HSD HR coilovers or Buddy Club N+ dampers


aRc

aRc

Former EK9 owner!
Joined
Apr 27, 2009
Messages
1,161
i currently have some Ohlins, which i bought on here from the http://www.ek9.org/forum/sale/24329-ohlins-coilovers-ek4-ek9.html thread, and as good as they are, i have always promised myself that i would one day get some brand new one's, so now it's the question of which set!

i see Buddy Club have an offer on in this thread: http://www.ek9.org/forum/wheels-tires-suspension/28603-buddyclub-d2-coilovers-unbeatable-offers.html for the N+ setup and they are at a similar price to the HSD ones, which can be seen at: HSD HR Coilovers for Honda Civic EK & EJ 96-00 - Honda Suspension - Suspension & Steering Driftworks Store

i was just wondering if anyone could recommend either of these, especially whilst the N+'s are on offer.

Thanks in advance :)
 
Why do you want rid of the Ohlins exactly? What do you hope a 'new' setup will bring that the Ohlins do not currently deliver?
 
Kozy said:
Why do you want rid of the Ohlins exactly? What do you hope a 'new' setup will bring that the Ohlins do not currently deliver?
Click to expand...

my car is used as a daily driver and i'm just not too impressed with the setup i have at the moment so am thinking of a change...

pictures following clean up of the suspension:

SNV39503.jpg


SNV39506.jpg


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i had the units installed at a garage and they informed me they weren't height adjustable but because they have helper springs, which could be 'opened up', then they could lower the car a little. i'm not sure if this is true because the initial advert said they were height adjustable but i can only go off what the garage advised.

pictures during install (with camber adjusters):

Front:
IMG_0121.jpg


IMG_0119.jpg


Rear:
IMG_0123.jpg


IMG_0122.jpg


the car handles fine and i think the suspension is good but i just don't seem to be able to set it up to my liking.

i find the settings quite difficult to get right as the softer settings seem really soft and the stiff are similar, from what i remember, to the oem springs.

there is also a creaking sound coming from the rear drivers side, which i cannot seem to correct and, as i drive the car everyday, this becomes irritating.

i am just thinking that if i replace them with new components then this will freshen the car and rid of the creaks that are expected from aged and used items.

i am not saying the Ohlins are bad in any way - their reputation speaks for itself - it's just i am not completely happy with them. someone else may have these and rave about them!

i am tempted by the two options mentioned or returning back to an oem setup, with camber adjusters, but i would like the car to sit a little lower, especially with having some new wheels to install.

anyway, any advice would be appreciated...
 
The creaks are a common problem, one I haven't seen a solution to yet! My car does it with Spoon suspension and I have seen others talk of it with different brands of suspension too.

They are height adjustable, however adjusting the height also adjusts the spring pre-load which although not essential on a road car isn't ideal.

I have read reports that Ohlins gear can be setup a little to stiff for road use so it could well be that they are just too solid for your preferences. Do you have a model number/name or anything? I wouldn't mind looking up some info on them. :nice:

Reason for my questions is that, on the face of it, Ohlins would appear to be the far superior brand over Buddyclub, not heard much about HSD though.
 
i am very grateful for your advice on this Kozy, especially as i know that you know a lot on this subject after carefully reading the "suspension 101" posts! :nice:

i'll try and find out a little more about the Ohlins but from your post, you have eased my concerns already over the stiffness and creaking! :)
 
I am also interested, because if you do decide to sell them... ;)

One thing to maybe look into is see whether you can get softer springs, maybe 7k/6k.
 
hsd coilovers are getting excellent reviews i have to admit

send me a pm if your interested
 
As said the Ohlins seem like the superior set-up, And springs rates on them look rather high!, As Kozy said try getting some 8k/6k springs or something, will make them alot "softer" for daily driving, but you can still stiffen them up with the adjustable dampening,

If you have a very hard springs it makes the damping adjustment less noticeable, so maybe with softer springs you would feel more adjust-ability to get them "feeling" how you want! :nice:
 
thanks for the comments guys, it's much appreciated.

when i went to a garage to get the geometry done they said they were the thickest springs they had ever seen so i guess they must have a high spring rating! i will have to have a look into softer springs but wouldn't know where to start really?!

i think the issue is with the strength of the springs but it was more the banging, when hitting road imperfections and chevrons etc, that was putting me off them the most, which relates to the stiffness of them!

i'll have to have a think about whether a change is worthwhile or if i'm just being too fussy! :rolleyes:
 
You are always best off buying new coilovers. Some on HOT are running the HSD, great reviews, spring rate is key as usual. You could change yours to a lower spring rate as above, Eibachs are recommended.
 
no problems with my Buddy Club N+ so far. Have them on for 2 years, did several track days and our roads in Greece are really bumpy giving them a hard time. No leaks, no weird sounds. Only they are a bit hard and just a bit more jumpy than i would want. They go super low as well which is a problem for me, but with 15inch wheels and 50 or 55 tyre you want have clearance problems i guess
 
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