Joe Hondaman

I have a 97 civic dx hatch which I bought bone stock a few months ago.
Since I've just been doing some small things, seeing what I like, seeing what I don't like.
With winter coming I don't think I'll be doing too much except plan/save/buy for spring.
Engine-wise all it has a d16y7 that I threw a ebay short ram on with an aem dryflow filter and a cheap exhaust.
I want to get the best bang for my buck, but I don't want to throw over 3 grand under the hood. Looking for suggestions to make it a littler quicker (besides just intake,header,exhaust). If I were to swap i'd probably do a b series for the sake of saving some money. I thought about turbo-ing but heard turbo on a non vtech d series isn't a good idea.
Any suggestions on gaining a little extra hp whether it be adding onto this engine, mini-me swap, or whether it'd just be worth it to do a full swap?

Former User

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HondaPartsHero

Just save for the swap. Honestly I'd only do B18C or better. Some may argue with me that the B16A is plenty but for daily driving the b18cs extra torque makes it a bit more worth it. If you are on a budget the b20z is a fun swap coupled with a dohc vtec series transmission. It really just depends on your goal and application. Don't put any more money into the y7 though you'll just be more and more disappointed and poorer.

fsp31

For cheap, easy, and a good bit more acceleration (compared to a y7) you might get a head & tranny off a d16y8. Primarily the tranny... y7 ratios are horrible. Only "tricky" part about that project is wiring the vtec solenoid, but it's not too much trouble... and I only thought it was tricky because I don't feel comfortable with electrical mods.

And like HondaPartsHero said, don't waste any time or money on i/h/e mods for a d16y7.

HondaPartsHero

Yeah its all about your goal (auto cross, 1/4 mile, daily driver with a little kick, etc). I just bought a DD 96 hatch with the Y7 and I just a want a little bit more fun driving (I've done the whole swap, turbo yada yada) but don't want to spend the money. So I bought a Y8 head with intake manifold and looking for an 96-00 EX tranny so it'll be a bit more peppy to drive, but your goals may be a bit different as well as your wallet . I don't plan on spending more than 4-500 dollars for all the above parts (I just picked up a Y8 head, complete intake manifold, P2P ECU and 96-00 Distributor for $140 on Craigslist).

epikk1

I/H/E is cheapest mods you can do with the most noticible difference, thats why most people suggest it. Save for a swap, unless you turbo and full out build the D (which imo isn't worth it) you'll never be happy with it. grab yourself a GSR not too expensive swap.

NOFX

Intake, header and exhaust on a D16Y7 would be little more than noise-maker modifications.

If you want the car to be quicker, you're going to want to look into a swap, turbo or possibly a head swap/tranny swap as mentioned before.

D Griff

I agree with all the above. I can assure you that my Y7 with intake, exhaust, and Y8 intake mani is still slow. It's also still good on gas and reliable though.

98civdx

Wont do crap, except waste money.

Try a ls swap with a b16 or gsr transmission. It is great combo, and really isnt to expensive to source.

bkopel805

Talk to Dominic Toretto, he'll hook you up with overnight parts from japan




But really, either swap in a gsr, or build a d series and boost it. goodluck

NOFX

There are lots of easy swap options for this btw.

EX/D16Y8, LS/B18B, CR-V/B20B/B20Z, Si/B16A2, CTR/B16B, GSR/B18C1, ITR/B18C5...

And those are just the "generation-appropriate" swaps. Some decide instead to go OBDI or K-series.

jonesEK

iTrader: (1)

OP I think a turbo would be best bang for ur buck... and if you blow your engine you can always buy a complete swap for ~$500
I've though about this for myself I have a turbo in the garage not on yet

all the money u waste on I/H/E u were acouple hundred away from a turbo
I got an intake for $160
used DC header for $125
Magnaflow exhuast ~$500

I got a used turbo kit for 850 in the market place and carb legal FTW

TwoFaced

Haha...I went to this thread specifically to see if anyone had any smart comments. Mission accomplished

My .02.....boost the D

Libertariat

your best bests for $3,000 are to either swap for a b16/b18c or you could easily do a mini-me and a turbo with some cash to spare for less than $3,000.

I'd go for the turbo to be honest.

NOFX

Oh, and I can't think of too often that the case is that any car needs to be quick NOW. Save your pennies and do a good job instead of cheaping out with the get-quick-quick schemes.

racerx510

yeah... torreto can tell u how to run 9's in a sentra

Joe Hondaman

I'm thinking about just doing y8 head, intake manifold, tranny. As HondaPartsHero said i'm just trying to get a little bit quicker since its just my dd. tryin to get a little more speed since its relatively slow now

D Griff

That's probably smart. Just think about it first, because if you're going to end up wanting a B or something later, you wasted the money you spent on that stuff now.

h22preludevtecx

In my opinion since around me everyoneand their
Mother has a d series I would say to go turbo d they're pretty cheap and always fun to work on

EJeff8

Mini - me it. Then rohc the sohc and boost the crap outta it.

Joe Hondaman

The only question I have with doing any engine work is whether my gas mileage will be affected. I get around 35-40 mpg now and I love it. If I were to mini-me or full swap would I lose much?

EJeff8

^Why do you think VTEC happens in the high RPMs? So you can keep your gas mileage.

You get great gas mileage with any Honda engine, just as long as you don't drive like an *** who likes to hear his own exhaust at 4500rpm all the time.

NOFX

I've gotten 42mpg in my '98 EX with a stock D16Y8. That engine got great gas mileage.

Pronto

Like stated before go with a mini me swap and then boost it.
Gas mileage shouldn't be too bad unless you drive with a heavy right foot.

Joe Hondaman

I'm pretty decent with driving comfortably, have a heavy foot sometimes but try not to rush through gears and not push the engine.
What are the exact parts needed to mini-me? y8: intake manifold, head, tranny...?