Spoon Rigid Collar Reivew

NapalmEnema

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This seems a no-brainer based on the video. Why is Honda not doing this at the factory? Please don't say to save money. There are a ton of other things they could eliminate to save money, too.
I think that should read 'Why is every car company not doing this' after watching the video. Very interesting stuff
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This seems a no-brainer based on the video. Why is Honda not doing this at the factory? Please don't say to save money. There are a ton of other things they could eliminate to save money, too.
You are more or less right - cost is the reason. It isn't about the collars themselves, the subframe and chassis intentionally have larger holes to make assembly easier. Making those holes smaller (like on an NSX for example) requires tighter tolerances on all of the components. That gets into big money being able to control that.
 

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You are more or less right - cost is the reason. It isn't about the collars themselves, the subframe and chassis intentionally have larger holes to make assembly easier. Making those holes smaller (like on an NSX for example) requires tighter tolerances on all of the components. That gets into big money being able to control that.
I appreciate your reply but you only restated what the video told us.
What I am asking is why doesn't Honda (or other manufacturers) install rigid collars at the factory if they are such a huge deal? The cost, based on the number of vehicles, would be minimal for parts and it's just a few seconds of time to insert the collar as it goes down the assembly line.
 

TheShadow

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I appreciate your reply but you only restated what the video told us.
What I am asking is why doesn't Honda (or other manufacturers) install rigid collars at the factory if they are such a huge deal? The cost, based on the number of vehicles, would be minimal for parts and it's just a few seconds of time to insert the collar as it goes down the assembly line.
Again - cost. You have to pay a guy to do the work. These aren't a necessary item, however noticeable the impact may be. It's impressive what kind of things get cut on an assembly line to pinch pennies.
 

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Nice but more labor time and cost is the reason they don't do it on factory
 


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Yup. For the single-digit percentage of people that would notice/appreciate the upgrade, it would add a very real-world cost to the sticker for everyone. Could maybe see it offered on the CTR, but that's already pushing it on the price and they know it.
 

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Spoon Rigid Collars Front and Rear
Here is an overview of what the product does.


I was one of the first private parties to attain the Rigid Collars for the FK8 platform in the US. And this is a longterm review.

Installation is difficult and should be done with a 2 or 4 post lift and multiple screw jacks. This is a multi-step process as you should have the car aligned after installation. Do not be afraid to over lube with the supplied anti-seize included with the collars. Lube up the subframe bolts and the collars. Instructions are in Japanese but reference the areas of the subframe where they go and they are numbered to its respective placements.

DO NOT mess up the placement of the collars as they are specific to their hole sizing.

***Note*** careful while dropping the front and rear subframe.

The front, you will find the rack and pinion for steering have little play to bring down the subframe. Be gentle, not forceful you may need to disconnect the rack and pinion to gain additional space for the collars to fit into place correctly.

Rear subframe installation is the difficult one. Should you drop the rear subframe too much you risk damaging the fuel tank/fuel filler nozzle. There is no way to know if you installed the rigid collars right in the rear until you are done. After installation of the rear collars start the vehicle, should a check engine light come on you have messed up by dropping the subframe too low and will need to buy a new fuel tank/nozzle assembly. An internal hose within the fuel tank and nozzle assembly have come apart while you installing the rear rigid collars.

Pricing per axle is $200 depending on where you purchase the part sets from.

In my personal opinion, this is the BEST suspension upgrade you can do to your suspension as you will notice a big difference whether stock or have done some suspension upgrades to your “R”
Noise Vibration and Harshness, steering response, and overall feel are greatly improved. This upgrade acts like welding your subframe to the unibody of the vehicle always keeping your suspension geometry square. After having these installed on my “R” over 8 months I don’t have any complaints but praise for something so simple to improve your driving experience.
the top center bolt shows the collar installed in one area of the rear subframe.

ce32f8b6-2050-4854-94f3-f47140bd29b2.jpg
I'm sorry i need to revive this thread but i was about to purchase the rigid collars kit for my FC1 (it seems to fit all civics), when I run into these information. So, you had to drop the subframes for the installation??? This guy seems to have installed it bolt by bolt, without dropping neither the front nor the rear subframe.

I'm doing the install myself and having to drop the frames would be a deal breaker for me!
OP or anyone that has installed it.. Thanks.
 

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I'm sorry i need to revive this thread but i was about to purchase the rigid collars kit for my FC1 (it seems to fit all civics), when I run into these information. So, you had to drop the subframes for the installation??? This guy seems to have installed it bolt by bolt, without dropping neither the front nor the rear subframe.

I'm doing the install myself and having to drop the frames would be a deal breaker for me!
OP or anyone that has installed it.. Thanks.
You don’t need to fully drop or take off the sub frame, it just makes the work somewhat “faster” or “cleaner”. You can loosen all the bolts for either the front or rear subframe and drop the whole assembly by ~1 inch but still have it attached and hanging there. From that point you can take the bolts out 1 at a time and add the rigid collars. Then just tighten it up gradually, making sure none of the collars get pinched when the subframe goes back up and do your final torques. This is the method I used - did it in my garage on jack stands. Not a ton of fun, but very do-able.
 

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You don’t need to fully drop or take off the sub frame, it just makes the work somewhat “faster” or “cleaner”. You can loosen all the bolts for either the front or rear subframe and drop the whole assembly by ~1 inch but still have it attached and hanging there. From that point you can take the bolts out 1 at a time and add the rigid collars. Then just tighten it up gradually, making sure none of the collars get pinched when the subframe goes back up and do your final torques. This is the method I used - did it in my garage on jack stands. Not a ton of fun, but very do-able.
I planned on getting the spoon rigid collars for front and rear. Good to know that you were able to do it by yourself with jack stands because thats how i intended to do it. So you jacked up the car and put on stands and then loosened the front subframe bolts and that allowed the subframe to drop down an inch or so? I don’t have experience with the subframes but plan on doing more research. What are the torque specs for all the bolts?
 

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I planned on getting the spoon rigid collars for front and rear. Good to know that you were able to do it by yourself with jack stands because thats how i intended to do it. So you jacked up the car and put on stands and then loosened the front subframe bolts and that allowed the subframe to drop down an inch or so? I don’t have experience with the subframes but plan on doing more research. What are the torque specs for all the bolts?
Should be the ones in "Body" section but still if someone has this with the photo-diagram, please upload.
 

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I planned on getting the spoon rigid collars for front and rear. Good to know that you were able to do it by yourself with jack stands because thats how i intended to do it. So you jacked up the car and put on stands and then loosened the front subframe bolts and that allowed the subframe to drop down an inch or so? I don’t have experience with the subframes but plan on doing more research. What are the torque specs for all the bolts?
Follow the steps in the manual, and you shoukd be fine. For the front, you may need to disconnect the steering linkage to the interior column.
 

panas

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Follow the steps in the manual, and you shoukd be fine. For the front, you may need to disconnect the steering linkage to the interior column.
Which manual are you refering to? Did you instal rigid collars?
 

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How many bolts are yall putting the collars in the rear? Jason from HondaPro only showed two.
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