Suspension is a key performance component in any decent vehcile build. Progress has been the suspension facility of choice for all Bisimoto Engineering projects, and many successful road race, time attack, drag and salt flat teams in the US and overseas. Time and time again Progress Technology products are being used on winning teams in the numerous sanctioning bodies, IMSA, IDRC, SCCA, NASA, SCTA, IDRA, World Challenge, and Honda Challenge.
The Bisimoto Engineering WagoVan was graced with the Progress Series I coil-over kit. The “easy to install” coil over system is the perfect balance for the performance minded enthusiast looking to make huge improvements in handling and appearance where quality, durability, and proven track performance is of the utmost value. The aggressive suspension tune is ideal for superior street performance, light drag and autocross applications. The stockers, were far from optimal for my build:
The Series I exclusive take-apart dampers are tunable and rebuild-able; in addition, the threaded steel bodies are plated with attractive corrosion-resistant electroless nickel. This kit gave us the ride height adjustments we desired, ideal for on the track or at the show. The average Honda enthusiast will love the fact that these kits are covered under a one year warranty to protect them from any defects in workmanship or parts failure.
Cut out/away view:
Progress creates and calibrates the dyno curves in all the coil-overs designed utilizing an in-house shock dyno, and matches the spring rates to optimize performance and ride compliance.
All sport spring designs are painstakingly designed in-house and extensively tested to meet exacting standards. Below is a dyno chart of the Bisimoto wagon's rear shock(s):
An obvious weak point on the EE suspension was the skinny OEM sway bar. On spirited driving days, I would love to prevent traction robbing “lean” that rolls part of the outside tires off the pavement. Progress Sport-tuned Anti-roll bars came to the rescue: replacing wimpy OEM bar and rubber bushings with larger diameter (stiffer) alloy steel bars and polyurethane bushings. More roll stiffness means less body "lean", and the Toyo tires stay flatter on the pavement (larger contact patches). The result is more grip and added driver control!
After over two decades of abuse, the rear trailing arms were in a horrible state, with cracks to boot.
Out they went:
They had to be torched out:
New progress bushings pressed in:
Progress Civic rear trailing arm bushings are high durometer, polyurethane replacement bushings to minimize deflection, and replaced our wagon stockers. These are popular for the Civic / CRX racing applications. These SCCA & NHRA legal components respond instantly to driver input and maintain suspension geometry under load, making them the ideal choice for demanding drag and road racing use.
Another set of cost effective and excellent upgrades from Progress Technology were their front and rear lower control arm bearings. These are zero-deflection control arm solid bushings that are popular for the Civic racing and hot street applications. The all-metal pivot bushings replace soft OEM rubber parts with spherical bearings. These bushings are machined for direct replacement fit with no machining required for installation.
The balance of the suspension rubber was replaced by the Energy Suspension Hyper-flex master set bushings, for the 1988-91 civic/crx. Energy suspension offers patented front-to-rear coverage for most import and domestic vehicles, with the largest product line in the industry. The kit even has a shifter bushing set, which gave an amazing positive feel to the Skunk 2 short shifter mechanism used in the Bisimoto Wagon. Honestly, if you plan on modifying, restoring an old one like we are, or even building a car from scratch, the Hyper-flex system is highly recommended.
After all was said and done, the wagon was corner balanced, and without driver and fluids weighed in at a healthy 2288 pounds.
With all fluids in place, and with me at the helm, the wagon ballooned to 2591 pounds! The front corners settled in within 7 pounds, and the rears within 11 pounds: a well balanced setup.