Anyone Here Have Or Try Z10 Radius Rods?

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NoJokE

Senior Member
I saw these Radius rods that supposedly eliminate wheel hop and improve launch. They look like they work. Anyone have any thoughts? www.z10eng.com
 
I have z10 radius arms and they are worth every penny. No wheel hop at all and better handling...
 
z10 radius rods are good for drag racing...but they have a tendency to bind under some cornering situations.
so for auto-x and road racing they're not going to be what you want.
 
Originally posted by chet@Feb 16 2003, 09:59 PM
z10 radius rods are good for drag racing...but they have a tendency to bind under some cornering situations.
so for auto-x and road racing they're not going to be what you want.

what do you mean by bind? i hear that a lot and ill admit i dont know what that means
 
binding means inhibited movement of suspension components.

first, remember HONDA engineers are the smartest people in the world...they know everything, they design great cars that handle incredibly well in stock form.

z10 engineers are smart, although a recent thread on honda-tech described one former engineer's dismay with the z10 radius rod design...and you have first have to know what the z10 bars do.

they connect from a bar that acts as a cross member in front of the engine, below the engine, and connect to the lower control arms to prevent the arms from flexing backward when launching. This flex causes wheel hop, which is what front wheel drive cars have when putting a lot of power to the wheels.

so with the radius rods, this flexing is prevented however there is another control arm that has a different angle from the FACTORY control arms. what this does, under certain conditions where the control arms are being forced upward under hard cornering, is prevents this movement upward because the z10 bars are at an angle designed to prevent lateral movement, which means compromises are made...and in this case suspension travel under CERTAIN (Not ALL) conditions is sacrificed.
 
I'm gonna have to disagree. I can take faster now then before I had them. It was a pain on installing them because you have to set the tension but besides that I love them...
 
can you please be more specific about taking what faster?

are you talking about taking corners faster, or launching harder which equates into better 60 ft times.

all i can say is take your car onto a road course and you'll experience "binding" at some point throughout the course and it won't be a good feeling.

in a straight line though...the rods work very well.
 
I used to launch at 2,500 but now I can launch at 3,500 with no wheel hop. Also better cornering around turns and just overall better driving...
 
I don't think Chet meant just driving around town and the feeling of a tighter more controlled suspension.He's talking about HARD cornering experianced in autoX,and the design of the radius rods inhibiting(sp) the natural movement due to their design.At least that's what I understand from it.
 
I understand what he's saying but z10's main goal is to prevent wheel hop. They basically designed the arms for drag racing not auto x.
 
I never had any problems with binding under extreme suspension articulation with my Z10s, but then again- I haven't been out on the road course since I put them on. The overall stability of my car through hard turns and quick transitions has actually increased- but we'll see what happens when I next get to play around at Texas World Speedway or Motorsports Ranch.
 
Calesta,would you say they are a worthwhile upgrade for everyday spirited driving or not really?
 
My own personal opinion, yes. They really made things feel a lot more tied together on the road, especially with hard launches... since that's what they were made for.
 
Nice,I may have to try them.I put a OEM tower strut brace on my VX after the swap and it made turning a lot crisper I really liked it.I really need to pay more attention to my suspension.
 
Thanks, i guess ill get em, i wont be doing any autoXing soon, and if it doesnt affect my suspensinon during normal or spirited driving then i guess ill be happy.
 
when you guys say they "bind" im still unsure as to what you mean. when this happens does something break or bend in the suspension?can the binding hurt your suspension setup as in damage, or does it just make handleing not at its maximum? someone please clarify
 
Originally posted by GSRCRXsi Posted on Feb 18 2003@ 12:56 AM
when you guys say they "bind" im still unsure as to what you mean.


Restricting the full movement of the suspension components.
 
it wont hurt the suspension right? like it wont break any of the components?
 
Originally posted by GSRCRXsi@Feb 18 2003, 01:27 AM
it wont hurt the suspension right? like it wont break any of the components?

Anything can be broken.jimfab doesn't recommend for street use,maybe because it puts undue stress on parts that don't need it.I emailed them as to why,waiting for response.
 
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