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Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

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Comments

  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=310464


    If that doesn't work, what happened was I downshifted and missed and then the clutch pedal got really hard, and I couldn't get it into gear, but I shifted without the clutch and got home fine. Any ideas?

  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    Ouch! Time for a new clutch, dude. You've broken the spring that releases the pressure plate from the clutch, making the clutch impossible to disengage. (My kid sister did this to the '96 Integra I used to own.) My Acura mechanic told me that the release spring just gets worn out over time, or breaks as a result of a botched downshift.

    You'll have plenty of friction material left on the clutch itself, but will need to replace the entire unit. I'd suggest you investigate a higher-friction/aftermarket clutch and also a lightened flywheel (if SCCA rules allow). A lighter flywheel lets your car rev more easily, and gains you horsepower.
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Sorry to hear about your bum luck. I agree with Himiler -- sounds like the spring within the clutch assembly went bye bye. Sure wish I had the SCCA Solo rulebook in front of me, but I'm willing to bet if you go with a high performance/aftermarket clutch and/or lightened flywheel, you'll get bumped to the prepared classes or SM (take your pick!). Clutches and flywheels need to be OE for stock, street prepared, and STS classes. Harry knows this stuff better than I. And I'll dig my rule book out when I have the chance to double check on this stuff for you.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    You 're allowed to lighten the flywheel in SP and an aftermarket clutch is perfectly legal in Street Prepared classes as well. So that puts you in DSP which I think you are in already because you said you have bigger sway bars and wider wheels/rims. But you 're in the novice class now so it doesn't really matter. Forget about STS though. The lighter flywheel would kick you out of that and if you go to DSP you 'll be racing against cars with R tires. You don't have to lighten the flywheel. Just get an ACT clutch (around $350?) and you 'll be able to stay in STS where everyone is on street tires. Sorry to hear about your clutch btw. You 're really not in luck.. My spring is on its way out too. When I depress the clutch it has a rubbing feeling to it. Many of the guys I race with are mechanics and told me it's the spring that I feel rubbing and it might snap in the near future.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Well, I just checked all of the easy stuff like the cylinders and the pedal, and it seems that the problem is inside the bell housing. With the slave cylinder not connected to the fork, the pedal became very easy to push, so the transaxle is coming out a little later today.

    So, if (worse case) everything is fubar, what kind of clutch, pp, and flywheel should I get? I guess that Harry recommends the ACT clutch. I was thinking of getting everything (new, of cours) from a type r. Would that be a good idea? or no? Also, how much are clutches, pp's, and bearings from pepboys and autozone or equivilent? the local pepboys wanted 380 bucks =O and autozone wanted 300 without bearings. As for the flywheel, what kind of weight should I look at? 10 lbs? I still want the car to be fairly easy to drive on teh street, so that's why I ask. Thanks for the help/comments.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    ACT because I know many racers that have ACT clutches (the street version) on their Integras & Civics that have put many 10's of thousands of mi. on them without a problem. One guy told me the other day he had 70k mi. on his ACT and he 's pretty regular auto-xer that I see at 2-3 clubs.
    As far as flywheels are concerned, the ITR would do fine but that is about 14-15lbs. There are many good 9-10lb flywheels out there for about the same $$. Comptech has a new one on the market that is 8.x lbs and an aluminum one that is 6.x lbs but I don't know if I 'd buy an aluminum one. Exedy is one of the most popular flywheels (9lbs I believe) that many use. I 'm not sure why the ACT flywheel is not as popular but they 're all usually chromoly steel which is a lighter and pretty strong type of steel. If you can get an ITR one for a good deal go for it. It's still 2.5lbs lighter than GSR's. Any way you look at it it's going to cost you over $1K with labor.
    Bearings: I 've heard many people say that any time you drop the tranny you have to replace them. Don't know how true that is but I do know it's absolutely necessary when replacing the differential.
    Again the flywheel will kick you out of STS and into DSP if you care about SCCA classifications. Your car will be very streetable though. Don't worry about that, as long as you don't get the racing versions of aftermarket clutches. Have you had your 2nd auto-x yet? How did it go?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    My second auto-x was going to be this weekend, but, for obvious reasons, I won't make it. There's another one on the 27th, so I think I'll make that one.

    For the ACT clutch, where's a good place to get them?

    Also, I'm doing all of the work with my dad, so labor costs are no prob, but we can't get the driver side axle out of the hub or disconnected from the intermediate shaft. It's really frustrating. Also, in the process, we practically flattened out the nut on the end of the axle. Oh well. Less than a few hours left, and the tranny will be dropped, if the axle comes out.

    Thanks for the advice and help Harry, Casey, and himiler, it's appreciated greatly ^_^
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    At the minimum, I would suggest you go ahead and replace the clutch throwout bearing while you've got the tranny opened up.


    Places to check on clutches/flywheels:

    http://coximport.com

    http://lightningmotorsports.com


    There are other places that specialize in the parts you need, but I can't remember their web addresses. You might ask the guys on H-T where they've shopped.

  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    The spring from the clutch hub broke out from the hub and got stuck between the disk and the pressure plate, hence why the clutch wouldn't disengage. So, I'm going to be getting the ACT heavy duty pressure plate and the street/strip disk. I've found it for $360 from jdmhondaparts.com and $295 from Mike M at ipsracing.com, i think. I would assume these are good deals, becuase ACT wants the retail to be $502.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    prices are usually around $310-350. A good place to check is the groupbuycenter.com. There are always vendors there selling them at a good deal. Do a search.
    $295 is the lowest I 've seen but some vendors will advertise a very low price but make it up on shipping & "handling" where they add an extra $10-15 for their pocket on top of the real shipping cost. Also always be apprehensive with extremely low prices. Make sure you get what you 're paying for and ask a lot of questions.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    What are the advantages of a 7 pound flywheel? I know that it'll let the engine rev faster, but is there anything else it does? Will the power it frees up be significant? Thanks for the help.
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    A lighter flywheel will free up *some* power, due to the reduction in reciprocating mass, but the biggest advantage you'll gain is sportbike-like throttle response.

    As Harry said, don't go too light with a flywheel. Aluminum fw's aren't as durable as slightly heavier chromoly or steel pieces.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    The flywheel I'm looking at is the 7 # Fidanza flywheel. Any opinions on this? Or should I get another type, like the Comptech or something else? Thanks again.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    The more I think, the more confused I get about what clutch and flywheel to get. I wanted to get an ACT HDSS clutch assembly with a fidanza 7# flywheel, but now, I'm considering the Clutchmaster stage 3 clutch with a Clutchmaster 7.5# flywheel. I know that these two kits are about equal when it comes to performance, but are they equal when it comes to durability and quality? Thanks.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    I've ordered an HDSS clutch kit and a 7 lb flywheel, and I just got my HP+ pads from colletti ^_^ I can't wait to get everything put in and get to test them. I'm really excited about this stuff. I'm also excited to drive my car again =P So, the clutch/flywheel should be here by next wednesday and get it all installed by thursday or friday and get everything broken in.

    Talking about breaking things in, is there a special prepping procedure for the rotors? or just put the pads on and do the proper breaking procedure? Also, what is the right way for the clutch? Just do city driving without going over 4000 rpm for a few hundred miles? Thanks ^_^
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    Drive normally for a week or two, and try not not slip the clutch (you don't want to glaze it).
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I wouldn't go auto-xing right after you put the clutch in. Just don't do any high RPM launches and don't slip the clutch the first few hundred mi.

    I know a couple of people that have the Clutchmaster clutch but not sure about the flywheel. It should make a good combo though since they 're both manufactured by the same company. ACT is pretty much the leader in Clutches but Clutchmaster makes ok clutches.

    Which flywheel did you get? The Fidanza? I think that's 6-7lbs. Not sure about the durability. I know Motorolla cup, ie: Challenge series cars use them sometimes but they put a new one in for the next race. They spare no expense. It should last a while on the street through. They 're meant to take a lot of abuse but aluminum flywheels have more maintenance unlike the chromoly ones. They sell replacement parts that you need to replace more often. I would 've went with a chomoly-steel 9lb one because they 're pretty much maintenance free. The Aluminum ones use lightweight parts that don't last as long and need frequent replacement. Did you read everything on the manufacturer's web site? They usually try to hide the info about the flywheel replacement parts because that deters people from buying their flywheels. It all depends on how long you 'll be keeping the car. I 'm sure you 'll be fine for a couple of years with the aluminum flywheel before you have to replace anything. It all depends on your driving style and how much racing you 'll be doing. You should notice the faster revving and power increase immediately though. If I ordered those parts I 'd be excited to.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I 'm sure by now you 're very familiar with Matt Watkins from reading his posts on H-T. This is the guy I 've been telling you about. Now you see what I go up against. He 's a total fanatic and wants to beat Mike Neary and be #1. Nothing wrong with that when you 're 26 and single and want to sink thousands upon thousands of dollars into your car. I just can't see myself doing that especially for $2 trophies. If there were cash prizes maybe then, but even the National champs only get some free tires from manufacturers and rarely anything more (that's what Pat Salerno told me the last time he took BS at the Nationals - he won ES this year at the Nationals with his MR2).
    Did you know that Matt is on his 3d set of Hoosiers this season? That's almost $2,000 in just tires! I 'm on my 2nd set of Kumhos ($900+) too. Got almost 30 events in this year and have at least 2 more to go (shooting for the NY Region SCCA DSP championship which Matt hasn't invaded yet probably because it's about a 2hr drive for him although in his last post he stated he drove down to Maryland, or was it DC? to compete with Neary). I do compete against him though in my local SCCA club which is within his reach and is part of NY Region (have to do at least 4 events though at the other NYR SCCA club in Long Island to qualify for points & regional championship - messed up rules), NASA, Mclub and North NJ Region SCCA are places we race together too. He also races at the Philly/PA Region and sometimes at the Southern NJ Region. So anyway, since I saw his last post comparing DSP cars, his & Mike Neary's, and reading all his posts, I see someone who is really obsessed with the sport and obsessed with winning and I 'm thinking to myself "gee I hope I don't ever become like that", mainly because it can get pretty expensive and the obsession can mess with your head like I think it's beginning to do with his. Did you see his comment about me buying my brother's ITR? He always tells me this at the auto-x events when we meet. Why would I want a Type-R when my GSR can be (and is in many cases, or on a good day) faster (in auto-x) than all the stock Type-Rs? I try to explain to him that I 'd be racing DS and wouldn't be throwing money into the car, nor would I be competing with GSRs, but to him it's all about getting really fast times and not just beating the cars in DSP, but all the other cars there. Last year when he just had the GC street kit on, at one event he told me that he and I could get FTD that day because we were doing pretty well in the morning runs and only about 3/4sec behind FTD. I told him it was impossible and in the afternoon that gap will get much bigger as it warms up and the "Hoosier boys" get some more grip, as did happen.. This shows you the ambition he had from back then. I don't know. I think he 's a very interesting person but takes things to the extreme and I doubt he 's having fun racing when he doesn't come in 1st. It's one thing to want to be competitive but to obsess over every little detail of your suspension and winning all the time, has got to be somewhat depressing and mentally painful I would think when he doesn't come in 1st or doesn't do as well as he thought he should 've done.
    Oh well, look who is talking. I 'm getting an LSD and some stiffer rear springs for next season but I will not obsess over it if I don't come in 1st all the time. Me I 'm satisfied if I get a couple of good runs with no mistakes and drive the hek out of the car where I think it was at its absolute limits. That makes me feel good.
    Anyway how has the season been for you in the Atlanta region?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Yes, I've checked out that "DSP GS-R setup" thread on H-T a few times. And, yes, Matt does appear to have all the makings and characteristics of someone who is totally over the edge. If ambitious, desire, and motivation are necessary ingredients to win, then he's more than half way there. So, I certainly don't envy you that you compete from time to time with this zealot -- really hard to compete with someone who invests that amount of time and money in the sport. I, too, hope I never get like that -- sounds to me like autocrossing for him is beyond obsession. To me, that's simply not healthy -- no balance in his life... But, hey, maybe that's just jealousy talking... :D Even if I wanted to, I couldn't be that consumed by the sport; I've got too many other blessings in my life (wife and kids) that would be totally neglected. In some ways, I've got it easy... my priorities in life are easy to figure out. :) One of the things I find ironic about Matt is that for all the $$$ and time he invests in the car, he's never mentioned anything about working on the nut behind the wheel (drivers school, Evolution, etc.)...

    I'm gonna have a good day tomorrow -- installing my new GCs (400/450) on the car with the help of a friend. I'm dying to find out how big a difference this will make, going from 330/210 progressive to 400/450 linear. No doubt I'll have to learn how to autocross my car all over again. =:o) I'm really glad I decided to wait and do this after our season already ended. This way, I can race at a few events during the winter season to work out the kinks (shock settings, tire pressure) and hopefully be more prepared when the season starts up in March/April.

    Overall, I finished 3rd in STS this year -- not too bad for my first full season. I had a couple of first place finishes, with the others being any where from 2nd to 6th. STS in my region is very competitive (I believe we had about 4 or 5 different guys taking 1st place honors this year), and I still have to improve on my consistency... It was all worth it because I saved my best (i.e., most error free) run ever for my fourth and final run on the final points event of the season. At this event and on this run, I improved my time by over 1 sec. and edged out this year's class champion (that guy who drives that pesky Impreza 2.5 RS) by around 0.04 seconds for the win! First time I ever beat him head to head, and boy did it feel good!
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Thanks for your whole perspective on this thing. I thought I was alone when I was thinking that this guy is over the edge. BTW, as you know there are many National Champs I race with and have become friendly with. In no way, shape or form, are they anything close to what Matt is like so I don't think you have to be like that or have those "ingredients" you mentioned, that Matt displays, to win big, ie: Divisional & National events.

    CONGRATS on 3d place in your Region! STS is a very competitive class but Integras can definitely be at the top in that class. 3d place with 1.5 season under your belt is pretty good.

    The new springs you 're getting will make a small difference but nothing huge (unfortunately). Your car may handle better than mine because you went with higher rates in the rear so I can't really tell how much better it will be. I didn't see a big improvement probably because I kept the same front/rear ratio as before (I really wanted 425/450 but they were out of stock). Where I noticed the biggest difference is in faster courses and the sweepers because of the higher spring rates. In the slalom I hardly notice an improvement and sometimes I think the springs have a slightly adverse effect, unless it's big & fast slalom. In the small slaloms, the heavier springs don't seem to help much, at least in my car. I also think my car handled better when I had the GCs set higher for 3 finger wheel well gap. Now I 'm at 1.5 finger gap and I don't think the car handles as good. So you 'll have to play with the ride height.
    So I would suggest that when you first install them, try and set them at the same ride height that have now, so you can compare your car to what it was before at the same ride height. Then you can start lowering a little at a time to see if the car gets better or worse. Also, the more I lower, the less adjustability I have with the Konis. Meaning the more I lower the higher I have to set the shocks to get the same dampening as before when the car was higher. Hmm.. I think this tells me that I should raise the car back up a little.. Don't know and I 'm not going to stress over it like some "other" people we know :-)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    if we talk about autocross racing & suspensions a lot. I guess it's something some of us here have in common so we can't help but talk about it. Since Integras are no longer manufactured or sold new, all we can talk about is modifying them and racing them :-)

    Anyway, Casey: did you install the new GC coilovers and what are your impressions?

    I had a good wknd. Came in 5th overall raw time, and PAXed 7th. Noone in my class to compete with though :( but in my head I compete with ESP & CSP cars and try to beat them (I beat all the cars in CSP but they were mostly MR2s, no CRXs) Only cars that were faster were PRO class (SM cars) and Super Stock - SS.
    Oh Casey I just discovered something during this auto-x event. I was cleaning my R tires after I came back from a run and all of a sudden I noticed scrape marks inside the wheel well on the other side where the engine is or the frame is I should say.
    Called my friend Chris Travis over (Rodney - he 's on H-T, owns an SM Civic with ITR motor, 194whp!) who usually gets FTD and does all the work on his car himself, and a couple of other PROs to check it out and they all said that I was lowered too much for the compression, & spring rate for that ride height, so my tires were rubbing on the inside! Meaning either the shock compression was not enough, so the 475lb/in. springs were compressing too much, or the spring compressoin travel was too much for my ride height. Luckily I discovered I was running the front shocks a little softer than usual (I get better turn-in that way), almost 1.25 turns. Went up to 1.5 turns and they didn't rub anymore, but I 'm going to raise the car almost 1/2" this weekend because driving the Konis on the street at 1.5 turns kind of sucks. The rears are not a problem and being that they are only 400lbs, the shocks don't seem to have any difficulty at all with damping or compression. I believe there 's also more wheel well room in the rear, and having it slightly higher than the front also helps. I was told a while ago by a few people to set the rear height higher than the front so there 's more weight on the front "drive" wheels to get more traction. When I set the ride height the same front & rear, I can tell I lose traction in the front wheels and they spin too easily.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • nerdnerd Member Posts: 203
    The factory manual for my wife's '97 Integra GS (non-VTEC) says to check/adjust the valves every 30K miles. Her's has only 23K miles. I am wondering if I need to check them now anyway. What unusual sounds could I expect to hear if they need adjusting?

    The manual also says to replace the timing belt every seven years or 100K miles under normal service. Is that an appropriate interval? What special tools are needed to pull the crankshaft pulley?
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    driven hard, I would replace the timing belt every 60k miles. I got my crank pulley off by using a strap wrench and a big breaker bar. Sorry, don't know much about the valve adjustment.

    Hehe, only 1-2 more days until the clutch and flywheel come in and the car will be back together by next monday with a new clutch, flywheel, Hawk HP+ pads, and an OEM water pump ^_^ I'm so excited
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    The motor basically gets a little more noisy but most of the time you can't hear any "ticking" and it's hard to tell if it needs the clearance adjusted. Check them or adjust them now. It doesn't hurt anything. As far as the timing belt goes, 60K is the norm for Integras or 80-90K at the most if the car is not driven hard.

    garados: How many mi. does your car have? Just wanted to know how many mi. your clutch lasted.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • nerdnerd Member Posts: 203
    Thanks for the help.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    The car has almost 100k miles. I think it's 98k actually. Anyway, there was still some material left on the disk to last another couple thousand miles, but oh well. Well, I was hoping for the stuff to come today, but it didn't, so hopefully, it will come on Wednesday.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Today was probably the best day I've had since my unfortunate accident with my clutch because UPS delivered the new HDSS clutch kit with the Fidanza 7# flywheel ^_^ I'm really excited to get the car back together and runnin again. I would like to thank Harry for recommending the clutch to me and I'll be giving a full report on the upgraded performance in ~2 weeks. If you know newgsrdriver from h-t.com, he's a really nice guy and helped me a lot when I was looking around for the hdss clutch kit. The transaction with him went smoothly and I'm glad that the kit finally came :D
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    geez I've been a slacker. :P Between being slammed at work and in the middle of a kitchen renovation at home, my time to play on the internet has been seriously hampered...

    The GCs were installed last Saturday without incident, I'm happy to report. The hardest part was cutting the dust boots/covers with the hack saw because I don't yet have a workbench with a vice at home. Other than that, it was a piece of cake.

    Impressions: overall, I'm very pleased. I must say though that they didn't change the "feel" of the car as much as I thought they would... I guess I was expecting things to be real stiff and harsh, but they are not. With the 400/450 spring rates, the car feels firmer and better "planted" than it did before. But, as I said, I wouldn't say it's too firm, harsh, back breaking, etc. The biggest change I've noticed is that the car takes much less time to "set" itself when entering a turn at any kind of speed. By my way of thinking, this is less due to increased spring rates and more due to the fact that the springs are linear and not progressive. With the old springs, the car used to roll a bit before it felt set in a turn. Now, it's pretty much turn, set, and go! Now all I need to do is to get my [non-permissible content removed] to an autocross...
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    How lowered is your car? I told you they won't make a big difference, on the street at least.

    In auto-x you should be able to see around 1/3s improvement depending on the course. I seem to see the improvement more on faster courses due to the higher spring rate. But I believe that's because I 've learned to drive the car better with the GCs on (and the 22mm bar which threw me off at first), plus 30 events so far this year has probably made me a better driver (I hope!) and I think I 've gained an extra couple of 1/10ths just from skill and seat time.
    The last race I had where Matt W. was there (early October), I was only .65 sec behind him (used to be 1+ sec. behind). I 'm pretty sure after watching him, that his shorter gearing with the 13" wheels and lighter flywheel, attributes to at least a .2s gain or more over me, because I could see his car revving faster and he was shifting earlier than me. So the other .4s are attributed to his 13x8.5" wide wheels with Hoosiers and the LSD (since we have very similar spring rates). So I don't think I lack in the skill dept., just in the setup dept. (Matt has told me several times in the past that he thinks I 'm a very good driver).

    I 'm pretty sure if we get the shocks revalved we 'll see much greater gains. I 've been talking to a lot of auto-xers the last few weeks who had their Konis revalved and everyone said it's a must with 400lb springs and up. They all noticed handling improvements right away with the custom valving.

    Back to the installation. I didn't put the dust boots back on the shocks and I also cut the bumpstops in half. Did you do that with yours like GC recommends in their instructions?
    Did you have to dial up the Konis? I have to set them at least 1.25 turns up front on the street (I have 475 in the front), otherwise the ride is bouncy. With the 400s in the back I run the Konis anywhere from 1-1.25 turns on the street. 1 full turn in the back produces some understeer though but still not bad for the street. 1.25+ turns is what I usually run in the back too though. It makes the car more neutral and introduces a bit of oversteer. When auto-xing I set the rear for almost full stiff (go all the way to the end of the dial and then back 1/2-1 line or 1/8th).

    I 'll be ordering 600lb rates for the rear, as soon as I revalve the Konis, but first I have to figure out how to take the shocks off the car and what to do with the car for 2-3 weeks, because I don't have the factory ones to put back on. I was thinking of buying a used set of Konis so I can have 2 sets.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Alright, a friend of mine has a 93 civic dx, and I've learned that my old shocks and springs will fit, but it'll make the car look like a 4-wheeler. So, my question is, what kind of springs should he get so that the car isn't so high? Also, he's on a tight budget, so we're looking for a good quality, but somewhat cheap spring to use with the gsr shocks. I've recommended H&R sports (1.75 inch, I think) and the Neuspeed equivilents. He wants to have good handling, but doesn't want it slammed like got it about a year and a half ago. It is at a 3" drop on 17" wheels currently.

    Oh, after reading that, do you think that handling will improve with teh new shocks and new springs? Thanks.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    You should know that the stock GSR shocks can't handle H&R or Neuspeed Sports. They couldn't even handle my H&R OE Sports and the ride was very bouncy. Stock shocks with aftermarket springs are not a good idea IMO. If he 's on a budget then have him get some KYB AGX (used if he can) with H&R Sports.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=324160


    Check it out. It's my review of the ACT HDSS clutch, Fidanza 7 pound flywheel, and Hawk HP+ pads. I am realy enjoying this setup ^_^ Thanks Harry for recommending the ACT clutch... it's really nice =D Oh yeah, about this squeaking from the HP+ pads that people talk about, I haven't noticed any...yet.

  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    no, I didn't cut the bumpstops any more because I had already cut one lobe (the top one) off when I installed the Konis over a year ago. I didn't seem all that important to cut a little bit more off to be synch with the GC instructions. Also, I have not yet played around with the Koni setting yet either. I just left them where they were at: ~3/4 turn front and ~1 full turn rear. I'm happy to say that even with the 400/450 spring rates the shocks do a pretty good job right now damping the bounces. I'm guessing that when I get to my next autocross I'll need to set the fronts at about 1-1.25 turns upfront and about 1.25-1.75 turns in the back. No doubt it'll take some time to figure out what works best for a given autocross course. I hope my Konis don't "ask" for a rebuild any time soon. The expense is one thing, I'm not sure what I'd do so that I could drive the car for 2-4 weeks while the shock are rebuilt. Sure would be nice to a have a third (beater) car for times like that, or to have an extra set of shocks lying around...
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    enjoy the setup!! Chirping the tires from 1st to 2nd shifting at ~3K RPM? Dang! The flywheel must 've freed up a lot of power. And that's on the car with 100k mi. on it. I think the Fidanza flywheel may be on my shopping list soon. What did it weigh? 6.5 or 7lbs?
    Can't go wrong with ACT. ACT also makes a pretty good LSD. It's expensive and it's a clutch type which why you don't hear much about it but a couple of people I race with that have it, say it grabs better than Quaife. Have fun!
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    The flywheel weighs 7 pounds, I believe... I love this new setup ^_^
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I 'm assuming your car can't be that much lowered than before if you 're running the 400lb springs up front with 3/4 turn on the Konis without bounciness. Mine too were running OK with 7/8ths when I had a 3 finger gap all around with the GCs. The lower I went the more bouncy they felt and the more adjustability I lost. I 'm curious if you get the same results if you lower the car more. Please let me know as I want to make sure that it's not just me (my shocks). Also the extra 75lb/in. I have up front accounts for at least 1/8th of a turn.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    how much I lowered my car w/ the new GCs. Essentially, I kept it at the same height that my Comptech springs eventually settled to, and that's about a 2 finger gap between the top of the tire and the fender lip. Probably too much of a drop for optimum handling. I plan to bring her up about 1/2" and then get her corner weighted soon (over the off season) to fine tune everything.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Have you given "her" a name? :-)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Nope, she doesn't have a name, but she gets the ocassional pronoun reference "she" or her" when appropriate. :^D
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    or anyone else. Have you done a valve adjustment since you had the GSR? Did you gain any lost power or anything? Gas mileage, etc.? I 'm getting ready to have one done and I 'm wondering if there 's anything I should be noticing afterwards.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    You won't notice anything other than a quieter idle and a bit less chatter on start-up.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    himiler, that's what I thought, although I 'd like to dream otherwise :-)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • nerdnerd Member Posts: 203
    Now that my wife is loving her new BMW 325Ci, she tells me that we can sell her '97 Integra GS coupe. I just can't bring myself to sell it. She loved the car when she bought it, and both of us still enjoy driving it. (It beats the heck out of my Mazda pickup). In addition, I just think that the Integra will be a popular car for years to come. Probably not a classic like the BMW 2002, but sought after just the same.

    I would appreciate hearing your opinions. Maybe I am just thinking wishfully. I have visions of our grand kids driving it in 10-15 years.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    None of the Hondas ever made so far have become anything close to classic and never were sought after much except for the Integra Type-R. The NSX is an exotic and for the rich people and is still in production.

    The Type-R was a limited procution car so I can see a remote chance of that gaining value in 5, 10,15 yrs, but from what I 've seen in the last 20yrs I 've had a licence, only old American & Europen cars are sought after or ever given the title "classic". Japanese cars have not managed to reach that stage yet, but you never know what might happen in another 10-15yrs!
    American collectors are not ready yet to accept a non-American or European car in the "Hall of Collectibles".
    You have grand kids? And I thought Casey was the oldest :-)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • nerdnerd Member Posts: 203
    I had not thought about Japanese cars not becoming classics, but I see your point. Gee, the Integra is so much fun! We'll probably hand it down to one of our daugters eventually. (Our son is a pickup guy).

    By the way, my wife and I are aging baby boomers, but we try not to act our age all the time.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    don't act our age. Look at me. I 'm 36 and Casey is over 40 and we do crazy things with our Integras and sink money into them to make them better. Motorsports and car enthousiasm is not only for the young.

    Although the average age of Integra owners I auto-x race against, is about 25. Some of them are 19 and some late 20's. I 'm the only Integra (non-Type-R) owner that 's over 30 in the many clubs I race at in the NY/NJ/CT (tristate) area. Type-R owners are a bit older but there are only 2 I know of in my area that are over 30, including my brother who just turned 38. Many of the BMW and Corvette racer crowd are much older though so I don't feel bad or different. It's just the cars we drive are attracted by, and within the financial reach of younger people.
    My uncle (surgeon) who is now in his 70's, used to come to our house with a new Porsche every couple of years when he was in his 60's and would talk about it with the enthousiasm and manner of an 18yr old (he never let me drive any of them though!).
    Thanks god for cars. If it weren't for them, what other toys would there be for grown-ups?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • greddygtrgreddygtr Member Posts: 54
    I have a 97 Integra RS and I've been running on stock shocks with Neuspeed race springs and 17" wheels for a while now. I finally have a semi-decent amount of money in the bank and was looking to upgrade my shocks. I just want some new shocks that will hopefully improve the ride quality and improved handling would also be a nice bonus. I'd like to spend as little money as possible while still getting a high quality product. Adjustibility isn't really important to me. Anyone have suggestions?
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    From most expensive to cheapest: Koni Yellow's (most recommended), Tokiko Illuminas (what I have ;) ), and KYB AGX. They're all adjustable shocks, but if you want a standard shock, I would look at bilstein shocks, or maybe KYB GR2 shocks.

    Also, if you want to get even better handling, get an upgraded rear sway bar. I would recommend the one from the integra type r with a proper mounting kit. There is a user on www.honda-tech.com by the name of BSQ. He makes a very nice mounting kit to keep the swaybar from tearing out of the subframe. Also, you might want to look at Suspension Techniques front and rear sway bars. I have them and they're great ^_^

    Hope that helps ^_^
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    The KYB AGX will last about 6mos-1yr with those Neuspeed Race springs you have. I 'm surprised your stock shocks are still ok although I 'm sure they 're deteriorating fast. When I had H&R Sports on stock shocks, the front driver shock went bad after only about 4mos but I did about 7-8 auto-x race events on them too. It was making a slight noise when driving over small bumps and cracks, where you had to turn the radio off to hear it, and when I applied the brakes, you could tell there was something wrong. I also put about 6k mi. on the stock shocks with the H&Rs when I used to drive the car about every other day to work. No doubt the racing accelerated the wear.

    Aftermarket shocks will definitely improve your car's handling. Don't go cheap on them. They 're the most important part of your car's suspension and ride feel. Get adjustables. You won't regret it.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • greddygtrgreddygtr Member Posts: 54
    I noticed on tirerack.com that the Koni yellow adjustable shocks cost $142 each while the red "special" model shocks cost $77 each. After buying four shocks this is a difference of almost $300. I'm a starving college student so this is a pretty significant amount of money for me. Are the adjustables really that much better than the standard Koni's?
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