Good suspension upgrade plan?

[H.M.]

I’m upgrading my suspension on a 90 Accord EX. It’s completely stock now and it’s only a daily drive.
I’m using the “High Performance Handling” article stickied in the suspension forum as a guide and I’m going to do this:

Already done:

New tires (on stock rims).

Now:

Replace my front and rear shocks.
Replace all my bushings with the Energy Suspension bushing kit (already purchased).
Get new alignment.

A few months from now:

Do any body stiffening necessary (strut bar or whatever else is recommended.)

A long time from now:

New oversized rims and tires.

I can get the Tokico Advanced Handling Kit (HPK213) for $439.99. The Tokico Illumina Advanced Handling Kit (ILK230) is $599.99.
http://www.slickcar.com/accessories/..._over_kits.asp

Is this still a good choice for my car?
Have any shocks come out since the article that blows the Tokico’s away for about the same price?
Is the extra $160 for the advanced handling kit worth it?

Any advice or opinions welcome!

[xj1234]

Might as well do springs and shocks at the same time. H&R sports are my preference for a daily driven CB7. Good tires and a good rear sway bar will make a huge difference in handling as well. Body stiffening is not necessary and that money could be better spent on other things.

[ExplodingCake]

You are better off with these than the Tockico set. Same price , but better product.

http://neuspeed.com/products/product...port&p_id=1525


For body stiffening ( if you plan on auto-cross or something)
- Neuspeed front upper strut bar OR ESP Front strut bar
- ESP rear upper strut bar
- Thicker sway bars front and rear like Suspension Techniques

Expensive but worth every penny.

If you are going for daily driving , it's not neccessary.

But first let me ask you this: What is your purpose? Daily Driving? Track? Auto-Cross? Circuit Race?

[Leethal88]

I got ebicach springs on mine

[Tnwagn]

You are better off with these than the Tockico set. Same price , but better product.

http://neuspeed.com/products/product...port&p_id=1525


For body stiffening ( if you plan on auto-cross or something)
- Neuspeed front upper strut bar OR ESP Front strut bar
- ESP rear upper strut bar
- Thicker sway bars front and rear like Suspension Techniques

Expensive but worth every penny.

If you are going for daily driving , it's not neccessary.

But first let me ask you this: What is your purpose? Daily Driving? Track? Auto-Cross? Circuit Race?

I agree with you on everything but one point, the front sway bar. The OP said that his car is an EX so he already has the larger front stock sway bar, which is perfectly fine for almost every application (including those up to circuit racing).

I also agree that you (Original Poster) need to evaluate exactly what you want to do with your car. If it is going to be just a daily driver, then the Energy Suspension kit may be a little rough/overkill for your application. If you want to just tighten up the stock suspension you should go for more OEM type bushing replacements.

However, from the mod list you've complied it sounds like you want to add a little bit of performance to your ride. There was a thread very similar to this and I suggest you read it through.

http://www.cb7tuner.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=109957

[H.M.]

So I can skip the body stiffening for a DD.

The Neuspeed pages also says this:
"Ingall's Camber Correction kit is highly recommended with this kit."

Is the procedure: 1) install the Super Cup kit 2) install the camber correction kit 3) let it settle for a week 4) have aligned -and the aligner will tune the chamber kit?

[ExplodingCake]

Camber correction kit is recommended because it will help save the life of the tires.

However , some members does not have any problem running without camber kits. Me having a 2 inch drop don't run camber kits , it's the toe I'm keeping an eye on. What you really need to be worrying about is the toe setting. Mostly that will be one eating the tires once it's not aligned.

[Tnwagn]

So I can skip the body stiffening for a DD.

The Neuspeed pages also says this:
"Ingall's Camber Correction kit is highly recommended with this kit."

Is the procedure: 1) install the Super Cup kit 2) install the camber correction kit 3) let it settle for a week 4) have aligned -and the aligner will tune the chamber kit?

That sounds about right. The Super Cup kit is a great option, one of the best out there to be honest. Perfectly acceptable for a daily driver. Some people will tell you that you don't need a camber kit because your tire wear will come from mainly toe instead of camber, but I would urge you to get them. It's a safeguard that is too cheap to pass up.

[johnl]

So I can skip the body stiffening for a DD.

No! Front and rear tower braces are very worthwhile for any CB7.

The only caveat is that they must be very rigidly constructed (which importantly includes the attachment brackets, and tends to mean no bends in the tube). Any flex in the tube or in the brackets severely compromises their performance. There are a lot of floppy tower braces on the market.

My tower braces are home made but very stiff, and I can certainly feel the difference if I take them off. I also have an 'X' style brace (again home made) that lives directly behind the rear seat, bracing the open space between the boot (trunk in the States) and passenger compartment. This unbraced aperture is a weak point on many sedans, in the old days all (?) sedans had a stressed panel here). This X brace also makes a noticable difference to handling response.

I've also deleted my front ARB completely, and am very pleased with what that did to reduce understeer (with much less increase in roll motion than you might expect).

From what I hear the Nuespeed Kit is rather on the stiff side, oriented toward track work, which is fine if you only drive on smoother roads and that degree of stiffness suits you. The basic set up described in the article would be pretty good, but I'd substitute Koni Yellows for the dampers they used (despite extra $, worth every penny). Increasing caster as much as you can is also very worthwhile.

[Losiracer2]

If you can find an Acura Vigor, grab the rear sway bar off of it. It has a 16mm rear sway bar equipped on it which bolts on TO THE TEE on our CB7s. Comparatively the LX accords don't come w/ ANY sway bar, but the EX accords have a 14mm.

[wed3k]

after doing a couple spring and strut combos, id have to say opt for a nice coilover setup. not only is it adjustable and usually comes with better dampers but is also lighter to a certain degree.

[H.M.]

I'm looking for an increase in handling for a daily drive without going overboard and spending too much money. The only time this car would see a track would be if I use it in a driving course.

So it sounds like in addition to weighing the cost vs performance increase of suspension modifications / improvements, I also need to find the right balance between a comfortable drive and a suspension that is too stiff for city streets.

Thanks for everyone's tips. I'm reading a lot but this is all pretty new to me.

[johnl]

after doing a couple spring and strut combos, id have to say opt for a nice coilover setup. not only is it adjustable and usually comes with better dampers but is also lighter to a certain degree.

Hmm, what you say may have some truth in some instances (with lesser quality dampers), but it's a huge generalisation.

What dampers ("strut") are you referring to (i.e. used in your "combos")? The best (Bilstein and Koni) stand alone dampers are better than just about any of the dampers incorporated into aftermarket 'coilovers' (i.e. springs and dampers assembled and sold together).

The damper is the foundation of any suspension set up, you want the best you can afford.