ok plz help me regardless of my last question. plz

[Big-Cat 10+ year member]

oh and im not looking for my civic to be fast. im just lookin for a little more oomph from the engine like so i can have a lil more fun with it, u no

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

Those cars just aren't fast- the head doesn't breathe, they don't even have VTEC (have to get an EX for that) a turbo would be a waste on that motor. Let me put it another way, that motor turbo'd likely still get smoked by my stock Si (k20)- they just aren't quick at all- so just enjoy the 35-40mpg you will get and roll that cash into some bichin' audio gear. Besides, if you put a header and fart pipe on it you will join the ranks of people I laugh at when they romp on it at a green light, and it makes a shit-load of noise with no acceleration to match. Single cam Honda motors are never worth the jack people put into them, because a stock twin cam Prelude motor will bich slap them every time. By the way I work on Hondas for a living.

 

[kotec123 10+ year member]

haha yea i agree wt all these guys...just wall off the back of the car and get ready for some basss

 

[Big-Cat 10+ year member]

im not saying that u dont know what ur talkin about its just if the turbo will throw 40hp illl be happy but if it wont then yeah ur right. thx for the help though

 

[Big-Cat 10+ year member]

and i know im not goin to be fast. i also know im not goin to win alot of races if any at all lol. but im just lookin for like 50+ hp. i might see if i can sneek a turbo buy if it is worth it. i would throw it into the sound system but i just dont want to. im not that much into bass to spend my money on that. I dont know what im goin to do. any more oppinions are welcomed thx

 

[Prowler573 5,000+ posts]

Those cars just aren't fast- the head doesn't breathe, they don't even have VTEC (have to get an EX for that) a turbo would be a waste on that motor. Let me put it another way, that motor turbo'd likely still get smoked by my stock Si (k20)- they just aren't quick at all- so just enjoy the 35-40mpg you will get and roll that cash into some bichin' audio gear. Besides, if you put a header and fart pipe on it you will join the ranks of people I laugh at when they romp on it at a green light, and it makes a shit-load of noise with no acceleration to match. Single cam Honda motors are never worth the jack people put into them, because a stock twin cam Prelude motor will bich slap them every time. By the way I work on Hondas for a living.

This is exactly why I went with audio and a good paintjob rather than trying to make my car what it won't ever be anyway ~ quick. I have a twincam engine and it still isn't moddable. It was built to be an economy car and that's all it will ever be. Your CX Civic is the same way.

If you want to invest money in it in an attempt to make it a nicer ride than it is now think about things like a window tint, crankin' audio, possibly some nice wheels or a paintjob?

I understand what you're saying that even minimal power gains would make you happy but when looking at a performance gain vs. investment to make it happen ratio what you've got to work with realistically isn't worth sinking the cash into (and this is what I think all the previous thread respondants are trying to say as well even if in a possibly less polite manner).

When people look at my Geo most think pretty much the same thing - that I sank more $$$ into it than it's worth. I could have but I didn't. Everythng but my audio gear and my rims were acquired via some sort of "friends" deal and I've got alot less invested than most would believe. The stereo gear could be moved to another vehicle were I to get rid of my current one and the car by itself would give me back what I've got into it without the tunes if I were to sell it.

Not trying to bag on your ride, dude, and I really don't think anyone else was either. It's more a case of simply facing reality. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[dubbinjet 10+ year member]

okay, i agree, these guys are right...but listen here is my advice...since ill try and be helpful. you said you just want it to be more fun to drive...and you know you will never make that car fast. get a nice set of lowering springs/struts, and a nice set of 16s or 17s with high performance low pros...next, invest in a full cat back exhaust, better flowing headers, a CAI, and some better engine management. then maybe tinted windows, HIDs, and good paint to make it look nice. now with all of this, it is quite a bit of money, but as you know it wont be fast, but if will be a hell of a lot more fun to drive. any car with a solid suspension is much much more fun to drive.

 

[86yota 10+ year member]

Yeah..you said you wanted to run low PSI but you wont notice much gain and its still not a good idea to turbo a stock motor like that one. Do intake/header/exhaust for sound and a LITTLE power, short throw shifter,slam it, get some 18s, and throw some bass in it. Go for looks on this one, wait for another car for speed //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Lunchbocks 10+ year member]

ok i'm honestly a prick to most people when it comes to cars, i'm not tryin to here but here is my response

in all honesty getting 150hp out of the engine you have would require internal modification and/or aftermarket forced induction. what you have currently is not considered to be amongst the more desirable honda engines to use in a vehicle meant to really perform. its not impossible to make power but it will take a lot of work, time, money. thats why many enthusiasts swap honda motors, its easy to do and cost effective to provide immediate reliable gains and a better platform for future modifications.

right now you have an extremely reliable first car, dont make the mistake of rushing into mods before you really get some knowledge under your belt. consider this, dont modify until you can tell me how you change your oil, are you able to pull spark plugs, are you familiar with the accessory and timing belt routing, can you identify all major components if someone pops the hood. these are the very basics you should have down before considering anything aftermarket... technically i like to see someone that can provide the pros and cons of any modification and in doing so include all affected systems and theoretical outcome, all in comparison to other options such as different manufacturers or different parts routes altogether

give it some thought, dont rush into anything, especially being your first car. there is a lot you can learn if you give it a little time and effort. you can pick up a lot quickly if you spend time reading on some honda or general import forums

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

I agree with the above guy- I am more impressed by someone who actually knowswhat they are talking about and did it themselves and has a slower car than a super fast car that some rich a-hole bought. I hope I didn't come off as a prick, I just know the motor in that car will never respond to any kind of modding enough to justify the expense. Basically all of the 1.6L motors are good at reliablility and fuel economy and that is it, the twin cam del sol motor and the 2000 Si motor have some potential, but aren't really worth the expense. Our parts manager has a 2000 Si w ~10k$ worth of JUN parts and it is only marginally faster than my stock 2004 Si (stock motor anyway) I would lower it (springs- Tokico's ride great- had them in my 2000 EX coupe) or H&R's and put 18's on it, and then do a nice SQ system. Perfect for driving around.

 

[dubbinjet 10+ year member]

lunchbocks is right...do not rush into modding. that can cause a poor result. like people have said you have a reliable car with good MPG. drive it until you learn more. intake/exhaust is almost impossible to mess up...if you just want something to start with, i forgot the shortshift, that would be nice...and the suspension...trust me, it would be the first thing I would do...lowering your car, with a good set of struts, not crappy ones mind you, will be your most favorite mod. makes things more fun.

btw, im still learning ill admit definately, but you can start modding without knowing everything. i have been modding for awhile, i do research usually before i do stuff, but i still dont know how to change my timing belt...i might, well im sure i probably could, but im scared ill mess it up...everything else you said...peice of cake.

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

I wasn't suggestin a bolt-on exhaust was hard to do, I'm just saying it will only make the car louder and not any faster. As for cold air intakes I found in my 2000 that there was a noticeable loss in off the line torque with the intake vs the stock airbox. That is exactly when you don't want a loss of torque. I would only do a k&n replacement filter element- the CA intakes aren't worth the $$$ and the potential of hydro-ing your motor if you hit deep water unexpectedly (happening a lot around here lately- lots of flooding) That car will respond well to lowering springs, struts are better, but not required, and some mild lowering 2-3" should keep your rear camber in spec or very close to it.

 

[Big-Cat 10+ year member]

thx for the help everybody. so ill learn before i do anything real like big, but little bolt on things wont really hurt as long as u do it right?????? i was thinkin more like 16" rims for performance and economical reasons like tires and in cornering, and everybody agrees i should get a suspension kit???? so short ram air or cold air intakes really add barely any hp, and take a lil torqe away, and make ur car sound a little bit better.

 

[bikejunkie223 10+ year member]

yeah- look at prices for 17's and 18's though- they have come way down in recent years.

 

[negativezeroz 5,000+ posts]

Ok, bolt ons only help out a decent amount if you give them a decent motor to work with. If your dad wont let you do a motorswap( I would recommend an H22A prelude motor myself) or a turbo then you are screwed. You can buy an intake, headers and exhaust and the only noticeable difference is the sound. Maybe a little power. If you can get a turbo then I wouldn't recommend running more than 7-9 pounds of boost on stock internals. Then I would invest in a Hondata ECU and get the **** thing tuned professionally. The whole setup with proper tuning is about 4-5k. Turbo's give you on average 7-8 hp for every pound of boost. Sooooo....thats between 60-80 hp gain. Now, for the same price you could go with the swap which will give you maybe a lil more power and the ability to add a turbo and other mods for a hell of a lot more power than you will get out of your current motor. Just remember, bolt on's are only as good as the motor you put them on. Hope this helps.

'90 Accord Coupe w/ H23A around my town running 12.1-12.3 //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif. But as suggested above in other posts, I'd get a GSR swap or if you really wanted to get a nice motor...K20A.

Also you can't really just slap a turbo on and expect your motor to handle it. But atleast your compression isn't that bad. (9.4:1)