Hey HT,
Like I said in my previous post, I recently got a '95 RS with 111,000k in auto. I just got a tune up, and everything is running well. I've been reading on this forum for a little bit, and I wanted to do the intake/exhaust/headers for some more power. I'm really not looking to do anything big on the engine yet, just something simple to get some extra HP on it. The thing is, with that much mileage on the engine, is it worth adding those? Thanks!


Modified by newbieman at 8:23 PM 6/16/2005

 

IMO the fact that its auto makes it not worth modding. Use it as cheap transportation as you save up for a better platform.

 

werd, or just go for looks/

 

Ok, usually I wouldnt respond to a post like this but since these morons are leading you down the wrong path, I felt I should say something.

There's nothing wrong with fixing up a auto, people have such a lame misconception about auto's. Although a automatic is never the ideal platform for serious motorsports, hardly anyone on this forum has ever used their car in that manner anyway. If you want to go in that direction, then sure, you're going to have to either fix up a different car or do a tranny swap.

Most of us, however, just want to improve on what we already have and add a few more extra h.p. Nothing wrong with that and with 111k on your car, its can easily handle a I/H/E, no problem.

Dont listen to the naysayers whose only reason to not fix up a car is because it's automatic. That's almost as bad as what the domestic guys used to say about Honda's..."You're trying to race it? Why? It's only a four cylinder!"

Fools.

 

Right, well then lets go ahead and open that can of worms that is the "mod cost vs benefit".
While modding a car is obviously never a good idea financially, there are a lot of less-financially-stupid ways to do it. Most would argue that saving up for a more rewarding platform to work on would be one of these less-stupid ways, and that modding a platform that offers very little performance in return for your $ is not.
btw, whats with the name-calling right out of the gates? H-T would be a much better resource for knowledge if people didn't try and turn every thread into a pissing match in their first post.
Newbieman, my advice still stands, take it from someone who has made the mistake in the past. Keep in mind everyone is only offering opinions, but its an expensive lesson to learn and some of us would like to spare you that lesson.

 

I really thank you guys for your opinions. I'll definitely spend more time to think about it. However, can anyone else give me some of their opinion? Thanks!

 

do a 5 speed swap

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by newbieman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I really thank you guys for your opinions. I'll definitely spend more time to think about it. However, can anyone else give me some of their opinion? Thanks!</TD></TR></TABLE>

I'll give it a shot

I had a automatic 95 integra ls once upon a time. The automatic is parasitic when it comes to how much power you get to the wheels.

Think of what your long term plans are for the car, and based on that move forward.
A plan I would suggest, if this is your first teg and you want to spend some money on it, improve your suspension and wheels. This will bring you great bang for the buck with improvement you can really feel. an I/H/E will not bring you dramatic or even good improvement with an automatic tranny, you won't get more than maybe 4-7 more hp to the wheels if that.

With the upgraded suspension and rim/tire combo, your car will handle much quicker, and better all around. Plus you can enter an autocross event with the auto...set it at the gear the course is going to be run at....for example, put the selector in "2", then drive the course, your teg will not shift into a higher gear than 2nd, and it works well.

suggestion for suspension:
Omnipower coilovers (sports)
a lightweight 15" wheels with good tires (there's a number of one, but check the tread wear ratings...you don't want anything too low (wears too quickly) or too high (usually doesn't provide enough grip)...280 to 300 is a good number)

GL and enjoy your automatic teg for what it is, till you're ready to move on, then just keep your suspension, and transfer it onto your next 5 speed teg

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by The Peezy Fo Sheezy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">do a 5 speed swap</TD></TR></TABLE>

im with him on this one....ppl here will be like oohhhhh too expensive...not worth...half of those ppl never did the swap...its not that expensive if you look for the parts in the right places...

 

Go ahead and do whatever makes you happy. However, even with an I/H/E your automatic Integra will probably be only equivalent to my stock 5psd. That's why people are telling you to get a stick.

 

Been in your shoe, So I know what you are going through. I/H/E is a good start for your RS, You will definnate feel that the car is stronger due to it breathing better. W/ a stock auto tranny it pretty hard to jump into Force Induction since the Torque Converter will probably give after +40-50hp over stock. How much R u planning to spend? Horsepower goal?

 

Ask yourself what your future intentions are with the car.

If for example you plan to do a manual conversion or turbo ect. save the money. An intake/header/exhaust combo will yield power, probably around 10hp, but if you buy all new that is around $600.

That $600 is almost enough to do the manual swap, or about 25% of a turbo kit.

If however you plan to keep the car auto and no major work, then yes it is worth modding if you wish.

It is all about what you would like to do with the car, not what Honda-Tech says.

Just because it is an auto does not mean its the end of the world, you can still do some spirited driving. Besides, the RS is a great platform to start on, lighter than the others, reliable and cheap.

Don't forget if you buy used parts, such as intakes ect, you can save alot of money, check the classifieds.

Good luck with your car and have fun

 

my homeboy has an auto with I/H/E and grounding kit and I have a 5-speed with only intake for now and I burn him 24/7.

 

100+k mi. aside...It's an RS...and auto...
I personally don't think it's worth doing a damn thing to it.
But more power to ya

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by booshgsr &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">100+k mi. aside...It's an RS...and auto...
I personally don't think it's worth doing a damn thing to it.
But more power to ya</TD></TR></TABLE>

that was wrong in so many ways....RS is the best teg trimline to own next to the ITR.
100+K....80 percent of the hondas on this site have that and more on them....I've owned and modded tegs with 245,000 miles, and never had regrets about doing it.
As far as automatics go, it's not ideal for many reason, but he might have reasons that it's ideal to him, and you can work with it if you want.
I believe there are even companies that sell torque converters for it, as well as upgraded auto trans.

 

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

Ask yourself what your future intentions are with the car.

If for example you plan to do a manual conversion or turbo ect. save the money. <U>An intake/header/exhaust combo will yield power, probably around 10hp, but if you buy all new that is around $600.</U>

That $600 is almost enough to do the manual swap, or about 25% of a turbo kit.

If however you plan to keep the car auto and no major work, then yes it is worth modding if you wish.

It is all about what you would like to do with the car, not what Honda-Tech says.

Just because it is an auto does not mean its the end of the world, you can still do some spirited driving. Besides, the RS is a great platform to start on, lighter than the others, reliable and cheap.

Don't forget if you buy used parts, such as intakes ect, you can save alot of money, check the classifieds.

Good luck with your car and have fun </TD></TR></TABLE>

i wish it only costed 600. even ebay **** will cost more than 600 for a header, catback and intake.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by benb18a &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

i wish it only costed 600. even ebay **** will cost more than 600 for a header, catback and intake.</TD></TR></TABLE>

plus it would most likely not give you 10 hp to the wheels with an automatic trans

 

i would never have an automatic car with any intentions for performance/racing, unless it was a ls1 or other powerful v8. but thats just my opinion. i wouldnt want an automatic for other shortcomings as well...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by benb18a &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i would never have an automatic car with any intentions for performance/racing, unless it was a ls1 or other powerful v8. but thats just my opinion. i wouldnt want an automatic for other shortcomings as well...</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've seen an automatic used well in auto-x, where shifting is sometimes kept to a minimum, though i wouldn't tell anyone to go buy an automatic.

 

The i/h/e should not hurt your engine at all. I personally wouldnt spend the money on them because at most you will add 5 HP and will not feel the difference.

Good luck

 

Once again, I really thank you guys for the input. Being that it's an auto tranny, is there anything I can do to actually feel the difference in terms of power without nos or anything of that sort. The tranny swap definitely sounds like a great idea, but my father uses the cars sometimes for grocery shopping and such, and he absolutely hates driving stick. So again, is there anything I can do to feel a significant difference without rebuilding the engine? Thanks again!

 

What cliffjumper first suggested would fit the bill perfectly if you still intend to mod the RS. It could be fun to put whatever power you are making to the ground efficiently, so that even a slow auto can be enjoyable around town and during spirited driving.
Case in point: I've spent 2 1/2 weeks in Taiwan driving around in a beat up old auto EG sedan with a tired d16. Today we had a chance to equip the car with a prototype set of our coilovers, and took it to some local deserted roads to flog the hell out of it. Shitty brakes, mismatching all-season tires, auto tranny and sub-100whp aside, the car was definitely fun to drive, much more so than if we had left it stock. Of course, its not an experiment I would paid money to do, but since everything was kinda free, we gave it a shot, and were not disappointed.

 

Can anyone else shed some light on this? Thanks!

 

1st do i/h/e then save some money buy a 5 speed tranny then the shiftlinks and peadls then swap it to 5 speed i/h/e will give you a little more power you will feel it my girl has a auto lude i puy i/h/e/ and it is a little faster you can tell thats my 2 cents man

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by newbieman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Can anyone else shed some light on this? Thanks!</TD></TR></TABLE>

what are you looking to hear that you haven't heard already?