TypeJ

I am very close to buying new suspension components for my '94 GSR, and am trying to do good research before purchase. I do not AutoX, but would like to in the future. I daily drive my teg, but live in the beautiful NorCal coastal area where the roads just beg you to "drive with spirit", and I do. I have about a $1200 max spend limit. That means including camber kit (if need be) and mounts or bushings etc.
I started out thinking about the Omni Power coilovers but slowly crept up the price/performance scale to the Tanabe Sustec Pro SS.Has anyone purchased these (not the type 2)? Since they have pillow ball mounts with camber plate, Would I not have to buy a camber kit. "Solid Pillow Ball Upper Mounts (applicable on certain systems)Camber plates allow for easy adjustment of the suspension's geometry and have durable NMB pillow ball construction for solid response". That is the sales quote. (It seems that if I can avoid buying a camber kit for $200 that means less hardware to install and essentially $200 off the price of the coilovers. Does that make sense?) If I am totally wrong here, somebody please tell me so I don't spend all this money just to find out that I still have to buy the______ piece to make it work right.
The Tein SS coilovers have very high spring rates(I don't AutoX), and do not come with upper mounts or camber plate so I am thinking they are not the right ones for me.
Again, I am just trying to make the best decision.
And finally, purchase the front end polyurethane bushings or not? Any comments welcome. Thanks for your help.

Snoopy

you can get omnipower coilover and camber kit packages from www.passwordjdm.com for good prices. my friend is considering the same kit.

TheOtherDave™

Before I start...welcome to HAN. :thumbup:

First off, some clarification:
The amount of lowering is what determines whether or not you need a camber kit. Also, pillow ball mounts do nothing to correct camber on a double wishbone suspension car like a third gen Integra.

"Pillow ball mounts" are sphercial bearing replacements for the rubber bushings that isolate impact load from the car's chassis. In fact, calling them "pillow" anything is deceptive. They will increase the amount of vibration transferred from the dampers to the chassis. IMO, they are not needed for a car that spend all of it's time on the street.

Camber kits for the DC / DB Integra consist of slotted upper wishbones/ control arms that have a greater range of adjustment than the stock components. They change the geometry of the wheel by lenghtening the upper wishbone, so that the tire is just about square to the road surface.

---
Secondly, here's what I'm running.

I'm running the TEIN SS dampers and I won't lie to you..they are quite firm even without the pillow ball mounts. Lowered about 1.7" all around, I'm running about -1.4° of camber in front, and -1.6° in rear --without a camber kit.

I have logged about 7,500 miles on this setup and it's served me well.

As far as tires go, I'm running NT450s - which are pretty long wearing. If you plan to go with softer rubber, definitely buy a camber kit and bring your alignment as close as you can to stock (-0°1' Front[±1°], -0°45' Rear [±0°30').

---
Lastly, my [kinda-sorta] recommendation:
Coilovers may not be the best solution for your budget and needs.. :dunno:
Unless you plan to "corner weight" the car (useful for auto-x mostly), perhaps a set of lowering springs would be better?

An alternative solution would be to pick up some H&R sport springs and Koni Yellow dampers. I think the H&R springs lower about 1.75", which is enough IMO given our roads( just think about Hwy 1 between Muir and Stinson Beach..). With the money saved, buy your camber kit and go to town.

[PS: Whereabouts in NorCal are you located? I'm near Corte Madera, FWIW.]

TypeJ

Thanks for the informative reply OtherDave. I am also considering Koni Yellows with Ground Controls or H&R sport springs. Where can I buy NT450s??? They are hard to find, maybe discontinued. I have two new ones, and want to match them rather than buy a new set of four. My question about the camber adjustability on the Tanabe Sustec SS was since it has an upper mount with a camber plate, does the camber plate eliminate the need for camber kit? I live in Santa Rosa, by the way.

TheOtherDave™

The Nitto NT450 are standard fare for sport compact applications, and I got a deal on them when I upgraded to 16" rims. You'll have no trouble finding them on the market.

And no, the camber plate is not the right part for your Integra. If you buy the Sustec SS dampers, they won't sell you a set of camber plates because they aren't the right part for your Integra.

It all comes down to the type of suspension that a car uses.

When the Tanabe systems come with a camber "plate", they are for use in cars with a MacPherson "strut" style suspension. The third gen Integra does not use camber plates, because it uses a different type of suspension system.

In a MacPherson strut suspension, the shock carries structural loads to keep the wheel hubs at a certain angle as the suspension compresses and extends. These camber plates allow the angle of the strut to be changed, because that's how camber is adjusted.

3rd gen Integra models use a "double wishbone" type suspension. Unlike the MacPherson strut setup, our suspensions use A-shaped arms above and below the wheel hub to hold the hub in position. The shock simply mounts between the body and the lower wishbone and has no affect on camber adjustment.

TypeJ

Thanks again Dave. You've shed much light on the situation.

TheOtherDave™

Glad to be of use. :cheers: