should go in.

mann, i emphasised that, IM NOT SAYING THEY ARE CHEAP



im not saying tein or skunk2 are not good, just make sure ther is an improvement from ur current handling before buying coilovers, esp since ur not too fussed about lowering and ur after handling

lol