Which honda/Acura handles best?

[shouldabotahonda]

I know the S2000 and the NSX are gods when it comes to handling, but for us small people down here, which platform is the best for handling? Driving through the apex as fast as you can, and huggin them outside barriers is my kind of racing. 1/4 mile runs just dont do it for me. My tax returns are comin up soon and Im divin into the honda scene head first. But I just need a little insight as to whats good and whats not. Ive seen alot of track setups for EG hatches, and DC2's. Are these typically the the better platforms to choose from? Do EJ's not not handle as well as the hatch? Because of it's coupe design? or weight? And what about older platforms, EF hatches, and DA's. Can they handle the turns? Sorry, Im kind of a newb to the whole honda thing, but im hoping to change that. Any insight would be greatly appreciated...:smileyR:

[Jstarda9]

So I am guessing you are asking about 90's vehicles correct? If you don't need something with a little more comfort stick with an EG or EK.. If you want something with a bit of comfort stick with a DC..It really comes down to the suspension you put on it. Now a days you can buy great suspension for not that much...With that you can pretty much make a civic/integra handle to your taste... I have rode in a DC with all suspension mods you can think of and that thing was a beast...If I were you I would buy something with a decent Vtec motor that way you can mod it to make it quick without worrying about a swap I.e. GSR or 99-00 SI..Throw some coilovers, front and rear bars and some good track tires and call it a day.

[shouldabotahonda]

Ya comfort really isnt an Issue, I have a daily driver (Focus), Im just lookin for somethin that I can tear up the mountains in and do some Trackin with... And I would love A GSR, but A lil out of my price range. Everyone whos got one, babys the thing and wants top dollar for it. Which I understand, its a nice car. So the SI coupes... They handle just as well as a hatch would?... and 92-95 coupes, they handle just as well?... And just one more question... EF's w a swap. Ive been lookin round and Ive seen a few w a B16a swap for decent prices. Is that a good choice? EG's are my fav by far, its just soooo hard to find a clean one these days. Everyones scoopin em up...

[Jstarda9]

Ya comfort really isnt an Issue, I have a daily driver (Focus), Im just lookin for somethin that I can tear up the mountains in and do some Trackin with... And I would love A GSR, but A lil out of my price range. Everyone whos got one, babys the thing and wants top dollar for it. Which I understand, its a nice car. So the SI coupes... They handle just as well as a hatch would?... and 92-95 coupes, they handle just as well?... And just one more question... EF's w a swap. Ive been lookin round and Ive seen a few w a B16a swap for decent prices. Is that a good choice? EG's are my fav by far, its just soooo hard to find a clean one these days. Everyones scoopin em up...

A hatch IMO would be the best way to go...Ef's are cool but the feel or the car sucks.. A lot of things weren't used back then..For instance they have the MPFI which IMO sucks balls and the suspension on those cars sucks.. If you do get an EF I would get a swapped one like you stated B16 at least...That way you have some power to work with... Last thing you want is a 100hp car trying to go down the track haha... If you do find an EG at least look for something with a 1.6 SOHC vtec motor.. Little things are great... Another member in here ran the shit out of his Eg with that same motor all the time

[Jstarda9]

Only upside on an EF would be that parts are cheaper compared to a 94 and up Integra or 92 and up civic

[Jason.AZ1]

My vote goes to a 96-00 coupe or hatch, Im a big guy and I feel
like I have the most room in a ek compared to a eg,ef,dc.

With some full body coilovers, sway bars, bushings etc...
the ek's handle great. Also the em1(si) has better suspension
stock compared to a 96-00 coupe and hatch.

[Jstarda9]

My vote goes to a 96-00 coupe or hatch, Im a big guy and I feel
like I have the most room in a ek compared to a eg,ef,dc.

With some full body coilovers, sway bars, bushings etc...
the ek's handle great. Also the em1(si) has better suspension
stock compared to a 96-00 coupe and hatch.

Youre telling me.. I'm 250 5'11 picture me getting in and out of my s2000 hahaha

[Jason.AZ1]

Youre telling me.. I'm 250 5'11 picture me getting in and out of my s2000 hahaha

wtf lmao fuck that I like the s2k but I'm 280-290 and 5'11
but I sat in a s2k at the dealership and said fuck that.
S2k is not big kid friendly, I didn't even want to drive it.

[Jstarda9]

wtf lmao fuck that I like the s2k but I'm 280-290 and 5'11
but I sat in a s2k at the dealership and said fuck that.
S2k is not big kid friendly, I didn't even want to drive it.

Well I was 205 when I first bought it so it wasn't bad...The bigger I got the more I felt the sides of the seats digging in...It sucks but what can I do haha

[Jason.AZ1]

Well I was 205 when I first bought it so it wasn't bad...The bigger I got the more I felt the sides of the seats digging in...It sucks but what can I do haha

Sell it and buy a tl,tsx,accord which are big kid friendly lol just playing haha

[BlueTeg]

Your question is kind of broad.
That's like asking what' the best motor to road race or drag race. There are an infinite number of "right" answers.

It really depends on your budget, experience, etc.

[imm0rtal]

I say it all depends on your driving style. By the sounds of it, you like carrying speed through turns and the thrill of being right there on the edge but not quite over. If that's an accurate assessment I'm gonna go ahead and say get a del sol. Most people will disagree, but hear me out. They're not nearly as heavy as people think, so if you maybe put a 1.8 or 2.0L motor in it you will have a corner monster. The suspension from the factory is soft and utterly useless, but with a good set of midrange coilovers you will have a ton of fun in this car. Throw in some swaybars, strut tower bars and other typical suspension mods and I think the right driver could keep up with an NSX or S2K in corners. They're great cars, and usually underestimated so you could try something unique? I dunno man, it's up to you but I have had a lot of fun in my del slo :thumbsup:

[Jstarda9]

lol @ focus


What's LOL about a focus? The thread was 100% legit until your comment.

Thanks

[*inFamous*]

I honestly have loved every DC2 chassis i've been in on track.

But a EF thats gutted with a baddass set of coilovers/tires = awesome!

[Nachooooosupreme]

4ws ftw!!

[azracer41]

I honestly have loved every DC2 chassis i've been in on track.

But a EF thats gutted with a baddass set of coilovers/tires = awesome!

agreed gutted crx with good tires and suspension=:drive:

[shouldabotahonda]

Ya Ive heard that the Em1 Si is a very good handling car. I dunno I just stand there and look at em and its very deceiving... Lol. I dunno what it is about em. To me they look like whales... Alot of guys, especially my roomie (who owns an 11 sec eg drag car, and an DD ek), are tellin me to go EG hatch. Which im starting to sway towards... Im just a big fan of old skool... Ya know I forgot about the crx. I know its based off of the Ef chassis right? So is the suspension setup similar? I mean I know every car benefits from a good set of coilovers, and some thick swaybars, Im just makin sure that when I buy, I buy for a legitimate reason, and its goin to be somethin that I stick w for awhile...

[topramn]

lol @ focus

What's LOL about a focus? The thread was 100% legit until your comment.

Thanks

I'm with J. This was 100% legit till you came in here. Now your post will be gone. Kbye.

[Agent Smith]

Any 94+ 5speed integra with proper suspension & tires will be fun & isn't that much $. Hatches & civic coupes are lighter & fun as well, but not that much fun without a dohc swap imo.

[Dead Bird]

I'm with J. This was 100% legit till you came in here. Now your post will be gone. Kbye.

I don't remember typing that.
Oh well.

[imm0rtal]

To answer the OPs question, the Integra Type R is known for being one of the best handling FWD cars ever produced. That having been said, but a Teg/EG and put some ITR stuff on it lol

[LoooseGSR]

To answer the OPs question, the Integra Type R is known for being one of the best handling FWD cars ever produced. That having been said, but a Teg/EG and put some ITR stuff on it lol

I think a more appropriate statement is the ITR 'IS' the best handling FWD car.

The nice thing about Honda's, is that essentially any Civic from 92-00 and Integra from 90-01, can interchange parts. Easily and cheaply, although the EF's are retro cool, I will NEVER own one again, they are a very difficult car to work on, the OBD0 can be problematic, and at this point, the NEWEST EF is nearly 20 years old. Many have been severely abused and parts are definately NOT easy to find anymore.

Go with an EG/DC with a DOHC swap and you'll love it. And no you don't need VTEC.

[BlueTeg]

This thread is brimming with tech!! So glad we revived it.

[894ws]

if youve ever ridden in a 3gen prelude with four wheel steering? its hella fun imo i havnt drivven another stock car of those years that can out handle it the only downside is their is hardly andy aftermarket support for it

[EFfective]

A hatch IMO would be the best way to go...Ef's are cool but the feel or the car sucks.. A lot of things weren't used back then..For instance they have the MPFI which IMO sucks balls and the suspension on those cars sucks.. If you do get an EF I would get a swapped one like you stated B16 at least...That way you have some power to work with... Last thing you want is a 100hp car trying to go down the track haha... If you do find an EG at least look for something with a 1.6 SOHC vtec motor.. Little things are great... Another member in here ran the shit out of his Eg with that same motor all the time

wtf are you talking about? i'm unclear as to what you think "sucks balls" about the obd0 mpfi, the fact that they used low impedance injectors or what?

EF's use the same rear suspension as any DA, DC, EG or EK and the only difference in the front suspension is the EF's and DA's use a radius arm and single pivot lca vs the dual pivot lca's used by the DC's, EG's & EK's. so what exactly "sucks" about the suspension on those cars that is so much better on a different chassis?

[LoooseGSR]

a 100 HP car is EXACTLY what you want when you are learning to drive on track, too much power equals too high of a learning curve. Go with something simple and build from there, just to get in a hurry to build a track monster, as you'll never really learn how to drive it at the limit and changes you make you won't have anything to base it on. When you can honestly sit back and say "it won't go any faster", and can explain WHY it won't. THEN you can start changing things.

[ICD]

if youve ever ridden in a 3gen prelude with four wheel steering? its hella fun imo i havnt drivven another stock car of those years that can out handle it the only downside is their is hardly andy aftermarket support for it

This.
But the 4th gen prelude was one of the best handling car out at it's time.

[BlueTeg]

http://wiki.urbandead.com/images/4/45/Beat_Dead_Horse.jpg

[PhoenixR]

most likely this:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1d/Rubens_barrichello_waves_to_crowd_-_08_Melb_GP.jpg/800px-Rubens_barrichello_waves_to_crowd_-_08_Melb_GP.jpg

some people still prefer the EF to the abovementioned honda, so i guess it all boils down to personal preference.

[d16crx]

the crx si is the best imo!!

[LoooseGSR]

This.
But the 4th gen prelude was one of the best handling car out at it's time.

I'm willing to bet you've never been on track, and until you take a car to at least 7 or 8/10th's, you really can't gauge it as the 'best handling' car out there, even for it's time, the Prelude was underpowered, over weight and awkward, that's why Honda killed it.

[crayzd]

So I am guessing you are asking about 90's vehicles correct? If you don't need something with a little more comfort stick with an EG or EK.. If you want something with a bit of comfort stick with a DC..It really comes down to the suspension you put on it. Now a days you can buy great suspension for not that much...With that you can pretty much make a civic/integra handle to your taste... I have rode in a DC with all suspension mods you can think of and that thing was a beast...If I were you I would buy something with a decent Vtec motor that way you can mod it to make it quick without worrying about a swap I.e. GSR or 99-00 SI..Throw some coilovers, front and rear bars and some good track tires and call it a day.

I agree. I have a 96 EK and the stock suspension vs the complete change-out I did is night and day different. I put the parts on the car that I wanted based on how much I budgeted and how I wanted the car to handle. I wanted just a bit of adjustment on stiffness and I wanted it to be AutoX cabable (not slammed down to the bump stops). I did shocks, struts, sways, strut bars tie bars and during the process replaced all of the factory connects and pieces of the suspension that were still on the car with new ones. You can get the affordable cars to handle well, you just need to plan it out and get advice. I also owned a 92 Prelude Si (H23) and those handle pretty good factory but they are heavy.

[shouldabotahonda]

First, I want to thank everyone for there advice. There is really alot of good stuff here... I bought a car. Not necessarily what I wanted, but it was my second choice, so I went w it (had a deal goin for a teg, but it fell through). I bought a 91 civic Si. Not the best, I know, but Im gonna start there (and its in the best condition ive ever seen one). Im gonna take some advice from people Ive been talkin to, and start slow. Get some AutoX'in under my belt, and then get a lil faster for the full road coarses... While Im havin fun w this guy, Im gonna save, and build either an EG or a GSR...

Anywho, so I have a D16a6... 100 horsepower. Im on tokiko blues, skunk 2 coil sleeves. Wantin some ideas on "key parts of the trade". Im gonna do some small power upgrades, just to get things flowin better (intake, TB, Intake manifold, full exhaust), but then I wanna concentrate on Suspension and T/W setup. Now I know TEIN or Bilstein are some very good coilovers, and Enkei RPF1's are one of the lightest wheels made, but is all that neccessary? Im not exactly a baller, so Im lookin for some alternatives.... Are Ksports or Function and form Full coilovers any good?(other suggestions?) And I was lookin to go with a 15x7 wheel w a 205/50/15 tire. Is that a bad setup? Is there somethin Else I should be lookin for? Opinions welcomed

[civil]

early 90's si hatch are a great platform. This guy dominates with his. When you get out to the local AutoX events. Pick this guy's brain, his name is Britt Dollmeyer. :thumbup:

http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj68/vexcivil/AutoX/DSC_4454.jpg

[burleigh]

ef hatch handles like dreams around turn and mountains mine i can do 100 down the mountain and it handles like your crusing at 35 all the way

[ILIKETODRIVE]

/\ Ignore the post above me please /\

Tire Rack sells TRMotorsports (Tire Rack Motorsports) wheels for VERY cheap. Click here for link. (http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/results.jsp?filterSize=All&filterFinish=All&filterBrand=TRMotorsport&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&autoMake=Honda&autoModel=Civic+Si+Hatchback&autoYear=1991&autoModClar=&sort=Brand) They are 15x7, +42 offset and are $89 each.

As far as tires, I would go with 205/50-15 Kumho XS. They are almost the cheapest UHP street tire and are > Falken Azenis.

Suspension.....what you have right now is pretty awful. I would save up and get KSports. Bang for the buck, you really can't do much better.

As far as power mods go, I would do some sort of intake (probably AEM CAI), go get yourself an intake manifold and throttle body from a 92-95 Civic EX or Si (D16Z6 engine), get a DC Sports or some other 4-1 header (pain to install on an EF but better than 4-2-1 IMO), and just have someone weld up a 2" or 2.25" exhaust.

[civil]

/\ Ignore the post above me please /\ <--- Yes ignore Burleigh's useless post.

Tire Rack sells TRMotorsports (Tire Rack Motorsports) wheels for VERY cheap. Click here for link. (http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/results.jsp?filterSize=All&filterFinish=All&filterBrand=TRMotorsport&filterSpecial=false&filterNew=All&autoMake=Honda&autoModel=Civic+Si+Hatchback&autoYear=1991&autoModClar=&sort=Brand) They are 15x7, +42 offset and are $89 each.

As far as tires, I would go with 205/50-15 Kumho XS. They are almost the cheapest UHP street tire and are > Falken Azenis.

Suspension.....what you have right now is pretty awful. I would save up and get KSports. Bang for the buck, you really can't do much better.

As far as power mods go, I would do some sort of intake (probably AEM CAI), go get yourself an intake manifold and throttle body from a 92-95 Civic EX or Si (D16Z6 engine), get a DC Sports or some other 4-1 header (pain to install on an EF but better than 4-2-1 IMO), and just have someone weld up a 2" or 2.25" exhaust.

Totally agree on the tire's. If you can spend the extra $40 I'd get Dunlop Star Spec's > Kumho's but again, if your working on a budget, that $40 can go towards suspension parts.

The autoX guys really love koni's for shocks. I have a set of Koni yellows with Ground Control(Eibach) coilover set-up ( My Coilover's (http://www.ground-control-store.com/products/description.php/II=681/CA=71) ) and it's a great ride and awesome handling and I run a 4dr EJ6. Spring rate's are not the best for that coilover set-up though. Personally you'd want a higher spring rate > buying sway bars. But you compromise ride quality for DD'ing. If you can handle it... Spring rate>Sways.

[shouldabotahonda]

^^^ That car looks great! Hes got those RPF1's on there I see... So is that tie and wheel size the best thing to go with? (15x7 205/50 15) For my DD setup, I have some 15x7.5 +30 offset, with some 195/50 15 tires (prob going to go down to a 45 series because they rub). I couldnt run that setup, for the track could I?

[civil]

I'm currently running 15x7 +42 with 205/50-15. And it's so far the only set-up i've had on the car, so I can't really compare with this vehicle. It's worked really well so far though. No complaints yet, minus my poor tire selection. And I don't have any rubbing issues. Rubbing=bad in racing.

[EnjoiKOREA]

ef hatch handles like dreams around turn and mountains mine i can do 100 down the mountain and it handles like your crusing at 35 all the way

o rly?

[ILIKETODRIVE]

If you search under any older Miata on Tire Rack, you'll find the TRM wheels I'm running: 15x7.5 +42. They're only $99 each.

I agree with the Koni/GC setup. Heck (to save money) he could prob even start with the janky S2 'coilovers' he has now and just get stiffer springs from Eibach/GC when he wants to.

[shouldabotahonda]

If you search under any older Miata on Tire Rack, you'll find the TRM wheels I'm running: 15x7.5 +42. They're only $99 each.

I agree with the Koni/GC setup. Heck (to save money) he could prob even start with the janky S2 'coilovers' he has now and just get stiffer springs from Eibach/GC when he wants to.

Thats funny you say that bout the springs. I was just lookin at the eibach springs.

And I went to tire rack and saw the wheels. They look good! And only 13lbs, not bad. A damn good price too...

Running that 205/50 15 tire, would there be a distinct advantage to running a 7.5 in wheel versus just a 7? Does that extra 1/2 inch give it a bigger footprint? I know bigger footprint means more contact which = better traction... IS there a downside? Im prob gonna go with those wheels. For the price cant beat it. Just gotta make up the mind on which size.

[civil]

A 7.5" wide wheel would be good with that tire. Possibly someone with a 7.5" wheel can chime in... but any rubbing issues at full lock? or even 80-90% rotation?

"IF" you go with springs for a stiffer spring rate, just remember you ride "quality" for any kind of DD goes out the window. Hopefully the shocks on those S2 coilovers will help the ride.

[Agent Smith]

for a $100 a wheel just get some rota 15x8's then some 225 tires to match. on a 205 tire a 7" wheel is golden. A 7.5 or 8" wide wheel really benefits with a 225 tire, but then your really only looking at R-comps in that size... you can also squeeze a 225 onto a 7" wheel if that's all you have to work with. I'm not really sure how the 7.5" or 8" wide wheels fit on ef's, I'm sure it'd be fine in the rear (obviously some fender rolling required though), but idk about the front of ef's...

& x3 on the koni/gc combo. I have 3 sets for all 3 of my honda's. You can play with spring rates & sway bars depending on what you have. If your getting serious about auto-x I always recommend some kind of rear sway at least an oem 13mm, if you can get an itr or other 22mm+ rear sway for cheap pick that up, you won't regret it unless it causes too much over steer without the power to pull out of it, which at 100hp might be the case...

[roadracehonda]

crx or hatch

[*inFamous*]

crx or hatch

useful post?

[roadracehonda]

sorry, didn't state why. lol. due to the weight. nothing like whipping around corners in a car that barely weighs 1800lbs.