I've got an 03' EX Coupe and I wanna squeez more power out of my D17 engine. I have been thinking about an engine swap but thats too spendy. For my existing engine, ive already got a SRI with a Vstack on it and a new catback. I've been thinking about getting new headers and a bigger downpipe. Any other suggestions besides turbo? I'm playing with the idea of going turbo but they are so expensive. Any input is appreciated. Thanks alot.

 

pistons

 

Buy new pistons? How much?

 

Save your money on the headers/test pipe. They, even with a slightly larger RSX-S exhaust, didn't make the tiniest power difference on the butt dyno in my car. That's both parts combined. In fact, the intake, exhaust, and header combo yielded nothing noticeably different except for an annoying drone as some engine speeds.

Bolt-ons don't make power on our motors, plain and simple.

 

Yep, from what ive seen and read around the net, the d17 is a bitch to tune without going ridiculous on your spending.

Save your cash for another project or some body/chassis tweaks.

 

well if your cat back is the generic can type muffler and resonator, a down pipe will be way to loud and sound like crap, my home made exaust sounded like porsche on estrogen and not very loud, with the down pipe it sound like a drunk bumble bee and very loud. I got meagan racing test pipe, best bang for the buck and you will notic a small gain unlike other bolt ons. for about a grand you can do cams but people doubt the gains from it.

 

pistons

 

Why is it a bitch to tune? Why so expensive?

What kinda power are we talking from a turbo upgrade? How much boost? What kinda numbers at the track/dyno we talking about?

 

The most hp I've seen under boost for a D17, is in the 300hp ballpark. Of course, that's after tons of modification to the entire drivetrain. We're talking thousands upon thousands of dollars spent.

 

have you had your car tuned yet? get a vafc 2 and tune that bitch.

 

300hp seems easy on d17, 350 different story

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rich EX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">300hp seems easy on d17, 350 different story</TD></TR></TABLE>



I've yet to see one. Enjoying maxxing your credit card and pistons, rods, studs, a fatter turbo, and real engine management... on TOP of the turbo kit.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by teamvirus &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">pistons </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

http://www.7thgencivic.com/for...ermex


300whp isnt easy on a d17. could you please tell me where i can get whatever your smoking? what kind of crack are you getting? even the 300hp at the crank is a huge benchmark for a single cam motor like the d17.

 

If you're gonna do pistons, expect to spend some money, check out prostreetonline.com J E makes some good ones, just browse around, but they have to pull your engine to do the rods + pistons, and that can get pricey quick. Save for a turbo or do a swap.

 

for the price of a turbo you can do a k24a2 swap or a k20a3 swap. just something to look into...tuning is a big factor in boosting a car and if its overlooked, expect to see your car on the side of the road in the near future.

 

Really? How much does it cost for a K24A2 or K20A3 swap in a 2003 EX?

Thats the TSX and Type S motor right?


Modified by ChrisUlrich at 11:16 AM 6/20/2006

 

yea i've been looking into a k20 but i dont know where to look for the swap. Any suggestions?

 

where are you located shorty? i know of a shop that will do it for 6500 everything you need including labor

 

the k20a3 is the SI/base RSX model. its compression ratio makes it ideal for boost. i believe its 9.8.1.

and as for looking around for swaps, look into our k20 section, clubrsx.com, 7thgencivic.com, and google

 

how hard is it to swap a k20a3 in a EM2?

 

Not hard, but think carefully and decide if it's worth it to you.

The swap itself just needs the Hasport mount kit ($500 or so) plus wiring (~$200 from Hasport if you don't do it yourself). The engine/tranny combo's don't go for too much either, maybe $2000 or so.

But... for a Civic... is it worth it to make it just a little faster? It's a tough call. A lot of people swap and end up happy with it. Some don't.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Rich EX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">300hp seems easy on d17, 350 different story</TD></TR></TABLE>

orly?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by psychotic_z &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Not hard, but think carefully and decide if it's worth it to you.

The swap itself just needs the Hasport mount kit ($500 or so) plus wiring (~$200 from Hasport if you don't do it yourself). The engine/tranny combo's don't go for too much either, maybe $2000 or so.

But... for a Civic... is it worth it to make it just a little faster? It's a tough call. A lot of people swap and end up happy with it. Some don't.</TD></TR></TABLE>

am i not searching hard enough or theres no how to for this swap?is it much different from the a k20a2?

 

K20's are relatively the same for swapping. There's no huge difference between the swapping technique used to put the engine in an EM2. You could check the DIY FAQ's in the Stickies for a link on a how-to.

 

I'm located in minnesota. I've been thinkin and i dont think the swap would be worth while. I'm gunna stick with bolt-ons and i found a nice turbo kit that i'm lookin into.