Honda Civic Hatchback - Problem Areas

Part 1
So it's been a while since I've worked on my car. Besides changing wheels and putting gas in the car I haven't done anything to it in over a year. The car is long overdue for some upgrades and now that I've got back into working mode hopefully the rest of the build will come together quickly. I knew that if I wanted to get on track anytime soon I'd need to replace my worn out Zeal coilovers with something new and tight. While I was at it I figured I might as well take care of a few other suspension problem areas as well as my brakes, which were in dire need of changing.

So what parts did I decide to use? My first choice for suspension pieces was Buddy Club. Their camber arms are some of the nicest on the market and the front UCA (upper control arms) are especially nice with a solid ball joint platform and low-height bolts, so they're much stronger than conventional UCAs and also won't punch a hole in your strut tower. For coilovers I went with Buddy Club's Racing Spec Damper with a monotube design, independent ride height adjustability and 15-level damper adjustment. In the rear, I chose ITR eye-type lower mounts so I could pair them with my crazy Function7 rear LCAs.

Up until now, thanks to F7, EK owners couldn't mount the ITR style suspension on their cars since the LCA length differs from EG/DC2. Fortunately, Function7 designed this amazing piece with adjustable sway bar mounts to accommodate EK owners. I wanted to go this route because I like the eye-type mount better and it will allow me to interchange parts between EG/DC2 if I need or want to. To compliment the LCAs I also installed a F7 rear subframe brace, which looks equally dope and will be put to good use once I install my rear sway bar.

Since my brakes were toast, I wanted to replace them while I had the suspension off the car. For brake components I went with Stoptech street performance pads and Power Slot rotors. I bought mine from Showstoppers USA and you probably should too. They keep most applications in-stock ready to ship with free shipping on everything they sell. Although the front brakes are likely to be upgraded with a Stoptech kit and more aggressive pads in the future this setup will be more than sufficient for street duty until then.

Finally the new rolling stock, also from Buddy Club, is the brand-new F91 Kuroki Racing wheel. It looks totally sick in flat white but is also offered in gunmetal. They look sort of like a baby AME Tracer and have very modern styling with subtle details like inlayed text on the lip and dual valve stems. The guys at Evasive Motorsports were kind enough to let me use their tire machine. Unfortunately, I didn't get any pics mounting the tires because I was... well, mounting them.

The tires might look familiar to most of you but there is more than meets the eye. This is one of the first sets of Falken's new compound Azenis, the RT-615-K. The compound is noticeably stickier than the previous Azenis while maintaining the original 200 treadwear. I'm really looking forward to getting these on the track and putting some heat into them to see how much better the new rubber really is. At the time of writing both the tires and wheels are brand new to the market but should both be readily available by the time you read this!

That's pretty much it for now but you can expect many future installments including a fully built motor, chassis prep, more suspension and brake modifications and even driving gear. So keep a look out and follow along as I turn my EK into a street-legal track screamer!