When it comes to suspension, almost everyone has read or heard the term ‘extended top hats.’ But what do they actually do?

On most Honda/Acura chassis, the top of the strut is bolted directly to a factory ‘top hat.’ This OEM piece allows the whole damper assembly to be mounted through the shock tower. When using our extended top hats, the top mounting point of the shock itself is raised up farther through the shock tower, while still the entire damper still mounts in the factory position.

Contrary to what some have heard, this does NOT lower your car any more than the OEM top hat does. This is because the distance from the bottom of your shock tower to the lower perch of your shock (where your spring rests) is still exactly the same.

It DOES, however, give you much more shock travel. This eliminates bottoming out issues and prolongs the life of your shock.