So yea I have a 1997 Honda accord lx with about 120k miles and I want to mod it for performance.
I'e been reading around different forums on how to start and I have seen a new air filter/intake and suspension come up a lot and I want to know what' the best course of action.
I'm not trying to have it over the top or anything (yet) just beginner lvl stuff.

this is my first car and I really love it and I'm trying to keep it for at least 2 years.
thank you and all input is welcome.

 

If you're going to do it, do it right. That means saving your money and buying quality parts. Otherwise more than likely you'll be replacing them after a few thousand miles. H/C/I is usually the go to for starters.

 

1) waht does h/c/i mean exactly?
2)im not trying to spend too much. if its really worth it then i dont mind going a little over $100
3) is there any that you would reccomend

 

Header/Catback/Intake

You're going to spend well over $100 for anything decent. IMO, I would save my money and buy quality. That's just me. There's too many "brand name" makers out there to rattle them all off.

 

Do not waste your money on a intake/header/exhaust for the stock F22 engine. You will get very, very poor performance gains(if any) per dollar. Been there, done that. Since you plan to keep the car for awhile focus on the maintenance first. Do a tune-up with new wires, plugs, K&N drop in filter if you must have an air filter, etc. If you really must do mods, focus on updating/upgrading the suspension(make SURE you get an alignment after doing anything that changes ride height or toe angle), upgrading the brakes(V6 Accord brakes from that era are an easy and affordable upgrade for you, get some performance street pads like Hawk HPS), better wheels with some better performance tires, do some basic weight reduction(like replacing spare with a flat repair kit, removing jack, etc). All of those things will go way further than a few bolt-on "performance" engine parts. If you want the car to be quick, start saving for an H22/H23A/F20B swap. You will not make one of these cars noticeably faster for cheap so don't even try.

 

Thanks for the input.
im looking into suspensions and breaks. if you have ANY suggestions please feel free to drop some.
Current Prioraties are: Brakes, Suspension, tires/rims, intake
**PLEASE REMEMBER**
I don't have a full time job or anything so money is still a big factor. Don't mention high end stuff because i most likely wont be able to afford it. Anything mid-tier is fine, as long as its better than stock.

 

Suspension:
I'd recommend you get a set of Tein Street Basis or Street Advance coilovers. They are about as cheap as you want to go, while still being from a reputable suspension company. They will offer height adjustment, improved handling, and still be comfortable. The Street Advance will have damping adjustment as well. They're a good starting suspension for people that want something lower and sportier, without going to either extreme. Or, if you want to spend a bit more, I'd recommend getting a Koni/Ground Control coilover setup. This is a bit pricier, but is higher quality and is much more customizeable, and an overall better setup. You could also pair the Koni shocks with springs from Neuspeed, Eibach, or Tein. I'd stay away from F&F, KSport, D2, TruHart, Yonaka, and other similar companies....stick with the tried and true companies for suspension parts.
After either coilovers or a spring/shock combo, I'd look into other suspension mods like Sway Bars. Tanabe, ST (Suspension Techniques), and Progress all make upgrades bars for the car. Beyond that, you can do strut tower bars, and a few other supports. Those shouldn't be a priority though. Also, replace any warn bushings or balljoints with fresh ones. They will increase the overall feel and tightness of the car.


Brakes:
There are a ton of brake options, depending on how far you want to go. But I'll tell you the most common ones. But, before that, if you look at the Accords front brakes, you'll see they use a hub-over-rotor (HOR) design also known as a captive rotor. This means to remove the brake rotor, you actually have to remove the hub from the knuckle first....which makes it way more complicated than it should be. Now that you know that.....we can get to brake upgrades. The stock Accord brakes aren't that great. 10" rotors, small single piston calipers. Parts wise, the "easiest" brake upgrade is actually very simple. Order new rotors for a 94-97 Wagon or V6. They come with 11" rotors vs the coupe/sedan 10". They also come with a larger single piston caliper, so its just a matter of finding a pair of those to match with the larger rotors. Install however, can be a pain, which is why many of us do this next setup.....
By far the most common brake swap for the Accord is the rotor-over-hub conversion, from a 98-99 Acura CL 2.3. This ditches the captive rotors in place of a tradition hub and rotor that easily slides off. There are two ways to go about this....you can get the whole knuckles off the Acura CL (note: you CANNOT use anything from a 97 2.2 CL, its the same as the Accord, 98-99 2.3 ONLY are what you need). If you can't get the whole knuckles, then what you can do is use your stock knuckles. You basically take off the stock captive rotor hubs, then install the CL hubs in their place. Once you have the CL hubs on, there are a ton of rotor caliper options to choose from. The stock CL setup isn't worth keeping, since its still 10" rotors like the Accord. The easiest most common setup with this is similar to the wagon upgrade mentioned before. You can actually use the same wagon/V6 calipers. Also, calipers off a 95-98 Odyssey, 98-02 V6 Accord, or Integra Type R will work as well. They are basically all the same size. Paired with those calipers, you order 93-96 Prelude VTEC (not Si or base) rotors. These are larger diameter rotors that will fit the CL hub.
Its up to you tow choose your brake rotors and pads depending on how aggressive you want. Just know that drilled/slotted rotors are pretty much a waste of money on a street car, and will actually have a shorter life than a blank rotor. For rotors you can't go wrong with Centric High Carbon premium rotors or Brembo blanks.

Also, since you have an LX like I did, you have rear drum brakes....luckily, switching to disc brakes is fairly simple. Find an EX car at the junkyard or elsewhere (just NOT a wagon). Remove the whole rear suspension....trailing arms, subframe, control arms, e-brake cables, etc. Its honestly easiest removing it in one piece than all the individual components. When doing the rear disc conversion you also will want to get a 40/40 prop valve off a DA integra. This prop valve is specifically for rear disc NON ABS cars, which your LX would be with the conversion. HondaTuning did a write up on the rear disc swap years ago if you need an idea of what to do. This is also a good time to get stainless steel brake lines. Goodridge makes a great kit.
Honda Accord LX Disc Brakes Upgrade - Honda Tuning Magazine



And lastly. Don't let money stop you from getting good parts. Save until you have enough to get something good. It took me almost a year of saving to get my set of coilovers back in 2013. Its better to take your time and build slowly with quality pieces, than to just try and do as much as cheaply as possible right away.