'91 Civic Hatch Test drive, need advice

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HX wheels are from 96-2000 they look like this.
 

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lol my boy painted his white and did the H in the centercap red...soo many people were like type-r?!?!?hmm obviously dumbass people dont know type-r is 5 lug..but back to the op..def. dont get suspension from salvage yard..they are trash..do it right the first time to save aggrivation:D and read my sig..that will help a little
 
hey guys, wow this thread is going to help me also. The only thing different is that I am puttin an H series in. So coilovers or shocks and springs for street driving?
Its lowered now right down to the nuts with stock shocks and cheap lowering springs(on it when i bought it). Corners amazing but ride is rough.

Dont worry I have no right mirror either, must be the made in Canada thing haha.
 
I like the HX wheels prob look great blk w/ blk center caps, but that sort of gets away from the stealth plan. Going to be hard not to add some sharp looking bits, but if she tracks well and rides okay, I'm good. I will try and research the suspension a little, then ask a ? or two.

My budget ,hmm, just now starting to search the web, say for strut bars, coil overs or springs (both) shocks

What a good $$ amount to plan for... ?

Monday is full 60 k service, all fluids change, belts etc.plug wires, i am still amazed it only has 52k on the OD

What do you think the candians are doing with all those extra mirrors ?lol

roc
 
lol, the mirror thing is just different models of the hatchs.
the dx usually didnt have them. kinda like the package deals in cars.
it was probably an option when they were new.
si's all have them.

as far as budget, remember: you get what you paid for.
dont get any kind of strut bar off ebay unless its actuall name brand.
those cheap little $12 bars are worth their weight in shit.
if its flimsy and bends in your hands. then guess what it will do when you take a sharp turn
i have passwordjdm bars on mine, and they are hard as a rock.
 
KRockS said:
I like the HX wheels prob look great blk w/ blk center caps, but that sort of gets away from the stealth plan. Going to be hard not to add some sharp looking bits, but if she tracks well and rides okay, I'm good. I will try and research the suspension a little, then ask a ? or two.

My budget ,hmm, just now starting to search the web, say for strut bars, coil overs or springs (both) shocks

What a good $$ amount to plan for... ?

Monday is full 60 k service, all fluids change, belts etc.plug wires, i am still amazed it only has 52k on the OD

What do you think the candians are doing with all those extra mirrors ?lol

roc
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use the HX rims with hubcaps from steelie rims (14" see pic), that way people think your rolling cheap steelies.

for suspension I've heard good things about AGX shocks, I've had both tokico blues and illuminas and loved them, most folks on here say the AGX's are better though. tokico blues are $250 on e-bay

try to stay away from sleeve coilovers, it looks badass to be slammed all the way down, but will ride choppy and mess up your tires really quick from camber wear.

also if its in your budget get the prothane kit from energy suspension and an alignment thet will tighten up even stock suspension and make it feel like a brand new car or better.
 

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I have been trying to source out those HX rims,may not be easy. no luck so far. but it would work very well for me. going rate qoute was 75 $ per.is this a fair price ? Absolutely going to need bushings, one is missing now @ Rt rear. Time to start looking at
susp componets also...

thanks for the suggestions, still trying to find my budget, lol
 
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yeah, I'm getting the idea it will take a little more time/ effort. This is to be my daily driver.I commute in a sea of SUV road hogs, so a good offense is the key to survival 'round here. Looking forward to the Chiltons manual, it should help me order the bushings for the stock locations, eh,motor mounts, rear trailing arms. Wil the new strut bars have good bushings, or am I still lost ?
 
thanks, good looking stuff, not to tough $$ wise, may take a whlie to install, so I probably do it in steps. Far more things I can do than I thought lol, unreal.. I have been watching cl last few days, lot of things there,

Roc
 
have you received any books yet? am curious which ones you picked out... also check out 'performance tuner' magazine for more performance tuning education. you can learn a lot about the cars you see on the road. :)

i personally am financially cautious and am going to be in the same location as my car for a while. i am looking at doing some very small budget mods and can let you know what i end up doing. :)

in the UK they have what are called 'b' roads. to me this sounds like country or non-freeway roads. i would suggest spending a sunday with you and maybe a friend and take the car on some of these roads that lead really to nowhere and show you some things along the way. just take it easy through pedestrian country and respect the speed authority. :) i am excited for you...
 
i was wondering years ago when i was changing oil for money. would the SWAY BAR from the same year prelude or accord (88-91) be bigger and fit on these smaller hatches? i know the chassis code is possibly different but maybe it has the same front clip? this would be an ultimate low budget suspension upgrade. i know at least the si hatch of your year is probably bigger. any others know more?

also... have you purchased new tires? there are great 14" tires out there for cheap. for better tire response look for bigger tread blocks. the more 'channeling groves' the tire has, the more it will lean like a sitty table with a fat man. think chunky blocks. :) bridgestone was one of my favorites back in the day and you can get them fairly cheap. especially in 14"

:)
 
Moving ahead, one bush(ing) at a time

Good New year to you, CKW,
I picked up the original Honda & Acura performance handbook (mike ancas) from another source, and also the Chiltons .

So far the progress has been needed maint, all belts/ fluids front to back, Plugs/ wires, & filters, all OEM , rear trailing arm bushings by Energy suspensions. I had to replace those as the stockers were toast. Holidays sloowed things up, but now I plan on driving it for 800/1000 miles to make sure it wont do anything odd . Like your post says, local B roads

I am looking for 14 inch rims, been alot of activity on the local Craigslist, but cant find any stock rims from an HX. I am going to install a set from an '03 civic , I think there steelies, but leaving now to go look. 50 usd, with 30% rubber left, this is a set of 4, so that will work for now
Some one got new rims from Santa and just wants to make space, all she knows is its a Honda civic, LOL, and she loves her "new " rims

Next move, if nothing serious shows up will be the Energy suspensions full bushing kit

Roc
 
yeah we want pics... inside and out.

here are some tips when looking for wheels and tires from other hondas....

your bolt pattern is 4X100 as is any honda ! - 4 - ! pattern i have seen. also, offset should never be a problem with another honda wheel. the wheel and tire SIZE is what you need to get correct.


these are my opinions on tire sizes, only mine.

stock size for the ef is 185/60r14 (at least on the si). you could put 195/55r14's and be at nearly the same tire height, more expensive. for a 15" wheel go 195/50r15. some might suggest 205/45r15 but this size is more expensive. any larger wheel and it becomes more difficult, but as ancus points out, one step up from stock is a great start. make sure if you end up with 15" honda steelies that the tire size is correct (195/50r15). if not, it will look funny and usually underperform. :) are you much of a book reader?


one last thing... if you do find a 15" set up that fits your desires and budget, beware that it will become more obvious that your car sits too high... for budget you can do only springs and be very happy. for 5 years i drove on eibach (their basic) and was more than happy to twist. watch ebay for some of the better brands like eibach, neuspeed, etc... i can help later when these things come up.

i am stock completely and plan on staying with 185/60r14's until the budget opens...

good to hear from you too and happy new year!!
 
Pics coming, Gf set me up with a nice digi cam last week, prob is, there calling for real nasty weather, 4 days worth, winds to 75 mph in the hills, rain here and 8 feet of snow in the mountains. I dont believe it, not even for a minute,but even if there only 1/2 right, lol, may not get a chance for anything outside.

My '91 Hatch DX came with 13" rims, and the rubber on these is cracked from age and lack of use.I went ahead and p/u the set of 14" steelies with hubcaps from the 2003 Civic. Tire size on them is 185/70r14, to tall, but if they work for a couple of weeks, I could probably swing the $$ for the 195/55r14, think thats a good choice ? I want to put some miles on as I have only driven 150 or so since I got it. Sure runs good now, I still want to keep a stealthy look, my last ride was stolen 2x in 2007, %$#er's, and they say its "a nice area" . of course , cant steal from a bad area lol..

Internet has taken away from book reading, but I need to get into Anacas book for a bit, only going to help,plus it looks like a ton of good stuff inside. From there

Got alot good info here, how tough is it to post images, to a gallery ? or direct to this thread ?
??
 
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ok sweet... i think you should save money and put 185/60r14's on if you are going to buy tires... i discovered last night how to post pictures. in the advanced post reply function there is the typical paper clip like in ms word that manages your attachments. this is the only way i was successful in posting a picture. also keep in mind that taller tires will make your speedo register differently... bigger tires should mean that your actual speed is more than what your speedo shows. :) probably slight but when you hover at 10+ the speed limit it can bite you... "but i was doing 62..."

thumbs up man :)
 
charleskwinter said:
your bolt pattern is 4X100 as is any honda ! - 4 - ! pattern i have seen. also, offset should never be a problem with another honda wheel. the wheel and tire SIZE is what you need to get correct.
Click to expand...

Only civics, crx, del sol and fit are 4x100. Accords are 4x114.
 
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