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Converting civic coilovers
Topic Started: Nov 16 2015, 06:31 PM (2,423 Views)
Cofi
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I searched but couldn't really find anything that was newer then ten years old

I believe this can be done with some modifications to my exsisting shocks?

What do I have to do?
What model year civic?
What spring rates do I want?
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evmetro


You might check over on a Honda forum. They may have a better idea of what kind of coil over conversion you are thinking about doing. From what I have seen, there are probably coil overs that will bolt right onto your civic.
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iamgeo
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Big League

Civic coilovers for the metro?
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t3ragtop
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker

not to be an ass, but if you don't already know what you need to do to modify honda suspension parts to fit your metro, you probably shouldn't. :whistle

if you are hell bent on pressing forward, i can give you and idea of what you want as far as spring rates. i'm currently running 350 pound springs on the front end of my red twincam vert and 450 pound springs on the rear. those spring rates might be on the high side for a 3 banger. a 56hp g10 would never come close to pressing the limitations of even a more modestly tuned suspension.

to do this with any success you will need to replace every suspension bushing on the car with hard polyurethane bushings, in the range of 80a shore hardness.

to adapt the rear suspension you will need to torch out the strut tunnels to make room for the coil overs. you have to remove the strut tunnel covers in the wheel well, open up the steel in the trunk area, and do major metal work at the top where the struts mount.

the major modifications to the rear of the car means that you can't go back. if you cock up the work the car will be done for.

anyway, it's not like you are just going to buy a $300 coil over kit for a honda and bolt it onto your metro. ;)

i'd suggest that you follow the suspension tuning as done by snowfish, mancuso, macuser, solerpower, and myself. these suspension setups are more than hot enough for a metro with more reasonable modifications as far as expense and execution are concerned. :deal
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geopat


I think he is asking what coilovers from a civic wound fit on a metro. As far as I remember people were running coil over sleeves on the geo/swift chassis but there where no full bolt on set ups. There was also a thread on teamswift about using suburu shocks on a rally swift.
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t3ragtop
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker

pat, that's what i got from his post, too. he wanted to know what civic coil overs to buy to use on his metro.

i had a hot bits coil over set for the suzuki sf413 chassis about 6 years ago. it was about $2000 plus freight from asia. even at that it was coil overs for the front position and replacement struts and springs for the rear end (because as i said above, real coil overs on the rear requires heavy modification to the strut tunnel and upper mount.)

the guys in australia and n zed modify koni front struts for the swift but have run into problems with the stack height being too high making upper strut mounts using spherical bearings on solid plates a necessity.

i've seen a couple of swifts over the years that were built on coil overs but they were all out cost is no object custom cars that cost tens of thousands to build. one memorable vert had been converted to run a 4 wheel drive cultus drive line and it was actually easier to convert to coil overs than a 2 wheel drive cultus/ swift.
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geopat


Richard you beat me to the punch last night lol

A hotbits setup would be great to have I have just never been able to drop that much on my geo yet.

A while ago i came across a UK retailer that sold steel coilover sleeves that I was thinking of welding to a gutted stock strut and running a koni inset but the company wasn't willing to ship them to canada.

I have a set of koni coilovers in my shed I found a few years ago that I need to get springs for and learn how to set up properly so I can put them in my current car. Maybe by palooza next year.
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t3ragtop
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker

pat, dattman is the best bet for the koni coil over mod. he has done the numbers on getting the stack height correct.

there's a for sale thread over at teamswift that has a pair of used noltec upper mounts to go with your konis. ;)
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geopat


Thanks richard I will have to see if I can find some posts from him or contact him directly.

I saw those I just sent him a PM to see if they are still available :) That turbo kit is tempting me too lol
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Cofi
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geopat
Nov 16 2015, 07:45 PM
I think he is asking what coilovers from a civic wound fit on a metro. As far as I remember people were running coil over sleeves on the geo/swift chassis but there where no full bolt on set ups. There was also a thread on teamswift about using suburu shocks on a rally swift.
This is what I was talking about I wanted to put some $200 ground control coilover sleeves on it

There is no way I would spend $2000 for suspension on a car with 50hp :)

I wanted something slightly less ghetto then cutting springs if I can link to another forum I can post an old thread from 2004 talking about it but all the pictures are dead
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t3ragtop
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Turbo3 and Twincam Tweaker

sure, post the link. ;)
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geopat


Personally for $200 I would just pick up a set of after market springs. If your looking to go slammed these are not the right car
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Cofi
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t3ragtop
Nov 18 2015, 08:07 PM
sure, post the link. ;)
http://www.teamswift.net/viewtopic.php?t=7678

It looks fairly involved I was hoping it was common here and someone would post up pics but it dosent seem that way I may just buy springs .....so it looks like the maximum drop without major modifications is like 2"?

If so that sucks it has room to drop like 4. You would think with this chassis as prolific as it is some business would have jumped on a cheap suspension option
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geopat


Here is a pic of g13b destroyers car from way back
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It was alot of work and the pipe extension on the front strut towers looked really sketchy.

He had to do the same thing as t3ragtop mention in the rear with cutting out the inside or the wheel well which can be seen in this picture.
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From the reading I have done going any lower then two inchs on these car messes with the roll centre and causes lots of bump steer. the control arm geometry is designed. to slope down from the frame to the knuckle once you lower it the control arm is now sitting flat any lower and it will start to be angled up toward the knuckle.
This is why you see things like drop spindles for a lot of the popular mini trucks and vans/ volkswagens and there are some replacement taller ball joints for some honda applications.

I am in no way a suspension expert this is just what I have gathered reading into the subject in the hopes of one day being able to figure out and build something interesting.
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Otey13
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Geo Nerd

Ok well just my 2 cents. Cutting the coils is not ghetto. I cut 1 coil off all four of the ones off of a 98 Metro. I have no measuring equipment, but just pushing down by hand the 98's seem to be firmer than the ones off my 93. Don't know if that's because the 95+ are heaver. First off. I think its what you want to spend for $ on a suspension. When I did mine I ordered all new bushings, I was also adding front and rear sway bars. Bars came off of a 89 GTI. Also added front and rear top strut tower braces off of a 92 GT. Put in newish kyb's. If you are looking for ride and not as much body roll. I would go this route I have noticed a big difference. Mine is not slammed, but you get the general idea. Everything I have done as for my suspension I received off of this forum. Most members would tell you the same not unless you have a wad of $. I like the stance of my Metro and I didn't have to put alot of $ to do it.
Good luck!
Otey

Pic with the 14in wheels on.

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