Need Advice on Upgrading Suspension for Better Handling

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Need Advice on Upgrading Suspension for Better Handling

By clausesalvatorr
- Tue Aug 27, 2024 11:21 am #6909273 Hello there,

I am new to the forum and looking for some advice from those who have experience with upgrading the suspension on a Civic EG. I own a 1995 Civic EG; and I am considering some upgrades to improve handling; especially for occasional track days and spirited driving on winding roads.

Currently; my Civic is still on its stock suspension, which is starting to feel a bit worn out. I have read that upgrading the suspension can significantly enhance handling and ride quality, but I am a bit overwhelmed by the variety of options available. I am looking for suggestions on components and setups that strike a good balance between performance and comfort.

What are the pros and cons of each? I’ve heard coilovers offer more adjustability, but I’m concerned about ride quality and potential issues with daily driving.

Are there any particular brands or models that are highly recommended for the Civic EG? I’m looking for something that offers good performance without breaking the bank.

What should I expect in terms of installation? Are there any additional modifications required? Also; how critical is it to get a proper alignment after upgrading?

Also, I have gone through this post; https://civic-eg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?ccsp=304675 which definitely helped me out a lot.

Any tips or personal experiences you can share would be greatly appreciated. I am open to any recommendations or warnings based on your experiences.

Thank you in advance for your help and assistance.
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Re: Need Advice on Upgrading Suspension for Better Handling

By teal_dx
- Tue Sep 03, 2024 8:07 pm #6909279 Hey, welcome to the forum! Coilovers are a great choice and the best advice I have is you get what you pay for when it comes to $1000 coilovers vs $300 coilovers. Skip the no-name ebay and Maxpeeding coilovers all together, as you'll just end up replacing them again. $1k is about where a good set starts. Also, don't buy coilovers thinking you'll be frequently adjusting them for different types of driving conditions, as once you get them dialed in and adjusted, you'll want to leave them as-is. Otherwise, you'll have to get the car aligned after every height change. Springs & a nice set of struts can be a little less expensive, but at the cost of being able to fine-tune the ride height to the exact mm like you can with coilovers. However, don't write off the idea, as a set of Koni yellows plus Ground Control coilover conversions is an old school but proven setup. It really comes down to what are you looking to spend and how you'll be using the car. Also consider replacing the suspension bushings if they are original, as they're about 30 yrs old now and the rubber is usually getting a little worn by now. A full set of urethane bushings isn't too expensive, but a lot of work to install. If it's a daily, rubber might be better because the urethane bushings really stiffen things up.
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Re: Need Advice on Upgrading Suspension for Better Handling

By EconoBox
- Thu Jan 02, 2025 10:50 pm #6909314 TL;DR - Do maintenancce, buy everything in the TruHart and Energy Suspension Catalog for your car, and have fun.

If you actually want the full answer:

The amount of off the shelf parts for EGs/golden era Hondas makes this such a broad question but I'm going to give you an example of a fully done street/light track use setup.

Like Teal said in his post you get what you pay for... so keep that in mind these are not the cheapest parts but what I've found to work really well over the years.

In my experience for a daily driven street car the following setup has been incredible for many years and while its not $500 of ebay parts it can fit most budgets.

Coilovers - TruHart coilovers (Or BC Digressive if its in your budget, while Truhart and D2 are sister companies I hate to say I've found D2 to be a little firmer than I like on a street car, the same goes for Skunk2, KSport, and several other brands; this is a result of shock valving/limited adjustability, and spring rate choices)
Camber Kit
TruHart/Hardrace are the same parts rebranded and offer the necessary adjustment and hardened rubber bushings. There are several other companies using rebranded Hard Race components so do your own research here to get something quality at the best price point.
You will need front and rear camber kits if you are lowering the vehicle AT ALL. On EGs there is absolutely no adjustment for anything accept for toe from the factory.
Maintenance items
THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ITEM BEFORE DOING ANYTHING ELSE
Brakes - Make sure you have good pads and rotors and if your car has rear drums that they are cleaned and well adjusted
Bushings - If you have an EG you have broken trailing arm bushings, and your shock mount bushings on the control arms will be sagging from age and use. Most of the other bushings hold up relatively well but for the cost of the bushings I highly suggest getting a full bushing kit and replacing EVERYTHING. They are 30 years old and the sag and wear offers another variable in alignment settings and tire wear that is easy to prevent. Hard Race makes a full hardened rubber bushing kit and Energy Suspension offers a full polyurethane kit (trailing arm bushings separate) If you go this route you want the black ones and not the pretty red ones. The black polyurethane bushings are self lubricating and prevent squeaking down the road. You will need a press to install them but this modification/ maintenance item is a huge one that often is overlooked.
Other Maintenance items: - Check balljoints, steering rack, inner and outer tie rods, wheel bearings, sway bar links and bushings if your trim was equipped. These cars are 30+ years old now and these parts are all items that wear and can cause safety and alignment issues.

That setup is what I've run on about 10 EGs over the last 20 years and I have nothing but praise for how well they work as street cars and some occasional spirited driving.

I didn't deep dive the sway bar issue but if your car doesn't have them grab some EX front and rear lower control arms and the OEM sway bars and pop them in. You'll thank me later you can always upgrade them later but for the cost the benefit on a street car will be found just by getting them in the car from another trim.

This setup can get you just about any ride height you want.

I'm not going to deep dive suspension geometry but if you are planning to drop the car more than a little bit keep in mind that lowering a Honda massively alters the suspension geometry. Harder bushings and all of these parts can cause binding during extreme use and the cars can do unpredictable things when pushing them on a track. If you're wanting to go tire to fender or lower the list to do it correctly and for track use gets A LOT pricier and a lot longer.

I hope this helps and isn't too much information... I have a habit of over answering simple questions.
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Re: Need Advice on Upgrading Suspension for Better Handling

By EconoBox
- Thu Jan 02, 2025 10:54 pm #6909315 Oh and get an alignment when you are all done. I won't break down alignment specs to anything crazy because these can be adjusted for all different use cases to get the most from the car.

I usually run these settings on my car for street driving : Somewhere between 1-2 degrees of camber front and rear, caster isn't adjustable, and I usually run just a touch of toe out in the front and 0 toe in the rear. Found this to be a great alignment for everyday use that doesn't chew through tires. The front toe out can track a bit with high speed driving or on a crowned road. So you can slightly toe in the front but this takes away some of the quick response I like in my cars.
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