on my way to cure wheel hop and uneven weight transfer
04-28-2006, 04:53 PM
#1
on my way to cure wheel hop and uneven weight transfer
i felt there was some room for improvements in terms of suspension/traction. i feel this car has a lot of potential with the right amount of traction.
SWAY BAR/BUSHINGS
Front
contrary to what most people say (unbolt sway bar on 1/4 mile runs), i felt this mod helped my front end traction. i bought the energy suspension greaseable sway bar bushings 27mm, and put them on my stock front sway bar. i felt there is little purpose in buying any aftermarket front sway for our car bc there is no change in diamater, and they are only slightly thicker inside. after this i noticed the car 'bounced' less on dips/bumps, and upon trying to burn out, instead of bucking, i get a nice smooth burnout with the right amount of throttle. this is in an 5AT without break torqueing. let me just say, these were a PAIN to install, but it's def doable. here are some pictures.
Rear
i bought the comptech TL rear sway bar because it upgraded the diamater from 19mm (stock) to 22mm (CT). And upon installing this, i use 22mm Energy Suspension Greaseablke Bushings again. Very similiar as before. ALOT less bouncing on bumps/dips. This helped my turns, but i didn't notice as much, bc i didnt touch the front bar at the time of installing this and i was already dropped on TEINs so my handling was already pretty good. but this keeps the rear end planted pretty well. combined with upgraded front bushings, there is A LOT less "lift" on the front of the car. sometimes i used to feel like the car was about to take off. some pictures.
ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNTS
It's one of my rules that to reduce wheel hop in a FWD car, is stiffen your motor mounts. I went ahead and purchased the 3 main (Front, Rear, Passenger Side) mounts from Acura. Upon inspection i can move the mounts with my hands with little effort. Not good enough. I am going to be filling them with Polyurethane. Sorry no after picture yet, but here is a before.
WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
UGH, our car has a terrible weight distribution. does anyone else think so? i don't know but this thing is pretty front heavy if you ask me.
Battery
Odyssey P680MJ, weight is 16 lbs. with casing. remove the casing for a 15 lb. battery. currently in the engine bay because i wanted to test it out to make sure everything is happy electrical wise. this will be going into the trunk and fits perfect on the left side pocket. IDEALLY it should on passenger side, but i'm trying to retain a cleaner look and there isn't any good spots to mount it. i got a custom mounting tray. so far total savings is 22 lbs. and i wager it will be more once i get the stock battery tray/mount out of the engine bay. will update on this later. pictures as follows.
Front/Rear Cross Member
I only recommend these for off-roading as this could be a safety hazard. These beams are extremely easy to remove once the front and rear bumpers are removed. I'd say these are easily over 50 lbs. but I haven't weighed them yet. I can't say for sure, but honestly, my car feels lighter. I know these are all subjective, but when you have been modding cars for awhile you can usually feel things. I did notice a SLIGHT loss in turning stability, but with my suspension it isn't really a factor. Sorry, no pictures yet.
*Many will probably criticize it isn't worth it to spend time/money on such small things, but when everything is added together it will give you the edge on the competition.
SWAY BAR/BUSHINGS
Front
contrary to what most people say (unbolt sway bar on 1/4 mile runs), i felt this mod helped my front end traction. i bought the energy suspension greaseable sway bar bushings 27mm, and put them on my stock front sway bar. i felt there is little purpose in buying any aftermarket front sway for our car bc there is no change in diamater, and they are only slightly thicker inside. after this i noticed the car 'bounced' less on dips/bumps, and upon trying to burn out, instead of bucking, i get a nice smooth burnout with the right amount of throttle. this is in an 5AT without break torqueing. let me just say, these were a PAIN to install, but it's def doable. here are some pictures.
Rear
i bought the comptech TL rear sway bar because it upgraded the diamater from 19mm (stock) to 22mm (CT). And upon installing this, i use 22mm Energy Suspension Greaseablke Bushings again. Very similiar as before. ALOT less bouncing on bumps/dips. This helped my turns, but i didn't notice as much, bc i didnt touch the front bar at the time of installing this and i was already dropped on TEINs so my handling was already pretty good. but this keeps the rear end planted pretty well. combined with upgraded front bushings, there is A LOT less "lift" on the front of the car. sometimes i used to feel like the car was about to take off. some pictures.
ENGINE/TRANSMISSION MOUNTS
It's one of my rules that to reduce wheel hop in a FWD car, is stiffen your motor mounts. I went ahead and purchased the 3 main (Front, Rear, Passenger Side) mounts from Acura. Upon inspection i can move the mounts with my hands with little effort. Not good enough. I am going to be filling them with Polyurethane. Sorry no after picture yet, but here is a before.
WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION
UGH, our car has a terrible weight distribution. does anyone else think so? i don't know but this thing is pretty front heavy if you ask me.
Battery
Odyssey P680MJ, weight is 16 lbs. with casing. remove the casing for a 15 lb. battery. currently in the engine bay because i wanted to test it out to make sure everything is happy electrical wise. this will be going into the trunk and fits perfect on the left side pocket. IDEALLY it should on passenger side, but i'm trying to retain a cleaner look and there isn't any good spots to mount it. i got a custom mounting tray. so far total savings is 22 lbs. and i wager it will be more once i get the stock battery tray/mount out of the engine bay. will update on this later. pictures as follows.
Front/Rear Cross Member
I only recommend these for off-roading as this could be a safety hazard. These beams are extremely easy to remove once the front and rear bumpers are removed. I'd say these are easily over 50 lbs. but I haven't weighed them yet. I can't say for sure, but honestly, my car feels lighter. I know these are all subjective, but when you have been modding cars for awhile you can usually feel things. I did notice a SLIGHT loss in turning stability, but with my suspension it isn't really a factor. Sorry, no pictures yet.
*Many will probably criticize it isn't worth it to spend time/money on such small things, but when everything is added together it will give you the edge on the competition.
04-28-2006, 06:07 PM
#2
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what competition?....the cl is a luxury car that is fortunate to have some nice power..if u want a race car you should a) buy a car that doesnt weigh close to 4k lbs and b) buy a car with a manual transmission or at least a real auto....just my opinion....
04-28-2006, 06:23 PM
#4
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Originally Posted by quicksilver10101
what competition?....the cl is a luxury car that is fortunate to have some nice power..if u want a race car you should a) buy a car that doesnt weigh close to 4k lbs and b) buy a car with a manual transmission or at least a real auto....just my opinion....
I give this guy MAJOR props. He's been doing a ton of good work to his car. He's doing a great job. He's doing a fully built motor, doing weight savings, inovating the battery relocation mount and stuff like this. He's doing shit that most people on here wouldn't think of doing, and he's doing it success.
04-28-2006, 06:35 PM
#7
i know the rear wasnt much, but the front was pretty heavy, i would say maybe like 25/20 or so.
understandable, smaller things can seem petty. but like i said, in the end it's worth it. hey it's a lux car and not a race car your right! but i'm riding in a unique car that you dont see much with heated leather seats and navigation. its not like i'm gutting the interior. just one small improvement after another to make the car better.
and if you dont think its worth it, then you gotta see the looks on the faces of people with sl500s and modded mustang gts, who just dont understand why i keep up.
understandable, smaller things can seem petty. but like i said, in the end it's worth it. hey it's a lux car and not a race car your right! but i'm riding in a unique car that you dont see much with heated leather seats and navigation. its not like i'm gutting the interior. just one small improvement after another to make the car better.
and if you dont think its worth it, then you gotta see the looks on the faces of people with sl500s and modded mustang gts, who just dont understand why i keep up.
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04-28-2006, 06:36 PM
#8
Originally Posted by brianlin87
what's that cardboard stuff next to your battery?
04-28-2006, 07:26 PM
#10
the energy suspension bracket is longer on each end then the stock one. can be seen in pictures above. NOT MUCH, but enough to cause a problem. bc the bracket sits in a groove on the underside of the car, rather than a flat surface like the rear. you need to file down the edges of each side to clear the groove (you will see what i am talkin about when you get under the car).
also i couldnt just thread both bolts at the same time bc of the angle the bolts lineup. the energy bracket will allow you to thread one bolt fine, and the other is off by like MMs. literally. and its enough of an angle where it wont thread. all i did was file the inner groove so it would give a bigger channel to feed the bolt through.
reason it was a PITA for me was bc i was going in with blind eyes. now when you do it, you will probably file everything down and itll bolt in and youll be done in 20 mins. i did the whole project with 12mm socket and wrench, 2 files, and grease. thats it.
oh yea, i jacked up the car a little so i could see better.
also i couldnt just thread both bolts at the same time bc of the angle the bolts lineup. the energy bracket will allow you to thread one bolt fine, and the other is off by like MMs. literally. and its enough of an angle where it wont thread. all i did was file the inner groove so it would give a bigger channel to feed the bolt through.
reason it was a PITA for me was bc i was going in with blind eyes. now when you do it, you will probably file everything down and itll bolt in and youll be done in 20 mins. i did the whole project with 12mm socket and wrench, 2 files, and grease. thats it.
oh yea, i jacked up the car a little so i could see better.
04-28-2006, 08:29 PM
#12
Three Wheelin'
I say great, because one day a guy with a new Z or whatever will line up next to Clean CL and think "ah I can take this car" but will will see otherwise won't we.......
04-28-2006, 08:45 PM
#13
The MAN....who else?
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Originally Posted by ChucksCL-S
I say great, because one day a guy with a new Z or whatever will line up next to Clean CL and think "ah I can take this car" but will will see otherwise won't we.......
04-29-2006, 01:07 AM
#14
Never had a clean run
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Bushings were on my list too but heard they give off major squeaking. Also heard mixed opinions on filling the motor mounts with urethane being that you will begin to be able to feel the car idle and it will be quite jerky since you won't have as much engine dampening. They say clunks and rattles will be inevitable. But if you are going for a race machine, which it kinda looks like anyways, that all means nothing. Keep us posted with the results.
04-29-2006, 07:58 AM
#15
squeaking - that's why i used greaseable bushings, i don't have to worry about squeaking. just pop my grease gun on and thats it.
as far as ride comfort goes with motor mounts, i dont think that it will be that bad. i've had cars in the past with upgrade mounts and it was never that terrible.
as far as ride comfort goes with motor mounts, i dont think that it will be that bad. i've had cars in the past with upgrade mounts and it was never that terrible.
04-29-2006, 11:19 AM
#16
Never had a clean run
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Originally Posted by CleanCL
squeaking - that's why i used greaseable bushings, i don't have to worry about squeaking. just pop my grease gun on and thats it.
as far as ride comfort goes with motor mounts, i dont think that it will be that bad. i've had cars in the past with upgrade mounts and it was never that terrible.
as far as ride comfort goes with motor mounts, i dont think that it will be that bad. i've had cars in the past with upgrade mounts and it was never that terrible.
04-29-2006, 03:59 PM
#17
says "hello to my TLX".
damn. this is a well-thought out and prepared post. hats off to your effort mang. the fact that our lux coupe is not and never will be a race car does not stop all of us from modding them. 
04-29-2006, 07:20 PM
#20
well i used greaseable, and the part number is: 9.5162G
what 2 part #s did you find? i will check the sizes and see if one might be better than the other. the nongreaseable is probably a different size, but like someone stated earlier, it could lead to squeaking.
what 2 part #s did you find? i will check the sizes and see if one might be better than the other. the nongreaseable is probably a different size, but like someone stated earlier, it could lead to squeaking.
04-29-2006, 07:55 PM
#22
Originally Posted by Blitz
Nice custom mount tray for the battery. Where'd you pick that up?
i dont consider this as a 'race' car or think i am making it a race car. i like to think i'm making it a luxury sports coupe. those 2 contradict each other i suppose. i like to think that my modifications are performance oriented with an effort to preserve taste and style. trust me when i say, i'm not looking for a kidney banging car, so im trying to retain the luxury to this car as much as possible.
more to come.
04-29-2006, 07:56 PM
#23
Originally Posted by Bobbydoedoe
how about you get some lighter rims for the front only? i'm sure that will fix the weight distrubtion. but iono lol that might look weird.
04-29-2006, 07:59 PM
#24
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by CleanCL
found it on ebay. billet tray. actually pretty nicely made.
i dont consider this as a 'race' car or think i am making it a race car. i like to think i'm making it a luxury sports coupe. those 2 contradict each other i suppose. i like to think that my modifications are performance oriented with an effort to preserve taste and style. trust me when i say, i'm not looking for a kidney banging car, so my efforts are to preserve the luxury to this car as much as possible.
more to come.
i dont consider this as a 'race' car or think i am making it a race car. i like to think i'm making it a luxury sports coupe. those 2 contradict each other i suppose. i like to think that my modifications are performance oriented with an effort to preserve taste and style. trust me when i say, i'm not looking for a kidney banging car, so my efforts are to preserve the luxury to this car as much as possible.
more to come.
04-29-2006, 08:01 PM
#25
i read the post where you find out about them in like '03, lol. i was contemplating them but never acted upon it, i heard they work well. PM me with price. only thing i dont like doing at the track is making the car too different than i would as a daily drive. i'll be tracking it with spare and all. but i wouldnt mind taking a run stripped w/ isolators to see what it's really capable of.
04-29-2006, 08:50 PM
#28
Senior Moderator
Originally Posted by CleanCL
i read the post where you find out about them in like '03, lol. i was contemplating them but never acted upon it, i heard they work well. PM me with price. only thing i dont like doing at the track is making the car too different than i would as a daily drive. i'll be tracking it with spare and all. but i wouldnt mind taking a run stripped w/ isolators to see what it's really capable of.
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