Swaybars for non-Si cars?
08-23-2005, 10:44 AM
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Swaybars for non-Si cars?
I have to admit I'm a little peeved. I've been searching, searching, searching some more, and I can't find an online resource for this problem. You'd think that with one of the most popular tuning platforms in existance, coupled with the fact that any swaybar installation (within reason: no need to split hairs) on a car with zero factory sways is going to help in the handling department, that this would be all over the web, with several companies offering a fix.
But no.
Every time I look up a set of generally overpriced aftermarket swaybars for my car, I look through the specifications and everything looks good. Up until the disclaimer: "This product only works on cars that came with factory-installed swaybars." Well, fuck me then. Using junkyard parts? You must be joking! (Unfortunately, no, I'm not.) Am I, and every other non-Si Civic out there with me, doomed to be bar-less? In, oh, 18 years of the platform's existance, am I the only guy to come across this problem?
You'd think there would be some mention of it, but no. A sticky thread, even, but no. No mention in the FAQs on this site or any of the other Civic-related sites I've perused. Plenty of pictures of pretty body kits, yes, and threads on how to clean the H emblems, but as for a genuine performance mod that concerns probably about 85% of Civic owners out there, nada.
I do know the following, after having grabbed a set of factory sways off of a 90 Integra GS:
The rear lower control arms from a swaybar equipped car are needed.
The rear swaybar would bolt up - had Honda deigned to drill the holes and install the threaded inserts. As a bonus, the factory mount position happens to be directly on the boxed section of the unibody, not something you just want to start hacking at with a die-grinder. (Honda engineers, or rather the goddamned bean-counters that thought this necessary, thanks! And go fuck yourselves.)
The front bar looks fairly identical to that offered in the Suspension techniques front/rear kit, and would bolt to the lower control arms using the factory end-links, no problem. Except, of course, for the fact that there are no factory holes drilled in the subframe for the mounts that were used on the integra, and since the aftermarket offerings have their disclaimers in place, it's a safe bet that there are no Civic-specific mounts for the sub-Si models. Thanks again, beancounters, you scum-sucking peices of shit, you.
Needless to say, I would appreciate it very much if someone could facilitate making these parts work. Any information would be better than none. And, doubtless, so would many others that are saddled with non-Si cars (tens of thousands in the EF generation alone, I would imagine).
In case you were wondering, the car in question is a 91 EF hatch, base model, with the 'coveted' D15B/four-speed setup. And no, I'm not being a dick on purpose. My head's just ringing from banging it against a brick wall for a week.
Or was it the Fear Factory in-store? Maybe...
(PS - This is a copy of a thread I posted at another forum. I'm new here, and the people who shouldn't go near their car (or anyone else's) with a wrench seem to be less populous here. We'll see...)
But no.
Every time I look up a set of generally overpriced aftermarket swaybars for my car, I look through the specifications and everything looks good. Up until the disclaimer: "This product only works on cars that came with factory-installed swaybars." Well, fuck me then. Using junkyard parts? You must be joking! (Unfortunately, no, I'm not.) Am I, and every other non-Si Civic out there with me, doomed to be bar-less? In, oh, 18 years of the platform's existance, am I the only guy to come across this problem?
You'd think there would be some mention of it, but no. A sticky thread, even, but no. No mention in the FAQs on this site or any of the other Civic-related sites I've perused. Plenty of pictures of pretty body kits, yes, and threads on how to clean the H emblems, but as for a genuine performance mod that concerns probably about 85% of Civic owners out there, nada.
I do know the following, after having grabbed a set of factory sways off of a 90 Integra GS:
The rear lower control arms from a swaybar equipped car are needed.
The rear swaybar would bolt up - had Honda deigned to drill the holes and install the threaded inserts. As a bonus, the factory mount position happens to be directly on the boxed section of the unibody, not something you just want to start hacking at with a die-grinder. (Honda engineers, or rather the goddamned bean-counters that thought this necessary, thanks! And go fuck yourselves.)
The front bar looks fairly identical to that offered in the Suspension techniques front/rear kit, and would bolt to the lower control arms using the factory end-links, no problem. Except, of course, for the fact that there are no factory holes drilled in the subframe for the mounts that were used on the integra, and since the aftermarket offerings have their disclaimers in place, it's a safe bet that there are no Civic-specific mounts for the sub-Si models. Thanks again, beancounters, you scum-sucking peices of shit, you.
Needless to say, I would appreciate it very much if someone could facilitate making these parts work. Any information would be better than none. And, doubtless, so would many others that are saddled with non-Si cars (tens of thousands in the EF generation alone, I would imagine).
In case you were wondering, the car in question is a 91 EF hatch, base model, with the 'coveted' D15B/four-speed setup. And no, I'm not being a dick on purpose. My head's just ringing from banging it against a brick wall for a week.
Or was it the Fear Factory in-store? Maybe...
(PS - This is a copy of a thread I posted at another forum. I'm new here, and the people who shouldn't go near their car (or anyone else's) with a wrench seem to be less populous here. We'll see...)
08-24-2005, 08:39 AM
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the LCA's aren't the problem, it's the pivot points at the body that are the roadblock. Am I pissed? Not so much, just frustrated - I find it very hard to believe that I'm the first guy to build a DX or other lower model Civic instead of an Si. That said, I can't possibly be the only one to have come across this problem, yet there's no mention of it online, be it via google or the four civic-related forums I've been visiting. Lord Accord's suspension faq, although very good otherwise, makes no mention of this either.
I just tend to get peeved when I see this kind of crap - mostly at the beancounters, who for some reason think it's going to save them money by having to have different parts, machinery, etc in place to accomodate sub-performance parts, instead of just, oh, I don't know, have the same LCAs in all of the civics whether they're an Si or not? Economies of scale, etc. Same for the front subframes, same for the rear unibody mounts, etc. As a matter of fact, no doubt they've lost money over the years through this nonsense - if a dealer can sell customers on a 'paint protecting clear coat' (ie a wax job) for a few hundred dollars, no doubt many customers could have been talked into an optional set of swaybars, if only the mounting points existed without the major dicking around required.
When I was into VWs, I couldn't get over the fact that they riveted their differentials in (instead of spending another nickel to use bolts), which I don't doubt cost them more in warranty repairs than they saved, meanwhile doing no service to their customers, much less their reputation - would you buy another VW after lunching your transaxle after one burnout? Can't say that I would.
I just tend to get peeved when I see this kind of crap - mostly at the beancounters, who for some reason think it's going to save them money by having to have different parts, machinery, etc in place to accomodate sub-performance parts, instead of just, oh, I don't know, have the same LCAs in all of the civics whether they're an Si or not? Economies of scale, etc. Same for the front subframes, same for the rear unibody mounts, etc. As a matter of fact, no doubt they've lost money over the years through this nonsense - if a dealer can sell customers on a 'paint protecting clear coat' (ie a wax job) for a few hundred dollars, no doubt many customers could have been talked into an optional set of swaybars, if only the mounting points existed without the major dicking around required.
When I was into VWs, I couldn't get over the fact that they riveted their differentials in (instead of spending another nickel to use bolts), which I don't doubt cost them more in warranty repairs than they saved, meanwhile doing no service to their customers, much less their reputation - would you buy another VW after lunching your transaxle after one burnout? Can't say that I would.
08-25-2005, 10:13 AM
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http://www.performancecenter.com/pro..._1991/sf3_CRX/
Here's a link. Eibach makes a kit for non-swaybar-equipped vehicles, 53 bucks and change at this site.
Someone should sticky this, or make a less offensive post and sticky the idea at least.
Now, if only the D15 in my car didn't blow up on the way back from work this morning...
Here's a link. Eibach makes a kit for non-swaybar-equipped vehicles, 53 bucks and change at this site.
Someone should sticky this, or make a less offensive post and sticky the idea at least.
Now, if only the D15 in my car didn't blow up on the way back from work this morning...
