The last time I posted some jackass told me to sell it and buy an older one because the aftermarket parts are more readily available. sorry for my angst.
I just bought a silver 2001 civ ex and I want to add performance and style in good time I just don't know where to start. I recognise that the performance mods are still in the making but I see more and more in each mag I buy. so we start with asthetics, what's first?

 

Get a RSX motor.

 

slam it to the god damn ground

 

ok, i'll be realistic with you instead of "buy a new car" or "get an rsx motor".

i'll help you out since you seem to be just starting out in the car field.

for your car, i'm guessing by how you typed, that you should stay away from anything internal (not like there's anything internal for those engines out yet anyway).

NOTE: I will cover certain brands later

engine
bolt-ons:

intake
header
exhuast (cat-back or axle-back)

these are commonly referred to as "i/h/e" and are the basic engine modifications done to a car. in a nutshell, the intake increases airflow, the header gives better exhaust flow as does the exhuast. you can take these mods a step further and get a hi-flo cat (i'm not sure if they make them for G7 civics yet), which replaces the stock catalytic converter and helps with the exhuast flow as well.

prices range from (depends on brand, used or new, etc.):
intake: ~$100-$200
header: ~$300-$500
exhuast: ~$400-$800
cat: ~$100-250

suspension

since you want looks as well, you'll probably want to lower your car. to put you on the right path, i'll cover everything you should have to make it complete, instead of a half-assed ricer job.

coilovers or lowering springs
shocks (crap i don't know G7 civic suspension so... i'm not sure)
camber kit
tires

coilovers and lowering springs allow you to lower/raise your car. the difference between the two is that coilovers are adjustable; you can lower and raise it ususally within like a +/- 3" range, but usual (and practical) is 1.5-2". lowering springs on the other hand lower your car a set amount (they are labled) and cannot be adjusted, but are firmer.

there are two problems with new springs. camber and shocks. when you lower your car, the center of gravity is lowered and your tries begin to slant outward from the bottom. this causes tire wear on the inside and can ruin your tires in time. to remedy this, you buy a camber kit that allows you to adjust the degree that the tires are tilted, so you can eliminate camber altogether.

if you lower your car, the spring height is lowered and the travel distance is shortened considerably, so with normal driving (bumps, speedbumps, etc.) your stock shocks will go dead pretty quickly, for this you buy aftermarket shocks that are made for lowered cars, which dampen the force and etc.

stock tires on hondas usually aren't very good for "performance' driving. thus a good upgrade is always the tires. depending on what kind of performance you want, there is a large variety and you can see them at http://www.tirerack.com

prices range from (depends on brand, used or new, etc.):
coilovers: ~$200-$400
lowering springs: ~$150-$300
shocks: ~$300-$600
camber kit: ~$150-250
tires: ~$80-150 per tire

wheels

wheels are always a show upgrade that people want. stock on G7 civic is 14" i think (or 15, correct me if i am wrong) so an upgrade (along with tires) to 15 or 16" is one thing to consider. there are a LOT of different kinds of rims that range in prices. it all depends on your taste. but if you expect to be "fast", don't go out and buy chrome 19" wheels. look for lighter ones in a smaller size. rotational mass (wheels) is 4x more so a few pounds does matter considerably.

prices range as follows (depending on brand):
wheels: ~$400-$2000 for a set of 4

The next post will contain brands and such. Im just in a helping mood today

Anyone, feel free to correct me if I need to be. I am definitely not the definitive source of knowledge

 

these are the brands i would recommend, however i am not sure if they all are available for your car.

engine
intake: AEM cold-air intake, AEM short-ram intake, or Comptech Icebox
header: DC Sports 4-1, Comptech 4-2-1
exhuast: GReddy SP/EVO/PE, Comptech PowerPro
cat: random technology, carsound

suspension (this one may be a little misinformative because G7 civic suspension is different from the G3 integra that i know)
coilovers: skunk2, groundcontrol, zeal
lowering springs: H&R
shocks: kyb agx's, koni red (non-adjustable), koni yellow (adjustable)
tires: kumho supra ecsta 712s, falken azenzis, bridgestone potenza RE010

wheels
cheaper: konig, rota, 5zigen... there are many
expensive: volk, regamaster, spoon sports, mugen, racing hart

 

i can photoshop your car with some wheels and lower it for u, just email meand i'll help u out.

aunie99dc2@yahoo.com

 

Dlo

Coil Overs:
Zeal, Tein, Buddy Club...
These coil overs replace the whole shock/spring. It allows you to adjust the ride height, shock travel, stiffness, etc. Adjustable coil overs like these cost $1000-$3000.

 

oh right, full coilovers... i should have covered that.

NEX makes a full coilover kit too, but there's mixed reviews on it. it runs for aorund ~$600.

 

I like the new 2001 body style. looks very sprty...no sarcasm...

 

Sounds alot like what I was thinking. I am going to start with an AEM cold air intake and a catback system. can anyone give me information on exhaust. From my research I have found that the best width to go with is 2.25 inches on an air aspirated system and since I don't see vortec in my future this is where I will start. I was contemplating an engine swap but I am puting almost 500 miles a week on this one. I will wait until the ex motor is older to swap it.

Ps. info on single to muffler and dual out. flowmaster produces one(experience or research)

 

Slam it before you do anything else.

 

To explain things in more Laymen terms...

intake/header/exhaust
intake- if you are smoker, you can't breathe as well and you don't enough energy etc etc etc. same way with a car, i allows MORE air to come into your engine and more OXYGEN. more oxygen = more power.
header and exhaust- more free flowing the better. meaning- try breathing through a straw, in fact, try blowing out of straw, kinda tough? yeaup, bigger strow = better flowing. same deal with exhaust. BUT, there is exhaust gas velocity and etc involving other issues that i will not discuss here.

suspension
dlo covered it pretty good. to clarify
camber- if you look under your car at the tires from either the front or back, they will sit on the ground like / or | or \. it's the angle at which it rests on the ground.
/ \= negative camber- good for road racing, too much is bad, not enough tire area hits the pavement to get enough traction
\ /= positive camber- not sure if there are any advantages to positive camber
| |= neutral camber- good for everyday use and evens the wear out on your tires

stiffer suspension = better. this stiffer it is, it will minimize body roll which will decrease "sloppy" handling.

wheels
depends on if you want show or go. if you want show, go with bigger rims like 17"+. If you want rims for performance, buy lightweight rims that are forged that are 15"-17". There is discrepancy to the "perfect" rim size, but it mostly depends on horespower. Lighter rims will be obviously easier to rotate, so therefore it will make your car feel more responsive during acceleration and deceleration.

tires
possibly the BEST performance mod for your car. people may say add bolt ons and etc, but tires are VERY key to your cars performance. It still all depends on application, if you won't be road racing or drag racing very much, I wouldn't worry about tires too much, just as long as they are comfortable all season tires. Stickier the better, more contact patch(area of the tire that touches the ground) the better(on dry surfaces), softer the better, stiffer sidewall the better(for road racing)

sidewall- in drag racing, you see those crazy tires that look underflated, those actually increase traction and act like a spring to propel the car foward...


so yeah.. have any more questions? you can ask...or people can correct me on what i have said.

 

I have a 1976 corvette stingray that runs high 11's. I understand the mechanics it's applying it to a 4 cyl 2600 lb car that I am not farmiliar with. as well as the import technology and brand names. thanks for the laymans but not needed

 

if you have the money...

look at- spoon, mugen, toda, jun


application is key. depends on what you want. best way to get power out of an import would be a turbo charger or supercharger.

 

It's a coupe right?! Sorry, but the Sedans are butt ugly.

 

Just save up some money and when the new CRV motor drops in price get it, its just like putting the RSX motor in, i think. Just give it some time and it will be around 3-4k or something. Unless you want to stay with the SOHC, then I would look into getting internals for it.

Steve

 

I have a 2001 lx and so far I can tell you that ground control coilovers are good. The ride is a lot smoother then I thought. It's at about a 3" drop. I put SI wheels on it also. Go to 7thgencivic.com. You'll get a lot of help there.

 

Very good advice that is being given out. I would get an exhaust and stay with that. Then later on when the mount kit is released for the K motors put in a RSX Type S motor. If that is a plan in the future no need to spend money on mods for you current engine. Just a thought

 

cause it's only a matter of time before the k swaps are easy

 

2001 civic + K swap = same price as a CTR shipped here? wtf.. id laugh if i knew anyone spent over 7g's to get a CTR here..