Shorter rack ends/tie rods for EF Civic available?

[trism]

Weird. But 262 rotors bolt onto ed6 knuckles with no issues?

[hondapop]

Weird. But 262 rotors bolt onto ed6 knuckles with no issues?

Hah, you're going to have to excuse my ignorance on that one, which was the ED6, how did it differ from the EF7 etc.

[trism]

Ed6 is the Aussie delivered civic hatch. Identical underneath to the ed3 which is the sedan, and ed9 which is the crx

[hondapop]

Not up on all the numbers of the different models (thought they were all ED9's, learn something new everyday). I know the CRX's, both ED9 and EF7 only take the 242mm discs 'cause the caliper bolts are closer together.

[trism]

Bit that's due to the calipers you can bolt up, not the actual rotors not having clearance?

[hondapop]

Unless there are different calipers available that will fit those holes and take the bigger discs, the 262's definitely won't go into the smaller caliper.

[Marc_EE9]

The ED 1.6 models have 242mm front brakes as standard. The TRE's are 10mm shorter than EF8/EF9.
You can take 10mm off the 242 TRE's to fit onto an EF8/EF9, BUT I would NOT recommend this. People have had issues with this in the UK, mainly clearance issues.

The EE/EF 1.6 Vtec models have 262 front brakes, these have slightly longer TRE's to non-vtecs, as well as different hubs/arms etc

You CANNOT put EF8/EF9 calipers on ED front hubs, it will not work with any combination even if you use the original carriers. Many people have tried and failed here in the UK. Don't waste your time.


I bought two new EF8/EF9 TRE's from Honda this year (soon to be discountinued!) and they cost £80/$140 each, as no auto factors here sell the VTEC ones.

[hondapop]

You can take 10mm off the 242 TRE's to fit onto an EF8/EF9, BUT I would NOT recommend this. People have had issues with this in the UK, mainly clearance issues.

Where have the clearance problems occured Mark ?

The reason the EF8/EF9 TRE's are shorter is that the steering arms on the their knuckle/hubs are longer than both the ED and DA9 knuckles, (the DA's being the usual choice when upgrading to 262mm brakes) which positions the TRE's ball joint hole closer in towards the steering rack.

I am asking about the clearance issues because the other alternative to shortening the ED TRE's is to shorten the actual tierod itself by the 10mm (has the same effect and a better choice). Having not had the chance to compare EF8 and ED TRE's side by side, is there a difference in their shape? I must admit I was originally puzzled by the offset "crank" in the ED and DA9 TRE's until I was under my CRX one day with the wheels turned full lock and noticed that the "crank's" purpose was to clear the wheels inner rim. I could only see there being a clearance problem if wheels with a greater offset than +38 or +40 were fitted or maybe very large diameter/combination of both. What do you think?

[trism]

I was thinking about it the other day, and was thinking that maybe the ef8/9 knuckles had the flatter section not just for brakes, but to fit wider rims for race cars.

[Marc_EE9]

They are slightly different shape.

I will try and find the website where I got the info from.

[hondapop]

I was thinking about it the other day, and was thinking that maybe the ef8/9 knuckles had the flatter section not just for brakes, but to fit wider rims for race cars.

Are you referring to the TRE's or the upper extension of the knuckle/hub (up to the top ball joint)?

If it's the TRE's, Honda changed to the cranked type progressively at the end of the 1980's (Civic/Crx ED, Integra DA9, CB Accord and BB4 Prelude). My little GA2 City has them as well. Even on full lock they don't come anywhere near the brakes or CV's etc.

If it's the hub's upper extension, I compared it to the DA9's and found that the inward curve is virtually identical ('cause I thought the EF8's might give more tyre/rim clearance) but it doesn't.

[ToF]

Wow, great info here. Many thanks to all contributors.

As a side note, I rang a number of dealers and got prices from $185 down to $135 for the exact damn part. Anyway, it's still possible to order these but there is a 3 week wait on them.