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I've been a fan of Honda since my first car - a 1991 Tahitian Green Pearl Civic Si - which stayed with me for almost 8 years.
It was Honda's practical, yet still invigorating approach to design that made me a fan. My family has owned many Honda vehicles since, but I want to recapture the essence of what Honda achieved with the Si - in my current car.
I have a 1998 Civic Sedan DX 5 speed with a B18C. Here is a run-down of what is done to the car (with some noted changes below):
I've changed a few things:
- AEM short ram intake (the old one was ugly and didn't fit very well)
- Eibach Prokit springs with spacer Koni strut spacer rings (gave a closer to stock appearance, while maintaining a mild spring rate increase)
- Tons of maintenance (replacing bushings, gaskets, new shift forks, DSS (level 0) axles, etc.)
The car is in very good condition, but still needs minor tweaks.
I am not trying to create a drag monster or even 200 whp car; what I'm trying to do is make a car that looks and feels like something that could comfortably take a seat in Honda's performance line-up. Also, right now I net 34-36 mpg during mixed driving and I really don't want to let that slide too much. I need help achieving my goal, because I'm not as savvy as most in the H-T community.
Here are the things I want to address right now:
- The exhaust looks stock (which is nice), but it is too loud (not so nice). I'm looking into a black Yonaka 2.5" cat-back system. I've seen a lot of good reviews and I like the way it looks and sounds - the price doesn't hurt either.
- The DC Sports header has got to go. The ground clearance isn't the best and, when the car was lower, it got beat up pretty good on the underside. I'm kind of leaning toward a stock GS-R manifold.
I'm not interested in shifting the power curve to the right; but an increase in power, without sacrificing drive-ability, wouldn't be bad. I'm open to suggestions on a PLM header.
- Replace the ECU. The current P73 isn't the right ECU. I don't really understand what's going on because the car is OBDI, so is there a jumper harness maybe? I know the two can't mate up without some sort of modification. I don't like things to be hacked, which the harness appears to be, so I'm thinking of replacing it with a Rywire harness and getting a Phearable ECU. This is outside of my realm of expertise, so suggestions are welcome.
Other than that, I think I'm pretty close with this car. New tires, brake rotors, and other small things are on the horizon as well... but nothing too ground-breaking. Thanks in advance for the help.
Exhaust- Apexi ws2, hands down. Quiet, good quality. Can't beat it.
I love that exhaust. It's a little more than I was looking to spend for the exhaust, but the WS2 Noir is pretty sexy. I want black because of trying to maintain the stock appearance. I used to have a Tanabe Medalion Touring that had an amazing sound, but they don't make them in black and it is only 60mm (which may not be that big of a deal with the car being stock). Do you guys have anything against the Yonaka? If heard them a few times and they sound pretty close to the Apexi WS2; I'm sure build quality doesn't match the WS2, but I haven't heard any complaints of fitment issues. I'm undecided and, if I can save on the header, I'll swing for the WS2.
Header- oem ITR. Increased performance over stock, oem quality.
This was actually my original plan, but can you point me to a good vendor? HMotorsOnline.com has them, but they are $450. Is that the going rate? I was also looking at the Skunk2 Alpha, which has good numbers while not sacrificing mid-range. The GS-R is the cheap option, while maintaining stock appearance, but it definitely isn't going to net me any gains.
Ecu- post a picture of what's going on there. Classic option is an OBD1 conversation harness with a chipped p28.
I'm not good with identifying wiring and ECUs, so you'll have to talk real slow-like on this one. I was originally thinking of going with a Phearable ECU, with the Rywire harness, as mentioned earlier. What are you guys thinking? I don't even know exactly what I have, haha.
H motors is high on the header. I got beaten to one locally for$75 by an hour, just have to keep your eyes open for a deal. Yonaka exhausts are pretty decent, have heard issues about baffles coming apart and rattling from Honda guys. Your ECU is obd-2
. Any chipped ECU will be OBD1, which will require an adapter harness. They're cheap and plug into your existing engine harness at the ECU plugs, no wiring necessary. The reason to do this is that even with a simple basemap, you will have an increase in power. A couple hours on a Dyno can actually get you 10-25hp, in freak situations even more.
just caught that it is a gsr motor, running a type-r ecu. not ideal... different cam profiles, intake manifold is way different, etc...
Yeah, it's a P73. VTEC engagement is super high. So am I completely OBDII? The previous owner said it was OBDI, but I'm pretty ignorant on this. I wouldn't mind putting it on a dyno. I would just need a socketed ECU right?
H motors is high on the header. I got beaten to one locally for$75 by an hour, just have to keep your eyes open for a deal. Yonaka exhausts are pretty decent, have heard issues about baffles coming apart and rattling from Honda guys.
Ok, I found a good deal on a Skunk2 Alpha. Is this header the same length as the DC 4-1 I currently have? If it is, I'll probably stick to my exhaust for the time being. My exhaust is a really well done custom 2.5", it's just a little louder than I want (not loud in comparison to most exhaust). I'm dumping the Yonaka idea after reading your comment; I did some research and found several cases of loose baffles.
header length will require some research on your end. i don't see where the car is obd-1, even the engine itself is from an obd-2 car. yes, to dyno TUNE the car, you'll need a socketed ecu, with software of your tuner's choice. since obd-2 ecu's are not "chippable", you'd need to pick out an obd-1 ecu and use an adapter harness so it'll plug and play.
I've always found it worth it more to get the quality exhaust with the right baffling. WS2 is just fine. Even the OEM stock mufflers weren't stock, just a slight grey. You can always also high heat ceramic coat the exhaust to whatever you need, but I'd have to say no on the Yonaka. I think you want to validate the Yonaka choice, but na, WS2 all the way.
Another option to qiet down the exhaust without replacing the entire system.
get this:
http://www.apexi-usa.com/store/index.php/exhaust/universal-mufflers/ws2-muffler-universal-na-60-5mm.html
header length will require some research on your end. i don't see where the car is obd-1, even the engine itself is from an obd-2 car. yes, to dyno TUNE the car, you'll need a socketed ecu, with software of your tuner's choice. since obd-2 ecu's are not "chippable", you'd need to pick out an obd-1 ecu and use an adapter harness so it'll plug and play.
Ok, so just get a jumper harness and a socketed P28 (or other OBDI ECU), then the tuner can do his thing? Is it really possible to net double digit gains over a Phearable tuned ecu with dyno tuning?
I think you want to validate the Yonaka choice, but na, WS2 all the way.
Well, initially, it looked like a valid option but, after eghatch9295 brought up the concerns about the baffles, I researched and decided to dump the idea. Cheap is cool, but I don't want to compromise quality. I'm more about functionality/quality than brand recognition. My exhaust isn't as loud as I make it out to be, except for a low drone at highway speed. It does fit the criteria of functional/quality, and I'm pretty sure another exhaust wouldn't give me any gains over my current set-up. If the header works with it, I'll keep it for now. If not, I'll swing for the WS2.
Another option to qiet down the exhaust without replacing the entire system.
get this:
civic402lx, thanks for the suggestion. Though, if it comes to that point, I'll just get the whole system.
What brand resonator and "turbo muffler" do you have right now? I am a big fan of magnaflow. High quality and low price. For the best bang for the buck, maybe just adding an additional magnaflow resonator could get you the sound that you are after. Do you still have a catalytic converter?
Lift your car in the air and see if you have room for an additional resonator somewhere. The longer the better, you can get a 4inch round/ 2.5" diameter magnaflow resonator in 12, 18 or 22 inch length. Obviously 22 in being the most effective.
That's impressive! I definitely think I would get more satisfaction out of putting the car on a dyno than buying a new exhaust. Thanks for the info.
What brand resonator and "turbo muffler" do you have right now? I am a big fan of magnaflow. High quality and low price. For the best bang for the buck, maybe just adding an additional magnaflow resonator could get you the sound that you are after. Do you still have a catalytic converter?
Lift your car in the air and see if you have room for an additional resonator somewhere. The longer the better, you can get a 4inch round/ 2.5" diameter magnaflow resonator in 12, 18 or 22 inch length. Obviously 22 in being the most effective.
I don't know the brand of muffler; all I know is it's a turbo muffler. I have a small, track style weld-in converter. Also, I have a resonator running almost the entire straight section of the b-pipe. It's not really that loud of an exhaust, just louder than I would like. I'm probably just being picky. The shop that fabbed it up did an excellent job with it. Thanks; that's good advice. Exactly why I come here for help!
Does track style converter mean test pipe or high flow cat?
Probably the wrong terminology, but it's a Magnaflow 53956 (see hyperlink). It didn't change the sound at all, but my exhaust doesn't smell like it used to. Unfortunately, I couldn't fit anything bigger because there is a flex pipe in that region.
For reference, here is a list of all the maintenance I've done on the car (I'm a little OCD):
07-07-2017, 06:35 PM
Practical Fun: 1998 Civic Sedan GS-R
