Topic: best civic combo

[leoj]

ok, Ive got a 97 civic EX and I need to know the best combo for the most HP increase.  I'm looking for intake, exhaust, headers and whatever else that could be done to my car for about $1000.  I don't want go with a turbo or SC just yet I would much rather go with other bolt ons first. please specifiy brands and models,  If you got any DYNOed results that would be even better.  THanks

[utahteg]

If you are thing about ever going the turbo route...don't waste your money on the header and intake.  But, if you are looking at header, intake, and exhaust you'll see close to the same gains with just about any brand.

[MitzuRida]

yeah if you goin to want some bolt ons and dont plan on turboingi would go jackson racing supercharger that way you can still use the intake headers ect....
i really like the injen intakes and cant go wrong with dc headers, dragon fire exhaust sound good....but those are just my opionion but pretty much every brand will do the same just matters if you want brand name or not but i know dc comes with lifetime warranty and stuff so its good to spend the money.

[lagguer]

Just continue on saving up the money, that way you have options.  With a good ol' I/H/E setup not only will it cost you quite a bit, but you'll be lucky to grab 10-15 hp w/ a civic.
You might not want a turbo or SC YET, but believe me...you will.  If you buy the I/H/E you won't be able to get half of what you paid for if you decide to sell.  I know I didn't when I had to ditch my cold air.
I'd go exhaust cuz either way you're going to need it.  However, wait a bit on the intake and header...just in case you might want some maneuvering room and options later on down the road.

[PossuMKIV]

You could always do a swap. And on that swap you can build the motor with cams, cam gears, new manifolds, clutch, of course your exhaust and if you dont want turbo or SC get an intake (it really helps).  Of course You can build the same motor that is in your car also.  If you want to shoot you can.  I got a Civic EX with a Type R swap running 100 shot nitrous.  Shooting helps, but you have to respect it.

If you want a Turbo kit - we can hook you up with a nice one.  My shops Race Car is at 425HP @ 275lbs torque our best time on the track so far has been 11.7sec.  If you want to ever come down and check it out.  You can, we are giving hook up prices right now.

As for nice exhausts, I agree with Mistu on the Dragunfire.  I run that on my Civic right now.  And even when I had the 1.6 SOHC motor it sounded clean and deep as hell.  A good intake would have to be Monster Flow.  They give a deep tone to it and also have lifetime warranty.  You can wash it in your washer.

Anyway, let one of us Speed Techers know if your interested. We are the only distributer for Monsterflow and Dragunfire in Utah.
Good luck on your future modifications!

[Mar_DC2]

bolt on's won't do s h i t on a stock motor. if you want power then don't waste your money in I/H/E. you'd probably make more power buying a VAFC and having it dyno tuned than you would with bolt on's, especially with SOHC. keep your money and save up for the turbo or SC.

[OverLord]

definately go for the turbo set up. A turbo kit for your car can be had for just a little more cash than the bolt on garbage will cost.

[MitzuRida]

i would def go down to speed tech and have them hook u up if you want instant power intake exhaust and nitrous lol as long as your careful but you should go down there and check them at and really look into the monsterflow intakes they are really nice.

[Masta]

I have a 99' Ex and I bought a Injen Cold Air intake, DC 4-2-1 Header, and Greddy Evo Exhaust for right about $1000, but thats bc i bought all that off Nopi. But anyway, I've seen pretty good improvement over stock with just those 3 bolt-ons. Haven't dyno'd yet. But my 1/8 times dropped considerably. I used to run 10.8's now i run nearly 10 flat. It could be also that i'm a better driver than i was 5 months ago... But still I know the stuff helped.

[PossuMKIV]

No offense - but dont listen to that mumbo jumbo "Bolt ons wont do s h i t" .. Bolt ons do a lot.  They open your motor up and let her breath better.  Of course it will make a difference.  Besides - before you even want to THINK about putting a Turbo or SC You want to open her up so she runs stronger. Anyway, Congrats on your intake and exhaust.  And good luck on future mods.

[Mar_DC2]

yes, bolt on's do a lot for a motor if you need them.  i.e. you have cams, valvetrain, ported/polished head, intake manifold, etc... with a stock D16Y8, they won't do s h i t, plain and simple. if anything, they'd change the torque and HP curves, and not always for the better. i'd be surprised if you got more than 5 or 6whp on the top end from that $1,000. they're a great investment if you plan to build your motor in the future, but not something to buy if you want to create more power on a stock motor.

no offense, i'm just stating the facts.

[utahteg]

no offense btown...bolt on's do help the air flow...you don't need everything else you listed to see a difference i.e. cams, port/polished head.  In my integra I was running low 16's -- 16.2 with just bolt on's -- CAI, header, and cat-back...oh yeah this is an LS integra...now you going to tell me that they don't do jack...whatever.

[PossuMKIV]

Thank you for restating my point Twinner.
No offense aswell Btown - but they do make a difference
All cars come from the factory with all kinds of restrictions that dont allow your car as much power as it could have.  Everyone knows how a motor works and one out of the 3 necessary things is air. i.e. intake.  Your exhaust helps aswell by allowing the air to flow better from your motor.  However an Exhaust tip wont do s h i t.  You'd need from the cat back. Then headers aswell.
Bolt ons do ALOT.  You may not think so, but I always notice a difference when added.  It may not be a HUGE difference, but there is one.  
Another example is if your breathing was restricted, you wouldn't be able to perform good. If you had less restrictions in your breathing abilities - you work better.

Anyway - thats my double 2 cents.
No bad blood - just stating the facts.

[Mar_DC2]

i know that bolt on's increase air flow. but why would you need to increase the air flow on a stock motor? you would see a slight gain because of the factory restrictions, but i HIGHLY doubt enough to put an LS integra into the low 16's. i don't mean to start an argument, but its a proven fact that bolt on's don't create the kind of power people think they do. you will not see the power from an intake, header, and exhaust untill you build your motor and need the air flow. the majority of dyno sheets that i've seen only show around a 10hp gain with I/H/E. that's a lot of money to spend on 10hp, and those are on B16A's and B18C's. everyone "notices" a difference when they put something new on their car, that's one of the biggest cliche's ive ever heard. like i said before, they're a great investment if you're building your motor, but nothing i would call a power maker.

if this kid want's to turbo or S/C his car, i'd suggest saving the money for that so he doesn't waste it on something that he's going to have to sell later on.

[utahteg]

Don't doubt or call me a liar...if you don't have proof that I didn't I would keep your trap shut...I have the time slip, our friends have the video, I raced my friend on that run, and I had at least ten people who were there that night to see us race.  

Oh, if you are going to SC your car you'll still want to get an intake and cat-back exhaust.

[Mar_DC2]

settle down bro, i doubted you, i never called you a liar. i totally believe that you have a time slip that says 16.2. but if you ran that run at wendover then i guarante the time's are wrong, if it was at RMR you were probably manually staged and the guy screwed up. the same thing happened to FAC when she ran that 15.1 with a 1.2 60ft, or whatever time that was. 1/4 mile times aren't always 100% accurate. especially if its a BS event like the midnight drags where the times don't matter.

here's why i doubt you: in utah, an LS integra with full interior in good condition will run anywhere between 16.7-16.9 with a good driver, at best. there is no way in hell that an intake, header, and exhaust gave you enough power to drop your times down seven tenths of a second. to do that you would need to add at least 30whp, a head package and tuning will add that much if you're lucky.

another reason is because you say you only did it one time. like the saying goes, if you can't back it up, then it doesn't mean s h i t. FAC ran 15.8's all night and all of a sudden got a 15.1 with a 60' comparable to kevin white or cortney. that one 16.2 run was more than likely a fluke. unless you have more slips with similar times to back it up, then i will doubt you.

no offense man, didn't mean to piss on your cheerio's, but thats the way things work.

and please don't turn this into an argument.

[OverLord]

I agree with btown. I/H/E are good to increase the breating of a stock motor but it will give you small gains compared to a turbo or sc.  I am sure eveyone can FEEL a difference using their butt dyno but a 10-15 HP increase will not take an Integra from 16.9's to a 16.2 it is just impossible. The reason I said go with a turbo is because a turbo for his set up can be had for just a few hundred more than I/H/E.  It all boils down to what he wants from the car. If he just want some bling (which an i/H/E is on stock civics) then by all means go for that. But if he is serious about speed then the turbo is a no contest winner. Twinner you of all people should agree that if you want to go faster and have more power, turbo is the way to go. The only time I have ever heard of a full exhaust(header, cat, cat-back) and an intake made more than 10 whp was in an ITR with TUNING. He spent over $2000 just for the exhaust. Even at that the ITR head has already had some work for better flow. I cant see a D16 making more than 6-10 whp more than stock with all of that listed. If he already had a grand saved, there is no reason not to wait, save some more, and buy a turbo or a B16.  

[utahteg]

All of my times were at RMR and I ran one 16.2, it could be a fluke but I ran about a dozen or so 16.4-16.5's last year with the 60 ft times all being near equal...so I don't think they are screw ups by the track.  I know exactly what happened with FAC, I raced her twice that night after she ran the 15.1.

I wish I had a base line dyno run before I did the I/H/E, my car was making 130 whp with the I/H/E and now with 6 lbs of boost is making 230 whp.  So without a doubt I totally agree with you Corey, the only way to get real power, power that you can feel is going FI.

[PossuMKIV]

I agree with you aswell Corey. Are argument is just opposing that saying "Bolt ons dont do s h i t"
we are just saying.. that they DO, do SOME gain.  And yes they DO help your motor. OF COURSE your not going to feel a dramatic change because your just pretty much running stock.  And everyone in the car world in their right mind knows that Turbo, Nitrous, Supercharger - being that it is force induction is of course going to make a drastic change.  But considering Masta's situation - we are just stating the mere facts that bolt ons do produce some power (notice the word "some") - and because he isn't ready for a Turbo or a SC yet.  Bolt ons are his best bet. Of course he could save his money for something bigger , like you all say - but in the end.. hes going to need bolt ons anyway I.E. exhaust (not an intake).
Our point is merely - saying that "Bolt ons dont do s h i t" is alllll wrong.
Thats it...end of story - no more arguing.  This is getting way on the drastic side.  Its just as simple as that.

[Masta]

  Masta Bows to Possum! Thank you for clearing all that up, no one should have any arguments now about bolt-ons. They help "some" like Possum said. I totally agree that the way to go is FI its just I don't have the freedoms to buy it right now and I'm buying a different car with stock FI in the next year anyway, so I feel no reason to buy FI for a car which will be a daily driver for the next 3 or 4 years when I will have a project car that I will be spending all my money on. But anyone who doesn't have my upcoming opportunity and doesn't have the want or the funds to buy a turbo should go with bolt-ons till they find the need to buy FI.

[OverLord]

Of course they free up SOME power but does anyone want to spend $1000.00 to get 6-10hp? And the worst part is when you decide to go FI and have already spent that $1000.00 that could have gone to your turbo kit.

[Masta]

So what if you've wasted 500 bucks on I/H just try to sell them to some poor soul that can't afford new parts. You should be able to get at least 150-300 bucks back from it... right? But if you have to, you could sell them for like 25 bucks a pop. Thats just what I would do tho.

[Mar_DC2]

its funny, once the admin say's something everyone changes their mind. first it's "bolt on's do a lot and i can feel it!" to "bolt on's only add some power and you can't really feel it anyway..."

either way, thank's for agreeing with me!

[Kanzen]

I dont think anyones changing their mind Btown. The majority of us here have I.E.H. If it didnt make a difference then why even buy it. True they dont make alot of power but for a n/a cars. 10 hp here and 10 hp there and 10 hp down there adds up....

[sunflashx]

I think quite a few Civic/Honda owners have figured out the most cost effective mods.

Gut the b i t c h and take a sawzall/holesaw to the sheet metal and structural supports.  

If your car is SOHC you could probably get the head milled for relatively cheap plus the cost of a new head gasket.  Maybe not if you can't pull the head yourself.  If it's DOHC you'll just fawk your cam timing up and spend all your money on adjustable cam gears and paying someone to degree them.

[1slowCX]

intakes change the sound of cars.....