Well, my girlfriend got her car and I've decided to start catching the car up on it's maintainence. First I decided to start with some winter tires for it and have decided on a set of Blizzak WS-50's since they are on close out now for 53 a tire which is pretty damn cheap. Nextly, I've decided to replace the belts, change the oil, change the spark plugs and wires, and change the distributor cap and rotor. What brands can you guys recommend for all this stuff? I've had really good luck with the Goodyear Gatorback belts, Mobil 1 Clean 5000 oil, K&N oil filters, NGK plugs (OEM style or V-power platinums), NGK wires (OEM style), and OEM cap and rotor. What brands are you guys running?

 

Blizzaks are terrible tires - i bought them cause of how they are supposed to be so good in the snow, and just good winter tires in general. i live in NY/NJ and let me tell you how bad they suck. the side walls are weak as hell, when i have to brake the whole car will actually pull to one side in the front because of how weak the side walls are, they have HORRIBLE wet/semi-wet traction, and even in the snow in a pretty big snow storm we had here a couple weeks ago the traction wasn't anything to brag about. i'd seriously recommend getting All Season tires or just a better snow tire...i cant wait til i can put my G-Forces' back on my car in the spring. ****, the dry traction on the blizzaks arent that good either..im actually nervous driving on them at all times. perhaps if it dumped snow constantly the tires would be good but so far, i will not buy them ever again.


Blizzak WS-50

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by A_Rotary_Guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well, my girlfriend got her car and I've decided to start catching the car up on it's maintainence. First I decided to start with some winter tires for it and have decided on a set of Blizzak WS-50's since they are on close out now for 53 a tire which is pretty damn cheap. Nextly, I've decided to replace the belts, change the oil, change the spark plugs and wires, and change the distributor cap and rotor. What brands can you guys recommend for all this stuff? I've had really good luck with the Goodyear Gatorback belts, Mobil 1 Clean 5000 oil, K&N oil filters, NGK plugs (OEM style or V-power platinums), NGK wires (OEM style), and OEM cap and rotor. What brands are you guys running?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Tirerack = your friend - http://www.tirerack.com

I can tell you for sure about Blizzaks - the deal with them is they're good for one season, and that's it, they're disposable tires, that's why they're so cheap.

I was never really impressed with them and always used kelly deep lug snow tires - but to tell you the truth Sams Club has some no-name **** deep lugs for like 50 bucks that kick-*** 2 years or so.

Blizzaks is a good tire for a one winter, cheap, get 'em on the car kinda deal - I would recommend chucking them after winter as though there still may be tread, all the chemical compound **** is all washed out and into the rubber and such, fine for one winter, and only one winter.

As far as the brands for the rest of your stuff:
- K&N drop in air filter
- A regular FRAM oil filter from autozone will be 100% fine, you're stupid if you buy a K&N oil filter.
- With oil, any leading name brand such as Mobil1, Castrol GTX Synthetic, Royal Purple, etc. are fine, I personally recommend Mobil1.
- Spark plugs = NGK - regular standard *** cheapest NGK plug -- you can get them at autozone for $4 / per plug
- Spark plug wires - some will recommend NGK, I've never had any problems with Bosch wires though, so they're fine.
- As for the rotor and cap, just pick the ones up at autozone that's like 30-50 dollars, I forgot the brand.

And I can guarantee you that all these parts are sufficient.

I'm sure you'll get a flood of people in here saying you need all sorts of name brand ****, Honda wires, distributorless ignition, an MSD coilpack, colder plugs, Honda oil, etc. etc.

In all honesty, if you're just doing a tune-up like you're doing, go to autozone, they'll have everything you need.

 

I can't believe how much you guys hate the Blizzaks. Everyone I've ever talked to that had them absolutely loved them, including myself. I've never driven a car yet that got around better in the snow than my Accord, and this includes many many 4WD vehicles, including 4WD Wrangler Rubicons and such. I have the REVO 1's and their ice traction is unlike anything I've driven. I'm not at all scared to drive my car fast through the snow or ice because of these tires. I drive some of the vehicles at the dealership I work at and I'm scared to take turns fast with them for fear of sliding into the ditch. I read all the reviews on Tire Rack and also checked out all of the test results and the Blizzaks beat all the other snow tires every single time, whether it be the WS-50's, 60's, or REVO 1's. Using all-seasons in the snow sucks. My mom's 2007 Malibu has brand new all seasons on it and the traction doesn't even compare to my Accord. But I'm not going to argue about this since my mind is made up on it.

I understand about the K&N drop in filter, but what about just doing a completely different intake setup? There's so much BS to the stock intake that it only seems like a complete restriction in itself.

I will NOT be using a Fram oil filter. Those filters are garbage, and every oil change I do at work that has a Fram filter is always a bastard to take off and it always tries to double-gasket. I've had nothing but luck with running the K&N oil filters on my RX-7 and Accord. Now about the oil. Should I be switching the car over to synthetic or should I stick with the regular? I've read so many different opinions on this, but have never gotten a clear answer. I will for sure be using Mobil 1 though.

What are the stock plug style for the Civic? Just the regular single electrode? My Probe GT used the regular style plug, but the V-power style was highly recommended. Wasn't sure if there's a specific electrode style that might be more beneficial. I know I'll be getting platinums though since they last 100k compared to the normal 50k for copper ones. I'm not a big fan of Bosch in the least bit. I used their plugs once in my Cavalier and it ran terrible. After switch to the OEM AC Delco style plugs the car ran much much better. Just wasn't sure if there was a more popular brand out there.

I know rotor and cap you can usually get the cheap ones, but like on my Probe GT there was a certain one you could get that had brass contacts rather than the nickel contacts. Apparently the brass contacts wore out a lot slower than the nickel ones did.

Thanks for your opinions so far guys.


Modified by A_Rotary_Guy at 7:47 PM 12/28/2007

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by A_Rotary_Guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Well, my girlfriend got her car and I've decided to start catching the car up on it's maintainence. First I decided to start with some winter tires for it and have decided on a set of Blizzak WS-50's since they are on close out now for 53 a tire which is pretty damn cheap. Nextly, I've decided to replace the belts, change the oil, change the spark plugs and wires, and change the distributor cap and rotor. What brands can you guys recommend for all this stuff? I've had really good luck with the Goodyear Gatorback belts, Mobil 1 Clean 5000 oil, K&N oil filters, NGK plugs (OEM style or V-power platinums), NGK wires (OEM style), and OEM cap and rotor. What brands are you guys running?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I've heard very very good things about blizzaks....but snow tires for a civic in the midwest? Cmon now. Maybe a little useless. But your mind's made up, so whatever.

Autozone is having a sale on the mobil 5000 oil. It's 8.99 with a filter (5 qts). It's a good deal. Walmart regularly has the 5 quart jug of that stuff for $8.97 also.

For the belts, it doesn't really matter. Go to an auto parts store, and buy a belt. It's not a critical or high stress part.

Get some generic plug wires. Just make sure they're quality. NGK stuff is A-ok.

NGK plugs are another good idea. Get the part # out of your manual. They are single electrode.

OEM parts as far as distributor, cap, rotor is a good idea. It actually should be the ONLY idea.

OEM oil filters are the only ones I use for both my cars. I get the regular B series ones for free, and I get the S2000 one for $6. So it's a no brainer. They're also very good filters. It's hard to beat OEM ****. Since the autozone sale includes an STP filter, just use that one this time around.

OEM air filter if you're choosing to do this...if you have a stock filter. The OEM intake is a little restrictive. But it has MANY advantages. No water gets in there. It keeps the filter from getting dirty and shitty. The OEM filters have a better filtering capacity than the cheap *** ebay intakes....so less dirt in your engine. You could take out the bumper box part of the intake. Run only the upper box, the one that houses the filter. That's how I roll. K&N filters have to be oiled. I hate that.

If you mod the intake, just mod the intake. Get a quality one. Dont get a drop in.

You can get OEM stuff at wholesale prices at places like http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com.

 

I heard the NAPA line of silver/gold OIL FILTERS are actually all the same, just relabled to sell for more money, i saw the link somewhere here. I don't konw if it makes any difference to you, but I've flow tested my Honda Air filter VS STP and FRAM air filters, STP flowed more, and the other two were even, but the Honda one was dirty.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by angel_i &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I heard the NAPA line of silver/gold OIL FILTERS are actually all the same, just relabled to sell for more money, i saw the link somewhere here.</TD></TR></TABLE>
My boss told me the same. He's been in parts for twenty years.

 

I agree with everything you said except the K&N drop in filter.
I put a K&N in my car and it started running like crap at low end.. harder to take off from first... feels sluggish until 3000rpm. Sucks to drive the car in the city.

On the plus side, taking in more air increases your high end power. Cool for track.... but who races a stock D16Y motor.. ha ha.

But i feel like on such a torqueless little motor.. a K&N is definetely overkill.
If you're in california, stop by. you can *have* my K&N filter.

NGK's are definetely the best spark plug in my mind. i've used them on everything....
avoid bosch like the plague. that's all i'm sayin.

 

oh also, air intake resonator box can go too .
I cut the intake pipe down 1/2 inch at the top because it is aimed directly at a wall... seems a little too restrictive.
decent power gain without killing the low end power your car has none of

 

There is NO need for ANY Honda OEM Genuine Parts on a tuneup of a '97 DX.

I just don't get this logic, at all. NO parts from Honda's catalog are necessary for a basic tuneup .

@ A_Rotary_Guy: You would NOT be using a fram filter, eh? That sucks, b/c the majority of oil filters in America are by FAR, FRAM and NAPA, so you gotta get with the program or something, their filters are fine.

This whole thing is just aggravating to read, you do NOT need any Honda OEM parts to do a <u>BASE</u> tuneup (and that's exactly what the OP is inquiring about. I'd love for you guys to take a field trip to a real garage one time, then you'll see the lack of Honda OEM rotor/cap/wires, etc. to useless Honda ricer fan-boys who lack the ability to think. If you seriously think that buying your rotor and cap from Honda instead of some cheap **** from autozone is going to put you ahead of the game, then you got another thing coming.

Same goes for everything else, FRAM oil filters for what they are, their price, etc. are good enough, you do not need a Honda filter, there is absolutely no difference, the vast majority of filters out there on used cars (used car being one that's NOT serviced by the dealership) are FRAM, easy. Honda stuff is necessary for some stuff, it is NOT necessary for tuneup parts though. Apparently the ability to think isn't, either.

@ the guy who said "I can't believe how much you guys hate blizzaks:"
I don't hate them, I just simply stated the truth - the same truth that any northerner up here will tell you:
They're a good $50 dollar tire to get you through the winter, they're NOT made for 5 seasons, and they are NOT anything special. They're cheap **** tires that'll get you through 1, POSSIBLY (rarely) 2 winters without any problems, simple as that, anybody else that knows what snow is will say the same thing (*waits for people from CA who don't even know what snow is to start arguing*). It's a $50 tire, nothing more needs to be said.

 

When the OE plugs at Autozone cost $1.99 apiece... why not get them. I think the cheapest plugs they sell are something like $1.89 apiece, and I'm not sure there's that option for our cars (probably was old Fords or something).

Wix filters are supposed to be some of the best filters on the market if you really want to know. NAPA sells them as NAPA oil filters.

I've heard of issues with the (I think it was...) Duralast cap and rotors on Hondas though.

Not that there is usually an issue with the parts on whole, but that's what I've overheard.

 

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

Wix filters are supposed to be some of the best filters on the market if you really want to know. NAPA sells them as NAPA oil filters.


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

x2 wix is pretty much honda oem its what i run.. and it hasnt failed me yet

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by luvmihatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">x2 wix is pretty much honda oem its what i run.. and it hasnt failed me yet </TD></TR></TABLE>
Honeywell used to make Honda oil filters. I think Toyo Roki makes them now.

 

ohh well its what ever my prof at uni said that wix made um but its what ever i still give it its good ****..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Syndacate &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">There is NO need for ANY Honda OEM Genuine Parts on a tuneup of a '97 DX.

I just don't get this logic, at all. NO parts from Honda's catalog are necessary for a basic tuneup .

@ A_Rotary_Guy: You would NOT be using a fram filter, eh? That sucks, b/c the majority of oil filters in America are by FAR, FRAM and NAPA, so you gotta get with the program or something, their filters are fine.

This whole thing is just aggravating to read, you do NOT need any Honda OEM parts to do a <u>BASE</u> tuneup (and that's exactly what the OP is inquiring about. I'd love for you guys to take a field trip to a real garage one time, then you'll see the lack of Honda OEM rotor/cap/wires, etc. to useless Honda ricer fan-boys who lack the ability to think. If you seriously think that buying your rotor and cap from Honda instead of some cheap **** from autozone is going to put you ahead of the game, then you got another thing coming.

Same goes for everything else, FRAM oil filters for what they are, their price, etc. are good enough, you do not need a Honda filter, there is absolutely no difference, the vast majority of filters out there on used cars (used car being one that's NOT serviced by the dealership) are FRAM, easy. Honda stuff is necessary for some stuff, it is NOT necessary for tuneup parts though. Apparently the ability to think isn't, either.

@ the guy who said "I can't believe how much you guys hate blizzaks:"
I don't hate them, I just simply stated the truth - the same truth that any northerner up here will tell you:
They're a good $50 dollar tire to get you through the winter, they're NOT made for 5 seasons, and they are NOT anything special. They're cheap **** tires that'll get you through 1, POSSIBLY (rarely) 2 winters without any problems, simple as that, anybody else that knows what snow is will say the same thing (*waits for people from CA who don't even know what snow is to start arguing*). It's a $50 tire, nothing more needs to be said.</TD></TR></TABLE>

I hope you weren't referring to me, dude.

 

Yea, I've been a big fan of the Mobil 1 Clean 5000. It's a very good oil and very cheap, usually cheaper than all the others on the shelf. The OEM filters are usually good, but like I said, I've had good luck with the K&N oil filters, so I'm thinking that's what I may go with. The reason Fram is used so much is because it's dirt cheap and so is it's quality. What are your thoughts on synthetic V.S. regular oils?

I know belts usually don't matter, but the Goodyear Gatorbacks I had on my other cars were very well constructed belts and seemed to have a better rib pattern on them.

Yea, I plan on just getting the OEM grade wires, but wanted them in an NGK brand. The off-brand wires for my RX-7 were not near as good of quality as the NGK ones I bought. The NGK's had a better boot construction and came with wire loom to protect the wires where they came near contact with other parts. I've been a huge fan of their plugs too. I'll probably just get the regular style platinums for the car. I agree, not a fan of Bosch.

I'm also usually good for OEM parts too, simply because they're quality is usually better than the aftermarket pieces. I know this is especially true for gaskets. The Fel-Pro gaskets for my Probe GT compared to the OEM ones were garbage. Much thinner and didn't fit as well. I'll check around about getting an OEM cap and rotor.

The intake was something that I was never quite sure on. Of course if you take out the stock intake and replace it with a straight tube, it's going to have a better flow to it. I wasn't sure if there was anything on the stock intake that helped to have more than an aftermarket setup. It seems like though if you had less restriction on the intake that you'd be getting better gas mileage. My friend's brother put a K&N intake setup on his car and said that it picked up about 2-3 MPG. What do you mean by the bumper box and resonator box?

If you've ever worked at an actual dealership shop, you'd see all they carry are OEM parts. I work for a Chrysler/Jeep/Kia dealership and all we carry are Mopar brand parts for the Chrysler, Jeep, and Dodge vehicles. Usually the cheap parts are the ones that break or wear out faster.

 

The only reference to your post I made was that a Honda OEM Genuine Parts rotor and cap is NOT necessary for a basic tuneup on a '97 DX by ANY means.

BUT

You'd be stupid not to buy from Honda (online, dealership tends to be a bit more expensive) as when it comes to rotor and cap because they're the same amount of money, sometimes a bit cheaper.

BUT

If you need the parts in a hurry like I do sometimes (like the same day kind of hurry), autozone will 100% suffice for rotor/cap and you won't be sacrificing reliability nor rotor/cap life.

Summarized:
Honda rotor/cap is NOT necessary, though it'd be smarter to buy from them, unless you're in a tight situation (like I was not too long ago where my rotor broke into 3 pieces) where autozone stuff will suffice without compromising anything.

In any event:I always use synthetic, except on my Tercel since it's burning oil like a **** and synthetic burns faster than regular. Though whenever I get around to dropping a new engine in there (if I decide to keep the stupid thing) it'll be back to synthetic.

I'd buy belts from Honda, just b/c that's the way I usually go, but in all honesty those will work just as well.

NGK plugs and wires are absolutely fine and are recommended. Off brand wires suck, though I like Bosch wires even though a lot of people say they suck, I've never had a problem with them, neither has my dad, neither has anybody at the garage I worked at. Though to each his own, different people have different experiences with different parts. Ie. A lot of people think S2 is god, I think they make **** products. It's just preference sometimes, as long as you're buying leading brand stuff (and not off brand crap) you'll usually be fine. As for the plugs the regular NGK $4 ones (whichever name they gave those) are perfect for what you need (and usually perfect for most other apps too).

Yeah, about gaskets 'n such, def. go OEM, unless it's a headgasket then sometimes higher end market stuff (like Hondata) will do well, but manifold seals and such, go OEM.

In all honesty I don't think air intakes matter worth of damn.

I put it on over the stock box for ONE reason: Simplicity.

It's a pipe, with a filter at the end, and if you choose, you can have one support in there with pipe strapping. It removes with an unplug of the IAT, remove the rubber hose, and one hose clamp, the whole thing is out and you have access to everything else. Not like the stock intake where there's 15 different bolts from 45 different angles that hold it on.

There really is no difference except the stock box uses the resonator so things are quieter, you'll hear the "hissing" sound of a regular pipe (which iono about most people, but personally, I like). With either though, go with a K&N or AEM filter (I'll swear by K&N filters).

 

I've heard good things about using synthetic and I've heard bad things about it too. Some people said that it hurt their engine but I've personally never had a problem with it. IIRC synthetic is supposed to lubricate the engine better and doesn't break down as fast as regular oil does. I know that some of the vehicles I've worked on actually recommended Mobil 1 synthetic be run in them (Crossfire, Corvette, Monte Carlo SS to name a few) so it must be good if the manufacturers recommend it be used. Apparently the only time you wouldn't want to run synthetic is on a high mileage engine that's leaking oil already since the synthetic oil doesn't "plug" holes as well as conventional oil. Other than that, synthetic has lots of advantages. It has better shear protection, better breakdown protection, and better resistance to oxidation. Also, it's better for cold climates since it seems to move through the valve train much easier. What weight would you guys recommend? 5W30? Are you using any additivies?

I'll be sticking with the Goodyear Gatorback belts and the regular platinum NGK plugs and wires and the K&N oil filters then.

For cap and rotor I'm leaning towards the OEM ones. I saw a sweet clear setup made by Crane Cams, but wasn't sure if there was anything else besides the OEM or the cheap ones that are suggested to use.

Yea, I agree about the intakes. They have a much simpler setup than the stock intake, which has about 9877687631eleventy different pieces to it. I noticed that hissing sound on my Accord since it has the aftermarket intake, but I honestly like it. I'll have to see what the girlfriend thinks about it. I know for sure I'll be doing either the K&N drop in filter or the actual K&N intake setup. I found the K&N intake setup on eBay for 130 bucks shipped and it comes with a heatshield, intake tube, and filter and all the mounting stuff. I think that's an amazing price and may go with that.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by A_Rotary_Guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've heard good things about using synthetic and I've heard bad things about it too. Some people said that it hurt their engine but I've personally never had a problem with it. IIRC synthetic is supposed to lubricate the engine better and doesn't break down as fast as regular oil does. I know that some of the vehicles I've worked on actually recommended Mobil 1 synthetic be run in them (Crossfire, Corvette, Monte Carlo SS to name a few) so it must be good if the manufacturers recommend it be used. Apparently the only time you wouldn't want to run synthetic is on a high mileage engine that's leaking oil already since the synthetic oil doesn't "plug" holes as well as conventional oil. Other than that, synthetic has lots of advantages. It has better shear protection, better breakdown protection, and better resistance to oxidation. Also, it's better for cold climates since it seems to move through the valve train much easier. What weight would you guys recommend? 5W30? Are you using any additivies?

I'll be sticking with the Goodyear Gatorback belts and the regular platinum NGK plugs and wires and the K&N oil filters then.

For cap and rotor I'm leaning towards the OEM ones. I saw a sweet clear setup made by Crane Cams, but wasn't sure if there was anything else besides the OEM or the cheap ones that are suggested to use.

Yea, I agree about the intakes. They have a much simpler setup than the stock intake, which has about 9877687631eleventy different pieces to it. I noticed that hissing sound on my Accord since it has the aftermarket intake, but I honestly like it. I'll have to see what the girlfriend thinks about it. I know for sure I'll be doing either the K&N drop in filter or the actual K&N intake setup. I found the K&N intake setup on eBay for 130 bucks shipped and it comes with a heatshield, intake tube, and filter and all the mounting stuff. I think that's an amazing price and may go with that.</TD></TR></TABLE>
X2 On the Gatorback belts.

 

Well, I found the Goodyear belts, NGK wires, and OEM V-power NGK plugs on partsamerica.com, but it seems like they only make the platinums in the different laser electrode style. Have any of you guys had good luck with any plugs besides the ZFR5F-11 (V-power NGK OEM plug)?

We decided to go with the Mobil 1 fully synthetic oil and a K&N oil filter. I was debating the extended performance 15,000 mile oil, but I know I don't want to try and extend and oil change that long. I was told that the extended life oils aren't all that good to run in vehicles because of the extra zinc content in them. It isn't going to protect the engine any better than the regular Mobil 1 synthetic is. I also followed the owner's manual and went with 5W-30.

I think we've decided to go with this K&N intake setup too:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...63223

What are your thoughts on this?

 

I pretty much agree with Syndacate about the about the OE tune-up stuff.

The only belt I personally would not buy from anywhere but Honda is the timing belt.

 

I'd go with a drop in filter. Why go with platinum plugs?

 

Something I never thought of until I saw a thread about it was changing the spark plug oil tubes and the valve cover gasket. I'm pretty sure they aren't leaking now, but I figure while I'm doing the spark plugs and wires I may as well change them so that I don't have to worry about them down the road.

I was thinking drop in filter too, but the aftermarket setup is very cheap and is going to flow much better than the stock setup and hopefully get a little better gas mileage because of the less restriction.

I reason for wanting to go platinum plugs is that they last much longer than the copper ones do. Platinums are good for 100k miles while the coppers are good for 30k miles. I guess it might just be best to go with the OEM ones though and not risk buying the expensive ones that might not work as well.

 

I lost bottom end when I put on a SRI (old CAI had gotten stolen). I'll never get a CAI or SRI like that again. Anyway, they look cheap and make hte engine bay look naked.

 

I just got done ordering the tires, wires, and belts. Tomorrow I'm going to go and pick up the plugs and oil filter at the store and get my dealership discount. I'll have to run over to the Honda dealership for the valve cover gasket, grommets, and spark plug oil tube seals as well as the cap and rotor. The K&N intake is something we'll order here soon too.