I know this will anger a lot of people...as it angered/depressed me.

I drove my friend's '95 Civic DX coupe tonight, just around a target parking lot. The handling was so incredibly better than my lancer's, though. It really doesn't have anything special done to it except for some nice wheels, 16".

I'm so mad right now...argh...that was such an adrenaline rush. In my lancer, if i turn that hard that fast, I practically fall out of the seat and the tires slip.

I'm sure part of it is because I have an ES, i bet the OZ/LS handles better...but still...i'm depressed

will front strut bar and anti-sway bar help me catch up?
I owe my parents $5k for my car and hers was only $5k...my parents would have paid for everything if it was that cheap...and her car is better than mine. *tear*

It had no tach, tho, that was strange

 

The fact that the ES also has super thin, ultra small wheels/tires is also part of the shady handling. The stock tires of any variety are GARBAGE, period. A new set of tires (check my car in the reg for my take on some Dunlops) will do wonders for the handling. The sway bar will help moreso than the the STB over all. In all honesty, test driving the Civic, Focus and the Lancer during the buying process, I felt more able to modulate/control the Lancer's quirkiness better than the other options.

 

Yes, but new wheels/tires require mucho dinero = (
What should my first upgrade be when august (end of summer) comes and I have money to spend (if I make enuff to pay my parents a grand, also)?

 

Look at the Lancer upgrade path article, the parts index, the million other posts asking the same question. If you're concerned about handling and want more "go" than show, get new tires and springs.

 

sorry for asking repeated questions..but the RRM guide doesn't mention tires/wheels as an upgrade...I never considered it that important of a change.

Only thing I'm not sure about springs (besides installation) is having a lowered car because I enjoy being able to go over speed bumps quickly w/o hurting myself or my car, plus bumpy turns...which we have a lot of in california (the classic concrete corner and stuff..car could get hurt if it's too low)

 

Hehehe, you sound like the rest of the Road Race acolytes. If they don't say it, it must not be worthwhile... Try and avoid that mentality. For the best handling and ride, a pair of 16's at 6.5 with some sticky tires would be very handy, while avoiding the weight penalties of 17's and 18's. Plus the shorter sidewall is always good without giving a harsh ride. Tires will help you stick in the corners, hold in a launch and help ya brake a bit with their added stickiness. Tuning is a very open ended and variable thing. The best thing to do would be a pair of the availble coilovers (Tein, JIC) and the rest of the other bolt on handling goodies.

 

sorry, I just don't know a whole lot about cars and tuning, etc.

can't coilovers kill the stock shocks, though? or at least wear them out after a while? Also, I could never take my car off-road after those mods...that's gunna be a tough choice. If i ever get the money to do it, LoL

thnx 4 the help man!

posts from others are also welcome!!

 

The tein and JIC are matched coilover/adjustable strut sets. They'd do fine on our cars for track days (if you have $1200 sitting around for the Tein set, that is). But, you're right, off road presents a new set of challenges- one which few, if any, on this board have tackled.

To be fair, it's hard not to be an apostle to Rob and Gabe; they're two of the most knowledgeable guys out there when it comes to our cars specifically. They also represent what is practically the only company paying any attention to our cars right now. They're great guys, I spent 15 minutes on the phone with Gabriel on Friday after I ordered my springs an sway bar (yes, another "RRM edition" Lancer ) But that's not to say that a little competition and a differing opinion wouldn't be productive.

ESDood- there's a LOT of info on this board. So much so that it's hard to find a truly original question. you'll notice that the posts recently have centered around EVO rumors and new parts for the USDM Lancer- the ILP "What do you guys want" thread is a welcome addition, IMO.
Suspension, brakes, lights and "ICE" have been posted to death. Run some searches, read the upgrade path, buy some car mags, don't be afraid to look under your hood to figure out where stuff goes.

Anyway, I'm rambling. Good luck. welcome to the board and if I could tell every new person one thing: run a search, and don't get too upset when someone tells you to run a search after you spent an hour looking.

EDIT: P.S.- I put new rubbers on my shoes (Proxes FZ4s) and Artemis has never handled better. The stock tires suck on ice. I don't care if you got the Dunlops, Yoko's, or (especially) Goodyears. Spend $600 on new tires.

 

my tires grip like a bizatch!

toyo Proxes = fun

and my skunk2 coilovers, have improved my turning, and shocks are fine, i dropped her 2.75 in.

 

yea yea, good call on the toyo's! they kick ***!
whenever these crappy goodyear eagle ls's start to wear, ill get my dad to upgrade to eiter toyos or one of the potenzas. he seems concerned after i said how the stock tires wear quickly and suck on rain and snow.
-Bob

 

Yeah, I have to throw my .02 on this topic here. I also drive an ES, and I have to say that the only thing holding the ES back as far as handling goes are the "Laura-Flynn-Boyle-Thin" tires. A wheel and tire upgrade (even to 16") is not a minor upgrade as far as handling goes. It's like my ol' dad says, when it comes to performance, handling comes from the ground up. Which is to say that if handling is your concern, start with the rubber, then go to what controls the wheels, and so on. You want to get the bastard handling like a dream, then new rubber will do it better than most anything (except for those yummy TEINs that everyone feels the need to bring up, much to my pain). Anyway, don't be disheartened.

I'll agree with Paul, I did alot of test drives, and in this price range, this was the best handling car. Maybe that's my opinion, and maybe alot of it has to do with my driver input fetish, but, in all seriousiness, when dealing with the Civic 95, remember that it's a lighter car, but it also has less power, so, that can make it feel like it's handling better... I know that putting my foot down in a corner makes my handling go to ****... oh wait, that's torque...

 

new tires/wheels will help

 

You should have gotten a truck if you want to go over speed bumps quickly, though. If you go over them too fast, you can bottom out in a stock lancer. Besides they're ment to keep you from hurting kids and ****, not creating your own obsticle course.

 

now you have a goal man... make the handling of the lancer equal or better than your friends civic... thats what i do.. make goals

 

drive an oz then say that agian