Hey all, I'm new to the Honda world. I just bought a 1996 civic ex with 78000 mi on the original motor. I love the new ride (its bone stock except for the wheels) but I really want to make her faster. What are some practical things I can do to make her quicker? I don't want to devote all of my time or money into her and I do not want a muffler because I hate the sound they make. Anyway, what do you, oh wise people of Honda-Tech, suggest I do?

Also how hard is an engine swap? I would be willing to do one of these. Where would I find a good place that sells motors and could I sell mine for decent cash?

Thanks for reading.

Peace.

 

Turbocharge

/thread

 

But doesn't that really kill the life of the engine?
I want her to last me awhile

 

Remove weight from the car, take out whatever you dont need

 

What is an example of something I dont need? Sorry I'm a total noob.

 

How fast do you want it to be? The answer can range from everything from just an intake and exhaust if you want it to be a little peppier to a turbo kit or engine swap if you want it to actually be real fast. I wouldn't start stripping your car down if it's your daily driver.

 

first off. buy cold air intake kit ( thats generic ) makes a difference. nothing huge but you will feel it. buy some headers ( megan racing,spoon, lots of different brands ) usually do exhaust but if its not your thing then thats cool too. then slam your ride. and call it a day.
dont forget to polish your vtec switch Cheers

 

there is a whooooole section above that you should check out and decide what best suits you, check it out, then do some research on prices and what you want to spend

 

depends how bad *** stripped you wanna go,
small things you can take out are thingsl ike teh parcel tray, rear boot tray, rear seats,
if you wanna take it a step further, rear panels, carpet, and if you wanna go hardcore, you can even take out the centre console covers and door trims!
that is JUST weight reduction !

and tip ;

sounds like you are absolutely new to this, do your research, take your time, and if you want to learn in the process, DONT throw your money around!
however, the easiest is to simply throw money at it and ask a mechanic or someone etc to throw engines in and so forth and probably get over charged occasionally and learn absoltjuely nothing,

if you take your time, research whats what and whats good and what is popular and why they are, make up your own decisions and what your willing to pay for certain parts !

if you just wanted a fast bombass car when you bought it, you took the wrong step with buying something stock!

 

Corrected.

 

engine swaps aren't as hard as you would think, but I wouldn't recommend it if you've never turned a wrench in your life.

Took me and a mechanic friend about 16 hours on my first swap. Wasn't too hard, but it did help to have someone who kinda knew what he was doing.

 

is it auto or manual?

 

ya depends on if its auto or manual, and how much power u want to make. YOu can put an ebay turbo setup together, but pick your parts wisely if you do. Many ebay parts are unreliable, you have to know how to shop it. But you can boost like 8-10PSI on a T3/T04e and make around 200WHP on a good tune. If not then just get an ebay Intake, and a good filter, get a decent header (not ebay), and get an exhaust (not a ricey sounding one like a magnaflow). Do you research and decide on what you want.

 

This is what I stripped in my 4dr eg with turbo gsr motor prolly more than you want to take out but you get the idea and some ideas.
The door panels
Ac
Heater and heater stuff from under the dash
All the inserts and vents and heater ducts in the dash
Center console
Carpet
Door trim
Headlinder
Visors
Trunk board and carpet
Back seats
Seat belts(harness for driver and pasnger tuner)
Sound deadening tar
Plastic cover on steering rack.
Cruise control
Power steering
Brake booster(boosterless MC)
Passenger wiper
Get plexiglass windows
Carbon fiber roof and hood(painted to match car)
Lighter battery and in trunk with fuse box to proportion weight
10lb wheels,
Open downpipe(no exhaust)
Torque mounts
Abs system
And a wire tuck helped ditch a lot of small bolts, brackets, wires, and little plastic crap
Speakers
Radio
Airbags
Smaller steering wheel
Bumper supports

 

just save your money and get a swap best rout ... plus you have a base if you wanna do anything in the future

 

swaps are very easy, they take 2 hours if you know what your doing. and make sure you hear the motor run before you buy it....or else

 

Turbo and a good tune. My buddy got 50,000 out of his gsr with a greddy kit. With a tune you could do the same but with more power. Turbo is safe as hell if you do it and drive it right. It's about a 3 hour install. Anyone that had an "erector set" can do it.

 

Research and be prepare to spend $$$.

 

hopefully after $12k spent under the hood you can finaly drive it...

 

take your engine out... that will lighten it up a ton XD

 

gsr b16 b20 vtec k20 k24 or turbo!

 

i dont think hes reading this anymore

 

hopefully not... because i dont want him to take his engine out to make his speed demon faster :S

 

where did he get a 13y/o car with 78,000 miles? i just got a 96 with 200,000!

 

My 92 has 147XXX. ^^^^