I am new to the import tuners. I used to be a V-8 muscle car fan, but I really like the fuel mileage and love driving this 2000 Civic Si. I bought one with alot of after market stuff on it including the 17" wheels. It has DC header, AEM cold air intake, stage 2 clutch, APEXi V-tec controller, etc. A stock Si beat me and by a half a car link. We swapped drivers and still the same result.

My question is does a 17" wheel change the ratio enough to make this difference or does this mean all the aftermarket stuff just doesn't make a difference.

By the way, the other car doesn't have a catalytic converter and mine does. Is this the difference?

 

17's arent favorable for gas mileage.

 

Welcome to import racing where 50HP/cylinder and 100HP/Liter on pump gas is the norm
To answer your question, YES!
Those 17" wheels are probably heavy as hell and definately slowing you down. Most "racers" do not roll on 17" rims.Actually most I know prefer 15" wheels. They are light and clear most brake setups.
The Apex VAFC could be hurting you since if its not adjusted perfectly, it will mess up your fuel AND timing maps. To be honest, they are a thing of the past. Effective ECU "tuning" eliminates the need for VAFC's.
A stock Si beating you by half a car isnt that bad. Driver skill and traction play a big role

 

17s also affect gearing, and not in a good way.

 

It depends on some different factors, but the long and short of it is...

Yes, 17" wheels will result in a slower car than 15" stock wheels.

On to the factors...

A 17" wheel will, in theory, yield higher top end performance but lower acceleration versus a 15" wheel as long as they are the same weight. A 15" wheel will, again in theory, yield a higher acceleration with a lower top end performance.

Of course, you can purchase light-weight 17" rims that can negate the weight factor, but acceleration versus weight may still not make up the difference. Your gas mileage will be determined by the type of driving you do most often. For instance, if your 17" rim weighs the same or only slightly more than a 15" stock rim, your fuel efficiency while highway driving will remain the same or about the same, however in all cases your stop-and-go city driving mileage will definitely drop due to the car having to work harder to get a 17" rim rolling.

This is the reason you will often see four cylinder import cars at the drag strip sporting a nice aftermarket set of rims in the rear, with some cheap 13" or 14" steel stock rims in front with drag radials or even slicks.

In your case, unless you are really digging for fuel mileage, it's not really something to worry about. But as far as your "power adders" go, you are not going to see nearly the same gains with a Honda four cylinder that you will with the V8's you are probably more familiar with. A CAI, header, and exhaust on a typical Honda is only going to net maybe 10 HP total at most. Stage 2 clutch is probably completely unnecessary for stock, and the Apexi V-Tec controller is just asking for trouble.

When you say a "stock Si", what year model? It does make a difference. Others on here will probably be able to explain the Si differences better than me, so wait for them to chime in.

Welcome to the site.

 

i don't think pulling your converter out is going to do much

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Dramier &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Others on here will probably be able to explain the Si differences better than me, so wait for them to chime in.
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it means "sunroof included"

welcome to the site

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nix94delsol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

it means "sunroof included"

welcome to the site </TD></TR></TABLE>

AHAHA! You ***! I meant between different year model Si's as far as performance goes... lol...

Wait, so since my EX has a sunroof, it's really an Si????? Cool!!!

 

92-95 EH= came in an Si, but only as a hatch and del sol, but came with a sunroof (pretty nifty) and a d16z6

99-00 EM1=came in an Si, came with a b16a...2 i beleive

and 02-05 Ep3 came in an Si with a K20, HB only

and the current civics come in an Si, 2 and 4 door, k20, and the coveted Mugen edition *drool*

 

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

AHAHA! You ***! </TD></TR></TABLE>

Hehe

watch out tho, Si can also mean "stolen inevitably"

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by nix94delsol &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
and the current civics come in an Si, 2 and 4 door, k20, and the coveted Mugen edition *drool*</TD></TR></TABLE>

There's one for sale at my dealership right now. I walk by the thing at least ten or fifteen times a day.

Make us all happy up there and come and buy it.

 

I meant it is a stock "99" coupe just like my 2000 with the B16. I bought this car to get into SCCA racing and I was told this 17" wheel with low profile tires is the way to go. I love drag racing also, but I will just be watching drag for now.

Thanks for all the responses!

If anybody races SCCA, let me know what wheels I should use. I can put the stock wheels back on it is better ( and I do want all the advantages including a faster car just in case the "99" stock Civic Si comes calling).

 

17's suck. I had some 17" konigs on my del sol. They look decent, but i swapped 'em out for some 15" Rota Circuit 8's. Noticed a good difference in acceleration, and even a little bit in handling. Rotating mass is bad..........

 

as far as I know, most road racers prefer 17" wheels with larger brake setups. Read around in the road racing section.

I guess depending on the wheel, a 17" will out perform a 15" because the tire+air is the heavier part. Plus the ability for a wider wheel base. Why do most sports cars have 17"+? If your just drag racing then stick with 15"

 

15's are clean and look much better. 17's are for the OG's. plus the 17's are heavier, and yes they will definitly hold some speed up. kinda like a small gear and larger gear on a bike, the smaller gear will get u going faster were the larger will give more torque and more top end. import scene is based mainly around the 1/4 mile. 15's ftw

 

17's ftw!!!