Spring rate advise.....


T

Toby_Davis

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Joined
Mar 1, 2009
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67
Hi guys,

i was going to look into uprated my stock EK9 suspension, what spring rates would be best?

considering i want the EK9 to handle better then stock, but dont want it bumpy as **** but wanna go about 60mm+ lowered,

also thinking of going BC Racing, Tein or D2's :)

TD
 
I am thinking of going with BC..They seem to be having no bad reports..They say to put 12kg springs on front and 6kg on back but some say its a bit stiff. I thinking of going with 10kg and 5 kg springs..
 
i got d2s fitted bout month ago and there great not bumpy at all but mines set at 22 an my spring rate is 10.5 and 12.
 
If you are buying used, post up the choice of spring rates? I advise buying new, unless you have good knowledge of the used item. Spring rates are affected by the quality of the manufacturer (eg if you are mix matching) and the rest of the kit (damping adjustment etc), if you are not going on track its not worth going extreme on UK roads.
Take a look here for starters...

http://www.ek9.org/forum/suspension/11867-rate-your-suspension-set-up.html
 
Got BC Racing coilovers on mine spring rates 6 front 4 back rides just like standard but handles a lot better. Good solid coilover would well reccomend.
 
I got MeisterR coilovers on my EK4, spring rates are 10 front and 7 back, handles amazingly yet is still comfortable, zero bodyroll :D
 
I have sold a couple sets of BC just recently and they seem to be getting good reviews from everyone. For the price I think you cant go wrong with them.
 
Toby_Davis said:
Im thinking 6 on the front and 4 on the back
Click to expand...

That's kind of soft, you're already running 4K/F and 4K/R. All you really gain with 6k/f - 4k/r is understeer and a bumpier ride.

Remember, the higher the front rate, the more understeer, and the higher the rear rate, the more oversteer.

Track setups are generally rear biased with higher rates in the rear to induce some slight oversteer to make the car easier to swing around corners and fight the FWD tendency to understeer. Hence the reason the EK9 has equal spring rates and a huge rear sway bar.

Street cars you generally want to avoid spinning out ( a trait of a rear biased setup) so most companies sell street oriented coilovers with a higher rate in the front. It seems you're really looking for a street setup and 8K/F 6K/R sounds more appealing, 6K/F 4K/R is such a negligible difference from stock your money would be better spent elsewhere.

As far as coilovers I always recommend PIC. You can choose your spring rates, they will recommend rates to you if you talk with them about what you want, and the dampers are very well matched to the springs so the ride is pretty comfortable.
 
Dino-Spumoni said:
Remember, the higher the front rate, the more understeer, and the higher the rear rate, the more oversteer.

Track setups are generally rear biased with higher rates in the rear to induce some slight oversteer to make the car easier to swing around corners and fight the FWD tendency to understeer. Hence the reason the EK9 has equal spring rates and a huge rear sway bar.
Click to expand...

LEGEND! Thanks for confirming that! Been baffled why my 9 understeers more with my street coilovers on spring rates i beileve is 13F and 7R. Anyone know If you can buy replacement springs for D2?
 
Cant confirm as still learning what is best for me Ian, but I would get yourself a 1.5way LSD first, reducing understeer, it pulls you round the corners. I have 10f/8r, and in good condiitons on track the rear is lively, I can easily get the rear to pop out, plenty of oversteer if I want it, any more would be too much for me, but of course it depends on your driving style. A FW car is always quicker in the corner than a RW imo, one likes to understeer the other oversteer. If you find yourself out of shape in FW you nail it in the corner, RW you have to wait.
 
So the 9 has a springrate of 4k on the front as well as the rear?
 
haitch said:
Cant confirm as still learning what is best for me Ian, but I would get yourself a 1.5way LSD first, reducing understeer, it pulls you round the corners. I have 10f/8r, and in good condiitons on track the rear is lively, I can easily get the rear to pop out, plenty of oversteer if I want it, any more would be too much for me, but of course it depends on your driving style. A FW car is always quicker in the corner than a RW imo, one likes to understeer the other oversteer. If you find yourself out of shape in FW you nail it in the corner, RW you have to wait.
Click to expand...

Come to think about it on track my EK4 was stepping out a fair ammount of times. Perhaps i will just leave it as is for now. I get into trouble when my back end steps out.... (Tyre wall) :angry:

LSD and final drive... :D
 
_JT said:
So the 9 has a springrate of 4k on the front as well as the rear?
Click to expand...

Ek9 is 4.3kg front and rear.

ijwhiteman said:
Come to think about it on track my EK4 was stepping out a fair ammount of times. Perhaps i will just leave it as is for now. I get into trouble when my back end steps out.... (Tyre wall) :angry:

LSD and final drive... :D
Click to expand...

Get yourself a 1.5 way LSD dude! I've got a Cusco one being fitted to my box now. Heard they pretty damn aggressive on roads but I can't wait! :nice:
 
I'm interested in seeing just how the 1.5 way will perform and why most of you have selected it as being the default unit? Was it based on how it is set up to perform with the rest of your chassis or was it because it was what was recommended or was it because it was the faster of all available settings on Gran Turismo?

No, I'm not trying to be a dick here - I'm just really curious.

The standard offering for most of the fastest FF cars in Japan is a 1 way LSD with an aggressive initial lock. Most find that the added "assist" during deceleration creates unwanted understeer.

Then why is it that Mugen offers and uses a 2way LSD in their catalogue? Well I can't explain it, but they are definitely one of the oddities in that respect.

While it's also true that a more aggressive front rate vs. a softer rate can cause understeer, a lot of other factors come into play when spring rates at both ends exceed 10kg. Any car subject to heavy braking will come to appreciate a heavy front spring as it will minimize dive and enable to car to track where you want it to go. This is of course specific to the 4th to 6th generation Civics.

EP3s all need heavier rates at the back due to their different geometry.
 
I was reccomended the Cusco diff. I'd heard good things about them, but must say I didn't really consider the 1 way diff, perhaps I should have read more about it, too late now lol!
 
Mine - recomended. My technical knowledge of LSD's is very limited, I only know that the Spoon unit I have outperforms the factory one. Also no idea how I would set my LSD (if it was adjustable) to 'work with' the rest of my setup, just being an amateur track day driver this is beyond my knowledge.

"1 way LSD with an aggressive initial lock" - no idea how this would compare to mine, reactions to the car etc. If it was a track only car I would run a 2way, surley more grip?

All I know is how the car has changed (with advances to my driving ability on track), starting with oem suspension 4f/4r oe lsd, then with the Spoon unit, next with the Cusco 9f/5r, now with 10f/8r, things are improving as I work out what I need.
 
From what I have read and from talking to others while I was in Japan, I have been told you want the wheels to be "free" under braking so this will enable you to make an aggressive turn-in without any assist from the LSD if it were a 1.5 or 2 way.

Of course this is all based on the inputs of other drivers who may very well have been suckered into buying the 1 way - but I tend to believe the experience of others who have been fortunate to try various different settings and I look at top tier teams and what their choices are but weigh it against whether or not it can be applicable to setups that a trackday layman would use.

20kg/18kg springs typically do not fall into that range haha.
 
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