Topics that apply to all 92-95 civics
By dgiles
#335567 Hello everyone,

I have been waiting a long time to change shocks. Can't justify going high-dollar for a street driven cruiser. Been looking at Racelands and Rokkors but read about the Ultimos for other vehicles and really wanted the extra dampening and spring rate. Problem was, Raceland didn't offer them for the Civics. Well, when I visited their web site the other day, there they were.

Haven't had the chance to install them because of the rain around here, but hope to install tommorrow. I'll keep you posted on how I like them. Thanks for reading.
By dgiles
#335568 Couldn't place a photo in my first post, so here it is.

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Little fuzzy, Cell phone picture.

Thanks
By dgiles
#335664 This is what I started out with. Lotek "short" shocks with a set of Ebay coilovers that were on the car when I got it. The Lotek's gave me a much smoother ride than the KYB's that were on the car before them.

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Here's a comparison between the Lotek/Ebay coilovers and the Raceland Ultimo's. Almost hate to put them on the car. They'll just get all dirty and stuff.

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Here's the Ultimos installed on the front. I had no idea where to set the spring perch so I just set it around midway. Not a bad guess, just a little higher than I like.

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Here's what I ended up with heightwise. The Front and rear are a little high. That front lip looks goofy that high off the ground I'm going to ride on it like this for a week or so while the springs settle. Then I'll lower her a little.

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All in all, I like the ride. I've been reading up on Raceland Coilovers for over a year. It's difficult to find any good reviews because most of them are riddled with negative comments. Most of which are from people who have either never heard of them or never ridden on them???

Most of what I have extracted was that the standard Racelands rode like stock or just a little stiffer. That sounded great to me. I drove my car the first 2 years dodging every crack in the road. Another thing I kept reading was that they were a little bouncy. This concerned me, and probably kept me from making the move sooner.

I knew Raceland had a higher level coilovers that they offered the VW and Miata bunch. Those were the Ultimos, but they weren't available for the Civic. I have written Raceland several times in the past asking if they were ever going to offer the Ultimos to Civic owners and the replies were always "Not available at this time".

I was very surprised when I visited their site last week to finally order my new Coilovers. Low and behold, there they were. The Ultimos were now offered to EG owners. Even better, the picture showed a nice beautiful Top Hat. This turned out not to be as they used a stock photo for all models.

Anyway, after calling Raceland and asking about the differences between the Standard Racelands and the Ultimos, I knew the Ultimos would probably better serve me. I was told the Ultimos have a higher spring rate and 15% higher dampening. I was somewhat concerned about the higher spring rate, but I wanted the higher dampening to cut down on the bounciness.

Overall, The ride is a little stiffer than I wanted but not too stiff. I have a lot more control and a lot less bounce over my old shocks/springs. Everything feels tight like a new car. I had no body roll before and don't have any now. I'm very satisfied with these Coilovers.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.
Last edited by dgiles on Mon Jan 12, 2015 5:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By Uknterror
#335665 Looks great! :thumb: . I for one stand 100% behind high dollar suspension parts reason being is that even tho is everything is prone to break at some point, cheap or "ebay" coils always (in my experience) prove the bouncy ride and break with-in months.

Needless to say I still like everything I see :)
Bykutthroatkrow
#335674 Raceland/rokkor (same thing different name) have a nice ride for "cheap" coils. We used them extensively in the jetta/golf community and never had an issue with seals or anything. The lowest drop I've seen off em is 3" with a frame notch. Great pick up hope you enjoy them!
By dgiles
#335689
Uknterror wrote:Looks great! :thumb: . I for one stand 100% behind high dollar suspension parts reason being is that even tho is everything is prone to break at some point, cheap or "ebay" coils always (in my experience) prove the bouncy ride and break with-in months.


I know what you're saying and hope they hold up. With a 2 year warranty and a 30 day return policy, I just don't think I can go wrong. Time will tell. Appreciate your input.
Last edited by dgiles on Tue Aug 20, 2013 11:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
By dgiles
#335690
kutthroatkrow wrote:Raceland/rokkor (same thing different name) have a nice ride for "cheap" coils. We used them extensively in the jetta/golf community and never had an issue with seals or anything. The lowest drop I've seen off em is 3" with a frame notch. Great pick up hope you enjoy them!


The Jetta/Golf community is where I found a lot of good info as far as the quality of the Racelands go. They seem to be a little more acceptable to how something works over who made it.

Now, as for the Raceland/Rokkor all the same thing. That's what I thought too. Obviously, they are made by the same people. But, there are subtle differences between Raceland, Rokkor and the Ultimo. If you look at the Racelands, they have progressive springs on the front only. The Rokkors and Ultimos have progressive springs front and rear.

Other differences as explained to me are that the standard Racelands are the base models. The Ultimos have a higher spring rate and 15% higher dampening and the Rokkors fall in between the other two with a little higher spring rate and dampening than the standard Racelands.
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By silverEG8
#338360 I'm planning to purchase adjustable coilovers for my eg8, what brand should I get?
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By Apexracing
#338371 Race lands are not that good... Other honda communities have not had good luck with the ride quality or how long they last. They do replace any of their products that fail though without an issue. But some people have had issues within 3-6 months. My self i went with megan, their quality had been great and the adjustability is very nice.
By dgiles
#338481
Apexracing wrote:Race lands are not that good... Other honda communities have not had good luck with the ride quality or how long they last. They do replace any of their products that fail though without an issue. But some people have had issues within 3-6 months. My self i went with megan, their quality had been great and the adjustability is very nice.


I'm sure the Megans are nice. As for the Racelands not being that good, that's the kind of statements that kept me from buying them earlier. I read review after review of Raceland shocks and I found good reviews and I found bad reviews. I couldn't figure out how there could be such a variation in popularity. Then, after closer observation, I noticed that not one of the people making negative comments about the Raceland shocks had ever owned a set of Raceland Shocks. It's always hearsay.

I see a lot of guys in Mercedes and Porsches looking at my car and even though I can't hear what they're thinking, I can tell from their expression they're probably thinking "I would never own a Civic. They aren't any good and break all the time". Although I like their Mercedes and Porsches and have own a few of my own in my life, I also like my Civic. And I probably have had more fun with my Civic than all those other cars. I like my Racelands. And I am having great fun with them also. Are they Megans? No. Don't claim them to be. But they're fine for what I do.

I do go out with a group the last saturday of every month for a cruise of about 40 - 50 miles. There are no other Hondas in the group (350z - 360z, Mercedes, BMW's, Mustangs and Camaro's) and everyone's surprise at how well my car handles. So, they hold thier own.
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By Apexracing
#338482
dgiles wrote:
Apexracing wrote:Race lands are not that good... Other honda communities have not had good luck with the ride quality or how long they last. They do replace any of their products that fail though without an issue. But some people have had issues within 3-6 months. My self i went with megan, their quality had been great and the adjustability is very nice.


I'm sure the Megans are nice. As for the Racelands not being that good, that's the kind of statements that kept me from buying them earlier. I read review after review of Raceland shocks and I found good reviews and I found bad reviews. I couldn't figure out how there could be such a variation in popularity. Then, after closer observation, I noticed that not one of the people making negative comments about the Raceland shocks had ever owned a set of Raceland Shocks. It's always hearsay.

I see a lot of guys in Mercedes and Porsches looking at my car and even though I can't hear what they're thinking, I can tell from their expression they're probably thinking "I would never own a Civic. They aren't any good and break all the time". Although I like their Mercedes and Porsches and have own a few of my own in my life, I also like my Civic. And I probably have had more fun with my Civic than all those other cars. I like my Racelands. And I am having great fun with them also. Are they Megans? No. Don't claim them to be. But they're fine for what I do.

I do go out with a group the last saturday of every month for a cruise of about 40 - 50 miles. There are no other Hondas in the group (350z - 360z, Mercedes, BMW's, Mustangs and Camaro's) and everyone's surprise at how well my car handles. So, they hold thier own.



It’s mot hearsay when its people you know. But i hope it works out for you.
By JohnRM
#338487 About a month ago, I installed Raceland coilovers on a buddy's EP3 civic. He wasn't looking to go for performance, he wanted the look and the ride comfort. I had no idea these coilovers rode just as soft as stock, it was impressive.

To Apexracing: YES on those Megans! I'm glad there is another in this forum who has a set. Many people I've talked to and from my own research has told me that Megan coilovers sucked. But I've had mine for close to 3 years now and has worked out great for me.
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By Apexracing
#338488 It’s not the ride quality that is the problem with race lands. Its how well they hold up and how long they last. Remember the bar is set pretty high with oem.