Old Honda City ...Help Increasing the ground Clearance.

prasannapatil · 27th February 2009, 16:24

Hi TBHPians,

I have a type II city and want the increase the ground clearance of it.
My silencer has been welded thrice so was wondering if 1 inch spacers and upgrade from 13 '' to 14 '' wheelbase would really help overcoming this problem. Want to know if any consequences for such upgrade .....heard ride becomes more bumpy.

Thanks & Regards,
Pras

GTO · 27th February 2009, 19:17

Hi Pras,

Are you sure that the culprit is ground clearance? The reason I ask is, the OHC's stock exhaust is known to have weak mounts. Once my car crossed 30K, it would require an annual weld / repair job at the time of service. No problems once I shifted over to an Automech exhaust though.

prasannapatil · 27th February 2009, 22:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTO

Hi Pras,

Are you sure that the culprit is ground clearance? The reason I ask is, the OHC's stock exhaust is known to have weak mounts. Once my car crossed 30K, it would require an annual weld / repair job at the time of service. No problems once I shifted over to an Automech exhaust though.

Well when we are five in the car the silencer always touches on the speed breaker( kinda feel that it touches start to end

). Day before yesterday I had a look of the car while washing at car washing centre. Saw the front drum was much lower and pretty much scratched. So decided to add some spacers to the shocks to avoid such bruising. What say sir?

Thanks & Regards,
Pras

GTO · 28th February 2009, 13:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by prasannapatil

Well when we are five in the car the silencer always touches on the speed breaker( kinda feel that it touches start to end

).

Aha, that's because of the soft rear end:

1. How many kms has your OHC run? Beyond 50,000, the stock suspension is pretty much beyond its optimal life span. See if your car needs a suspension overhaul.

2. If the stock suspension is still good, upgrading to an after-market (firmer) setup is your only other option. This will affect your ride quality, but will improve the handling.

I haven't really had a problem with speedbreakers in my OHC. And the really nasty type, I attack diagonally (one wheel at a time).

Shan2nu · 28th February 2009, 13:55

Had the same prob until i got the shocks stiffened. U can get it done for around 4-5k.

Im pretty happy with the street spec setup which is neither too stiff nor too soft.

Shan2nu

sameel · 28th February 2009, 14:02

GTO sir thats the only way to do it. the diagonal approach

the firmer suspension set up will only make the ride suffer. but yes if you are hell bent on attacking corners in the ball park of 100kmph all the time then its a nice idea

and yes a tyre upgrade say from the normal 175/80 R13( not sure if its the right size for OHC. pardon me if its wrong!) to 185/80 R13 these tyres will increase the GC ( very slightly ) this might help!!
the best way is to approach the speed breakers slowly . thats why they are kept for in the first place!! lol.

pbp0us · 28th February 2009, 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Had the same prob until i got the shocks stiffened. U can get it done for around 4-5k.

Im pretty happy with the street spec setup which is neither too stiff nor too soft.

Shan2nu

Hi , can anyone tell me where to get the shocks stiffened up in mumbai ? How long do these stiffened suspensions last before they become soft again ?

Thanks !

kailashnj · 28th February 2009, 16:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Had the same prob until i got the shocks stiffened. U can get it done for around 4-5k.

Im pretty happy with the street spec setup which is neither too stiff nor too soft.

Shan2nu

Hi Shan2nu,

How did you get gt the shock stiffened. I am interested in doing the same for my Baleno. Kindly provide more details of the same.

Regards,
kailash

prasannapatil · 28th February 2009, 16:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by Shan2nu

Had the same prob until i got the shocks stiffened. U can get it done for around 4-5k.

Im pretty happy with the street spec setup which is neither too stiff nor too soft.

Shan2nu

Hey GTO
My OHC has done 62000 kms till date. My tyres are Good year 175/70 R13.
I feel the suspension are quite good ( One of the mechanic told me pressing the front of the several time should stiffened the the shocks ..He himself did that and said no need to change the shocks..well thats what his opinion was..). He also talked about rubber / metal spacers can be placed on the lower end on the shocks to increase the height of the car.

Hey Shan2nu where can i stiffen the shocks in mumbai? So that I can forget about adding any spacers.

Thanks ,
Pras

Shan2nu · 28th February 2009, 16:43

Quote:

Hi , can anyone tell me where to get the shocks stiffened up in mumbai ? How long do these stiffened suspensions last before they become soft again ?

You can contact viper or rocam, they might help you out.

I've been running my car with stiffened shocks for a year now and haven't seen any drop in stiffness.

Quote:

How did you get gt the shock stiffened. I am interested in doing the same for my Baleno. Kindly provide more details of the same.

From what iv heard, they replace the stock fluid with one that has a higher viscosity rating.

Shan2nu

WAGON_R · 28th February 2009, 16:54

Whats the exact process of stiffening? i believe the springs are stiffened in case of the cars.
once i mean shock absorbers overhaul guy. he said he can stiffen them by changing the oil in the struts. he mixes 2 types of oil.one is for softness and one is hard. he said if the hard quantity of oil is mixed more the suspensions are stiffened.
he was doing the same for one bike there.

sushrutha · 2nd March 2009, 11:08

Some options for increasing the ground clearence are
1. Add spacers ( Handling will get effected)
2. Increase the tyre profile size from 175-70-R13 to 185-70-R13
3. Upgrade from 13" tyres to 14" tyres & Rims, but this will effect your Speedo & odo reading

lohithrao · 2nd March 2009, 11:50

I had got my OHC's shock stiffened to and had done about 24k kms on it before i sold it. i was very happy with it and no issues at all.

Just make sure that you get it done from the right guy.

I would recommend Fazal(FRK) in Bangalore for that.

di1in · 11th April 2009, 22:13

I upsized mine from the 13incher to a 15incher adn it's solved all my clearance problems - besides making it look good. I'd recommend an upsize from the 13" always - it makes the car look quirky.

ankitahuja · 12th April 2009, 01:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by di1in

I upsized mine from the 13incher to a 15incher adn it's solved all my clearance problems - besides making it look good. I'd recommend an upsize from the 13" always - it makes the car look quirky.

Agreed, also because the 15"ers make the ride stiffer due to a lower profile. But do you also know how badly the suspension takes a beating!?

Stiffened shocks is a good way to improve the handling on the OHC. Does ANYONE have any idea who can do this effectively in NCR?

(Abhik, are you following?)

27th February 2009, 16:24	#1
prasannapatil Newbie Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Mumbai Posts: 11 Thanked: 0 Times	Old Honda City ...Help Increasing the ground Clearance. Hi TBHPians, I have a type II city and want the increase the ground clearance of it. My silencer has been welded thrice so was wondering if 1 inch spacers and upgrade from 13 '' to 14 '' wheelbase would really help overcoming this problem. Want to know if any consequences for such upgrade .....heard ride becomes more bumpy. Thanks & Regards, Pras
	() Thanks

27th February 2009, 19:17	#2
GTO Team-BHP Support Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 71,944 Thanked: 322,298 Times View My Garage	Hi Pras, Are you sure that the culprit is ground clearance? The reason I ask is, the OHC's stock exhaust is known to have weak mounts. Once my car crossed 30K, it would require an annual weld / repair job at the time of service. No problems once I shifted over to an Automech exhaust though.
	() Thanks

28th February 2009, 13:55	#5
Shan2nu Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Hubli - Karnata Posts: 5,533 Thanked: 127 Times View My Garage	Had the same prob until i got the shocks stiffened. U can get it done for around 4-5k. Im pretty happy with the street spec setup which is neither too stiff nor too soft. Shan2nu
	() Thanks

28th February 2009, 14:02	#6
sameel BHPian Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: cochin Posts: 268 Thanked: 3 Times	GTO sir thats the only way to do it. the diagonal approach the firmer suspension set up will only make the ride suffer. but yes if you are hell bent on attacking corners in the ball park of 100kmph all the time then its a nice idea and yes a tyre upgrade say from the normal 175/80 R13( not sure if its the right size for OHC. pardon me if its wrong!) to 185/80 R13 these tyres will increase the GC ( very slightly ) this might help!! the best way is to approach the speed breakers slowly . thats why they are kept for in the first place!! lol.
	() Thanks

28th February 2009, 16:54	#11
WAGON_R BHPian Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: MUMBAI Posts: 60 Thanked: 0 Times	Whats the exact process of stiffening? i believe the springs are stiffened in case of the cars. once i mean shock absorbers overhaul guy. he said he can stiffen them by changing the oil in the struts. he mixes 2 types of oil.one is for softness and one is hard. he said if the hard quantity of oil is mixed more the suspensions are stiffened. he was doing the same for one bike there.
	() Thanks

2nd March 2009, 11:08	#12
sushrutha Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Chikmagalur/Ban Posts: 1,701 Thanked: 334 Times View My Garage	Some options for increasing the ground clearence are 1. Add spacers ( Handling will get effected) 2. Increase the tyre profile size from 175-70-R13 to 185-70-R13 3. Upgrade from 13" tyres to 14" tyres & Rims, but this will effect your Speedo & odo reading
	() Thanks

2nd March 2009, 11:50	#13
lohithrao Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kudla/Mangaluru Posts: 3,203 Thanked: 226 Times View My Garage	I had got my OHC's shock stiffened to and had done about 24k kms on it before i sold it. i was very happy with it and no issues at all. Just make sure that you get it done from the right guy. I would recommend Fazal(FRK) in Bangalore for that.
	() Thanks

11th April 2009, 22:13	#14
di1in BHPian Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Thrissur Posts: 511 Thanked: 293 Times View My Garage	I upsized mine from the 13incher to a 15incher adn it's solved all my clearance problems - besides making it look good. I'd recommend an upsize from the 13" always - it makes the car look quirky.
	() Thanks