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The rear shocks' upper mounts live under an easy to remove plastic finisher. Howard loosened the upper bolts so we could remove the stock shocks.
Of the two lower mounts that Fortune Auto supplied, we opted to use the shorter one for our lowered car.
Look how much shorter the Fortune Auto 510 rear shock is than stock. The car can be lowered quite a bit without giving up much bump travel.
The Fortune rear shock bolted right up. As you can see, the forward and inboard mounting position of the rear shock increases the motion ratio on it by acting as a lever arm against the spring. This is why we had to run a stiffer rear spring than front.
While we were at it, we added these projector beam foglights from Password JDM. They go right into holes in the front bumper like they were made to go there.
Password JDM also supplied us with this CNC-machined billet strut tower brace. We had to slightly dimple the hood reinforcement ribs to clear the bar, but the increase in chassis stiffness was noticeable. The brace is adjustable for preload and we lightly preloaded the chassis.
22 comments
Hi,
Yall convinced me into getting these coilovers for my ep3 but i cant find them. I appreciate it if you could send me a link or help me out in any other way.
Did you try the link in the article and contacting Fortune Auto?
I just contacted Fortune Auto. they don’t make kits for the EP3 anymore.
For future readers remember that the DC5 suspension is the same as the EP3’s. They still sell the DC5 coilovers as of May 2024.
Hi Mike! Did you guys need a rear camber arm kit or were the rear upper mount bushings with the adjustable camber insert enough? Thx
Yes, they were surprisingly. It is a good cheaper alternative to the arms.
Good insight on these Coilovers! Mentally I’m sold, but financially I’m not haha. Do you have a recommendation for a more basic set of Coilovers or
Spring/shock combo for a daily driver/weekend warrior-autox set up in the neighborhood of $1k for the ep3?
These are pretty basic coilovers. Coilovers are the heart of your suspension and you don’t want to go cheap here. Spring/shocks are almost always too soft, too low and not enough travel for decent handling in many cases stock is better.
Mike, I’m trying to find these Coilovers but fortune auto no longer makes them. Do you have any other alternatives or a good source for these (order through MotoIQ?)?
Per fortune auto “Thanks for your inquiry! Unfortunately we no longer offer any suspension options for the 7th gen Civics, or the DC5. “
I would try calling Fortune and ask for Terry. Maybe he can help you with a semi-custom set. Failing that you can call Feals and ask for Odi. KW also makes a V2 and V3 for this chassis.
How low did you drop the car from stock height?
about 2″
I’m trying to maintain stock ride height and improve handling of my ep3. Is this build appropriate for non lowered cars?
you could set the ride height higher.
Hey Mike question for you. If you were running the Dc5 instead of the EP3 would you change your spring rate? And if so what would you change them too if you were going with a similar setup on the DC5 platform?
No I would probably run about the same
Mike, wouldn’t the rsx fortune 510s essentially be the same thing as the (discontinued) 7th gen civic ones?
Thanks
If caster is such an issue with this chassis, and camber can be easily adjusted with a eccentric, is there a reason no one uses caster plates for the top of the strut instead of camber plates?
Because moving the plate up here in the caster direction can affect trail as well as caster.
Did you need the camber plates for such small adjustment up front?
Hey Mike, I love the content! I have a question for you. I’m on the Dc5 platform and am considering Truhart StreetPlus Coilovers. What are your thoughts on them compared to the fortune autos for a daily driving purpose?
Chinese junk and no where close to Fortune or any other reputable shock