[hiren.mistry]

Can you please put up the picture of the spacers you intend to install? And if its not too much can you also put up before and after pics of the car in profile?

Thanks

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by patron

I know this has been discussed in other threads but I have a question on Suspension spacers.

He was also saying that earlier he had Aluminum spacers which made the ride rougher but he is happy with the nylon ones. There is no perceptible change in the performance now.

So the question is will adding nylon spacers do any harm to the car? I don't mind sacrificing the ride comfort a bit to avoid the scraping.
Thanks in advance.

I had installed Aluminium spacers in my ZEN, but sometimes I could hear a slight thud whenever I used to go over a pothole. Henceforth I would avoid aluminium spacers

I don't have much idea about Nylon spacers.
Aluminium spacers would cost you around 800 - 1000rs, it depends on the quality too,

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Wouldn't that increase the ride height of the car? I've been told about this by my mechanic as well but I am not sure whether I want to go in for it.

Regards

Yes spacers do increase the height of the car, but along side handling to a slight exent would be scarificed.

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Can you please put up the picture of the

This is how the aluminium spacers look, which I had installed in my ZEN

[patron]

@ sushrutha: Thanks for the pics and feedback. That is exactly what I was told too about the Aluminum spacers. So not interested in them.

@ hiren.mistry: I will try to post the pics of my friends City with the spacers added.

Now the question where can I source the nylon spacers for my Civic.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I had installed Aluminium spacers in my ZEN, but sometimes I could hear a slight thud whenever I used to go over a pothole. Henceforth I would avoid aluminium spacers

I don't have much idea about Nylon spacers.
Aluminium spacers would cost you around 800 - 1000rs, it depends on the quality too,

Yes spacers do increase the height of the car, but along side handling to a slight exent would be scarificed.

This is how the aluminium spacers look, which I had installed in my ZEN

Thanks for this Sushrutha! Much appreciated.
As of now when the car bottoms out, a loud thud would be audible. So with that regards I feel nylon spacers would help in masking the sound.

Besides increasing the ride height the spacers don't really do anything else, right?

[patron]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Besides increasing the ride height the spacers don't really do anything else, right?

Yes, just increases the ride height marginally.

[civic-sense]

Adding spacers and increasing the ride height would ruin the handling of the car. What is wrong with the car is that there is too much suspension travel. When you go over bumps, the suspension travels too much. That is why you are able to avoid scraping when you are dead slow while going over the bumps. Also when the car is loaded, the rear goes down quite a bit. Can somebody tell me what has to be changed to get rid of this? In the face-lifted Civics, apparently, this has been fixed to a large extend. I don't think they have completely re-designed the suspension. They have most probably used a firmer spring. Can somebody tell me what part of the suspension has changed? Maybe we can coax the service guys to sell us the new parts. Or import from Middle East or Thailand. Better than adding spacers and ruining a well handling car. Right?

[dot]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

Better than adding spacers and ruining a well handling car. Right?

I will agree to this. Great handling is a key component of Civic ownership. We would not want to take chances on that. If you are calling up Honda to check if face-lifted Civic's springs can fit on the pre-facelifted model, do let us know.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by civic-sense

What is wrong with the car is that there is too much suspension travel. When you go over bumps, the suspension travels too much. That is why you are able to avoid scraping when you are dead slow while going over the bumps. Also when the car is loaded, the rear goes down quite a bit. Can somebody tell me what has to be changed to get rid of this? In the face-lifted Civics, apparently, this has been fixed to a large extend. I don't think they have completely re-designed the suspension. They have most probably used a firmer spring. Can somebody tell me what part of the suspension has changed? Maybe we can coax the service guys to sell us the new parts. Or import from Middle East or Thailand.

Totally agree. I am pretty sure that changing over to some stiffer springs would help overcome this problem.

Not sure what Honda has changed in the face lifted Civic but I'm told that the new suspension would not fit our old Civic's.

I guess I better go visit that suspension specialist I had mentioned sometime last week. He told me that he can procure some stiffer springs and install them to the car. The overall cost would be around 10K all inclusive of labour.

But I did some hunting and called a few shops to enquire about the stiffer springs and came up with a blank.

[patron]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

The overall cost would be around 10K all inclusive of labour.

Aah!! Finally some replies I am not for raising the height of the ride and spoiling the handling or any other aspect of the Civic but for 10K if stiffer suspension should solve the problem, it would be a good deal.
However, my problem is not the softer suspension. It is that the basement ramp where I park the car at work was designed by an idiot. Will stiffer suspension solve my problem? If it does, maybe we should form a common interest group and go order as a group to get a good price maybe from Thailand or Malaysia?

This is the mail I got from Red Rooster:

The cost of the Civic damper is Rs. 91000 (MRP)
It will take 3 hours to fix the suspension on to your Civic.

Adding spacers and increasing the ride height would ruin the handling of the car

Can anybody who has added spacers confirm if the handling is indeed compromised to a great extent? I have not seen great many reports of people adding spacers and complaining. I am sure there will be a difference but is it worse than a scraped bottom?

[vasoo]

Originally Posted by dot

I will agree to this. Great handling is a key component of Civic ownership. We would not want to take chances on that. If you are calling up Honda to check if face-lifted Civic's springs can fit on the pre-facelifted model, do let us know.

I would not really claim Civic to be a great handler with those softy stock springs. It wallows big time on sharp curves and understeers tremendously. My parents used to complain about sliding from left to right and back on the back seat when taking sharp turns at relatively high speeds. The leather seats are only making it worse due to lack of grip.

The issue with Civic is not the GC, which at 170mm is pretty decent. As mentioned by others here, it is the suspension travel or softness of the springs that is the issue. Increasing ride height will only make the already pliant suspension worse. I believe the right solution will be to have stiffer springs and more sporty shocks. I found some reference to Koni FSDs and Bilstein B12s somewhere in this forum. It may be worth considering them coupled with some stiff springs (try if you can get hold of the Si springs).

[sushrutha]

Originally Posted by patron

Can anybody who has added spacers confirm if the handling is indeed compromised to a great extent?

I'm sure adding spacers will effect the handling of the car, particularly during cornering, one will experience much of oversteering due to this.
But as you have mentioned to a GREAT EXTENT, definetely not a worst/Great extent, marginally handling will be compromised.
Hope my point is clear

[patron]

Originally Posted by sushrutha

I'm sure adding spacers will effect the handling of the car, particularly during cornering, one will experience much of oversteering due to this.
But as you have mentioned to a GREAT EXTENT, definetely not a worst/Great extent, marginally handling will be compromised.
Hope my point is clear

That answers my question thanks. I will explore both options: Suspension and Spacers.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by hiren.mistry

Not sure what Honda has changed in the face lifted Civic but I'm told that the new suspension would not fit our old Civic's.

They have modified the rear mounting points. So naturally an older Civic will not have these.

[hiren.mistry]

Originally Posted by patron

maybe we should form a common interest group and go order as a group to get a good price maybe from Thailand or Malaysia?

Thats a good option, I've read up about the GAB suspension and found it be reasonable as well.

Originally Posted by vasoo

I would not really claim Civic to be a great handler with those softy stock springs. It wallows big time on sharp curves and understeers tremendously.
The issue with Civic is not the GC, which at 170mm is pretty decent. As mentioned by others here, it is the suspension travel or softness of the springs that is the issue. Increasing ride height will only make the already pliant suspension worse. I believe the right solution will be to have stiffer springs and more sporty shocks. I found some reference to Koni FSDs and Bilstein B12s somewhere in this forum. It may be worth considering them coupled with some stiff springs (try if you can get hold of the Si springs).

My sentiments exactly, I've often wondered if the claims of the Civic being a good handler are highly exaggerated. It wallows with load and mid corner bumps unsettles the car a great deal.

Originally Posted by sgiitk

They have modified the rear mounting points. So naturally an older Civic will not have these.

Aha! Yes, I remember you mentioning this to me sometime earlier. Thanks prof. Do you know if they have changed the springs or suspension or both?

Cheers

[spadix]

Originally Posted by vasoo

I would not really claim Civic to be a great handler with those softy stock springs. It wallows big time on sharp curves and understeers tremendously. My parents used to complain about sliding from left to right and back on the back seat when taking sharp turns at relatively high speeds. The leather seats are only making it worse due to lack of grip.

+1

I'm no racer nor auto engineer but I can spot body roll, tram-lining and not holding on to its line when I see a car exhibiting any of these.

Body roll
The Civic does particularly badly around sharp corners. Just like vasoo said passengers on the rear seat actually exclaim when that happens, although they haven't complained (in fact, some of them like sliding around on the low grip leather ).

Tram-lining/not holding on to line
Tram-lining isn't severe and if I was writing this post yesterday I wouldn't even have brought this up but yesterday I experienced marked tram-lining at a very slow speed (around 20-30 kmph) for a few feet on a ridge in the road.

But I've seen many instances where the car - especially the rear end - loses its line and skips out when the tyres encounter suddenly rough patches at moderate speeds. I've seen this both when the car is moving straight as well as during turns, and I can reproduce this behaviour as well.

Stiffer springs would go a really long way in fixing most of these issues in addition to bump-stopping and scraping.

Like Prof noted in an earlier post the claimed 170mm GC is more smoke and mirrors.

Regards,
spadix