okek9

HI, I just bought a 98 civic hatchback. I really like the car, super excited about it. But I kind of want to unlock a little more of what is there. The catch is, I don't have much money. What are some things I should do that give the best bang for the buck? Coilovers, struts? Exhaust? Intake? Something else?

What about magnaflow exhausts?
What about the tein basic kit for a civic?
What kind of intake should I get, what is the best for the money?
Is that stuff worth the money?

Am I missing some stuff? Is there something that I definately shouldn't do? PLease, any help would be greatly appreciated. Also, is the rear disc conversion for civics worth it? How much would a good deal on a used setup cost?
Thanks

O RLY

Congrats. Welcome to H-T. Glad to see you got right down to business, and now I'll throw my 2 cents at ya.

As for Magnaflow exhaust systems, they are probably the best bang for your buck. You won't need a full Tanabe cat-back or Greddy system, just keep it a little more economic and go with the Magnaflow.

I acutally like the KYB AGX struts. They ride with my Skunk2 coilovers, but Tein is a very reliable and reputable company. A little pricey for my wallet.

And, either an AEM intake or Injen. A hardcore intake system would be the ARC intake, but that is overkill and twice as much! I like AEM. Their piping diameter is sufficient and they are a nice little engine bay touch up. I'd stay away from a cold-air system. I have one, but only use the cold air extension at the track, which I won't need for much longer.

Now, is any of this worth the money? Sure its another 9-12 hp and a more responsive drive, but see yourself in a year. Will you sell the car or keep it. Are you looking to gain some knowledge of Hondas, or are you just gonna play around here and there. Everybody's first investment is usually an intake, exhaust, and header. I am actually opposed to most headers since the gains are minimal, and most guys on here run DC or Greddy which add like 3 hp for $350!!!

Missing stuff? Maybe a good set of NGK plugs and NGK plug wires.

Rear disc. Not a bad idea...I actually have a set myself, haven't gotten around to changing them over. But, the parts and install will cost as much as the intake, exhaust, plugs, and wires alone so I'd say you'll be okay for braking with 135 hp.

Hope this helps...

EG6 PSI

how much money do you have to throw around?

broketuner-Sol_Si

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EG6 PSI &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how much money do you have to throw around?</TD></TR></TABLE>

That is always an importan question as well as what are you looking to do with it? Make it handle better, make it faster.

My advice for performance would be the basic I/H/E and tune-up(plugs and wires), and for the suspension, shocks & springs (or true coilovers) and a swaybar upgrade(from a company like suspension techniques). Most of those are easy enough to do yourself(or with a buddy) if you have a basic set of tools and a repair/service manual such as haynes or chiltons.

You can also find some of these parts used for very cheap, both on here and at car meets. (I recently picked up a DC header 4-1 stainless in ok condition for 100, and a friend of mine got an AEM cold air for 55)





Modified by broketuner-egb16a at 8:45 AM 3/20/2006

okek9

Well, as for money, I don't have a lot right now. A couple hundred bucks at best.
I found a set of rear disc brakes for $150.00, all I would need is lines and fluid. Is that worth it?
ALso, I found a greddy muffler for $150.00. I don't think it's the whole exhaust though, would that matter? Do Greddy's even come in just a muffler? Let me know, the guy who is selling it doesn't seem to know much about cars.
Also, what would be better, a set of neuspeed coilovers or something like a full strut package. I found a set of teins for $250.00. That would be pushing the bank though.
Also, an aem air intake would be great, that is what I was thinking as well. I see a lot of people buying things like carbon hoods and body kits, I am more about enhancing the efficiency and handling. I don't want to sacrifice fuel efficiency. And I don't think I would with an inake and muffler.
Oh, and what does a header do? Thanks for all the help, I know it sucks answering simple questions, but hey, everybody has to learn somewhere right?

broketuner-Sol_Si

-I wouldn't worry about the rear dic conversion yet, and 150 with no lines is kind of high(I got mine complete for 120).
-If it's just the muffler that is an extreme ripoff! You can get a custom exhaust done for about 100 more.
-Unless your going to be racing it, I would only suggest shocks and springs (such as the KYB AGXs and tein tech s or similar)
-An intake is definatley a good relatively cheap power adder.
-The header is the part that is on the exhaust side of the block and lets the exhaust from the motor go out the exhaust system.

with your budget, go with just header, intake, and exhaust and then later do the suspension or vice versa, depending on your preferences.