subdismal

Hello, all!

I came here to hopefully get some advice from some of you more seasoned veterans on some modifications/improvements I can do to my 1999 Civic EX.

Everything is completely stock as of right now except for a cold air intake added by myself. I'm concerned about improving looks and performance, both on a budget. I don't want to make the car look like the stereotypical "ricer car" or anything of the sort, I eventually just want a clean "sleeper" of sorts, capable of producing power when I want or need it.

I'd like to see some links to some performance parts you guys may have as well as cosmetic things. I'd like to modify the suspension a bit, get some better wheels and tires down the road, and as far as any other cosmetic changes, I've been thinking about putting a cowl induction hood on it or something like that. If any of you have any links to pictures or any general ideas on where I should start (again, keep the budget in mind for right now), I would really appreciate it.

Thanks, in advance!

hatchling37

First off, decide what you're going to do with the car. Are you going to be drag racing or autocrossing? Or is this just a car you're driving on the street that you want to be quick? I say this because you should try to start off with a plan in mind.

95ProjectEJ1

iTrader: (5)

I would secure it first. Other than the 92-95 body styling, which I love for the EJ1's, the 99-00 Ex's have a nice body style to them. I wouldnt go for a "cowl" type hood if you are staying away from the "ricer" look. Its a waste of money to be honest, but if that is your preference then its all up to you.

You can look in the suspension sponsor forum for good deals on struts/coilovers/springs. Some brands to look for would be

Struts

Tokico
KYB
Koni
Skunk2

Springs/Coilovers

Ground Control (GC)
Tein
Eibach
HR
Skunk2
Neuspeed

You can also find some SI rims/tires for around 300-400 depending on the thread % and condition of the rims. Take your time and find some deals. Its worth waiting to save on the hurt in your wallet

B18C5-EH2

Is the car a 5 speed or auto?

I suggest looking thrugh the appearance.cosmetic forum and looking into any topics that say "EJ" or "EM1" or have the year 96-00 civic in them. You'll see a lot of ideas, color combos, wheels, ride heights, etc. to get a better idea of how different set-ups look.

subdismal

hatchling37, I guess I should have been a lot more clear with my intentions. This car is going to be a daily driver for me, but that's not to say I don't want it to look and perform well. I'd like to stay within the performance/looks boundaries to make it look somewhat stock and legal, haha. So, I want it to be alright to drive daily but still be able to able to have the get-up-and-go when I want it.

95projectEJ1, thank you for your quick response and the product names of your recommendations. The cowl hood was something that I just sort of thought of on a whim, doubt I'd ever spend that much money on something that isn't going to do much for me.

Edit: Didn't realize these forums were so active! Wow. B18C5-EH2, the car's a five-speed. I'll go troll the other forums and see what I can come up with as far as what you've recommended.

B18C5-EH2

Yes suspension is probably the first thing I'd do as well.

All of the porducts listed by 95projectEJ1 are nice. The key is deciding what ride quality you want (stiff as a board, or almost soft as stock), what will the ride height be, and what size wheels/tires you want to run.

I've got two cars - a 1992 Civic, and a 1991 Civic.

Both cars have aftermarket, performance struts and springs on them, but both have DRASTICALLY different handling and ride characteristics.

The 1991 is a mild 1.5'' drop with a stock-like smooth ride that stiffens up a touch in the corners - it's my daily driver, and I love the ride quality. It's not mushy like stock, and it handles better.

The 1992 sits much lower, handles much better, but also rides stiff as hell. It's got custom springrate coil overs on Koni Yellow struts. The set-up costed more, required camber kits, and rides too harsh for a lot of people to drive the car daily.

Once you get a better idea of exactly what you want I'm sure people can post their experiences to help you decide what you'll end up getting.

redcoats1976

id stay away from fart can mufflers,they just dont sound great.

AWD Terror

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by subdismal &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I eventually just want a clean "sleeper" of sorts, capable of producing power when I want or need it. </TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by subdismal &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> I've been thinking about putting a cowl induction hood on it or something like that. </TD></TR></TABLE>

These two statements do not go together. You need to re-think what you want from your car.

Sleeper is the best way to go IMO. Spend the money on performance, not looks. (Tires and Suspension count as Performance)

forcefedferio

keep it clean, with a tasteful set of wheels a SI/CTR grill and front lip (OEM not knock-off ebay ones) dumped on a nice suspension set-up (k-sport for more aggressive handling but a harsher ride, or a set of skunk2 or omnipower coilovers on AGX struts) and a megan drift spec cat-back exhaust.

drive it like that while you save up for a nice turbo kit and tuning...then you have your get-up and go and your looks.

of course that is just what i would do with the car. BTW what color is it?

subdismal

B18C5-EH2, thanks a lot for your reply! I've been doing a little bit of research on suspension set-ups and whatnot this evening, I'll probably be back with more questions there, too! Haha.

AWD Terror, like I said...the replacement hood was something done on a whim. I actually rear-ended a car parked in the middle of the road around a blind turn last summer, so the hood needs to be replaced in this process anyway...so, the cowl was something just thought up randomly. Not something I put much thought into, either buying it or not.

forcefedferio, keeping it clean is what I'm ultimately trying to go with. Performance in a stylish but not overdone package. Do you think saving up for a turbo for that motor would be the first thing to do there? I mean, the car has about 160,000 miles (easy mode for Honda, I know!) but I've actually been considering saving for a B18 of some sort (C5, I'd hope...haha), or possibly even doing a CRV-Tec set-up engine swap next summer or something. What's your experience with turbo'ing higher mileage stock motors?


front angle shot taken just after I bought the car. Nothing has changed except for now, after the small accident the hood has one small crinkle right near the latch and I cut out the center section of the grill because it was mangles to bejesus after the accident.