Question about CB7 Accord's chassis rigidity

[NGK]

My aunt used to have a CB7 Honda Accord and I always ride with her when I had a chance . It had white exterior and it was well maintained/cleaned inside-out. I thought this car was the shit back in the day and even to this day! I would like to buy one but I have some questions.


1. How does this car's rigidity compared to let's say... the well regarded BMW E30 series in terms of chassis rigidity?
(would like to own a BMW E30 but they're not too many around in Vegas)

2. Was CB7 accord the world's first sedan with all-wheel double wishbone suspension when it was introduced in 1989?

[johnl]

1. How does this car's rigidity compared to let's say... the well regarded BMW E30 series in terms of chassis rigidity?

I don't know, but they (CB7s) respond well to good quality tower braces both front and rear, as well as to properly bracing the area directly behind the back of the rear seat.

If I had a choice and all else were equal, I'd opt for a car that didn't have a sun-roof, as these aren't a good thing for chassis stiffness.

2. Was CB7 accord the world's first sedan with all-wheel double wishbone suspension when it was introduced in 1989?

Again, I don't know, but I recall at the time it was touted / reported as a rather unique specification for a sedan. Whatever, there's no real doubt that it's a significantly superior suspension than any strut type (i.e. Macpherson strut or Chapman strut).

[starchland]

Imo, there not too bad at all, however a cheap front upper strut bar makes a noticeable difference there is improvement to be made. The sunroof probably doesnt change much really, especially since this is a family sedan youd hardly notice is the difference.

[F22HB]

The fact that stabilizer bars make a noticeable difference would be an indication of a lack of initial rigidity though right?

[starchland]

correct...there is always improvement to be made, but for what purpose this car was built for and what people so it for...the chassis rigidity is fine.

[F22HB]

Ya, I'm sure when it was new the soft chassis added to comfort. Now its just annoying.

[Old School]

Well you got Johnl attention attention on this questions, and mine.

First I will say a few things about Johnl.
He has my respect for his well thought out logical answers and views, and I agree with him about 95% or maybe more. That 5% is on opinions not facts?

Anyway I don't know about "car's rigidity compared to let's say... the well regarded BMW E30 series in terms of chassis rigidity?" and I would GUESS they a similar.

Nether of these cars (CB/E30) were super rigid and again I will GUESS the E30 is a shorter wheel base making it possibly a little more so.

What I will say about the early 90s CBs is that this was a time Honda was developing the NSX and they were on top of there game.

These ancient CBs hold up very well to MUCH newer offerings from other manufactures as well as later offerings from Honda.

These were never meant to be performance cars but were designed/manufactured well enough to roughly fall into the category.

These are now OLD cars and beating on one the results will show.

I personally find the 7 a great platform for a HOBBY to do a update, near complete rebuild. 5x what I payed for the car. Keeps me out of trouble and I just like to do it.

"2. Was CB7 accord the world's first sedan with all-wheel double wishbone suspension when it was introduced in 1989? "
Don't know but I seriously dough it.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think these CBs are a classic.Very under rated now and may always be

I think Accord was a best seller in the early 90s and this is a personal observation. I see 50-70 CB7 Accords to every early 90s BMW on the road.

Pretty sure they did not sell 50 Accords for every 1 BMW.

[NGK]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I think these CBs are a classic.Very under rated now and may always be

lol Honda already called this chassis a classic with this commercial

I think Accord was a best seller in the early 90s and this is a personal observation. I see 50-70 CB7 Accords to every early 90s BMW on the road.

I used to live in Downtown Los angeles and there's plenty of CB7s there.

Some of the best samples i've seen are sooooo well taken care of (I think they're active in this forum too)

[owequitit]

The fact that stabilizer bars make a noticeable difference would be an indication of a lack of initial rigidity though right?

No. Stabilizer bars have nothing to do with chassis stiffness, they have to do with suspension stiffness.

The chassis cold be stiff as a bridge, but if you put a soft squishy suspension, it will benefit significantly from stabilizer bars.

And a flaccid chassis is not good for ride either. It is commonly held knowledge among car engineers, racers, etc that the stiff the chassis is, the better it is for noise, vibration and harshness. That is partly because bending metal makes noise, and anything attached to it also bends and makes noise, as well as the fact that if the chassis is stiff, the suspension is more effective, because it is only dealing with the road, and not also compensating for the bending and flexing chassis.

Generally speaking, Honda chassis are adequately stiff compared to the competition, and a CB7 with a solid front bar is about as stiff as a 98-02 Accord which was given props for its stiffness. Honda doesn't necessarily have the stiffest chassis around, but they have a good balance between stiffness and excessive weight. Luckily, like most chassis, they respond extremely well to solid tower braces front and rear, in which case they really don't have rigidity issues.

A good way to tell if the chassis is stiff or not, is to drive it and feel how it impacts bumps, expansion joints etc. If a bump is felt as a solid thunk that seems to move or be felt through the whole chassis, then it is pretty stiff. If you can feel or see the steering column or dash etc, vibrate independently, or move independently of the rest of the car, then there is some flex. If you feel it reverberate through the structure then there is some flex.

You can tell when a car is flexing.

[starchland]

He was referring to upper strut brace bars

[owequitit]

He was referring to upper strut brace bars

Technical error on his part.

Stabilizer bars deal with stiffness, and they are a distinct part of the system, so I had no way of knowing that.

And are you sure he wasn't talking about stabilizer bars?

[F22HB]

He was referring to upper strut brace bars

Yeah I was just referring to the tower braces they were talking about. I understand how anti swaybars work.

[starchland]

Technical error on his part.

Stabilizer bars deal with stiffness, and they are a distinct part of the system, so I had no way of knowing that.

And are you sure he wasn't talking about stabilizer bars?

You should have made the connection that he was referring to strut braces knowing this members knowledge and competence among the forums

[owequitit]

You should have made the connection that he was referring to strut braces knowing this members knowledge and competence among the forums

Actually, that is why I thought he meant stabilizer bars. He has always seemed to have known, and stabilizers bars are in fact part of the car, and they do in fact stiffen something.

It doesn't really matter now anyway, we know what he was talking about.

[starchland]

yep