an h22 weighs 150-200 lbs more than the stock motor depending on motor and options--thats like having a large dude sitting on your hood. Weight is the enemy of handling. Even if its mounted further back in the engine bay, almost all that weight is still over the front wheels, further skewing an allready bad f/r weight bias. A cars handling balance (understeer/oversteer) is only part of the total handling equation. You car has neutral balance? Thats great, but a B series or D series car with neutral balance will still be able to hold higher cornering loads and transfer weight better. Not hating, just stating facts

And speaking as a *relatively* experienced autocrosser, it would take either a damn good driver, or pitiful competition (not likely) for an H-series civic to be competitive in SM.

:edit: I've got nothing againt the H22, guys. It all just depends on what your goals are... and I hope you have fun with your car! :thumbup:

 

Correct, an H is about 150lbs heavier than a D and a B is about 80-90 lbs heavier than a D give or take a few but....if you're comparing a B to an H it's more like a 70 to 80 lb difference. All I'm saying is with small weight savings here and there (cf hood, remote battery, lighter wheels, etc.) and a sound suspension system, having an H is not as bad as people portray.

Again... Correct, weight is the enemy but we're not talking about that much weight here... there's maybe a 50 lb differnece after lightening the load between the B and H. There's certainly heavier vehicles in Autox.

Mounting the motor further back makes all the difference in the world... it may not be earth shattering but it does certainly improve the handling.

This is true to a certain extent but I don't feel it's as extreme as some believe it to be... besides, what happens when we come out of that corner... ? BWAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH...ZOOOOOOOOM

Not hating either... just a poor attempt at humor I guess.:naughty:

Have you ever driven a properly tuned H-series hybrid on a course? I don't doubt your *relative* experience.:thumbup: I just think people need to think outside of the box more often. People are always talking about how poor an H handles but is it just talk or have they actually experienced it. I predict that in the future you will see more and more of the H as it becomes more and more popular. It was considered insane to even think of being competitive with a civic. Then that changed.... And so too was it was once considered insane to put an H in a civic... in the beginning H swaps were done pretty poorly... but again a lot has changed and more and more people are giving the H the attention it deserves.

Ditto for the B-series guys and even you D-series guys... that's why I said... where's the love
To me they all get respect... whether you got a D-series, a B-series... or an H-series... if you're a true enthusiast and not a herb you get respect. It just seems like those with the H-series get flamed more often than not.

 

Amen,
I like B series motors, they are cool and alot of people like them. Personally i like the torque, and the insanity of vtec.
I mean if you just wanna throw a motor in a cx and think its gonna handle good with some arospeed lowering springs you have another thing coming, but if you do the right things (good struts, good springs, front and reat strut tower bars, lower tie bars front and rear, and sway bars front and rear, good tires, cf hood, batt relocation. but most importantly a good driver.
Even with all that SHITBOX is right, if you did the same mods to a stock motor D series turd, it would handle better due to the f/r wieght distribution. BUT thats where the good driver part comes in. You cant just fly into sharp turn and expect to stick it. I mean my car handles great i think..i dont even know if you B and D series chumps can keep up...but i go into the turns at a safer speed, and then non-vtec floor it out of the turn, and as soon as the turn is exited, VTEC. I mean over all, i might enter the turn slower, but end up going faster at the end of the turn.
Oh well.
But as long as your hooking up a car for the right reason, you have respect (btw trying to be cool isnt the right reason)
And i dont wanna hear any more flamming on H series because..well, then race us

 

Your points are well taken The handling concerns that I bring up are more for those who are anal retentive about weight/cornering (i.e. me h: ) I don't doubt the car will handle very nicely.

And unfortunately, of all the cars I've driven/ridden in, an H22 civic isn't one of them ... I would like to give it a try, but theres nobody in here RMD that drives one, so yes, I am speaking from more of a theoretical standpoint..

Do you have a/c? The a/c system in itself weighs about 60 lbs :thumbup: (although I assume that has to go with that swap) Also, do you have sway bars? If not, what kind were you considering?

 

:werd:

See we need to think outside of the box more often... if no one ever had the guts to step out of the box, we'd all still be crusing around with our original stock D-series... No offence intended, there are some SCEARY ones out there.

I think with the trial & error that the H-series has been put through, that the swaps are now much more refined and will soon be competitive... if I have to be the first to do it damn it then it will happen...lol...

No sway bars yet but looking to get ones from Progress Auto... do you sence a bit of a bias in my suspension considerations

I have no immediate plans for serious competition so A/C will be operational as soon as I get another thin fan and fabricate a way to mount it with my condensor. I have HCP's A/C compressor adapter plate which lets me use the civics compressor on the H22. Everything for the A/C is installed except for the condensor and its fan since the stock fan is too FAT... as soon as I get the FAL Thin fan for it, I'll have A/C... I live in Florida and it's a daily driver for now so if you don't have A/C you're as good as dead with this heat and humidity.

 

I was just gonna say, I think an adjustable rear sway would go a long way in fine-tuning the car's balance once everything is in and ready to go... That way if the progress spring rates aren't *quite* to your liking, you can adjust turn-in and balance a little bit. You may also wanna upgrade the blues a little down the road for that same reason... Quality adjustable shocks go a long way in tuning your car's behavior to suit your driving style. :thumbup:

 

:werd: I really wanted the Illumina's but couldn't afford them at the moment and I need to first and formost get the stock suspension out of there... my front struts are clunking even with the smallest bumps

 

i like illuminas.
i need more suspensin stuff for my civic since my accord wagon with h22a, all amenities, and stereo/subs handles better.
sure the civic sticks to the road better (it should since it is lighter and has similar sized tires/rims) but my accord just does a better job with better balance and slightly better suspension...

 

my illuminas were nice, but my koni yellows have been worth every penny. Def the best shock out there.

 

heheh
the yellows ar ethe shit thats what i got ont he wagon, yeallows with neuspeed race, along with st sway bars and a few bushings have been replaced with poly ones.
my civic has dropzone coilovers with tokico illuminas and its decent but could be better.