[noidaboy]

After a break, I'm excited with my new project - HONDA CIVIC. I may be late to modify this car, but hasn't this been one of the favorite ones to be modified, especially in India. The abundance of parts for Honda is crazy and you really need to rob a bank to have them all. The only car probably that gives the option to choose a certain style of modification. VIP style, Euro clean look or the Regular Type R.

Going with this, I began my search and stumbled upon air suspensions, particularly ACCUAIR. Knowing more about it got me intrigued and after gathering some courage, I choose this as the first mod to begin with. I got only negative feedback about this product as there was no other air suspension fitted in India as far as I know. So the project began with a lot of apprehensions. The costing turns out to be a BOMB with the conversion rate, freight and customs...this was turning out to be one big gamble.

Nevertheless the "want" for this product had overcome any logical explanations, even though there were cheaper options available, but AccuAir E level was something I fell for. So here it is.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fknjr4G-0a4

Accuair - E level - First Run.

More pictures and to be shared soon, Waiting to find the right set of wheels for it now.

[himanshu_j]

Very excited to see someone go ahead with an air suspension install in India. I too lusted for such a setup but the prohibitive cost always dampened all such desires. Hope you have a good experience in the long run and can't wait to see your Civic in a fresh shade of paint and new wheels

[CrAzY dRiVeR]

Wow! Nice little project there! They way it lowers itself is a party trick for sure.

What about the ride and handling - specially the ride quality? Also - has the rear suspension been sorted now - Civic always had a soft rear that didnt gel with the front.

[humyum]

This is excellent. Some questions ? Any modifications needed to the vehicle for the install? I checked their website, there is a kit for the Swift too, was yours the same priced one at 24XX dollars ? Or we have to purchase something separately ? How is the improvement in ride quality ? What all are part of the kits ?

PS: Answer quickly please, this seems VERY interesting

[GTO]

Congratulations, that is a huge mod! Thanks for sharing the details with us.

1. How much was the total $$$?

2. Where did you get it installed? This must require a high level of expertise.

3. You obviously can climb up buildings now , no worries about ground clearance. That said, how is the ride quality? And the handling?

[ajaypjayaraj]

Good choice of mod job! Do share the details about ride improvements.

Originally Posted by noidaboy

The costing turns out to be a BOMB with the conversion rate, freight and customs...this was turning out to be one big gamble. Nevertheless the "want" for this product had overcome any logical explanations, even though there were cheaper options available...

Very true. Good to hear this from someone. No amout of VFM arguments can overcome that "want" once the heart is set on something!

[gaurangsaini]

That is one neat mod! Just out of curiosity though, what is the max and min ground clearance with the air suspension installed? If I'm not wrong, the OG Civic's stock GC was 155mm

[prakhar1998]

That is a really cool mod. Your ride height woes with the Civic definitely must have gone away, with those mammoth adjustment capabilities.
Its funny how I have seen so many Civics that are actually that low with normal suspension, cause there are passengers sitting in it

Puns aside, why don't you have a Team BHP sticker on this beauty?

[AZ911]

How's it holding up in situations where the car is fully loaded with luggage and five passengers, especially at relatively higher speeds? Worth it?

[noidaboy]

Originally Posted by humyum

This is excellent. Some questions ? Any modifications needed to the vehicle for the install? I checked their website, there is a kit for the Swift too, was yours the same priced one at 24XX dollars ? Or we have to purchase something separately ? How is the improvement in ride quality ? What all are part of the kits ?

1950$ is for the air management system, E-LEVEL
2250$ is for the Struts with airbags manufactured by TWR (D2 racing)

+shipping + customs.

Do purchase the Exo mount they sell as an accessory, I made that mistake of not ordering it then and there. Rest they will send you everything required for fitting the entire kit.

Mounting the Level sensors and laying the air-lines is a bit of an effort, Rest most of it is plug and play. I was expecting it to be more tricky then that.

Ride quality, Is something like an after-market coil over. The car is turning crisp with no body roll. Shocks are stiffer than stock for sure but they have height and stiffness adjustments. Yes, But people cannot expect an airmatic ride like the S-class.

Originally Posted by gaurangsaini

That is one neat mod! Just out of curiosity though, what is the max and min ground clearance with the air suspension installed? If I'm not wrong, the OG Civic's stock GC was 155mm

Height can be set as per your liking, My want for this was to have a slammed ride when parked, So i have kept it on a level where it goes higher then stock when the bags are fully inflated and the slams down when parked. Basically the body kit (to-be added) should touch the ground, Im attaching a picture to give you an idea.

The strut has about 6" adjustment above that the bags travel about 6" more.

[Haren]

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[anshul26]

With that much money you could have bought an Alto . Now that you have spent a fortune, Please don't hesitate to flaunt your Civic's muscles at Red lights . I am sure it will scare and confuse other drivers.

[noidaboy]

Originally Posted by AZ911

How's it holding up in situations where the car is fully loaded with luggage and five passengers, especially at relatively higher speeds? Worth it?

E-level management can automatically adjust height as soon as it senses load on either side, So as soon as you drop or pick passengers the system re-calibrates pressure and keeps the car in the same stance. High speed handling has improved to my liking as the body roll is negligible so the ride is a bit stiff when compared to stock suspension but very stable.

In a way its better for me as civic's driving character use to change with 5 people on board.

Originally Posted by anshul26

With that much money you could have bought an Alto . Now that you have spent a fortune, Please don't hesitate to flaunt your Civic's muscles at Red lights . I am sure it will scare and confuse other drivers.

Like i mentioned before, There is no VFM quotient, I could had bought an Alto,6iphones or just kept the money in the bank and earned interest on it.

There are cheaper kits available that start as low as 2200$ for the complete thing. All it will lack is this remote and auto-leveling.

[dass]

That is an awesome Mod on the civic and one that brings out a lot of character.

Does the product come with warranty and if yes would that be valid in India or its a US only Warranty? With the amount of money spent on this, just thinking about the warranty makes me a little jittery.

[AJ-got-BHP]

Excellent mod noidaboy!

Looks really cool!

However, a lot of things said on the VFM aspect... I would say it is a personal choice and does not needs to be commented upon. That's what the enthusiasm is all about !! Follow your heart and let the eyes keep rolling - definitely a show stopper stuff.

What definitely is my concern is:
1.) Warranty & maintenance?
2.) Wear & tear on tires with the air suspension as the rear end seems to be extremely negative at the bottom which might result in extreme pressure on the inner threads of the rear tires at all times when the beast is lowered?
3.) Max & Min GC and chances of scraping on the speed breakers?

Suggest - Use a fresh coat of pearl white paint on the car with a contrasting shade of alloy rims (other than black) to get noticed - may a metallic gunpowder grey.