Calesta

Ok... there's information on this out on the internet already, but I've never seen anyone compare the two shocks side by side. I took these pictures back in November, and am now only getting around to putting them up- so enjoy.

The total size of the pictures and page is 588kB, so you modem guys should be ok.

http://www.hondaswap.com/~mike/crx/accord_shocks/

By the way, it's about using 89 Accord shocks on the front end of your 88-91 CRX to regain about an inch and a half of suspension travel. Bottoming out the front end of your CRX on the shock body really sucks.

Let me know what you think. I'll get this published to an article on the front page a little later.

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Intercrew Auto Salon - (972) 485-8688

Slo86GT

I have 89 accord Tokico HP shocks on the front of my car, and they drop the car an extra inch or so, but I think the suspension travel is the same, because you are still on the same springs, and the shock body was the same length between my stockers and these. If you use stock springs on those shocks, you might regain that inch of height, but then you lose the stiffer handling springs.... If that makes sense.

I'm actually dumping the accord shocks, and getting some Illumina's that are made for my car. I blew out the HP's in less than 400 miles of driving/abuse. Bah. I wish they made Illumina's for the 89 accord.

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- Jody -
2004 Colorado ZQ8 - I5, M5, Regular cab - 209.9whp/210.7wtq
1986 Mustang GT - V8, M5 - 213.0whp/279.2wtq

K2e2vin

calesta, font color is a little dark for me.

92b16vx

Another thing you can do to gain suspension travel is, cut the domed (where the bushings are) part of the top hat off, then weld about an inch of same diameter pipe to the part the bolts to your chassis, then weld the mount part for the shock (where the bushings are) that you cut off to the top of that. So you are basically making one of these...

Calesta

Yes, if you use the same springs as before, you lose ride height and don't gain suspension travel. I guess I wasn't clear enough in the writeup... if you use adjustable height springs and set your front end at the same height as before, you gain that inch of travel- otherwise you're just lowering your CRX a bit more.

Quote:

Originally posted by K2e2vin@May 28 2004, 12:35 AM calesta, font color is a little dark for me.

Yellow on black is too dark?!

<!--QuoteBegin-92b16vx@May 28 2004, 04:22 AM
Another thing you can do to gain suspension travel is, cut the domed (where the bushings are) part of the top hat off, then weld about an inch of same diameter pipe to the part the bolts to your chassis, then weld the mount part for the shock (where the bushings are) that you cut off to the top of that. So you are basically making one of these...[/quote]

You can't link on Imagestation anymore- throw it in the gallery. That method would work fine also- but if you could end up with clearance issues against the bottom of the hood. I think running shorter shocks is also safer than cutting and welding your top mounts too.

__________________
DO NOT PM me with tech questions! Use the forums!
Intercrew Auto Salon - (972) 485-8688

Calesta

Ok, I updated and hosted the GC picture too:

GSRCRXsi

how much are those top hats and where can i get them from? would it be practical to have the tops hats on the rear at all?

92b16vx

Ground control has them on their site. There's a couple places that will do the extension of the hat, and welds are pretty much as strong, sometimes stronger, than the metal that's welded. There's a few guys on H-T that have been running this mod in autoX for years.

GSRCRXsi

i always see these on the front shocks but can you put them on the rear shocks as well? will it be as beneficial? or is it not worth it to do the rear too, and just do the front only?

92b16vx

Pretty sure they can do the rears too, there's no reason the suspension travel in the rear should suffer.

GSRCRXsi

yea i figured it wouldnt hurt, but im just wondering why i never see anyone do it to the rears...

Calesta

The rear doesn't have the same problem bottoming out on the shock body like the front does.

GSRCRXsi

well i talked to ground control yesterday and they told me that you get about 80% of the benefit from doing the front alone. so i just went ahead and bought all four. also apparently they are 100/pair, but on their site it says 75/pair. i brought it up to confirm the price and he was like "no we have since changed the price", cause they added a bunch of stuff. being the nice guys they are, he sold it to me for the old price . great service.

Calesta

Not bad! Now just make sure to size your bump stops properly so you don't slam the chassis on the ground all the time.

K2e2vin

Yellow on black is too dark?! [/b][/quote]
its like a dark yellow...might be because im using mozilla i guess.

92b16vx

Yea, they are good people.

asmallsol

its like a dark yellow...might be because im using mozilla i guess. [/b][/quote]
yea on my Mozzilla, its a very dirty dark yellow

hcivic.com

the othee option is to lower the shock downward 1.5 inches

Calesta

its like a dark yellow...might be because im using mozilla i guess. [/b][/quote]
Interesting- I'm just using straight ffff00 for the color code. It should show up as light yellow. Time to start previewing all my pages in Mozilla too!

Calesta

If you move the whole shock down, how would it help? Your car would still sit at the same ride height unless you moved the spring perch location.

92b16vx

If you move the whole shock down, how would it help? Your car would still sit at the same ride height unless you moved the spring perch location. [/b][/quote]
Yea, some people grind off the brakeline bracket (damper fork stopper) and move it up the shock body.

Calesta

That works too- I've seen that done before.

GSRCRXsi

im still thinking about this, i STILL dont know what a bump stop looks like or how it works.

<---never pulled suspension apart

all i know is that my car is on aftermarket shocks and springs already. ground control coilovers (400 front / 250 rear) with progress struts. at least 2 of the struts are blown so im replacing them all with the illuminas. how should i size the bump stops? what size should they be set to? what if they are already cut?

Calesta

Do the math... look at your control arms to see where the mounting points are for your shocks, then figure out how much shock travel you need to just set the bottom of the car on the ground (or to bang the top of the tire on the wheel well), then cut your bump stops to the right length.

Slo86GT

im still thinking about this, i STILL dont know what a bump stop looks like or how it works.

<---never pulled suspension apart

all i know is that my car is on aftermarket shocks and springs already. ground control coilovers (400 front / 250 rear) with progress struts. at least 2 of the struts are blown so im replacing them all with the illuminas. how should i size the bump stops? what size should they be set to? what if they are already cut? [/b][/quote]
A bumpstop is a eurethane bushing on the shaft of the shock to keep the shock from bottoming out completely. It's harder than your springs, so when the car hits a big bump and the bumpstop has to stop the suspension travel, there is a bone jarring bump that stops the suspension travel. AKA bumpstop. :P

__________________
- Jody -
2004 Colorado ZQ8 - I5, M5, Regular cab - 209.9whp/210.7wtq
1986 Mustang GT - V8, M5 - 213.0whp/279.2wtq