Suspension Tune

[Fixedit]

Can't find any thread here about what people have found for performance suspension settings. What's the third-gen's sweet spot? I was thinking of going down (equally) 1.5" to 2". I say euqually because I notice some out there lower these third-gens all the way down front & back, getting rid of the very slight OEM rake, and it looks weird. The rear wheelwell arch is lower than the front arch, so it always looks like the car is looking upwards.

Anyways, I wanted to know if there's anyone out there who knows of "the perfect height" to benefit handling, whether or not the rims are aftermarket.

[cygnus x-1]

Can't find any thread here about what people have found for performance suspension settings. What's the third-gen's sweet spot? I was thinking of going down (equally) 1.5" to 2". I say euqually because I notice some out there lower these third-gens all the way down front & back, getting rid of the very slight OEM rake, and it looks weird. The rear wheelwell arch is lower than the front arch, so it always looks like the car is looking upwards.

The reason for the rake is so the car doesn't drag ass when you put people and stuff in the back. It also looks more aggressive that way too, but for whatever reason people seem to prefer the no rake or drag ass look.

Anyways, I wanted to know if there's anyone out there who knows of "the perfect height" to benefit handling, whether or not the rims are aftermarket.

As far as the perfect height, there isn't one. It totally depends on what you're trying to accomplish. The factory suspension is setup to strike a balance between ride comfort, handling stability, and mechanical safety (being able to handle various road conditions without bottoming out or breaking something). Lowering will increase stability at the expense of safety and ride comfort (good for racing). Lifting will increase mechanical safety and possibly have a smoother ride, but will sacrifice stability (good for bad roads or off roading).

And then of course if you're only concerned about "looks" you can throw all that out the window and do whatever you like.

Personally for a street car I think the perfect height is about 1" lower than stock front and back, to maintain the factory rake.

C|

[gp02a0083]

looks is one thing , functionality is another as Cygnus x-1 points out. I am also currently looking into an appropriate compromise between handling/ comfort/ safety for this spring /summer season and I believe what Cygnus said about 1" lower than stock as a good balance point. As far as the rake goes, Cygnus covered that.
I am probably one of the few if only "lifted" accords here with the B6 bilstien's, NJ roads and the snowy winter ( was able to drive through 5"-8" of snow this season) were reasons enough for this.
I'll also add in my findings observations regarding the "lifted" setup:
1) mechanical safety i believe was increased, I do not have to worry about many obstacles in the road scraping the undercarriage. Many critters like opossum's, squirrel's, and turtles have benefited from this
2) selection of rear "cargo springs" will allow more weight to be carried, i suggest driving around with no less than 1/4 tank of gas and some junk in the trunk to keep the rear stable.
3) I cannot vouch that overall raising the ride height produced a smoother ride ( my strut / spring combo may be incorrect)
4) I have experienced fewer front and rear upper ball joint failures. However the front upper control arm bushings have creaked here and there since ( may be an isolated problem only with my car)

[Fixedit]

"Personally for a street car I think the perfect height is about 1" lower than stock front and back, to maintain the factory rake."


After some more research, this is what I think as well. One inch all around is exactly what I want, but for one inch I don't know if it's worth spending the money for me right now. This all got to my head recently only because I got an '89 parts car with lowering springs&sleeves purchased on ebay. Before looking them up and seeing how crappy they were I was excited to learn about lowering my 3g, however now I'm "back to my normal self" and kinda just want to replace suspension components to OEM spec and get either some 14" steelies with 195/70's (or 65's, whichever actually exists) or some really light 15" aftermarkets (liking the classic enkei but they look heavy).

Thank you for the input, I wouldn't mind hearing some more opinions n' junk

[2ndTimeHondaOwner]

I'm running 185/65 R14 (on steelies at present time) and looking to put Ksport's on. I'm going to do a one inch drop and see how that looks but the most I'll go down is one and a half inch. I'll also be keeping the rake when I lower the car. Not a big fan of the lower in the ass look. I want to haul ass, not drag it!

[Fixedit]

Sounds good! Do post pics of it when you complete it, I'd like to see this