Coil over shocks for rear?

[Happiours]

I just got a 2000 Civic EX coupe 5 spd 140,000 miles from a family member. It needs shocks and tires right away. What is the value or advantage of coil-over shocks in the rear versus OEM shocks?

I plan to keep the car for 2 years before selling to my grandson, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on street racing type performance products. Also are thicker anti-sway bars recommended for better cornering stability.

Not sure if I want to spend the money on upgrading to 16" 45 profile tires, but it would enhance the look and might handle better. Any suggestions? It is a clean palette but a somewhat limited budget.

 

[mc360]

Coilovers are only if you want to lower the car and have a decent ride and have adjustability. Function and form type 1 or some Blackworks full coilovers won't break the bank and would be decent, you could also go the koni yellow and ground control sleeves but then you will want extended top hats also. 16 inch wheels will perform a ton better then the stock 14" wheels and something like drag wheels won't break the bank and look decent. I got my set of 15" drag and 4 195/50/15 for about 700$ all together

 

[HeX]

I just got a 2000 Civic EX coupe 5 spd 140,000 miles from a family member. It needs shocks and tires right away. What is the value or advantage of coil-over shocks in the rear versus OEM shocks?

I plan to keep the car for 2 years before selling to my grandson, so I don't want to spend a lot of money on street racing type performance products. Also are thicker anti-sway bars recommended for better cornering stability.

First of all, do NOT only replace the rear struts. The fronts will follow soon enough, thus you'd have to pay labor a 2nd time. Being that you're not interested in street performance, dont bother considering coilovers as a reputable set will cost at least $600-$650 (Tein). I would suggest Koni Str.T struts and Tein H-tech springs which should run you less than $500 shipped. That set-up will provide a subtle 1-inch drop and ride extremely well and tighter on corners while not causing any rubbing issues on any rim 16" or below.

As for an anti-sway bar, I'd suggest finding a used (upper) strut bar from an Si model. Its cheaper than any solid quality strut bar (avoid no-name ebay bars) and will do a fine job for your needs. All you'll have to do is drill holes to bolt it up, but the marks for the holes are already there from factory.

Not sure if I want to spend the money on upgrading to 16" 45 profile tires, but it would enhance the look and might handle better. Any suggestions? It is a clean palette but a somewhat limited budget.

You wont notice any better handling by going up to a 16" rims unless you go for a wider profile tires, but you can do the same on a 15" rim. 16-inch rims are as big as you should go on this generation Civic. I believe they look and fit the wheel well perfectly, but 15" rims look good as well. Its really your preference at that point.

 

[mc360]

First of all, do NOT only replace the rear struts. The fronts will follow soon enough, thus you'd have to pay labor a 2nd time. Being that you're not interested in street performance, dont bother considering coilovers as a reputable set will cost at least $600-$650 (Tein). I would suggest Koni Str.T struts and Tein H-tech springs which should run you less than $500 shipped. That set-up will provide a subtle 1-inch drop and ride extremely well and tighter on corners while not causing any rubbing issues on any rim 16" or below.

As for an anti-sway bar, I'd suggest finding a used (upper) strut bar from an Si model. Its cheaper than any solid quality strut bar (avoid no-name ebay bars) and will do a fine job for your needs. All you'll have to do is drill holes to bolt it up, but the marks for the holes are already there from factory.



You wont notice any better handling by going up to a 16" rims unless you go for a wider profile tires, but you can do the same on a 15" rim. 16-inch rims are as big as you should go on this generation Civic. I believe they look and fit the wheel well perfectly, but 15" rims look good as well. Its really your preference at that point.

I believe he is talking sway bars not strut bars, if your going to install a sway bar just get a used em1 rear sway bar and an asr subframe brace. From what I read to large of a rear sway bar causes understeer so you might want to do some reading and figure out what your goals are.

 

[HeX]

I believe he is talking sway bars not strut bars, if your going to install a sway bar just get a used em1 rear sway bar and an asr subframe brace. From what I read to large of a rear sway bar causes understeer so you might want to do some reading and figure out what your goals are.

I shouldve specified further that I purposely ignored the suggestion of an aftermarket front sway bar because I believe EXs already have one from factory as does my HX. A rear sway bar wouldnt make much sense for a non-performance set-up. We'll need some further clarification from Happiours goals.

 

[mc360]

Ya I wouldn't swap the front sway bar if you already have one, like you said si,ex and hx all have sway bars up front. I was under the impression sway bars also help keep the car going straight under windy conditions, I hate being in small cars getting blown around looking like I'm drunk or something