Im new to the honda scene and don't have much experience working on cars.

I was looking for any advise regarding upgrades from any of the following:

~ intake
~ exhaust
~ header
~ suspension

 

Also, what would be a good way to clean up the engine bay?

My accord is in great running condition but has grime and grease all-over.

 

Well the first thing I would do is decide on what you want to do with the car. DD, race car, or a beast street car. Then choose whether you want to boost later down the road. If you plan on boosting then buying a CAI, HEADERS, ect . Is a waste of money. I am assuming you have an accord . What year and model ?

If you just want a few extra, (only a few) horses under the hood then yeah just upgrading a few things around the motor will def make a difference , small but a difference.

Intake - Depending on your driving . throttle response will change from a Cold air intake ( which is located in front of the passenger side tire) to a Short ram intake. Which makes the throttle response very quick and is located closer to the throttle body.

Exhaust- depending on the sound your looking to produce is all up to you , there are so many opinions of which one that sounds and flows the best. Listen to other Honda's with your motor and set up and ask which one they have . Like I said before if you plan on boosting later down the road. I would make sure I put 3 inch cat back . Check out Greddy, skunk, N-1, ect.

Headers- There are alot of manufactures out there that are great for a more air flow out the Cly head. Depending on your setup . EX. You can for a 4-1 , or 4-2-1.

Suspension - Again what are you trying to do with the car. Drag , Auto - X , street DD. With an idea of what your looking to do with the car , its easier to choose one. BTW Coil-overs are never a bad thing.

 

oh ok 95 acccord . I got cha.

Run down to the local auto parts store and get engine degreaser with some brake cleaner . Take to a pressure washer , Blast the hell out of it and brush some areas that can be reached with a small brush , Just make sure to put a plastic bag over the distributor. That doesnt like water. All the rest wont make differece.


BTW. Welcome to the HONDA WORLD,

Once you go accord , you dont go back !! lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fastazzf22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">BTW Coil-overs are never a bad thing.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

i'll have to disagree with you on that. coilovers are only beneficial if you have the knowledge and resources to tune them. if not then your better off with a basic high performance spring+damper set-up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by pos_cd5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

i'll have to disagree with you on that. coilovers are only beneficial if you have the knowledge and resources to tune them. if not then your better off with a basic high performance spring+damper set-up.</TD></TR></TABLE>

And I will agree with that .... lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fastazzf22 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


Intake - Depending on your driving . throttle response will change from a Cold air intake ( which is located in front of the passenger side tire) to a Short ram intake. Which makes the throttle response very quick and is located closer to the throttle body.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

the intake piping wont effect the throttle response of the motor. Its more about how fast the air can flow inside the manifold that would make the biggest diffrence. Unless you have a bored out TB a SRI and a CAI will give you the exact same throttle response.

 

Well I have had both on my car before boosting , and I noticed a big difference in throttle response from the two different intakes. Well now that you say , I do have a bored out TB . But even with stock TB a difference should be found ,

Ok lets say your the ultimate ricer and decide to throw on a Intercooler . Throttle response would be all to ****. Now with a SRI , it doesnt have distance to pull , so response it quicker. Please correct me if I am wrong , this is just from my experiece.

 

theres ambiant air inside the tube even when the car is off. what limits the flow rate is the filter. A pipe is a pipe. The only reason why some SRIs flow better then some CAIs is because of how the front bumper is set up and if it gets good flow or not. However, to properly install a CAI, you need to make sure that the filter has direct exposure to outside air, or there is no point.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM_DC4_Fanatic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">theres ambiant air inside the tube even when the car is off. what limits the flow rate is the filter. A pipe is a pipe. The only reason why some SRIs flow better then some CAIs is because of how the front bumper is set up and if it gets good flow or not. However, to properly install a CAI, you need to make sure that the filter has direct exposure to outside air, or there is no point.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well the way to proper install it on a 95 accord. Is to remove the front pass side fog light . Which I did away with both .

 

with all variables aside, generally speaking, a SRI will give better throttle response comapred to a CAI due to the fact that a CAI generally has more length of piping, more bends, and therefore more restriction. will it be noticeable, especially in a accord, no. the same applies to top mount VS front mount intercoolers.

 

My personal recommendation, or advice, is start with the suspension. It's going to give you far better gains over stock than the bolt on stuff. Your car won't be faster but you can drive it faster when the roads arn't straight. Not to mention it's a good appearance mod. This is my third accord and i'm to the point where i'm only doing suspension mods, outside of loosing my resonator and things like stereo and cosmetic stuff.

I've personally found that when i did intake, exhaust, headers, on my 5th gen, it ended up being slightly more powerful, and way too loud for me. My little bro owns the car now, it only has a CAI and feels about the same to me.

 

or, better yet, if being faster is your priority. calculate how much money wou will spend on mods, and use that for track days and tires and brake pads and rotors and gas and you will be a much faster driver.

 

Personally I would do brakes and suspension 1st.
What good is a fast car if you can't stop or have it handle properly.

 

is your car an auto or a manni???

if auto.....55 shot of nitrous..
If manni...turbo kit...specially with the non vtec motor

hope this helps.....look up links on boosted F series motors..your eyes will be opened

exhaust depends on what you do
suspension: I use tokico blues and H&R springs
Header: dont waste your money
Intake: EBAY!!! Short ram but your in Cali so a cold air is fine
and If you did decide to turbo your car you can use the intake in your charge piping.....hope this helps

 

For your engine bay, pick up some Gunk: Brite Foamy Engine Cleaner (for older, dirty engines) from any auto store (ie. Pep Boys, Autozone, VIP, etc.). I used this on my filthy engine last week and it came out looking better than it did before. The only main things you need to worry about is the engine has to be off and cool, cover the distributor, electronic components, carburetor, and the air intake system. Some of these you can get away with without covering, but that's just a little advice from me. And for the hard, greasy, heavy spots in the bay, you may need to brush or scrub them in order for it to be cleaned. Once you're done rinse, uncover everything you covered, and replace any removed parts. Then start your engine so the heat can dry everything.

 

Thanks for all the good advise & quick response everyone.

As far as my plans for the accord, I mostly want to have some power gains balanced out with handling. Im probably like most of you and have a limited cash flow. With that being said I think Im gonna have to go with a SRI. I havent looked into the exhuast systems as much and have a few questions.

~ Is it better to buy a package deal or gather the parts seperately?
~ Are parts from different companings going to be a problem?
~Are the online tuner companies trustworthy?

Suspension wise I have been looking at some Eibach Springs, but I heard that instead of an aggressive look they sometimes result in a "boat" look, any info on this?

Here's what she looks like now:









Im proud to be Honda owner.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by talontsiawd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">outside of loosing my resonator</TD></TR></TABLE>

What does this do?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sparkman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
~ Is it better to buy a package deal or gather the parts seperately?
.</TD></TR></TABLE>

depends on what muffler you decide to go with and whether or not your also using a resonator and whats hop does the work and if you get mandrel or crushbent and whether or not you get mild steel or stainless steel.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sparkman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
~ Are parts from different companings going to be a problem?
.</TD></TR></TABLE>

no

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Sparkman &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">~Are the online tuner companies trustworthy?
.</TD></TR></TABLE>
depends who

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

Suspension wise I have been looking at some Eibach Springs, but I heard that instead of an aggressive look they sometimes result in a "boat" look, any info on this?
.</TD></TR></TABLE>

the eibach pro-kit is the springs that give a 'boat' look

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by talontsiawd &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">My personal recommendation, or advice, is start with the suspension. It's going to give you far better gains over stock than the bolt on stuff. Your car won't be faster but you can drive it faster when the roads arn't straight. Not to mention it's a good appearance mod.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I have to agree with this. I don't modify my cars anymore; but, when I use to, after experience with performance bolts on and suspension, I would say suspension gives the most bang for the buck in performance and safety without a lot of $$.

 

Generally speaking buying different exhaust components from different companies shouldn't be a problem but honestly you always run the risk of one part being too long by an inch or too short etc, buying it all together will save you a headache and if you go with a respectable brand its probably the best option.

The "boat look" happens with the eibach prokit and has been experienced with the sportlines as well... it can happen with any springs. The reason for it is that the front fender well is bigger than the rear, when you drop the car evenly lets say 2in back and front the bigger gap in the front becomes more easy to see making it look like the front is higher but it really isn't. Getting springs that give a greater drop in the front will get rid of the boat look and will give a more equal looking gap, ie: 2.5in drop in front and 2in drop in the back or something along those lines.

I agree with the suspension suggestions tho, mainly because it will be the funnest mod you do asides from all the other reasons posted. Good choice with the SRI, it will be a lot of fun too.

 

I go with the crowd that recommends brakes and suspension first. A whole lot of power will most likely wreck the car if you can't stop fast.

And you don't have to go crazy to get a good braking system. Honda makes excellent OEM braking systems. If the system is very worn, replacing the OEM rotors and installing good quality pads is very affordable. Even the rear OEM systems with drums are good systems.

Slotted aftermarket rotors are available at reasonable prices, but I really think Honda rotors are excellent rotors, and slotted rotors are not really necessary unless you race or drive/brake extremely aggressively on the street. My first OEM rotors ran to 95K miles- why mess with success?

Now for the suspension. Mileage, extreme temperatures and ozone are the enemies of rubber and rubber-compound bushings and struts. As bushings and struts wear, the car gets "loose", is prone to vibrate, eats tires and handles lousy, especially at high speeds.

Lower the car to race-track clearances and you will have a car that "tracks" (steers) tighter in corners, but the car will still have vibration/"chop" problems, over or understeer, eat tires, won't stay aligned and have looseness in the entire suspension. Lowering an old, loose suspension is like putting lipstick on a pig.

So, when you decide if you want to go with OEM springs/struts, upgrade springs/struts, or lower the car with coilovers, you should definitely consider doing the bushings at the same time.

When I did the suspension on my '94 I went with upgraded springs/struts, and with the tires, rims, bushings and rear control arms the car lowered only about 1". I realize the extreme dropped look is the rage, and I have no problems with dropping a car IF the bushings are replaced. If they are old, and not replaced, the car will look good and corner tighter, but otherwise handle like crap.

Bushings show wear at 70K miles, and most are getting pretty worn at 100K. I would guess the reason young kids don't replace them is the fact the teardown/replacement can seem intimidating to an unexperienced mechanic. (For the BEST suspension information, get a manual from HELMS- search "HELMS auto repair manuals". The BEST Honda manual I have ever seen!)

The truth is replacing the suspension bushings is really no more difficult than rebuilding a brake-system. The bushings are not very expensive when compared to the cost of struts, springs, coilovers, etc. Get a Helms and take your time.

NOTE- My understanding is all the mid 90 Accords have only rear toe-adjust, but like my '94 have no rear CAMBER adjust. Alignment techs have told me a high percentage of these cars show 'nominal' at alignment- the right/left often don't match and/or are barely within spec. This causes problems at high speeds.

Owners DROPPING the rear usually install an adjustable camber-kit (or it's part of the kit), so this solves the problem. Do your homework!

In my case, a 1" drop did not dictate I use a camber-kit, but I wanted to solve the problem once and for all and have a quick/easy way for the techs to dial in the rear camber. So I did my research and installed Ingalls adjustable rear upper control-arms (the OEM arm bushings and balljoints were shot out anyway) At 110K miles, the rear alignment dials in better than when the car was new. Wrenchy

 

Thanks for the suspension recommendations wrenchy.

 

doesnt replacing the suspension bushings require a hydraulic press? i think that is why most people dont attempt the job. they lack the press and/or access to one.

 

Yes, POS-CD5, some of the bushings DO need to be pressed in- glad you asked.

First, a good shop manual will detail which need to be pressed. Be careful when looking for a shop to do the presswork. My experience is some shops are primadonnas and don't like/ won't do presswork- it's not high dollar work, it's dirty, and some shops are really not good at presswork. Check out shops that specialize in suspension rebuilding.

If done wrong, a machinist can bend suspension parts when pressing parts in/out (several tons of pressure often used). Some of the suspension parts are large enough and "rough-shaped". If bent, it is often impossible to know they have been bent until after the parts are bolted up and the car won't align or handles wrong/eats tires. Make sure the machinist knows what the hell they are doing, not just 'I think I can do that' (famous last words on a 12-15 ton press!!!).

The presswork can run a few bucks. But, as I said before, buying a bunch of expensive parts to drop/rebuild/modify a suspension without replacing worn bushings is not very bright. The car may look good, but it most likely will shimmy/shake/steer poorly/not align or stay in alignment/eat tires, etc. etc.

The same type mentality that would pay $1600+ for a set of rims, "blow the budget", and finish with tires that run $40. The rims sure look cool, but the tires will get you killed. Wrenchy