I am looking for a way to gain a small amount of HP on my car - I'm not trying to race or anything, I just want a little help going up the hills in the valleys of good old SoCal. I don't really know what a reasonable expectation is but 20+ extra HP would be nice.....I would like to try and pull this off without spending a small fortune - price range is about 300. Details below

2006 Civic EX Coupe
1.8L SOHC (pretty sure its the vtech)
5 Speed Manual
K&N high flow filter in stock airbox
Flowmaster performance exhaust

Thanks for helping!

 

Cold air Intake

 

I would say get a header and flashpro is about all you can do for a small gain. CAI won't make a difference I'd keep the stock box and drop-in you have

 

20+ hp is alot to achieve while staying under 300. Like aztec said a header and flashpro could help get some more hp along with a high flow cat, but you are really limited with the economy engine.
An aftermarket final drive in your transmission would really wake it up with more torque and better overall gearing, that would probably give you the better results than a header and ecu, while still staying smog legal. That's not very easy and it can get costly if you go to the wrong shop. fwiw

 

A civic si.... lol

 

not doable under 300$, Neither is the OP goal of +20whp for 300$ get Flashpro and an e-tune would be your best bet as anything you add to your car will not have any true affect on performance and decrease your mpg UNLESS properly tuned.

that being said there is a Cam from GoPower that netted 15whp untuned and around 20-25whp tuned. its 599$ and you get a -100$ when they receive your original cam core and you get your new one.

 

Thanks for the help all, I am a bit uneducated but trying to learn so here comes anothe rookie question....I heard about a bolt on turbo kit for around 800....if I'm gonna go ith a cam for 500 I could be patient and just go with the turbo but it stirs up a few questions

1. Is it really "bolt on" no special tuning or other mods required.
2. Would it be harmful to the life of the engine, obviously it's not designed for that kind of power, boost, ect...
3. It any of the above mentioned really even worth the effort, time, and money - realistically I don't race and am not looking to. I just want better ththrottle response and a bit more power for those uphill battles

Thanks again for all the help!

 

^^^I agree with this

 

turbo-ing your engine works like a system, its not a bolt-on part. the inexpensive ones are, well just google 'ebay turbo kit'. Also you need a lot of supporting modifications to turbocharge a stock motor. That and aftermarket engine management and tuning. theres just no way you can turbo any car properly for as much as an exhaust system costs

 

go with a k20z3.. im guessing yours is an r18? wouldnt bother wasting the time or money... itll take alot more then 300 to get another 20 hp out of it.. sorry to say bud..

 

Tuning NA isn't cheap. Doubly so for a sohc. And there's no "h" in vtec.

 

yeh, had an R18 for awhile... added header, exhaust, pullies, intake manifold, and lighter rims and barely pulled off what your wanting to do. I just traded it in on an Si, cant beat it.

 

Someone on 8th did a dyno comparison and said they got 7 hp out of the megan racing header. It sounds legit too because he was also bitching about the poor fitment of the header so not a salesman haha.

 

7hp on an R18 header? I dont believe it.... thats about what I got out of my Vibrant w/HFC on my Si, then again those R18s have a massive cat on them, so completely taking it off may give you a pretty big boost. But then you have no cat and you have a CEL, which makes it illegal. Its just not worth the hassle. Now that there is flashpro for the R18 the only good way to see power is with the TSI turbo kit.... and I know thats not what your wanting to spend!?!?!

 

the header for the r18 is built into the block anyway so header installs do not net much power.

I would do cai + flashpro + exhaust. That MIGHT get you 20hp.

 

id get the header and flashpro, that'll get you the biggest change, you should also change the exhuast or the make the piping bigger

 

http://www.hondata.com/heatshieldgasket.html
claims 4=5%, 50$
limited set of motors tho

 

just do little things like "bolt-ons" and see how u like it

 

Don't bother getting an $800 turbo kit. Turbo kits are something you shouldn't touch on Ebay. The parts are cheap and won't last you at all. If you're not willing to spend more than 300 you're probably not going to get 20+ HP.