I recently purchased a 1998 Civic Hatchback, and will soon (or maybe eventually) want to start tuning. I have to plead complete ignorance - I am a newbie in every sense. My first goal, really, is to investigate some of the highest yield (least expensive for most horsepower) modifications I can make to this car. I am toying with the idea of an upgraded air intake, or perhaps exhaust.

Any useful sites or information would be greatly appreciated.

Steve

 

First mods are usually I/H/E. Get performance replacement parts for the intake, header/exhaust manifold, and exhaust. These are considered "bolt-ons", and represent the best value in increased performance.

Good Luck.

 

Best bang for the buck is Nitrous. USe the search feature and you should find a lot of info.

 

Turbo or engine swap are great upgrades for the buck (although a lot of buck). Exhaust won't really do anything unless you upgrade other things first.

 

Thank you for the reply. On that note, might you give me some sites on which I can get a sense of what is on the market, or perhaps do some comparison shopping? I will do some looking on my own, but would appreciate the help.

 

Don't bother tuning your current engine unless you're going to spray the **** out of it. Drop a B18C in it with some boltons and you'll have yourself a wicked little car.

 

nopionline.com has lots of parts. but dont go through them they suck. inlinefour.com has some nice suspension prices. try groupbuycenter.com for some good deals. and ebay.com is great also.

 

instead of spending money on i/h/e. save that money toward a swap. it will take more time but will pay off in the long run.