I'll be honest, I booked these in last year around black friday time as I was wanting some better suspension. 

 

I found the OEM setup far too high, far too unsure and when paired with H&R springs, it overcame the aesthetic issue and eliminated a tiny bit of body roll, but was still very crashy (maybe even more so than before).

 

Added a whiteline 24mm adjustable rear ARB (for sale BTW ) and that was a huge improvement to turn in, but the ride just got to me after a while. It felt stuck in the middle - wasn't comfortable but wasn't sharp or performance orientated either.

 

I put an order in for some B14 Bilsteins, but some reviews made me question this choice. They dropped only a bit lower than the H&R and at this height, they're maxed out and therefore the ride suffers. So I cancelled that order (with a well known garage only minutes away) and spoke to Alex at AKS tuning (3 hrs away). He convinced me that H&R monotubes were much better, they drop more, are less bouncy and are a very capable set of suspension. However they're a good few quid more than the B14. After a couple of chats with owners who have the H&R I was convinced and put an order in. 

While the car was on the ramps etc I thought I might as well get a set of H&R uprated roll bars (28mm front and 26mm rear) too, to match.

 

Anyway, after a few rescheduled appts due to covid - I went over and had them all fitted. I admit I was a little apprehensive still, thinking I might have completely ruined the 'dad bus' and would be bouncing all the way home.

 

But!

 

I couldn't have been more wrong. Just wow, the ride is actually better than it was when it was on the OEM shocks and H&R springs. I cannot believe how much these upgrades have improved the whole car.

 

Steering - bit heavier and much nicer feel to it. A lot more confident/connected feeling

Turn in - think it's more to do with the ARB's but wow, you throw this in corners now and it does exactly what you tell it to. No disappointing understeer, rolling around in my seat, leaning on my door for support or anything like that anymore.

Ride comfort - obviously it's no limousine, the car sits pretty low but the damping and the springs are matched up so I can feel that it's doing what it should. Yes, down a bumpy b road you are going to feel how firm it is, but it's not as bad than being flung around like before. On the motorway and A roads drive home, it was perfect. Feels so planted and still a compliant/comfortable drive, for sure.

Grip - the car now grips much better. No crazy banging or spinning when putting your foot down. The tyres stay rooted to the ground and it's massively better

Acceleration/braking - braking is improved and more surprisingly, acceleration feels much better too and a lot smoother

Looks - I've had them set to have the arches sit on top of the tyre (235 35 19). there's plenty more to go, but I don't want to rip my mudflaps or expensive splitter off!

 

I've since taken the wheels off and coated the bodies and springs in ACF50 - to keep away the corrosion from UK rain, winters and road salt.

 

So, would I recommend them? Absolutely 100%. They're expensive but for me, on a car of this age it's still a small fraction of the cost of the car (man maths) so it's not bad at all!

 

If you're going to be fully loading your car with kids and luggage, maybe not such a good idea. But for folk who want their car to perform as it (really) should, then do it. It's so much more fun.

 

 

Edited 26 March, 20215 yr by DC04R

Wish I’d not read this after almost convincing myself that I don’t need coilovers 😂 but I completely agree with the H&R Spring and OEM setup you describe, it’s not great and sometimes on a bumpy B road (Northumberland’s are getting really bad) I find I have to hold back as the car bounces about. 
 

Yours is sitting perfect now, and a really sound review of the whole experience 👍. 

Edited 26 March, 20215 yr by Towelie

Glad it's not just me. Found the oem shocks terrible. It's not as crashy as my last fn2 civic though. They are ridiculously harsh. 

 

2 hours ago, DC04R said:

Glad it's not just me. Found the oem shocks terrible. It's not as crashy as my last fn2 civic though. They are ridiculously harsh. 

Yeah the OEM are just a bit too crashy, the shocks behave in a weird manner with too much travel unsettling the car on uneven roads. How’s the coilovers going? No squeaks or rattles from them?

10 hours ago, Towelie said:

 

Yeah the OEM are just a bit too crashy, the shocks behave in a weird manner with too much travel unsettling the car on uneven roads. How’s the coilovers going? No squeaks or rattles from them?

 

Nope no squeaks, knocks or rattles at all. I'd have taken it back if they did, I'm super OCD!

 

Go down a bumpy road and you'll know you're on them - it's not crashy though, just firm. Apart from that you wouldn't really tell at all, except for when you give it some stick and it's all so much better.

my droplinks went about a month after my arb upgrade - think it was the extra stress through them due to better cornering i was enjoying

She looks awesome! 

On 30/03/2021 at 13:32, fr1nklyn said:

She looks awesome! 

 

Cheers it drives so well too. Amazing what a few mm more drop does to the looks though.

On 02/04/2021 at 21:17, DC04R said:

 

Cheers it drives so well too. Amazing what a few mm more drop does to the looks though.

DC, do the H&R’s come with any damping adjustability?

9 hours ago, Towelie said:

DC, do the H&R’s come with any damping adjustability?

 

No mate just height. Oem top mounts used too