Project Civic – Suspension Upgrade and More

(This write-up was originally written and published in 2006)

After a long weekend at Putnam Park Raceway in Indiana, I realized that my hatch needed a far more aggressive suspension. As great as it was on the street, it was severely lacking on the track. For the 2006 season, I planned for a massive suspension overhaul. While I was selecting parts for the suspension upgrade, I also included extra bracing and tackled a few maintenance items.

For starters, I was never happy with my Ingalls camber kit and knew I needed something better. Omni-Power makes a kit that allows for adjustment at the ball joints rather than the inner mount. My alignment guy was much happier with the Omni-Power components. I also installed the adjustable upper link in the rear. (Update, Omni-Power is no longer in business. Skunk 2 along with other manufacturers, now make the same part.)

Having addressed camber adjustment, I needed to resolve the issue of the Eibach Pro-kit springs not holding up to track use. I turned to Ground Control for their coilover conversion. The Ground Control kit allows for nearly any aftermarket shock/strut to be used with minimal to no modification. I also elected to buy the optional spring hats which moves the shock shaft mounting point higher. The new hat helps maintain proper shock travel on lowered car.

I wrapped up the suspension upgrade with a new set of wheels and tires. Details below.

Later in the year, I installed a Walbro Fuel Pump, B&M adjustable fuel pressure regulator and an MSD external coil.

I thought the ground control setup made a nice mantle piece decoration, but my wife didn't think so...that and the fact that I really wanted to use them...moving along! — I thought the ground control setup made a nice mantle piece decoration, but my wife didn’t think so…that and the fact that I really wanted to use them…moving along!

The complete list:

Omni Power front and rear camber kits
New hood release
New inner bushing mount for the front upper arm
ASR rear sub-frame brace
Fast Idle Control Valve
Ground Control Coil-over setup with 400 lb/in front springs and 450 lb/in rear springs
16″ Rota Slip Streams & 205 40 R16 Falken Azenis RT615
Password JDM front 3 point tie bar
Password JDM rear 2 point tie bar
Schroth Ralley 3 Harnesses
JDM front fenders and side markers

This picture represents everything that went into the hatch during this upgrade. — This picture represents nearly everything that went into the hatch during this upgrade.

I had ruined the front fenders the year before so I ordered a pair of new fenders from Password JDM with JDM side markers. Why not?

Front Omni Power camber kit — Front Omni Power Upper Control arm with adjustable camber at the ball joint. A significant improvement over the Ingalls camber kit.

Along with the springs and camber kit, I installed an ASR rear lower arm brace/sway-bar mount. This area of the uni-body is very flimsy and needs the extra support.

I also upgraded my springs to Ground Control’s coil-over springs. I utilized 400 lb/in springs in the front and 450 lb/in springs in the rear. I used all front length springs in case I wanted to swap the springs from front to back.

Password JDM 3 point front strut tower brace.

Password JDM 2 point rear brace. The impact of this bar is questionable, but it was fairly inexpensive.

No project is complete without a few seriously lowered pictures for the fun of it!

Finally, all of the new parts are installed and the ride height has been set.

The handling of my hatch was truly amazing! Between the LSD and the tighter suspension, I was able to drastically improve my lap times! Body roll was minimal compared to the milder suspension that I had replaced. A two day driving event at Gingerman Raceway was the perfect proving ground for all of the new equipment and it did not disappoint!

I attended a HPDE event at Gingerman Raceway hosted by the Audi Club.

Beyond the suspension upgrade, I added Schroth Rallye 3 harnesses. Read more about them here.

Racing harnesses do not have much to do with the suspension, but they make one of the most important upgrades. By utilizing the rear seat belts upper mount, the harness works at the proper angle for maximum safety.

As I mentioned in the intro, I later installed an MSD external coil conversion, a Walbro fuel pump and B&M adjustable fuel pressure regulator. I was trying to address a strand high rpm misfire. I will discuss the outcome in the next installment of Project Civic.