Dzanjin

Hey guys!

Finally I can post a new thread after waiting for the initial 15 day trial...

Anyway, got a 97 civic ex a few weeks ago. My first Honda :-)

Looking into learning as much as possible about all the mechanics and how to completely customize it in the process.

It's silver, new off-brand tires :-/ , apparently the owner before last had HID's hooked up...I don't see where they could go but there's a switch hanging out under the dash that has PITTA on it. Also has some type of aftermarket gauge that has a switch two swap between green and blue.
Pre-wired under the carpet for amp hookup.

Looking into best route for performance. Of course the EX model has the d16y8....debating swap for b/h series or shooting for turbo maybe off an old talon/eagle/eclipse.....or even sc'ing.

Looking for any advice, suggestions, known problems.

Thanks in advance.

Dzanjin

BUMP

Former User

A good thread title helps you get more responses by letting members know what specific information you need:

https://honda-tech.com/forums/honda-civic-del-sol-1992-2000-1/threads-must-summarize-technical-problem-title-list-car-details-first-post-2809571/

Thread title edited.

blueblur1984

I've got a 96 ex and am debating what to do myself. Personally my car is bone stock except for a skunk short shifter I installed. I'm only the second owner and at under 130k miles I just had the timing belt done and the valves adjusted so I'm leaning towards keeping the factory d series for now.

As far as what can be done to the d series relatively cheaply and easily while still making decent power is either super charging or turbo charging. I would say a street legal super charger is going to give you more low end torque and drivability but they are hard to come by for a 13 year old car.

Personally I'm looking for a greddy street legal turbo kit. On stock internals without too much work it should give me another 30-40% more power with low psi and, from what I've read, not significantly decrease reliability or engine life. The trick is to cross reference kits you find online and make sure the EO number is an acceptable for your application. Retail you can find them around $2200 but I'm going to just cruise craigslist until I find something that works.

Long story short what power you want to make from your car is up to you. My civic is a $1200 beater/ daily driver so I don't want to overspend, but you'll find plenty of guys on here that have spent enough to buy a new lexus to make their car just the way they want it. If you do want a crazy built civic I would recommend buying someone else's finished product and customizing from there...granted it's not something you built but when you compare the cost of buying a motor/swapping yourself it's much cheaper to let someone else burn up their pay checks.

da9jake

Mielage can be a factor when it comes to performance. If your car id high mileage, I would recomend that you save for a new engine, probably a B series swap. THere's less work that goes into to a b series swap. Unless your looking for a 10 second car, I wouldnt recommend the H swap, especialy if this is your first Honda.

JasonYo

The best thing to start with is to fix any existing problems with the car.

Once everything is completely perfect then see what you want to improve. If you want a lot of power then see what options you have in your price range.

I usually start with suspension, I find it makes the biggest difference.

blarue09

I have the same car as you, an EJ8. I would seriously suggest upgrading suspension, wheels, and seats (in that order, before any engine stuff).


No matter what route you go in engine performance, swap or build, I find this stuff is all crucial to having a fun-to-drive car, and that is why you are best to start off here:

-Shocks/springs or Coilovers. A brand-new set from a reliable, brand-name is the best way to go, or take your chances on a used set if you want to save some cash. Koni yellow & ground control, BC racing, H&R, etc

-Rear swaybar from USDM Si, since your car doesn't have one to begin with. Or go even thicker with a civic type-R or ASR bar which will require subframe reinforcement by ASR, Beaks, etc

-lightweight 15" or 16" rims, do some research on what widths and offsets fit best so you don't run into any rubbing issues since you are lowering it.

-Seats. comfortable, firm-bolstered, because civic seats suck! Since by now your car is handling great it helps not to have your face pressed against the glass on corners. 94-01 integra, del sol, recaro, etc

-tall, short-throw shifter & energy suspension shifter bushings taller for easier access and short-throw for quick shifts. stock height is nice. skunk2, buddy club, b&m, shifter extensions are available as well.

As for engine performance, you can spend tons on upgrading your d16y8 engine but building it for a turbo or swapping a different engine in is the only reasonable way to get power you can truly appreciate. d16y8 superchargers go for $900-1400 used and offer 140whp of fairly reliable power.

This is all from my personal experience of owning my EJ8 for 4 years. People will tell you, if you aren't going turbo/SC, to go with minor bolt-ons, but I disagree. The only engine mods I have are intake, header, and cat-back exhaust (minor bolt-ons) which can run you anywhere from $300-1000+. The only real gain is a nicer sounding car. HP/Tq increases are negligible.

The best money I have spent was on the Items I mentioned above.

Dzanjin

Hey bro, I appreciate all of that. It's nice to get advice from somebody who has the same car! I can't seem to find anybody on here with the same thing. I always thought of doing suspension but all that stuff honestly scares me. It's the one mechanical thing I haven't really tackled besides a whole engine build. I imagine doing suspension etc. really can't ever be done in a day, so I would need another car. Also need a lift which no one has around here. :-(
The reason I've been iffy about the whole thing is I've heard waay to many horror stories about messing with suspension because it's really really easy to mess up and practically ruin the car....is this true?
Did you have any problems with any of the those mods? EJ8? What is that?

Thanks in advance, sorry for the lengthyness...

blarue09

I was lucky enough to have access to a lift so I installed my shocks/springs in a few hours, however, I bought them pre-assembled with top hats so it was a simple bolt on deal.

When you change suspension (ride height) there are really only two things to worry about, rubbing and alignment.

Tires/rims can rub on the wheel wells or on suspension parts if you lower too much and/or have the wrong rim/tire size. Rims/Tires too wide and the wrong offset of rim is the main source of rubbing issues when you lower. The safest bet would be to stick with 15x6.5" rims with 195/55R15 tires. I'm not 100% sure about offset, i think it is somewhere around +45? 7" wide rims can sometimes cause tire rubbing issues which may require some fending rolling to create some clearance. If the spring rate (which should properly match the shock/damper) is too soft, the reduction in suspension travel will mean that you bottom out easier. This means the lower you go, the stiffer your suspension is needing to be.

You will need to have an alignment done no matter how much you lower it. This stops your tires from wearing out quickly. If you are lowing less than 2" you only really need the toe adjusted, so no camber kits are needed. However, If you want your wheels perfectly aligned and tires to last as long as possible, a camber kit will help.

If you just want to start out with a sway bar (which is a great improvement) your civic EX rear lower control arms already have the bolt holes in them for installation. But only get the 13mm 99-00 Civic Si sway bar if you aren't going to install the subframe reinforcement at the same time. The only other problem you can run into is some sway bars will come into contact with some brands of exhausts as your suspension moves. I think stock exhausts clear fine with the Si sway bar, but I am not 100% sure about that.

And EJ8 comes from a 3 consecutive characters of the VIN (vehicle identification number) that signifies the exact model of car. EJ8 is a quick way of saying a 96-00 Civic Si(canada)/Ex(US). Just like EK9 represents the 97-00 JDM Civic type-R.

LiNkxUSMC

im in the same boat, i have a 99 ex coupe and i was starting my journey to just makin my y8 a little better when my motor went. i put in moog ball joints and tie rods, and upper strut bars..havent gotten to the shocks yet but having just put a b18c1 in i will be looking to put new shocks and converting to 4 wheel disc VERY soon. i already have a 2 3/4in exhaust on with 4in muff. any clue if the si sway bars will clear it? i dont really want to lower it too much cuz i have 17 in konig's wit low pros on (z rated). any suggestions on shocks, i want very tight handeling but i dont want to sacrifice all my ride comfort..also i want to upgrade my calipers, and suggestions for those? ha and poly mounts and buschings? this is also my first honda an so far i love it but i want "super"

[RVL]Honda

Blarue09 do you know which sway is best for DD (Si 13mm, 19mm or 22mm)? I have an EJ8.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

It all depends on how you drive.

[RVL]Honda

I know I like to fix the understeer of the EJ8, but don't want to spin out easily.

grumblemarc

iTrader: (4)

Then get the smaller of the bars.

[RVL]Honda

So you mean 13mm or 19mm? Sorry for being so specific. BTW, Did you do a rear sway bar?

i_shift

I have done b swaps, and now I am doing a turbo D16, if you are not looking for crazy power, or crazy expensive, D16's are tough little motors!

B swaps are like boob jobs here in FL. Sure, I'll look twice, but lots of b*tches have them, and frankly I am not THAT impressed.

You already have the best parts to start with anyway. Y8 intake manifold, EX Tranny, VTEC head.

The B20 is a good semi cheap option, but you are going to spend at least 700 on the long block, 300-500 on a tranny, 150 in misc parts to get it going, 100 for a clutch and a stock flywheel, 100 on an ECU, 60 for a obd2a to obd1 harness... it adds up.
and for that money you can have a 200 WHP turbo D16.