You're My Boy, Blue

[ScottyB]

still in the "getting to know you" phase and taking my time pushing the car here and there to figure out its traits.  

the suspension tuning is a riot.  every deserted on-ramp and industrial park:


it WANTS to hang the ass out.  on power, in a sustained sweeper, the diff will pull the car neutral.  drop-throttle at the limit, be ready.  the only time you really get understeer is trying to accelerate hard with the suspension unloaded, in which case its just wise to keep your late apex game strong.  its very entertaining.  i hear lots of people talk about adding huge rear bars and i just don't get it outside of specifically trying to over-rotate the car for parking lot racing. 

unfortunately, despite tons of caster in the front, the stock alignment has almost no camber and its taking its toll.  i'm already starting to shred the shoulders just from street driving.  this is at 35psi cold.  its over the shoulder and trying to get up on the sidewall.


i'm sitting on a single pair of SPC crash bolts for the front struts that will net me about -.5 degrees, which is pathetic but its the most i can hope for and still keep "stock" class eligibility for rallycross, since any available pair of OEM bolts would provide the same.  i could "double up" with crash bolts top and bottom for possible a full -1 degree, but i'm afraid they'll slip under rallyx use.  

i also found out that a 20mm 9th gen Si rear bar will fit perfectly and is nice and cheap.  stock is 17, and aftermarket bars are 22 and 24mm.  so, if i really need the oversteer and want to screw stock class and go to Prepared, then that's probably the option i'll take so i don't ruin the balance too bad combined with trying to get a little more front camber.

also, in the latest edition of "Old Car Problems" i've got a replacement idler pulley coming from Amazon for 30 bucks. the current one is starting to sound like a skateboard wheel, helped in no part by a fair amount of time at high RPM lately. hoping its just that pulley and not the tensioner pulley too, but at least they're both at the top of the engine and relatively accessible.

[Steve85]

I don't think I've chimed in here... I love this! Great color. I had a 94 Si hatch in the late 90s and the thing was so much fun. Miss the hell out of it. This is a little bigger and heavier but also comes with more power, refinement, and another decade of suspension knowledge, gotta be good!

[ScottyB]

I don't think I've chimed in here... I love this! Great color. I had a 94 Si hatch in the late 90s and the thing was so much fun. Miss the hell out of it.

thanks!  the year you had was a classic...i wonder if any clean ones even still exist.  one of the first cars i was enamored with as a kid was a 93 hatch, back when that gen civic was new and amazing.  friend's dad worked for a dealership and brought it home as a loaner. it was just a standard CX or some trim level like that, but in that funky teal color....and i've loved that body style ever since.

This is a little bigger and heavier but also comes with more power, refinement, and another decade of suspension knowledge, gotta be good!

i would recommend it as the best Accord that honda ever made

little too big to feel like a true civic but just right in so many ways. i won't nerd out and bore you all but yeah, they made some huge changes to the suspension geometry over earlier civic chassis and while it can't replace those sweet double A-arms from years ago, its done right for a strut setup.

[ScottyB]

knocked out the idler pulley replacement yesterday morning.  the stock one was definitely tuckered out and explains all the high pitched rattling noises.  new OEM piece 31190-RRA-A00 from Amazon for $30, that'll do.  i left the belt alone, it looks perfectly fine.

[ScottyB]

just as a general observation, and this possibly belongs in the Grind My Gears thread, but i'm pretty sure 80% of the general 8th gen Si community on the internet has Downs.  forums are dead so all that's left is Facebook groups with its borderline unintelligible texted conversation that revolves around "show me ur slammed rides fam", horrible exhaust clips, ebay parts, and who can find the cheapest coilovers.  i didn't think it was this bad.

there's a tiny subgroup of track enthusiasts in a separate, sane group and i'll be living in that niche for a long while i think.

i guess this is what happens when old, performance-model hondas get cheap.  its made me extra happy i found an unmolested one, after seeing what most people do to these poor things. damn kids just won't get off mah lawn.

[JPolen01]

I'm going to ask you this because I know you nerd out about oil. Have you done any research on transmission fluid? I am coming up on 70k miles and need an oil change so I will probably throw in a transmission fluid change as well. I put royal purple in soon after I got the car, but that it was mad expensive so I am looking for other options. Maybe OEM is the trick?

[ScottyB]

I'm going to ask you this because I know you nerd out about oil. Have you done any research on transmission fluid? I am coming up on 70k miles and need an oil change so I will probably throw in a transmission fluid change as well. I put royal purple in soon after I got the car, but that it was mad expensive so I am looking for other options. Maybe OEM is the trick?

everything i've heard from reliable sources seems to indicate you either stick with OEM and change it every year or so, or you move up to Amsoil and run it a bit longer. the transmissions seem to work better with frequent (compared to other cars) changes.

my trans had a slight 3rd gear grind when i bought it, and an OEM fluid change + adjusting the throw on the clutch pedal cleared it up beautifully.  the tranny fluid is literally easier to change than the engine oil, so i'm content to just toss in new tranny fluid annually.  its not that expensive for 2 quarts off amazon.

[JPolen01]

Good deal. I have always had a pretty crappy transition from 1-2 especially in the cold. Just chaulked this up to being a Honda trans. My 5-6 is getting a little clunkier again. It did this when new but after the first fluid change went away. Sounds like it is time for another. I'll have it done with my oil change as it is a nice 28 degrees here today and I am not even entertaining the idea of doing that myself in this weather.

[ScottyB]

felt the need to display my filthy elitist status

[JPolen01]

Ohhh I like that

[ScottyB]

Ohhh I like that

had a "Save The Manuals" sticker on the old 2.5RS so i had to keep the tradition going

this one's from thecurbshop.com

[ScottyB]

i literally can't see myself ever swapping the suspension out as long as it remains my daily.  even at 87k miles the suspension is quiet and slop free

ha i'm so full of crap.

looks like Friday i pick up an almost-new strut/spring combo in Atlanta.  after driving long enough now i can tell that when really pushed the struts are tired.  no surprise at almost 90k miles.  if i hadn't found this deal i wouldn't have bothered, but i'm an opportunist when it comes to parts and i was starting to feel like i'd need to refresh the suspension next year anyway.  

koni "orange" STR.T's with Tein H-techs (super pimpy gold, not the green shown below).  i'm not typically a fan of Tein but these springs are just about perfect.  3/4" drop so i can still take it on the dirt, and the rates are a linear 218/252 vs. the stock 200/230.  the konis are valved great for these and come highly recommended, so it should ride as well as, or potentially better than stock and add some nice balance when pushed.


we'll see how it goes!

[Goodspeed]

Nice, I had the same Konis with Eibachs on the old IS, the refresh felt great and over time they felt perfect on the street, with no ill effects whatsoever.

[ViPER1313]

Make sure the springs are not counterfeit if you are buying used. There are tons of counterfeit Tein springs on the market; seller might not even realize it.

[ScottyB]

Nice, I had the same Konis with Eibachs on the old IS, the refresh felt great and over time they felt perfect on the street, with no ill effects whatsoever.

cool.  i've heard nothing but good about the koni oranges.

Make sure the springs are not counterfeit if you are buying used. There are tons of counterfeit Tein springs on the market; seller might not even realize it.

thank, i'll see if there's some clear identifiers on the spring or if the seller has a receipt. i had no idea.

[ViPER1313]

http://www.tein.com/counterfeit/index.html

[ScottyB]

thanks. 99% sure these are legit, seller has original receipt and I'll be sure to look at the logo and p/n on the coil.

[ScottyB]

so now that my struts/springs will immediately bump me out of stock class competition, i decided to say F it and got another set of front camber "crash" bolts. that will take me from about -1.2 max front camber with one set of bolts, to about -2.3, which should be just right for a daily with occasional twisty road romps. earlier on i was told the camber gain would be less, but looks like i got some bad info.

i've got a pretty heinous cold rattle in the axleback muffler from a loose exhaust tip, and the bolt is basically corroded solid so i can't tighten it down further to fix it. attempting to find another OEM axleback, or just deal with it since it goes away when it warms up. fair warning, my willpower sucks so if i bring back an "upgraded" part, my excuse to the wife will have to be epic.

only other complaint, i've found the gearbox really, really does not enjoy being cold. the synchros just like to take their sweet time and the rev hang is awful. that said, once it gets nice and hot its a total joy. very similar to my old 5-speed accord, that car shifted like a dump truck when it was really cold. again, something i'll just forget about when spring and summer roll around but its quite a difference.

[Senor_Taylor]

You've already done trans fluid?

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

[JPolen01]

only other complaint, i've found the gearbox really, really does not enjoy being cold.  the synchros just like to take their sweet time and the rev hang is awful.  that said, once it gets nice and hot its a total joy.  very similar to my old 5-speed accord, that car shifted like a dump truck when it was really cold.  again, something i'll just forget about when spring and summer roll around but its quite a difference.

Mine is the exact same way. My wife keeps asking why I have to warm up my car on cold days, but she doesn't drive stick so I can't really explain it. It's like shifting through pudding when it's cold.