swap suspension

[Nikku]

As tuners, we are always in search of the best product for us and when we start talking suspension specifically there are critical factors that must be taken into consideration. Since swapping engines is becoming more and more common, aftermarket manufacturers are producing products for people like us who do so, when you are talking a 4g civic/CRX proper spring rates MUST be applied when you swap you engine (from a d-series to a b-series) the weight difference is just too great between the 2 engines and if you use springs that are rated for a stock engined car then you will get an overlowered condition on the front suspension which will cause dampers to wear out faster and the car will not handle how it should.

First Purchase: Ground Control Coilover Kit w/ Custom Rated Springs for B-Series Swap

http://www.ground-control.com/

When I first got these I was ecstatic, it was just what I wanted, properly rated springs w/ the adjustability of a coilover system. The springs came rated at the following figures

400lbs/in Front
300lbs/in Rear

and they were of they typical ground control quality. The dampers I was running then (and still am running) are KYB AGX’s and all 4 corners were set at the 3 position. Prior to having these I was using my friends Ground Control coilovers made for a 92-95 civic (bad idea, but hey it was free), anywho the ride felt considerably better then the prior coilovers (duh!), the car was lowered about 2” all the way around, but there was still some of that bounce that I did not want (not necessarily ALL the fault of the coilover but it is about 60% of it), so I raised the car up to a 1.75” drop and it smoothed out the ride a lot but still had that bounce, part of the reason that coilover sleeve systems bounce so much is due to the shorter spring design to achieve a lower drop, to compensate for this you would need a damper w/ a shorter body and a longer rod to increase damper travel, but without lots of cash this is not an option. So needless to say after about 3 or 4 months of driving on these things and constant fiddling w/ the damper settings I wanted something that had a more smooth feeling to the ride that would fit my budget at the time (pratically nothing…..but that has changed). Which brings me to the next product:


Progress Auto Swap Springs

http://www.progressauto.com/

Part #40.1004

They offer a 2” drop and a properly rated spring for the extra weight of the B-series engine. So after hours of research on their product and reading thru customer reviews of their product (I also rode in another CRX w/ the progress auto springs (normal) and KYB GR-2’s being that it was the most comparable to what i was about to do to my car), I decided to purchase them from one of their vendor (option auto salon)

http://www.optauto.com

they were not a normally stocked item at the time so I had to wait a couple more days, but for the price ($169) I could wait. So when they arrived I installed them and made sure the dampers were all set at the same settings (3) and I drove it, and I must say THE RIDE WAS SMOOTH AS HELL, there was a huge difference in driving feel when compared to the ground control’s, the car just felt better overall, so I was happy. And now after the springs have “broken in” the car feels even better then the first day of installing them and they work well w/ the AGX’s and the ride is not nearly as bouncy as w/ the ground controls, while there still is a little bounce (which I expected) its not nearly as bad or as harsh of a ride.

Final Thoughts:

PLAN AHEAD, if you are doing a swap and have not lowered your car yet, be prepared to buy springs like these first (or something similar that offers similar spring rates) so your car can be properly equipped. My next setup is going to be

TEIN HA’s (for a JDM CRX SiR)
88 CRX Rear lower control arms (necessary for using SiR rear suspension components)

and hopefully this will be the perfect setup for what I want, I have been thru too many suspension systems already and I am done w/ mixing and matching, obviously the best setup is one which is matched and this is a problem that faces us because just about no spring manufacturer (H&R is the only one I know of and they don’t have a cup kit for the CRX, not to mention no stiffer rates for a swap option) has an ideal damper to go w/ their springs, you can never go wrong w/ koni yellows but you will pay the price. If you are swapping your engine and you want a TEIN system, I recommend getting one that is made for an SiR (it will have the proper weight/damper valving for a b-series engine), or, since you can get stiffer springs from TEIN, look at the spring rates for the SiR TEIN setups and get a spring w/ a comparable rating. We must also remember that springs/dampers are not the only important suspension components but this is the main focus of this post

[91b16acrx]

very informative, i am currently runny on some ground controls with kyb gr2 struts. The handling is ok, i mean ould be better but is a big improvement on my first set up which came with thte car (shit ass sprint srpings w/stock struts) ar looked like shit beause the b16 made the car lower in the front but the ground controls evened out the car now ~!

[Nikku]

very informative, i am currently runny on some ground controls with kyb gr2 struts. The handling is ok, i mean ould be better but is a big improvement on my first set up which came with thte car (shit ass sprint srpings w/stock struts) ar looked like shit beause the b16 made the car lower in the front but the ground controls evened out the car now ~!

are those ground controls made for the stock engine or not?

[phan]

i think this should be sticky'd temp. and about bryan (91b16crx)'s suspension, i don't think he's got swap springs with his gc's.

[Nikku]

i think this should be sticky'd temp. and about bryan (91b16crx)'s suspension, i don't think he's got swap springs with his gc's.

well then he should get some .......i will add some more stuff to it before i sticky it......muahahah make it worthy of a sticky!