Karcepts rear sway bar?

[Gefiltefish]

Hey all - been lurking on here for a few weeks now as I was contemplating a 10th gen Civic purchase. Looks like I will be picking up an '18 Si sedan this week that I am going to run in GS.

Wondering if anyone has given the rear sway bar from Karcepts a try? I know the owner of the company is an autocrosser and developed it on a friends Type-R last year. Looks like it fits Si's as well.

I think I am gonna give one a try as I like the adjustability of it. I have a friend who has the Karcepts front bar for an ND MX-5 and loves it.

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[jwbrockman]

Hey all - been lurking on here for a few weeks now as I was contemplating a 10th gen Civic purchase. Looks like I will be picking up an '18 Si sedan this week that I am going to run in GS.

Wondering if anyone has given the rear sway bar from Karcepts a try? I know the owner of the company is an autocrosser and developed it on a friends Type-R last year. Looks like it fits Si's as well.

I think I am gonna give one a try as I like the adjustability of it. I have a friend who has the Karcepts front bar for an ND MX-5 and loves it.

I don't have it yet, but I ordered one after my codriver and I had a decent showing in HS at the NJ Pro with my Hatch Sport. We were using the Type R rear bar at the Pro but I had been eyeing an upgrade for a while. I will be sure to post my impressions once I get it on, should have it on for an NER local this weekend.

I've been nothing but impressed with Karcepts parts and support for my STR S2000 (I have their sywabar and shock mounts, and have ordered a lot of my other STR bits through them), I expect the Civic bar will be more of the same. Their swaybar adjustment method is the best I've ever used and everything they make is top quality and thoroughly engineered/tested in a competition setting. Excited to see what they came up with for the Civic and see how it works on my hatch.

Josh

 

[5inn]

I don't have it yet, but I ordered one after my codriver and I had a decent showing in HS at the NJ Pro with my Hatch Sport. We were using the Type R rear bar at the Pro but I had been eyeing an upgrade for a while. I will be sure to post my impressions once I get it on, should have it on for an NER local this weekend.

I've been nothing but impressed with Karcepts parts and support for my STR S2000 (I have their sywabar and shock mounts, and have ordered a lot of my other STR bits through them), I expect the Civic bar will be more of the same. Their swaybar adjustment method is the best I've ever used and everything they make is top quality and thoroughly engineered/tested in a competition setting. Excited to see what they came up with for the Civic and see how it works on my hatch.

Josh

I'm the co-driver. Karcepts makes good stuff and tons of my friends have various bits and bobs on their Miatas/S2000s. It's crazy how quickly they're able to make sway bar adjustments. The only reason I haven't bought one for my Si is because I'm cheap and picked up the CTR bar from a local dealer for <$100 with the bushings. Although that was before there was any hint that a Karcepts bar was coming out. I'm sure it would be an improvement over the CTR bar based on how many adjustment points there are.

 

[Gefiltefish]

Mine arrived at home today (ordered it on Tuesday haha!). I am going to get it installed on Saturday when I pick up the car. Then am driving right down to a regional event on Sunday.

I went with the 095 bar obviously and think I am going to start off at hole 2/2. It will be my first event in FWD since 2016 and my Rival's will be stickers too, so this event is just to feel it out.

 

[jwbrockman]

I just got mine today as well, hopefully going on the car tomorrow. Looks great as expected. The softest hole is slightly stiffer than the stock CTR rear bar so that might be a good starting point for testing. I might want all the roll stiffness I can get on the Sport so I am going to start with it somewhere in the middle and adjust based on balance.

 

[Gefiltefish]

Weight as advertised and parts in typical Karwan-like precision!

 

[boscotheduck]

I’ve still got some learning to do on this platform but that is a beautiful piece. Absolutely going on the future upgrade list.

 

[Gefiltefish]

Here are some pics of the installed bar on a 18 Si Sedan.

I started out on hole 2/2. I think I may go to 3/3 at the next event.

 

[destoups]

Here are some pics of the installed bar on a 18 Si Sedan.

I started out on hole 2/2. I think I may go to 3/3 at the next event.

Sam, went for Karcepts bar after all so thanks for this! What kind of pressures were you running in the rear? Was it pushy or just not silly loose enough for you?

 

[Gefiltefish]

Sam, went for Karcepts bar after all so thanks for this! What kind of pressures were you running in the rear? Was it pushy or just not silly loose enough for you?

I was on 255-17 Rival S's. Brand new. ZERO heat cycles. So for the morning heat, I started at 36 square. It was slightly damp for the first run. After one run, I saw minimal rollover and lowered front pressure to 34 (kept rear at 36). I saw a lot more shoulder wear, so went back up to 36 in the front and left it at 36/36 for my last run.... For the afternoon, it was warmer and bone dry, so I started off as 36f/40r. By my last run, I was at 36/42. As I pushed harder, I got more shoulder wear, especially on one side since there were some long sweeping right-hand corners on this course.

I made some rookie mistakes yesterday for sure. One is that TWICE (!) I forgot to put the car into Sport mode after doing the "pedal dance" to turn all the nannies off. Sadly one time was my last run of the day. Ugh.

I certainly think I need some testing with the car and am thankful I have the Karcepts bar. We have a mini-test event this Saturday for a couple of hours that I am hoping to try a few more settings at. Sadly I wont have my alignment done by then since my guy cannot get me in until next week.

 

[das borgen]

I'm on 255/40/17 RE71R, rear bar is from a Type-R. Having done 3 events, I haven't yet felt the need for much more rear rotation, but maybe I just don't know what I don't know.

Are you doing any SCCA National events? (Any Pro, Champ, or Match Tours?). I'm doing Finger Lakes Champ, Toledo and Oscoda Pro, and Nationals in Sept

 

[Gefiltefish]

I will be at the Peru Tour, Toledo Pro (if it happens), Oscoda Pro (if Toledo happens), Pro Finale (if I place well at Toledo and Oscoda) and Nationals.

 

[pretzelface]

I just installed my Karcepts bar yesterday. I thought the end-link length adjustment was a real pain in the ass - anyone have any tips or tricks for getting it right? What are the potential consequences of being off by 1/16"?

 

[DarkLight]

I just installed my Karcepts bar yesterday. I thought the end-link length adjustment was a real pain in the ass - anyone have any tips or tricks for getting it right? What are the potential consequences of being off by 1/16"?

You'll have a little preload, and you might notice cornering feels slightly different on one side, but that's about it. Only consequential if you're corner balanced. There is definitely some preload with the stock setup.

 

[boscotheduck]

What I did to see if my bar was preloaded was get the car on a level surface, tires on the ground, and see if you can easily change adjustment holes. If you can easily the bar isn’t preloaded.

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