jfarmpine

I have done a bit of research and found that many other '08 Civic owners have also had issues with rear suspension. I have experienced rear tires cupping and having uneven and rapid tire wear. The issue is similar to complaints that '06-'07 Civic owners have described. Those models had a tsb on the issue and the solution involved the control arm. Honda states that the '08s received the new control arm to resolve the issue...but apparently some '08s have still developed the same symptoms. Including mine.

I have had suggestions from folks in another forums that it may be one or more of the following; Control arm, camber arm, bad shocks/struts, weak springs. It seems that many of the suggestions are to stiffen the rear suspension.

My question is, 'Would upgrading to a stiffer shock help resolve this problem?'. I'm looking at the KYB gr2, mainly because it seems to be a good, stiffer middle of the road shock. But any suggestions would be great.

Thanks~ Jeff

HAMOTORSPORTS

The problem is with the rear upper control arm on these models. Your Honda dealer will have a kit that comes in a pair of new upper rear control arms with stiffer bushings in them. As you've mentioned, the 06-07 models came with a soft bushing in the upper arms. The newer arms have stiffer bushings, but they still don't last long enough. As the bushings wear, the upper arms let the top of the wheels lean in causing premature wear. The shock upgrade may help "a little", but the true fix is to replace the upper arms/bushings with better units.