How to upgrade your suspension

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Revision as of 17:55, 26 September 2007 by Frantik (talk | contribs) (poly bushings)

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This article is intended to summarize the suspension upgrade options available as of 2007 for the third generation Accord. Unfortunately 3geez were never well supported by the aftermarket, and time only increases the rarity of many suspension parts. Lets take a look at what is available by component type.

Shocks

Shocks control the up and down movement of the car in conjunction with the springs. Ideally the shocks should be able to control the springs, otherwise excessive bounce is the result.

Tokico HP (blue)

  • Claimed to be approximately 10% stiffer than stock.
  • Widely used by members of the 3geez community.
  • Most commonly paired with Neuspeed of H&R springs.
  • Not recommended for drops lower than ~1.5" and/or significantly stiff spring rates.
  • Can easily be found on eBay for a little over $200 for a complete set brand new.

KYB GR2

  • Claimed to be approximately 10% stiffer than stock.
  • User experience has suggested they may not be as stiff as Tokico and may be only a stock replacement.
  • Not recommended for drops lower than ~1.5" and/or significantly stiff spring rates.

Bilstein

  • Shocks come from the factory at stock stiffness.
  • Can be revalved by Bilstein to any specification. Cost is about $350 a pair for the shocks, revalving and shipping.
  • Once revalved can handle most drop heights and spring rates.
  • Generally felt to be an acceptable solution for extreme drop heights and stiff spring rates.
  • Not widely used due to cost of revalving and lack of adjustability.

Koni Special (red)

  • High quality adjustable-compression shocks.
  • Out of production and generally very difficult to find for sale even in used condition.
  • Can handle most drop heights and spring rates.
  • Widely felt to be the best bolt-on shock available.
  • Usage is limited mostly due to lack of availability.
  • Can be extensively modified by Koni at great cost - in the 100s of dollars per shock range (not including the shocks themselves). Services they will perform include:
    • Revalving
    • Shortening
    • Adding external compression adjustability.
    • Adding rebound adjustability (external as well)
  • Shocks sent to Koni for external adjustability modifications come back as "Koni Yellows"

Retrofitted Solutions

  • Shocks from Civic years 1988-90 will fit with some modifications.
  • Shocks from Accord years 1990-93 will fit with some modifications.
  • Due to difficulty these options are not widely used.

D2 Shock with integrated coilovers

  • Legend_master has installed a mixed set of D2 shocks and springs combination coilovers, using the fronts from a Civic and the rears from a 4th gen accord.
  • Cost was in the ballpark of $250 per wheel.

Springs

Due to limited availability of powerful shocks, most users chose to go with a 1.5" drop or less that is not significantly stiffer than stock. Neuspeed or H&R springs are the favorite among those using Tokico shocks.

Brand Drop height Difference from stock stiffness (front/rear)
Tokico
1" 66% / 63%
Suspension Techiques
1" 62% / 54%
Eibach Prokit
1"+ 44% / -17%
Neuspeed / H&R
1.5" 26% / 41%
Eibach Sportline
1.5"+ 62% / -32%
B&G
1.6" 66% / 205%
Progress
2" 70% / 205%
Speed tech
2" 73% / 196%
Sprint
2.25" 66% / 192%
Ground Control
adjustable 61% / 214%
Dropzone coilovers
adjustable 213% / 300%

Camber Correction

Camber -- or the vertical the tilt of the wheels -- may need to be adjusted when lowering ride heights. There are various aftermarket camber kits available to correct camber.

Prelude adjustable control arms

  • Front upper control arms from a second generation Prelude can be easily retrofitted for use with the third generation Accord.
  • Can be an inexpensive alternative to aftermarket front camber kits.

Sway bars

Sway bars act as springs which help control body roll. Even slightly larger bars can have a significant impact on handling.

Third generation Accords come stock with a sway bar in the front. Higher end models have a larger front sway bar and an additional rear sway bar.

Stock sway bay sizes
Front
86-87 20mm (approx 13/16”)
88-89 22mm (approx 7/8")
Rear:
86-89 carb none
86-87 fuel injected 12mm (approx 15/32")
88-89 fuel injected 13mm (approx 1/2")

Suspension Techniques

  • Front is 24mm, rear is 16mm.
  • Largest front sway bar available.
  • Includes polyurethane bushings.

Addco

  • Believed to be out of production, though may be available.
  • Front is 22mm (same as stock on 88-89), rear is 18mm.
  • Largest rear sway bar available.
  • Includes polyurethane bushings.
  • Rear bars do not work with disk brakes.

Vigor rear sway bar

  • The rear sway bar from an Acura Vigor 92-95 can be fitted on a 3gee with minimal difficulty.
  • Rear bar is 16mm.
  • Can be an inexpensive alternative to aftermarket sway bars.

Upper strut tower bars

Due to the placement of the air box, carburetted models may have difficulty installing a front upper strut bar.

DC

  • DC is the only company which made bolt-on strut tower bars for the third generation Accord.
  • No longer in production.

Arospeed - WARNING: Does not fit 3geez

  • Arospeed sells a strutbar which is labeled as fitting third generation Accords.
  • This is an error and these bars will only bolt onto a fourth generation Accord.
  • Arospeed is aware of the issue but continues to attempt to sell the bars on eBay and their website. Avoid

Custom solutions

Various other strut bars, especially the 4th generation bar has been rumored to fit with some modifications.

Justin's bars

  • User Justin86 occasionally makes his custom sets of strut bars and tie bars.

Lower tie bars

Justin's bars

  • User Justin86 occasionally makes custom lower tie bars sets.
  • These are the only known sets which have been produced for the third generation Accord.

Polyurethane bushings

Prothane

  • Prothane makes a few bushings for the 3gee including
    • Front control arm bushing set (8.210-BL)
    • Rear control arm bushing set (8.312-BL)
    • Front strut rod(t/c rod, radius rod) set (8.1201-BL)
    • Complete front sway bar endlink set (8.401-BL)
    • Front lower shock bushing set (8.907-BL)