Anti Lift Kits and Why They Matter for Your Civic!
A very popular suspension mod for the 10th gen Civics (and many other Macpherson strut front suspension cars) is the addition of an anti lift kit aka an ALK. The premise of this modification is that it replaces the rearward compliance bushing on the front lower control arm. There are three major gains from this modification:
- The new bushings are considerably more stiff than the factory rubber bushing which goes a long way for reduction deflection in the control arm when the suspension is loaded up in either a corner or acceleration/deceleration. This helps keep the wheel alignment where it's supposed to be which helps increase grip. Not only is it more stiff, but it also creates a massive reduction in stiction which allows the suspension to articulate much more freely.
- The ALK moves the rear pivot point of the control arm further outboard which adds caster. Adding a bit of caster is almost always beneficial for increasing cornering grip in a Macstrut front suspension.
- The ALK also moves the rear pivot of the control arm downward which gives the modification it's name, anti lift. This anti lift geometry reduces how much the car will squat under acceleration. This is important because when it squats, weight is transferred to the rear of the car which reduces traction under power. By reducing squat, the traction loss in corner exits and straight lines is reduced.
We've had numerous customers request this so we felt it was worth writing a blog post about; in this blog we're looking at two popular anti lift kit options for the 10th gen Civic, Powerflex and Whiteline.
The Whiteline ALK is what we consider the budget oriented option, it does the job and is a solid improvement over the factory parts.
The Powerflex ALK is what we consider the premium option, the fit and finish of it is more refined and it functions better, but don't just take our word for it, keep reading to see how they compare!
Floppy, Stiff, Stiffer
Bushing stiffness is important, it plays a major role in ride compliance and handling performance. As with many functional parts on a car there is a balance that has stuck between comfort and outright performance. The average car buyer isn't interested in having every ounce of performance on their drive in to work, and with comfort being a very subjective matter, most factory parts err heavily on the side of comfort to appeal to as many consumers as possible.
As our first point mentioned, the ALK bushings are more stiff, but how much more stiff and how do they compare? Well for starters the factory bushing used isn't just soft rubber, it's fluid filled rubber!
This makes for a bushing that is exceptionally good at soaking up road imperfections and isolating vehicle occupants from feeling it, but terrible for keeping the wheels pointed where you want them! Whiteline offers one stiffness for their ALK and Powerflex offers two stiffness options of either street (purple) or race (black) stiffness. Powerflex has also published a graph showing the stiffness difference versus stock!
The street kit is great for those that still want some street manners with acceptable ride compliance and the race stiffness is for those that care most about performance and are willing to deal with a bit less comfort.
To quantify where the aftermarket bushings stand we have a durometer tester that we can measure all the bushings with to see how stiff they are. Starting with the Whiteline, the inner bushings (both Type R and non Type R) measured 93A and the outer bushings measured 84A.
So as far as stiffness comparison goes the Whiteline and Powerflex race kits are extremely close in stiffness and all 3 options are considerably more stiff than the factory bushing.
Fit and FInish
The factory lollipop housing is made from stamped steal, it's heavy and not too pretty but cheap and does the job Honda needed it to do. Both the Whiteline and Powerflex kits use billet aluminum housings to retain their outer bushings, but the similarities stop there.
The Powerflex housings have a more consistent surface finish compared to the Whiteline which has some surface irregularities in some places. The edges of the Whiteline housings look like they may have been deburred by hand to save time, whereas the Powerflex housings have machined chamfers on all of the edges.
The insertion effort to install the inner bushing into the outer bushing is considerably higher for the Whiteline bushings compared to the Powerflex bushings. The higher the insertion effort is, the more stiction there will be in the bushing during operation, so lower insertion effort is more desirable.
The cross hatching on the ID of the outer bushing plays a large role in how well lubrication is retained which makes it a big contributor to how long the bushings last. The cross hatching on the Powerflex bushings is large and more pronounced which bodes well for retaining lubrication. The Whiteline bushings use a more fine cross hatching that isn't as deep.
Warranty for Your Worries
Everyone likes knowing that the product they just spent their hard earned money on is backed up by a warranty! Based on the most recent pages from both companies' websites the Whiteline ALK is warrantied for 3 years from the date of purchase. The Powerflex ALK is warrantied for life to the original purchaser, this covers everything whether it be an ill fitting part, something breaking in use, or worn bushings!
While You're In There!
We HIGHLY recommend installing poly front bushings to compliment your ALK. This removes the majority of binding in the control arm and stiffens up the control arm even more for further performance gains from your suspension! The front bushings do require a hydraulic press to remove, if you don't have a hydraulic press but want better front bushings shoot us a message or email, we offer bushing installation services!
A WIN for YOU
So with all of these fine details covered we hope you feel confident in going forward with purchasing an ALK for your Civic! At the end of the day, both the Powerflex and Whiteline ALK are a clear cut above the ill performing factory parts, although they are both offered at different price points and offer different levels of refinement neither is a bad choice!
Powerflex Type R ALK: LINK
Powerflex Non Type R ALK: LINK
Whitelink ALK: LINK
Powerflex Type R Front Bushings: LINK
Powerflex Non Type R Front Bushings: LINK
Whiteline Non Type R Front Bushings:
