98vtec

It appears to me that people don't really understand how to do this so i'm going to make a little short and sweet post about it.

Everyone sees people just throwing numbers out on the table without even knowing what their engine makes in the first place before any modifications. If you really want to set a proper goal, you first need to dyno the engine where it stands currently and then set the goal based upon what you believe you can gain from adding X parts + tuning.

For instance, say you have a stock h22 with a short ram 3" intake and 2.5" exhaust and you make 160whp on the dyno. in this example, a 220whp goal with just basic bolt ons and a set of cams would not be a realistic goal. You would need to do your research to determine what it would take to gain 60whp from natural aspirated designated parts. This can be done very easily as there are an abundance of dyno charts all over this website for you that give comparisons on various aftermarket performance parts. The key is taking the time to find them or buying parts and figuring it out for yourself.

So lets say you add a euro R intake manifold (good for 10whp tuned) and custom header (good for another 5-10whp pending variables) and you get tuned. That would put you around 180whp for an extra 1500 dollars. Nowhere close to 220whp. Now if the dyno showed that your stock engine made 200whp and you wanted to get to 220whp with some bolt ons, cams and tuning then you are in a much better place to meet your goals. But remember that power doesnt really mean anything and that you need to take the car to the track and look at the MPH that you were able to get to really determine the health/power of the engine.

Everything depends on how the dyno reads (high, low..etc) that you use so that means you HAVE to get a baseline number in order to determine what your next steps would be in order to reach a predetermined goal that you are wanting to achieve. It's usually around 50-75 dollars to determine where you engine stands for 3 pulls on the dyno. Thats nothing in comparison to being dissappointed when you dont get close to what you were reaching for.

any other comments/additions are welcome

tony tone

straight and to the point. good read.

98vtec

i can only imagine how confused and frustrated people get when someone on the internet said they could make X amount of power and they come up 30whp short and start blaming their engine, builder, or tuner.

PreStaged12s

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 98vtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i can only imagine how confused and frustrated people get when someone on the internet said they could make X amount of power and they come up 30whp short and start blaming their engine, builder, or tuner.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I completely agree because everybodys stuff is always going to be different because nobody's motor is the same.

spun Vtec

good post make sure you put this is the FAQ

98vtec

please tell me there are more people who understood this concept before i posted.....

Furyof4

Wait...so your telling me my 200,000 mile oil burning gsr won't gain 50 hp from I/H/E?

My boi said it wood!

Great post, should be required reading for all.

jr_deleon

iTrader: (1)

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 98vtec &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">please tell me there are more people who understood this concept before i posted.....</TD></TR></TABLE>

This concept is understood by those who've been around awhile. Unfortunately there are those who don't or never will understand this concept.

I know what you mean completely. Some people dont even think out their builds these days. For instance if they see a build on here thats throwing out power thats alot more than is usually seen (like NAH2B's stock internal H22A) they think if they duplicate such a build they'd be in for the same results only to fail and start posting questions as to why. Without seeing what THEIR motor does first without add ons. Not considering engine condition, the powerband of the parts they're using, etc etc etc

Sheen

Ok, I am not to sure on where to go to ask this question.... But I have a 1987 Honda Civic that is all stock. It has a 1.5 liter naturally aspirated engine, automatic transmission. At the moment with everything on it being stock, it is a great daily driver but I would like to later on down the road give it a little boost you could say for its performance. I don't want anything serious, but I was thinking about making it where the engine gets more air going into the the air induction and I was thinking about adding a better exhaust system to it to allow my engine to get rid of exhaust quicker and easier. I've worked on cars ever since I was a young lad and doing this to previous engines I've worked on has resulted in some great performance increases, but I haven't worked to much on Honda's so I'm kinda learning as I go here and wanted to see if anyone would have any advice for me on what to do??? I am open to any kind've suggestions!

Also I did think about changing the automatic tranny to a 5 speed tranny, or even a 4 speed tranny but I think I will keep the automatic in it as it will probably be a pain in the but to change it.


Sheen

ilikehonda

make your own thread


so you mean that every engine is different and responds differently to mods? (sarcasm)

newtron63h

id also like to add that part compatibility is a big issue........if you simply go by someones dyno sheet that says they picked up XXXhp from this mod or part.....only going by the biggest numbers and not paying attention to where it gained, or what it sacrificed to gain that.............

as an example, a long, narrow tube header is designed for low end torque by increasing velocity of the exhaust gases as they exit the head.......thus pulling in the intake charge at a higher velocity................a BIG, short-runner IM is designed for high RPM power by providing alot of air volume.......

these parts will not work well together because they will be working against each other. the IM because it is designed for volume at high speeds means that it will be hurting velocity at low rpms, the header is designed for velocity at low rpms and therefore cant flow as much volume at high rpms......

so simply going by numbers isnt enough.

good post OP, i hope more people read and understand this.