Need list of upgrades to put on to gain 50-60hp+

I recently acquired a immaculate 98 accord coupe V6, 93K. I am looking for someone to give me a list of engine upgrades that are essentially bolt on. My goal is to get the motor up to 260hp without resorting to SC/TC. The first thing I am doing is putting in springs to drop it 2"but I want to keep a lowered stock look so I can make it as sleeper as possible. I am pretty technical and good at working on motors, I had an old 93 Civic way back in the day and did stuff to it. I know CAI, Exhaust etc are essential, if someone would give me a suggested step by step list of engine upgrades i would greatly appreciate it! Here is my list, please amend...

true CAI
catback exhaust
throttle body
headers?
ECU chip?

Anything else or the correct order would be appreciated. I have a limited budget (buying hous?e, wedding, etc) so I can't get too crazy but i think those mods will give me 50-60+hp. I know this is long but a couple more questions since i haven't done this stuff since '99.

I see parts on Ebay (CAI, Exhaust, etc) for cheap and I was wondering if the knock-off brands for exahust and CAI do the same job as more expensive brands. The CAI's for $50 look the same as the CAI's for $200. They have the same function right? The exhausts are stainless and have straight through designs, but why do i feel they won't hold up? I am not cheap but on a budget, however I want to do it right the first time.

Also how in the world do I replace the stock headers on the back of the engine?? I can barely get my hand back there much less air tools? Please edumocate me. Is there any websites I can check out that have instructions?

Lastly putting springs on, I put a Sprint Suspension on the ol civic back in the day. Could someone forward me instructions to refresh my memory. I know I got to get a spring compressor. Thanks to all who took the time to read this.

 

*disclaimer* I just worked for 11 hours so if this is hard to follow I am sorry.

Ok well first your car comes stock with 200 crank hp not wheel hp so getting it to 260 at the wheels is going to be quite difficult without going F/I.

I would suggest going with a carb approved CAI rather than a cheap ebay one but that is just me. You can get the same results from an ebay CAI but you will need to replace the cheap filter it comes with and put on a K&N filter.

The headers will make a significant improvement. The Comptech headers are about $1200 new and OBX makes a set but they are not as good so I would say go with the comptech. For changing the headers it just takes time and patience because they are hard to get to but it is possible.

There is a guy on Honda-Tech that bores throttle bodies and he is a sponsor so search in the sponsor pages and you should find it. I would say that would be all you would need in terms of a T/B since I don't believe there is one made aftermarket. You may also want to think of having your intake manifold ported and polished which should help.

For cat-back exhausts I would suggest going with either a name brand or get a custom catback from Kteller8 who mandrel bends piping specifically for cars so it works really well. (he is a good guy and stands behind his work 100%) Some companies to look for in name brands are Greddy, Tanabe, HKS, and Apexi. Those are all good brands and should all have catbacks for your car. I have the Tanabe Hyper-Medallion and I really like it. It is not loud until WOT and it feels like it made a small improvement.

An Ecu chip won't do **** so don't worry about it.

For springs I would suggest going with either Eibach sportlines or H&R sports. They are both good springs and ride nicely. I would also suggest upgrading your struts and shocks when you do that because it is smart to do that when you do springs. Some good ones are AGX's because they ride well and are not too stiff. If you want stiffer ones then you can go with Koni Yellows which are on mine and they are stiff.

You should also invest in a good shop manual to help with installing parts and so on and so forth. Helms manuals are my choice and it has worked well for me.

Welcome to H-T. If you have any other questions or if I missed anything just say so and I will try and help the best I can. Oh and by the way I have an 01 AV6 so I can help if I can.

 

Instead of getting the comtech headers I would go wiitht he prototype racing headers. He makes them in house and has a Dyno sheet comparing the 2. You get a lot more usable power out of his headers. AEM pullys are also a very good choose for you. For some reason on the av6 it adds a far amout of power.

 

Can TL-S cams swap into his motor? Are they both J30's?

 

Yeah you can swap in the Type-S cams. I think they drop right in but I know that they show gains, somewhere around like 9 hp i think.

 

Thanks for all the advice guys, I really appreciate it. So trash the ECU idea, get on Ebay CAI setup and buy a K&N Filter, Exhaust, Headers, and AM pulleys. Yeah it was late at night when I wrote that thread so I forgot about the 200hp not being at the wheels. Once I do these mods what kind of WHP can I expect? I saw someone mention a cam, what is the best kind? Also before I go delving into the engine, and hazards I need to look out for? The car literally looks brand new inside and out, and I don't want to screw anything up. I have a lot of experience on V8's and old school hot rods but still want to take advice on these types of motors. Much appreciation guys!

 

adding 80hp to get your car to be near 260hp mark will require a lots of money. know what you're getting into!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ash.zero &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">adding 80hp to get your car to be near 260hp mark will require a lots of money. know what you're getting into!</TD></TR></TABLE>

This has already been covered so next time read the whole thread before posting.

Most AV6's will have around 150-160hp stock figuring the drivetrain loss and then add on the 2-3hp for the intake 2-3 for the exhaust then maybe around 10 for the headers another 3-4 for the pulleys and then 8-9 for the cams. But that is just an estimation.

 

So essentially F/I is the only way i can get decent HP out of it? The realistic sum of those parts is around 30-35hp, is it even worth the money to fool with it?

 

But if youre just interested in cheap, easy mods with noticeable gain and low time input, that's a really good start.

Look around for the camshafts off of an Acura TL Type S...they're shaped differently and will deliver you some extra horsepower, that's one of the best you can do without going FI.

Intake, Headers, Exhaust, Pulleys, and Camshafts and you'll really be able to tell the difference! You wont be racing Porsches anytime soon but for daily driving you'll appreciate it!

Throttle bodies are really up to you. The bigger the throttle body the less low end power you get, you sacrifice that for high end. That's all personal preference

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ProLineDesigns &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">So essentially F/I is the only way i can get decent HP out of it? The realistic sum of those parts is around 30-35hp, is it even worth the money to fool with it? </TD></TR></TABLE>

That depends on why you're doing this. I just love working on my car and any horsepower gains give you something you didn't have before. You are the only person who can decide what's 'worth it.' Although I've heard j30's are more difficult to work on then the i4's

As for gains that haven't been mentioned, you could always go nitrous. I personally will never use nitrous in any of my cars but a lot of people do and enjoy the cheap power.

 

i own a av6 as well... i do not reccomend aem pulley because i heard it gives too much underdrive and eats ur alternator up... i suggest unorthodox racing pulleys because they do not eat up alternators... also the only headers available that work well are comptech headers because other brands tend to crack and not fit right. hopefully borla is commin out with some soon, they are still doing r&d work. i run aem v2 intake(cai) and i think its the best intake for that car. i also run apexi ws exhaust, but i whent with single instead of dual... sleeper.hehehe. anyways thats just my setup for my av6... pleace check out http://www.v6performance.net there are more parts reviews down there

 

Headers did the trick.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by typeass &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Headers did the trick.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Another quality post by the Accord forum resident dumbass

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by typeass &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Headers did the trick.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yeah good job you are really helping putting that comment in.

 

on av6 there is only so much you could do. with acura type s cams the only way they will work right is if u have a vtec controller and get it dyno tuned. that may cost more than what u want. also if u want instant power comptech supercharger or votec supercharger will do that..

 

just get a nitrous kit that will be the cheapest instant horsepower even though u dont want to do f/i

 

Thanks guys for the tips, especially the underdrive pulley tip and throttle body tip. I just want to be able to feel the extra power if I am going to drop the change on it. I guess 30-35 actual WHP will make a noticable difference. I don't think NOS is in the future b/c I have had buddies f--- **** up with it. Seems like it tears stuff up. My AV6 is going to be a daily driver for a while, I think I will do the stuff discussed and see where it leads. CG2, I tried to check out your site and it was down, just an fyi. I will try it tomorrow b/c I'd like to see what you've done. Thanks RedneckDave, accordselux, and JDMAccord2nr as well. You guys gave me the direction, i'll fill you in on the progress.

 

http://www.v6performance.net should be workin now but they have all kinds of forumns on parts and how to install hiopefully it will be a good sorce for you.

 

Congrats on the new car. For more power without going FI, there are a lot of things you can consider. This'll probably be a repeat of what everyone said for the most part.
You can invest in Comptech headers, which will give you more low end gain. You can get them for around $1000. OBX also has headers out for the AV6 that perform close to what the Comptech ones can do. Those go for around $300. You're just paying for the C.A.R.B. certified label and obvious quality.
Of course, there's always the intake. It doesn't really matter what brand. An intake does its thing no matter what sticker is on it.
Honestly, the exhaust for this car probably has very little effect on the car's performance. I went with Comptech axleback exhaust. Basically, you're just choosing by looks and sound.
I don't have pullies, but I hear that they are a very good buy. Unorthodox Racing pullies are the way to go. I have heard way too many stories about how the AEM ones kill the alternator.
The Type S cam is an option, but this will only be effective if the car is tuned properly with either a VAFC or a chip of some sort, ie: Unichip. People who have done this mod complain that they cannot feel any power gains and it is because the car needs to be tuned after install.
There are always the small mods you can do: throttle body spacer, plugs, etc.

Good luck.

 

Thanks, I looked into the throttle body spacer last night. So in regards to mufler I want something that is stainless/chrome but doesn't sound like a go kart. Also low profile would be nice. Almost a straight thru, chrome/stainless style of whats on there now. Any ideas?

 

OBX headers ive herd from alot of guys is that they crack overtime cause the welds are bad quality and they are a bpain to fit cause they do not line up correctly unless u get a lucky batch. also for exhaust, if u have a v6 u wont get a ricy sound out of them, if u want a gewd deep tone comptech exhaust is the way to go but they are pretty pricy just for a axle back. but they sound gewd especially if u take of the pre cats on the car.

 

it's true that if you go FI you will gain more HP than you would if you stayed NA. trying to squeeze out as much HP from a NA engine is a really great project to learn about the performance of you car and what makes it tick. put the bolt-on components on one at a time and drive around for a few days and you can track your progress. don't forget the flywheel !! getting a lighter will not only get give a couple more horses but will also get you up higer RPMs in a shorter amount of time

 

you guys are too optimistic. sure type-s cams, bolt-on will give 10-20 hp. but what about the transmission? 6gen auto's are notorious for breaking down without any added hp.




Modified by ash.zero at 7:43 PM 8/12/2004

 

one more thing.....
i am not familiar with your engine (i got a 95 ex coupe) but if you have a balance shaft/shafts consider removing it/them. the balance shaft only serves the prurpose of counterating the effect of the 1st and/or second hormonic motion on the engine. if you remove the balance shaft you will notice more vibration from your engine. you can remove allot of that vibraton by putting the right size bushings under your motor mounts. you will notice a big improvement if you take out the balance shaft. some people just remove the timing belt that attaches to the shaft and actually leave the shaft it...
note....this does not refer to your horminic balancer (pully-looking thing attched to crank)