dr_broon Posted July 2, 2023 Share Posted July 2, 2023 Wow, what a lot of work, and what a read. Really like what you've done with the old girl. Nice job with the interior as well.. The wheel retrim looks spot on. Can't believe you made a DIY vtec addon for the ecu... That's mad! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirPaperbag Posted July 3, 2023 Author Share Posted July 3, 2023 Thanks! I've still got lots of things planned for her, so there's definitely more to come in the future. And the VTEC controller definitely was one of the most challenging projects I have ever done. Period. That thing took a lot of R&D time and writing the code for the microcontroller took about three weeks to get it working properly. Google definitely is onto something with their 80/20 rule: "80% of the work gets done in 20% of the time." It still is in what I would call it's "Beta phase", as there are still some kinks to take care of like minor fluttering in disengaging the VTEC and so on... But now that I've got a proper ECU (and even a second one with some Hondata goodies inside ) there simply is no real reason for me to keep working on it. Power-wise I've got something real nice coming up, some real single-jingle love for y'all. #SaveTheSOHC 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirPaperbag Posted July 5, 2023 Author Share Posted July 5, 2023 Got around to making a bit more progress on the car today. This time around, I did some work on the induction system. Had to take off the front bumper first, and I've gotten suspiciously quick at doing so. It's also ridiculously easy to take it off these cars! And this is the object in question today: that huge, ugly resonator box sitting inside of all our fenders, silencing those sweet, sweet induction noises. Truly preposterous. Three 10mm hex bolts later it's out of the car already. (Where it belongs) Look at all of that room! There is a (very small) German company that makes 3D-printed parts for this exact problem. [Link] Also, the bracket I used is some random piece of metal that I had flying around in my workshop and adjusted with an angle grinder. If I remember correctly, it might have come with the Z9 engine, like a bracket for the generator or something along those lines. Put a bit of electrical tape on the end and voilá - cold air intake with a stock airbox. Sure, it looks a bit janky on photo, but it's way better in person, promise. All in all - it makes all the right noises and I think it will be a big plus in these hot summer months, reducing intake temps quite a bit... Plus it's virtually impossible to see with the bumper back on, which is crucial here in Germany, as you either have to get your modifications entered into the registration of your car (which has a 0% chance of happening with this mod), or make it stealthy enough to not get spotted during our version of MOT or a traffic stop. For legal reasons I am going to emphasize that I put the stock resonator-box back on before putting everything back together, as I would never drive a car with an illegal modification such as this. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FacelessMB2 Posted July 10, 2023 Share Posted July 10, 2023 Hello. What car are the Bilsteins you put in for? EG, EK4 or MB6? I bought for my MB2, Bilstein B6 from MB6. But at the rear, the original spring leaves the shock absorber too stretched, which gives a strange driving feeling. However, the front b6s are perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirPaperbag Posted July 10, 2023 Author Share Posted July 10, 2023 The set I ordered was made for the M-chassis (in my case an MA8), but I also don't use the original springs anymore. The front was also a bit too low for my taste after installing the B6 dampers, so I fabricated some steel plates and put them between the shock towers and the top of the strut assembly to gain around 15mm height back. And I definitely believe you - putting them back together (even with lowering springs) was really tricky. Honestly a bit disappointed from how it all fit together. If I were you, I'd get a set of lowering springs and try them out, as driving around with over-extended dampers is actually even a bit dangerous. (For reference, I use ~35mm lowering springs from Eibach) Best of luck! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JPRafael Posted July 15, 2023 Share Posted July 15, 2023 On 7/10/2023 at 2:41 PM, FacelessMB2 said: Hello. What car are the Bilsteins you put in for? EG, EK4 or MB6? I bought for my MB2, Bilstein B6 from MB6. But at the rear, the original spring leaves the shock absorber too stretched, which gives a strange driving feeling. However, the front b6s are perfect. I have an Aerodeck, but I have the same suspension setup as you have (Bilstein B6 + OEM springs), and yes, the rear gets little suspension travel because the spring is too stretched, getting too stiff at the back. The "solution" I found was to put the 4 shock absorbers on the last groove, which would make the car lower by about 1cm. This will help the spring to have a bit more travel. In a few days I will change to eibach springs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craigblight86 Posted July 22, 2023 Share Posted July 22, 2023 This makes me miss my old ma8. Not many liked that car lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dr_broon Posted July 24, 2023 Share Posted July 24, 2023 I'm thinking of going for the b6 with my eibach springs... The oem spec shocks aren't very good with them.. I think it's the opposite problem you have in that the standard shocks are too compressed with the eibach springs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FacelessMB2 Posted July 26, 2023 Share Posted July 26, 2023 I have the rear B6s in the lowest position on the spring plate, and the shock is still too streched. I think the problem is that the B6 for Civic MB6 are the same as those for Civic EK4. When I bought these shock absorbers, I saw that the reference is the same, and on the box it says EK4. Even if the shock absorbers are identical, the EK4 has lower springs and different than the Civic MB have. Even the B6's spring plate is too small for the original springs of my car, which forced me to have new spring plates made, just for safety. I'm going to try installing EK4 springs. I already bought them and they fit perfectly on the original spring plate. Just need to assemble. I don't buy lowering springs, because in Portugal, some modifications are illegal (the rules are too stupid), and my MB2 is a daily car. I just want it to drive a little sportier with less bodyroll. If the ek4 springs don't work, I'll try the Eibach springs. I'm a little disappointed with the Bilstein B6 because of these issues. At the front they were perfect with the original springs, however I had to take the brake line bracket off the original shocks and weld it onto an iron tube that comes with the Bilsteins. But after searching on the online store, I found that the Bilstein B8 for EG6 have the brake line bracket welded onto the shock absorbers. I think the EG6 shocks are more straightforward to install on the front MB. I leave some reference images. BIlstein B8 EG6 Bilstein B6 MB6/EK4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SirPaperbag Posted July 28, 2023 Author Share Posted July 28, 2023 Yep, same experience here. Had to grind that little bracket for the brake hoses off my original shocks and weld them to that kinda dodgy, nondescript piece of metal pipe that came with the kit. Pretty disappointing imo. A big brand like Bilstein really shouldn't ship stuff that requires modifications on the customer's side to work, especially at that price point. If I had known that before I got them, I definitely would have gone with Spax dampers instead - those even come with adjustable damping! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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