When the CR was first announced and pictured in various magazines and websites I was unimpressed

 

whats a CR alignment?

 

an alignment done to CR specs.

Rad Ray, not only is your name bad ass (I've been trying to bring "rad" back into the lingo), but your writeup was awesome as well.

What is the sizing on the CR bars anyway? I heard that the CR bars and springs were pretty close to the 00-01 models. Correct? Incorrect?

 

28.6 mm front with 4.5 width

MY00-01 28.2 mm front with 5.0 width

i believe

 

Interesting write-up. Would you venture so far as to say that the Swift sway bar is useless? Did the cars that you tested all have similar alignments?

 

If your buddy with the kw's were to raise his car a bit, would you think the handling of the car would be better overall? We all know lowering too much screws up our car's handling. This is the first time I've heard someone not praise the v3's.

 

There are variables out there, rebound and compression tuning, dampening settings etc.

 

How is the CR alignment different from a UK alignment?

Can someone please post the CR alignment specs?

Nice write up! I think you made a wise decision.

 

The major difference is that CR has a different rear toe (0.03" - 0.011"), but I'd need a shop manual to be certain about these numbers. The 2004-2006 have 0.14" +/- 0.08") according to the Honda shop manual.

I'm not certain about all of the cars having the same alignment. Judging by tire wear alone, I'd have to say that they were aligned, but that's a gross assessment. Personal experience indicates that even showroom cars with few miles are often not "perfectly" aligned. My hat's off to the master alignment specialists as they can really dial a suspension in and it seems to be as much of an art as it does computerized systems.

I can't really say that the Swift sway bars were "useless." They just didn't seem to make a subjective difference. Mind you that my time with the vehicle was limited too. However, for what he paid ($699/pair + S&H), it seemed to be a big waste of extra money over the Honda CR sway bars. Bragging about one's expensive parts might do the ego well, but nothing for the car.

The KW V3 setup did seem to be low and were probably at their lowest range - looked cool but ride height was not optimal. My understanding of the ride height is measured from ground to the center of the head of the lower arm's front bushing bolts or for stock 7.56" - 7.95" (front) and 8.66" - 9.06" (rear). These are altered by tire pressure and even wear to a certain extent. I also asked for a slight (about 0.05") left adjustment for my mass (150 lbs.) since I rarely carry a passenger, no spare tire, tools, etc. - guess I'm going overboard here but I think it could make a difference.

The lateral roll and traction in sharp corners with the KW V3 and Swift sway bars were "twitchy." I'm neither praising the set up not putting it down, especially with such subjective impressions. I know this sounds darn mystical and perhaps they would be better on a track, but the idea of driving on the streets where I live (Southwest Virginia) with that setup would be taxing. Bottom line: why pay that much when you can get better handling with a third the cost?

 

well one other thing is that most ppl wanna lower the ride too when they get a new set of shocks/springs/ coilovers...

I have KW v3s and I love it.. just had to get it dialed in right and I also have UK alignment... no twitchy feeling here, I can push it in uneven roads with no problem. but i have stock sway bars.