My mechanic is telling me he needs to compress the springs and pull
the struts to add an Acura TL strut tower brace to my Accord: Should I
find a new mechanic?

--

"...Luigi follow only the Ferraris."

Yes


On 4/7/07 1:26 PM, in article mukf13p2psv9e6cb26qijqjpnv7j1p3816 (AT) 4ax (DOT) com,
"Luigi Topolino" <tifoso (AT) mindspring (DOT) com> wrote:

On Sat, 07 Apr 2007 13:06:50 -0700, jim beam
<spamvortex (AT) bad (DOT) example.net> wrote:
On Mon, 09 Apr 2007 14:22:23 GMT, E Meyer <epmeyer50 (AT) msn (DOT) com> wrote:
That's what I figured, thank you both.

Anyone know what the strut top mounting nuts should be torqued to?


--

"...Luigi follow only the Ferraris."

On Mon, 09 Apr 2007 22:03:52 -0700, jim beam
<spamvortex (AT) bad (DOT) example.net> wrote:
Well, I guess I should, but I don't intend to be its full time wrench:
I just want to get the brace in this weekend.

Then sway bars from Intrax next week. Then maybe H&R OE Sport
springs, if need be.

I'm not trying to turn the thing into something it's not, I do need
to get it to turn in sharply and stop rolling over on its front tires
at speed.

Do these things even have any front sway bar as stock (LX).


--

"...Luigi follow only the Ferraris."

On Wed, 11 Apr 2007 05:56:30 -0700, jim beam
<spamvortex (AT) bad (DOT) example.net> wrote:
....If it does, they're made of linguini.

The car could be used to plow snow it understeers so poorly. Stiffer
sway bars will most dramatically lessen the plow with the least
increase in straightline ride harshness.

Honda didn't expect me to drive the thing 40miles a day.

I do not. I want it to stop understeering like a pig. I will
entertain any suggestions.

I think a 20mm reduction in cg and roll centers would do a world of
good, without costing me any tooth fillings over NYC highways.

They're only a consideration at this point anyway, after I stiffen the
chassis and tighten the roll characteristic.

And the last thing I need to do is scrape the crap out of even more
expensive tires: The thing corners on the outside front sidewall. I
can only imagine what it will be like with both tires working.

I had an Integra, 1992 3-foor LS 5-spd, from new for 13 years.
I still miss it.

This is now the horse I rode in on, my commuter for the next few
years, and it needs to be stiffer if I'm not to be miserable.

I thank you for your input.

--

"...Luigi follow only the Ferraris."

your best bang for the buck is front/rear anti sway bars. Suspension
Techniques makes a nice set that requires no drilling, only existing bolt
mounting points are used.
"Luigi Topolino" <tifoso (AT) mindspring (DOT) com> wrote

"Luigi Topolino" <tifoso (AT) mindspring (DOT) com> wrote

FWIW, I got a new F350 SD truck at work last year. It had Continental
ContiTrack (sp?) tires and it had a big problem: when it hit any roughness,
even a patch in the pavement, at freeway speeds the truck would shake wildly
for about two seconds. I took it to Ford and they replaced all 4 tires with
new identical tires... problem fixed. They said that was very common.

You can easily check the tire wear. Put a strip of masking tape from
sidewall to sidewall on each front tire, then drive a mile or so on
reasonably straight road and look at the wear pattern on the tape. The way
the tape wears is the way the tires will wear.

If both outside edges are worn, the wheels are toed in too much. If both
inside edges are worn, the wheels are toed out. If the wear is inconsistent
from one tire to the other, or if the wear is okay and the feel is still
screwy, you need to get an expert to figure out why. Camber and caster will
affect the balance between stability and steering force. (Camber affects
tire wear a lot less than you'd think; the tire wears like it was shaved
evenly with a slight bevel - no edge wear.)

Mike

On Sat, 14 Apr 2007 20:27:21 GMT, Luigi Topolino
<tifoso (AT) mindspring (DOT) com> wrote:


Your stock '99 Accord will probably beat the mod'd Alfa around any
street course, assuming equal horsepower, and the Accord will probably
have more of that, too.

Newer Accords are even better, or would be on better than stock tires.

You may have to learn different driving technique. Yes, the Accords
are front-heavy, and that never goes away entirely, but they are
generations ahead on technology, and properly driven are vastly
superior to those old Alfas, which couldn't even beat the old BMWs, I
presume the new BMWs are also much improved.

OTOH, I've never thrown the Accords around at high speeds. I did
throw my 1979 Alfetta all over the place, on its stock skinny tires.
It slid around in well-balanced control, but that's NOT the same as
making good time. Tire technology is much better now, among other
things, than back then. What happens if you put modern tires on an
old Alfa? I daresay something would crack, hear me now and believe me
later. No finite element analysis then for cars, and it wasn't built
or tested to those kinds of stresses. Even my 1979 was really just
the very best 1959 technology available.

Wait, actually I did throw around a 1999 CL-6 a bit, a few years ago.
It really wasn't happy, it seemed to me, it held the road, but there
were funny creakings when I stopped, that discouraged further
experimentation along those lines. Yes, the Alfa was happier at that
sort of thing, but did NOT hold the road as well. More fun, but worse
times.


Less weight difference than that, I think.

Aren't all BMW still rear-wheel drive and almost 50/50?

Betcha they come with lower profile tires, too.

List the numbers side by side, I have no idea which models you're
thinking of.


Sounds like wrong tires. Have you tried lower profiles? What kind of
turning are you doing, cranking it full over at 80mph? Hint - Accords
aren't designed for that, BMWs, even street 3xx's, pretty much are (or
were, I haven't followed them for 10+ years).

Does anybody rebuild Accords for high-speed racing? Fast and furious
Civics, sure, tho I have no idea how good or bad those really are.

And you need this on your COMMUTER car?

My man, I'm still an Italophile at heart, but you're never going to
make an Accord handle like an Enzo, ... which seem to be cracking up
here in Los Angeles at an unacceptable frequency anyhow! Better trade
the '99 for an old BMW, and be ready for major disappointment at how
an old Alfa compares to either.

J.

On Sat, 07 Apr 2007 18:26:08 GMT, Luigi Topolino
<tifoso (AT) mindspring (DOT) com> wrote:
Took me all of 20minutes and that's because I rewound a cassette tape
during the process.

The strut mount nuts aren't even used, there are two studs on each
strut tower dedicated to the bar, stock Accord is a tubular bar from
each tower to the cowl, the TL bar has a integrated additional
tower-to-tower tube.

Those four, four nuts on the cowl and a bolt mounting the fuse box to
the bar, and Bob's your Uncle.

Result is a palpable increase in structural rigidity and steering
precision: I forget how much I paid, but the thing is great value for
money.

--

"...Luigi follow only the Ferraris."

On Sun, 15 Apr 2007 03:55:37 GMT, JXStern <JXSternChangeX2R (AT) gte (DOT) net>
wrote:
I'm not 18.

I'll be looking for 180 out of the 2liter Alfa, easy, really; 10.4
Borgos, hot cams, big valves, header and Webers, should sound like
half a 308. Accord's at 150 out of 2.3.

....Or I may go with a G1 S2000. I'd like to do the Alfa myself,
thinking a year out either way.

I'd recommend my car highly to 98% of the public, I won't have another
one when this is gone.

Looking for sound, feel and style, not an autocross racer.

Fun is the objective,

You're right, 3000 vs 3200 on an 1999 323, but the BMW is a cloth
manual seat window crank unavailable stripper at that weight, in the
real world the 328's about 3500.

Not 50/50. Very nose heavy, twitchy in the rain and useless in snow.

Rubber bands stretched over tuna cans. A significant percentage of
BMW dealers' net profit derives from selling $1000 replacement wheels.

Not an option given the roads I drive. There is truly a bathtub sized
pothole on my approach to the George Washington Bridge, for two weeks
now.

60-ish.

Uninvolved cell-phone addled goat herders driving Town Cars, or
princesses driving TSXs, are a constant hazard.

No they were not designed for that, but they can be modded to stiffen
them up.

American Touring Car series.

Yes. Greater control and predictability are elements of dynamic
safety, and improve this driver's satisfaction index.

I know an Accord will never turn in like a 355, but it could be and
will be a good deal sharper and more stable.

--

"...Luigi follow only the Ferraris."