Bilstein B8 -> Koni/GC

[MM89]

Start with the front full-soft and sweep the rear upwards from full-soft. When you realise that full-soft front probably isn't right, up it by a tiny bit (1/8th turn max) and start the rear sweep again. Make sure you have good tyres and drive well below the limit until you're really comfortable with how the springs are affecting the balance.

so at the end, i will probably end up with rear end settings further from full soft in comparison to the front.

Side note: Keep an eye on your front end bushings. You've substantially increased the front lateral force as a % of the total lateral force, so you're going to rape the LCA bushings.

I'll try and keep an eye on whatever is left in them..they've already split a fair bit. All bushings should be something on my list in the near future.

[string]

so at the end, i will probably end up with rear end settings further from full soft in comparison to the front.

Probably. There's so many variables and non-linearities that the settings are somwhat arbitrary. I wouldn't put too much stock into anything other than how it feels on the road.

[ewendc2r]

And make sure you drive consistently to get the best 'comparison data' ie. similar rate of turn-in, speed etc.

String -- Have you worked out or seen what the optimal ride height is for a DC2 retaining the stock geometry? I can't be assed making all the measurements regarding roll centre etc & can't find a spreadsheet or whatever with them... When I say optimal, I mean lowest without needing RCA..

Also what rake do you normally run / have you found effective?

[string]

At present I have no idea what's optimal. I'm currently working on some software to find the answers and to quantify some the age-old arguments that get thrown around and some that don't come up very often. If I had to go with a hunch, I would say that if you have your dynamic corner effects in check (camber curve, ackerman/bump steer) that lower is almost always better for maximum steady state G's. Regarding transients; "optimal" has a different meaning depending on the problem at hand. Whether or not there are any sweeping generalisations to be made, I'll get back to you when I can fortify my gut feelings with evidence.

[MM89]

ewendc2r:
as you suggested to drive consistently with similar rates of turn in, speed etc. i have learned that the adjusters work well and provide good feedback with only small adjustments even only after a brief drive.
i repeated the same route 3 times to ensure that i was able to try and replicate the speed and drive around the same corners.

1) all dampers at full soft
2) rear dampers at 1/8 of a turn from full soft
3) rear dampers at 1/4 of a turn from full soft

with all dampers at full soft, it was simply what i had already gotten used to over the past couple of days. it wasn't the most confidence inspiring, but it was a fair step up from stock, better stability, turn in and much less body roll. the tyres and the suspension seemed to work much better together. the reason why i wasn't confident in driving it was because during mid corner, there was a feeling that one end of the car was going to give way. i never found out which end because i wasn't confident enough to drive that hard on the roads.

after a little break and some tweaking, i drove with the rear dampers at 45 degrees towards firm. to my surprise, there was a very noticeable amount of change. some of the unsettling at mid corner still existed, but was MUCH better.

for the final session, i had the rear dampers at 90 degrees towards firm and it was..good. i know it's definitely not the best settings, but i've at least come to the point where i can drive with less throttle balancing throughout the corner. the turn in is slightly more responsive and you're inspired to accelerate more and more in the corner until you're exiting and accelerate away on the straight.

this is just very simple feedback about how the dampers have changed the driving experience for me. i'm not yet capable of explaining in a more technical manner. i'll leave that to some of the other guys

[ewendc2r]

LOL - I know what you mean by unstable -- I went to QR and forgot to take my adjuster allen key thingo.. anyhow, had full stiff at rear and nearly full soft at front. Needless to say, I got spat off the track on high speed corner once (Turn 1) and it was just SO unstable / twitchy / understeer then oversteer then back again lol..

It was actually quite dangerous. I was frustrated because it also meant it was slow.

[mocchi]

ground control dont sell springs for stock perches.
their springs are 2.5" racing springs - what do this mean anyway?

[string]

Means they're flat on the top and bottom.

[MM89]

LOL - I know what you mean by unstable -- I went to QR and forgot to take my adjuster allen key thingo.. anyhow, had full stiff at rear and nearly full soft at front. Needless to say, I got spat off the track on high speed corner once (Turn 1) and it was just SO unstable / twitchy / understeer then oversteer then back again lol..

It was actually quite dangerous. I was frustrated because it also meant it was slow.

you referring to the adjustment knob?
is it not possible to get like an adjustable spanner to adjust these dampers?

for me, having set it a little bit firmer at the rear has made the car a bit more stable and understeer less. i haven't tried the two extremes like this, but what made you set it like so anyway?

[MM89]

i think ground control don't actually make springs?
eibach makes springs for them. i remember seeing a place a while ago where there was different spring rates for stock perches from different brands, i'll try and dig it up

[MM89]

http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=68904

there we go, this should give a good idea on some of the aftermarket springs that fit the stock perch and their spring rates.

[MM89]

I was just doing some further reading about this setup and came across something quite interesting. I always knew that all suspension bushes should be torqued up while on the ground. However I never knew the reason why. This post from Honda tech taught me why. Refer to post #46 on page 2.
http://http://www.ht-archive.net/sho...2790061&page=2



To be honest I could never be bothered resting the car on something so I could get underneath and tighten the bolts. I will from now on though. It has made a noticeable difference to the way my car drives. It's low speed damping feels much better. Over the typical freeway dips the tyres follow the road much closer. There isn't anymore nervousness. This is based on 1/4 from full soft rebound damping. Before it almost felt like the springs were a bit too crashy for the street, but after tightening the bolts on the ground, it appeared to me the problem was actually the bushes being twisted at static ride height. The ride is very bearable. If you're like me and have been tightening shock to lca bolts and any sort of suspension bush bolts at full droop. Try this method and feel some improvement.