[Norcalrallyist]

Hey the neon post is stirring up alot of the same questions that I have about Hondas durabily etc and suspension options. Has anyone had problems with durability resulting in replacing the front suspension etc on their Honda? Any cracking etc going on up there? Also why dont more people decide to race Hondas? It seemed like a good idea to me. I mean besides slim availability of rally parts, which seems like less and less of a problem everyday, whats the downside of honda? They are cheap, the engine can really take a beating, there are millions of them around and if you are looking for cheap power I dont think youll find cheaper. With all the engine swaps available for civics you can swap in a advertised hp rating of like 137-190 and thats supposedly stock parts etc. Anyways what are the Honda people doing and how is it working out for them? I said the H word!

 

[Over Exposure Racing]

I love my Honda and have found it stupid reliable but we built all the typical parts others buy so did not have to deal with the avaliability issues. Also mine is a mid 80's Accord.

From my experiance with the car prior to turning it into a rally car, they are not nearly as ridged as some other makes so reinforcing the car is a must. We simply built a very thorough cage in it and have had no problems.

Bradney A. Boli
Over Exposure Racing
Honda Accord #311

 

[MatKobernick]

I have an 89 Civic Si yet to race. I got it from someone else who has raced it for a few years. I find there are tons of parts to boost power and drive train. Suspension is not that hard to find, I know dms makes Civic rally coilsovers. Dont forget that there are more aftermarket parts for honda civic than any other import out there. plus again the engine swaps, the all might honda JDM B series engine could make the car quite fast. YOu can get LSD as well, I dont see why a Civic could not match a Rabit or golf from the same year.

 

[Chris Powell]

>Dont forget that there are more aftermarket parts for honda
>civic than any other import out there.

That's debatable...when it comes to rally, there is WWAAAAYYY more knowledge and aftermarket parts available for VW, both for performance and rally related stuff. Knowledge is key...I've found a couple of VW mentors who know rallying and who know VW's, and it has been priceless...as for Honda, well, there's Brad, who's very helpful, thanks Brad, but I ran into many snags trying to build up the Civic that I just don't find with the VW, thanks Mark, Keith, Chris, etc, etc.


>I dont see why a Civic could not match a Rabit or golf from the same year.

Again, debatable. Any car could be beefed up enough to beat any other car. Remember, it's 50% mental, 30% skill, and 20% the car itself and how you build it up. Some drivers could win a rally in a Golf (it's been done) beating Subies, Mitsus, etc.

CP
Desert Storm Rally
A2 Jetta #305

 

[John Cassidy]

Feel free to peruse our site. www.lastditchracing.net. We've been racing a CRX for the last 3-4 years. Aftermarket rally parts are few and far between for the Honda, but the huge aftermarket makes it possible to find what you need or modify a part to work.

I cannot fault the reliability of Honda parts. We have never had a mechanical problem with our car. There are other older civics and CRXs out there rallying as well.

Cheers! John

 

[Norcalrallyist]

Which aftermarket parts is everyone else buying that you guys are making? You guys arent breaking any suspension parts? And as for the VW guys which rally parts are available for VW besides struts?

 

[MatKobernick]

I new I would get bashed for that VW remark. But what do you meen by rally parts?

 

[MatKobernick]

and, I agree VW golfs can be fast as hell. But people can do this because the golf is allot more used for rally in europe and north america compared to the civic. I dont think this is because its a better car, but because it is from europe? Remeber I am not talking about late 90's cars.

 

[Chris Powell]

Don't get me wrong, I wasn't bashing, just pointing out the expansive rally knowledge that is available for VWs and rather void for Honda. I agree that Honda is an awesome product, there is just more for VW...rally on with the Civics, I'd love to see more of them...just more for me to beat! :7 :7 :7

CP
Desert Storm Rally
A2 Jetta #305

 

[Steven D Perret]

I have been racing Honda's since way before they got tagged with the image they currently own.
http://www.chuckanutscc.org/mtbaker01/image/089.jpg
It?s unfortunate that I will have to overcome the ricer image, but I don?t have a problem relying on the performance of a Honda.
I am also in the process of a 90 Si HB build up. I have no concerns about the chassis strength since I am having Cascade Autosport do the cage and seem welding, however..... I am concerned about the strength of the front spindle assy and ball joints! Only time well tell.. I do plan to manufacture some key suspension components both front and rear, I also plan to box-in my rear control arms. I can only hope that I do not DNF because of weak parts in the suspension. I'll just have to see how it shakes out.
I do not want to get into any kind of one is better than the other regarding the VW an Honda's, I dig both cars and plan to buy the 24v 6spd gti when it comes out this summer!! I just picked the Honda because it was available to me and they have never let me down.

 

[Best12345]

I am building a G2 94 Honda Civic hatchback, and do think it is a good way to go. Like the VW it is cheap and plentiful. Although we don't have as many off-road parts, we do have a lot more for anything else. Besides suspension, lots of them can serve double duty. And for suspension there are still options. I think I will be very happy with my vehicle when it is complete and running next year. Plus with the massive engine combination that you can use, you can use all of that adjusted displacement room. Like me, a adjusted engine displacent of 2400. 2000cc engine, with 4 valves per cylinder and VTEC. I think in a couple of years Honda will be very common, and winning too.

 

[Over Exposure Racing]

Steven, what does the Honda that you are building have for suspension. We have had a lot of success with the reinforcements in my Honda suspension and most were very easy and quick to do. My car has front non-strut suspension with radius arm and upper control arm and a multi-link rear. We bent one rear spindle (then reinforced that area) and broke one front member due to a massive rock strike we never repaired. The car gets 9.5 inches travel in front and 11 inches in the rear with stock suspension, and that is really nice on the rough CRS roads!

Bradney A. Boli
Over Exposure Racing
Honda Accord #311

 

[perodi]

I like my '99 Civic Si for the street, but I think it would
make a poor rally car. Besides the soft body, as mentioned
above, the DOHC VTEC engine is all power-through-revs and
no torque. Actually, the torque curve is almost flat! That,
plus the fact of limited suspension travel and a turning
radius of some SUVs (only a slight exaggeration) makes it
a bad choice. I've run rallycrosses and my '99 Civic Si
is much worse than my '87 Civic Si. The '87s short wheelbase
and tossible disposition works better at the low speeds of
the rallycrosses.

My $0.02,
Patrick