Now that I'm working again full time for the summer (THANK GOD!!!), and not busting my *** in class, I'll have some disposable income to toss around and have some fun with, so what better idea than to go and spend it my car. Basically, I'm looking to spend maybe between $1000 and $1500 on some things that I probably don't need, but certainly would like to have. I'm not looking to work on anything on the exterior, and would rather focus on performance mods.

My car is a manual '96 Civic Si/Ex with a D16Y8 (127hp, 107 trq) and about ~147,000 miles on it. It was in good hands before I bought it just this past September, and has remained completely stock until I put on a CAI with K&N just this spring. And yes... I do like openning it up once in a while (love the sound). It does burn some oil between changes. It's my daily driver, and needs an oil change about every 2 months.

I've been seriously thinking about a Turbo, but I'm worried that with a car with such high miles, I might blow it up. I've read all the stuff on this site about piecing together my own turbo kit, and I know that I could afford to do so, but again, because it has high miles, I'm worried about the integrity of the motor. It would be nice though....

I've also been considereing maybe doing some other things instead, some things that are less harsh on the motor. I already got a CAI, so I was thinking of just maybe completing the process and getting headers and exhaust work. I have a B18 TB sitting on my desk that will go on too... But other than that, I don't know what else I can do withing the range I'm looking to spend. Should I consider brakes? Internals? I don't know....

So..... any suggestions from those of you who are clearly more qualified than myself would be GREAT!!! Also, any idea of what kind of power increases I'd be getting would be great too.

Thanks for the help.

Curlybandit

 

Burning oil does not sound like a good candidate for a turbo......and you should worry about the integrity of a motor you are about to boost.
Yes get headers and exhaust
Yes brake upgrades are fun
Internals....only if you boost an engine that is burning oil....

Have fun and save up some money.....enjoy the exhaust......if you really are ready to take the plunge look into rebuilding the motor before you turbo it.

 

i know im looking for internals now that i have a compression leak because i turboed my car, but will be able to up the boost now...

 

Your car is burning oil, so a turbo at this point should be out of the question. I would get a little more money together and rebuild the engine. I would stay away from stuff like headers if you plan to turbo later. With $1000, i would defintaly look into suspension before brakes. For $1000 you could get a really nice Tein SS suspension system which i've heard is kick ***. Brakes are really expensive and prolly not worth it. I would look to get performance pads all around (hawk, AEM, etc) and definatly a rear disc conversion if you don't already have rear discs. The parts should cost you about $300.

 

I've been doing a lot of thinking about what it is that I want to do, and I've come to the conclusion that modding my D16 is gonna be a waste of time. In Toronto, well really all of Ontario now, they're REALLY cracking down on modified cars and street racing. It's getting to the point where you can get your license suspended for life for lighting it up on the street!! Not that I would street race anyways..... I know of one too many people that didn't walk out of racing wrecks, so I know better.....

Besides, this is gonna be my daily driver, and the last thing I want is to have to worry about if my motor is gonna hold up. So I've decided that I'd rather spend my money on rebulding the engine, (eventually, or maybe even a swap if the engine goes....), some suspension mods, (without sacrificing the ride), and making it look a little nicer. It already sounds pretty nice with just the CAI, and I really don't want an exhaust that's gonna sound like s****. Maybe I'll just clean up the tip a little.

I just picked up a set of 99-00 Si (SiR) rims with rubbers, so I think I'll start there. I was thinking of getting strut bars, and even lowering it... and since you've mentioned it....

If I lower it, I really don't want to lose the quality of the ride. The last thing I want is for my car to feel like a Jeep YJ going over bumps and pot holes. I have a friend with a 98 Si/Ex that's lowered, and I get sick everytime time we go for a ride.

Sooo... what is the best set-up to use if I lower the car? What products are out there to give that nice lowered look without sacrificing ride quality and comfort? Am I lookoing at replacing struts/shocks and springs? Would the Tein SS system be an example? I was also think of converting my drums to disc as well. I think I've seen other posts that detail that here too...

THANKS FOR THE HELP EVERYONE!!

 

The rear disc conversion is a good place to start, several people have it on the forum and they say the braking is alot better after the swap. Look to spend somewhere around $300, finding a local seller would be great or check around in the junkyards. I would also check www.craigslist.com to see if any1 in your area is selling anything. As far as suspension goes, the ride quality is going to be determined by the shock absorbers you use. You can search google for shocks, coilovers, etc and find lots of products or ask ppl for thier preferance. Strut braces and sway bars also good since they are relativly cheap and will also help the handling. I would first get the rear disc conversion b/c some suspension pieces are changed when you do a rear disc conversion.

 

Just a quick question for you....

My '96 Si/Ex has ABS.

Is this a problem if I plan on doing a rear conversion?

What things do I need to consider (ie. losing my ABS, needing ABS parts off an Integra...)?

Lastly, from what year Integra can I use these parts?

Thanks again for the help.

 

Don't waste your money on a rear disc conversion, it is sincerely for looks unless it is a track car. Even then, the only advantage is that it's easier to change pads then drums. Those people saying that they have better braking with discs is witnessing a pseudo mod, because the fact of the matter is drums brake better than discs. So unless you're putting some serious laps around a track and have to deal with heats and changing brakes between races, it's really just a bling mod.

I've ridden in a whole bunch of cars with a whole bunch of systems. Everything from stock shocks and springs to racing suspension. Honestly, Koni's and Grounds is the renouned suspension setup for being the best on Honda's, for race and street. GCs can be had at almost any rate possible to adjust your ride comfort, and the Koni Yellows are by far the best shocks I've ridden on, with and without GCs. My car is pretty low, but the ride is still great with the Koni/Ground setup.

A nice rear swaybar might be in your interest as well. Since your in an EK, if you go with anything bigger than the Si rear sway bar, then you will need to purchase a subframe brace so that you don't tear it out. I know a good setup is the ASR subframe brace and the 22mm ITR sway bar (~$300ish), or the comptech fully adjustable swaybar (~400).

If you have the time to do it, (12+ straight hours), then the ES bushings would be a good idea.

Honestly if you have time to get into the block you can rebuild it for a good bit of boost for later, otherwise I'd definitely use the money for a kickass adjustable suspension and go have some fun AutoXing.

 

Getting a lot of great info here guys. Thanks a lot.

Ok.... so I hate to sound like a tool, but do you think you can specify the Koni and Ground parts that you're talking about? I get that Koni yellows are shocks, but the Grounds GC's? I'm guessing these are coil-overs. So this set-up would use Koni Yellow shocks and Grounds GC coil-overs for the best ride? I'd like to know exactly what it is that I'll be looking for.

Thanks again