I Have a 1998 Honda Civic EX with a stock Vtec, I want to invest about a thousand bucks into my car and i'm looking for suggestions. I plan on spending a good portion on my suspension. However I want to get a speed increase with out breaking the bank. So:


1. What type of upgrades can I do that net me a good amount of horsepower without costing me a fortune?

2. Is it better to buy official honda parts or just by third party, and why should I go one way or the other?

Though all suggestions are appreciated, i'm looking more for fact than opinion (i.e. brand "a" is better than brand "b" because I say so)
Thank you for reading the post, if anyone needs more specific information by al means ask and I while respond promptly.
-Dan

 

Turbo-D

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hondaciv95VX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Turbo-D</TD></TR></TABLE>

use dsm parts

 

I forgot to add that my car already has a few upgrades, i'm unsure as to the brand of some of them but I can find oput when I get home. Also I'm not oppose to upgrading my current upgrades. I have:
Headers (DC Sports)
Intake (Brand Unsure)
Front Strut bar (Ractive)
Tires (Unsure of the brand but there brand new and much better than stock, they had a great rating on tire rack)

 

A thousand bucks aint gonna get you too much, especially if you plan on doing a suspension and trying to make your car go fast. Decent suspensions are gonna cost anywhere from about 500 to 800 bucks. My suggestion would be to save up some more cash and wait......


Turbo D is nice, but if you want a good kit instead of having to piece one together from a junk yard, youre gonna have to shell out some cash ($3500 for the edelbrock kit which puts 170 hp to the wheels witha stock internals)

Nitrous is another option, but also costs around 400 to 500 for a fogger system (NOS, NX). Depending on who you talk to anywhere from a 50 to 75 shot is about all you can run with that motor with out putting too much stress on it (unless its not a daily driver)

You could also buy a B18B swap for your car. Theyre pretty cheap and are a decent platform to start out with. The only have about 10 more hp to the crank than a sohc vtec, but the torque is more and its dohc..... plus if you like boost its a decent platform, or an ls/vtec is an option.

Either way you decide to go you should just save up more and youll be happier after the wait.... trust me

 

I'm not interested in doing a turbo right now, maybe eventually

 

What else can I free up in that motor with out having to do a turbo?

 

Also which suspenision brands do you suggest?)

 

Koni Yellows with Ground Control Springs if you want to go suspension.

Also what exaust are you running, for about $400 you can get the APEXi Nior good flow not alot of noise.

I would make sure you keep your oil fresh, put in some NGK v power and run some NGK blue plug wires. This will make sure that your engine is running good.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Hondaciv95VX &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Turbo-D</TD></TR></TABLE>


FTW!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mrangryclown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Also which suspenision brands do you suggest?)</TD></TR></TABLE>

Id go with Omnipower Full coilovers for $650... thats what Ive got but they arent on yet.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mrangryclown &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">What else can I free up in that motor with out having to do a turbo?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Its a SOHC Vtec... which means other than turbo or nitrous there isnt much you can do with it..... All motor stuff is just too expensive, when you could use the same amount of money to do a swap. Like I said before... just save up and youll be happier with the outcome

 

Jesus don't post about it!! Get a damn fire extinguisher!!

 

turbo it or forget about it, ur only options if ur in the situation you explained with a D16Y8

 

You could always mail it to me. That sound like a great idea in my opinion. Honestly, I would just save up for more parts.

 

Koni yellow shocks with ground control adjustable coilover sleeve with Eibach springs is the best way to go with suspension. I would also recommend a beefy rear sway bar in the back. I have the koni/gc setup with a 13mm SI sway bar in my 2000 civic EX. It's way better than stock but i wish i bought a beaks kit or something of that nature with a bigger rear sway bar...like 19-22mm range. All that will cost you about $1200 new. There are cheaper ways to get better than stock suspension but the $1200 setup would be one of the best.

 

Drop it all on a ncie brake kit...shiny calipers OOoOOo

 

some nitrous, best bang for the buck IMO, even though I am not a gig fan....

 

turbo

 

hmm, howbout cam gears, new cam, perhaps some new high compression pistons? I think I would either start with making that motor stronger for future upgrades if you decide to do so OR buy a new motor :D Im not a believer of running a turbo system on stock internals

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...QrdZ1

I have these on my civic, and they have been on my car for 2 YEARS. No problems, stock feel with lowering springs! Hate all you want! It was the best risk ive ever made.

Then with the money u have left over, guessing, 700$ or so... HOMEMADE TURBO!
And if u dont want to boost, sell your D-series, headers, etc
Work you way back up to 1000$ spending money and buy a B18B1 LS Motor (make sure its the same year or newer too otherwise itll be illegal)

My 2 cents. Youll have 130HP with suspension decent enough for daily driving... I currently run the B18B1 & Dropzone so im just telling you from personal experience. If you are more of a racer, then go with the more well known suspension, otherwise i think its a waste

 

A good suspension setup is going to cost at least $600, if not more. You'll want a big rear swaybar (I've had luck with Suspension Techniques in both road racing and daily driving), some better shocks (Koni's if you're going to track or autocross, KYB AGX's or Illuminas if you're doing to daily drive) and the lowering springs of your choice (Ground Controls are popular, as are Eibachs of all flavors).

You can't add cheap speed to these cars without forced induction or incredible mechanical proficiency. You could blow $1000 on trying an all-motor setup with high compression, clearanced and cryo-treated LS rods, a big cam, nicer header and tuning, but that'll net you maybe 20whp and it'll take a long time and - if you don't do it yourself - it'll cost a lot in machining and assembly.

Fast, cheap, reliable: pick any two you want.

 

With only $1k, I'd work only on suspension until you know what you want to do with the motor.

Koni Yellows and Ground Control coilovers would be a good start and leave some money left over for a rear sway bar, new bushings etc...

Don't start modding your motor until you know what direction you want to go in. (Motor swap, forced induction, both, whatever)

 

r u doing the work or someone installing for u cause u gotta keep that in mind 2 with 1000 dollars

 

save your money so you dont have to work while you are in college, or just buy a nicer car that you dont have to modify. Dont waste your money- Ive spent almost $20K on my ******* civic and its sitting in my garage not running at all. When it is running its nice but its not 20K nice.... I need a time machine

 

get omni power full suspenion for 650 shipped. save the rest for a engine swap