sorry my post is a tiny bit long but i had to so u guys can fully understand why!

my car is a 4cyl 2.3l automatic 2001 4dr accord lx,
which means its basically is powerless, i down sized from a 3.5rl and im really annoyed that it takes a while to get up to speed. how ever the calculated gas savings i get with this car vs. the RL is about 2-3000 dollars a year, so im really enjoying the saving my money but i just wana go a little bit faster with out doing any major mod. im not looking to race i just want a lil bit more. i asked an exhaust shop and they said .5inch bigger piping and a magna flow muffler and taking out the resinator.
so do i get an injen, K&N, or AEM intake and what size pipe should i get if u think that exhaust mod is a good recomendation?
so i looked up some pricing and the intake + .5in bigger pipe + the maganaflow muffler with installation cost 520.00. what size is the stock pipe on my car.
advice please

and yes i admit i am an extreme newb can u please help

 

K&N flow less than a paper filter so I'd be steering clear of those.

 

Honestly man, once you start modding the car, you are going to end up putting in almost $1000 for brandname basic intake and exhaust modifications..

Considering that your reason for stepping down from the RL (trust me, i have both cars) was to save money.. I'll skip the modifications..

Once you start your first mod, its like cancer.. Just spreads and before you know it, you are $3000 in like me and still looking to spend more

 

IF you plan on going through with modifying...

-I wouldn't remove the resonator. It'll sound like crap, guaranteed. If you go bigger piping, you will need a new one though.

-2.25" or 2.5" will be fine for larger piping.

-The magnaflow will be alright depending on which one it is. I'd go with an Apexi WSII or a Greddy EVO muffler, but I'm quite picky.

-As far as the intake goes, grab a decent looking ebay piping kit and put a good filter on it. That will be enough, trust me. No need for the $100+ intake kits.

If they are over-oiled K&N's can have flow issues, but otherwise I can't say I agree.

This is definitely something to think about.

What is really slowing you down is the less-than-stellar automatic. While the stock F23a is far from fast, it's not super slow or anything.

I don't know how long you plan on keeping the car, but you may just want to enjoy the gas savings for a while and deal with the lack of decent acceleration. Save money for something with good gas mileage and better power.

I personally wouldn't bother with modifying it unless you were doing a 5 speed swap (which would net you better mpg as well as an added bonus). You won't see that great of power gains with what you are looking at honestly.

 

proper maintenance can sometimes have the same effect as "mods" and "go-fast" parts.

have you done a full tune-up yet? fresh plugs, fresh air filter and a Seafoam treatment on my wife's F23 registered very well on the "butt dyno" and has made merging onto the interstate easier.

 

tune-up > allllllll

 

since i am going to change the headers and the exhaust system i think i should change my cat
the guy at the exhaust place said that my stock cat metals would burnout within a year and that i needed to get a high flow cat and im not sure but i think he said heavy metal
IS THIS TRUE?
WHAT KIND OF CAT SHOULD I GET?

 

my advice still holds that as long as your exhaust is not leaking, do not worry to mess with it..

Concerning "heavy metals" in your cat.. The guy doesnt know crap about what he is talking about and is trying to fleece you... There is no way to know WHEN a cat will "burn out" for want of a better term.. The Platinum and Rhodium inside the cat will go on its own timing and there is no way to predict that.. Sometimes its hard to tell as well because its not an on/off sort of thing, its a gradual sort of thing..

However, if you would choose not to heed my advice, I would go with a magnaflow hi-flow cat.. APEXi WS2 exhaust, and any header you want...