Hi all. I've been driving American cars ever since I got my license (old ****ty ones at that), and I used to hate on Civics a lot, but since my last POS Dodge went belly up about a month ago, I had to find a car quick, so I skimmed the locals and the best thing I saw was a 98 Civic EX auto coupe, so I swallowed my pride and bought it. One owner, dealer maintained, good condition. I have to say so far I'm very impressed. It's a much "racier" engine than I'm used to (I guess that's the right word?) and the auto tranny sometimes doesn't agree with me, but otherwise it's a very nice car, a huge step up for me quality-wise. Anyway I stumbled upon this forum and now I see there is a clear difference between import enthusiasts and idiot ricers (sorry if that offends anyone). So I have made my peace with Civics and their owners.

Anyway, I have a few questions, which is how I ended up googling my way onto this forum. If anyone wants to help me out with this simple stuff, I'd really appreciate it. I'll have more questions later, but I'll keep those in the appropriate forum sections:

1) anti-lockout "feature" - Is there any way around this? The keyless remote appears not to work when the car is running, which defeats the main reason I scrounged up a remote in the first place (I want to leave the car running and lock it with the remote when I go inside someplace for a quick stop). I assume this is by design? I wouldn't mind if I could lock the driver's side door manually but that doesn't work either. Seems Honda thought they should make it nearly impossible to lock the key in the car, which is understandable, but they did it a little TOO well it seems.

2) How the hell are you supposed to change the driver's side headlight bulb without taking the whole front end of the car apart? Honestly, and I thought the oil filter placement was poor!

3) Just a general modding question... How much is the auto tranny going to hold me back? I know very little about Hondas other than what VTEC is and that Hondas are supposed to be reliable. I don't plan on doing anything drastic like adding a turbo/supercharger, but I'm considering SRI or CAI and maybe a few other simple upgrades. Just wondering if it's even worth bothering with an auto or not.

4) (last one) - This is unrelated to anything really, but what is the point of Carbon Fibre hoods? I have no intention of buying one, but I'm just curious what good they're supposed to do? Is it just for looks and weight reduction? How much can a stock Civic hood possibly weigh? [sm=dontgetit.gif]

OK that's it. Thanks in advance for any answers or ideas/suggestions. Love the smiley collection here, you guys have some really obscure ones [sm=bananallama.gif] haha

 

Honda did design the locks like that. I have an 02' and it won't lock manually or with the remote. But you can lock them in the trunk. I found that out the hard way. Carbon fiber hoods, trunks, etc. make a difference. A 1500 lb. car will run quicker and more efficient than a 2000 lb. car. Well if you take two of the same car with the same engine. You can get better fuel mileage with an intake and exhaust can help. That can apply to all cars. Let it breathe. You've got a good car and will find there are alot of parts available for it. Welcome and enjoy the forum.

 

Ha, sounds like something I would do

I'm sure it makes a difference if you're doing a comprehensive weight reduction, but a lot of people I used to work with talked about just the hood like it was going to make their cars so much faster... I wouldn't know since they don't make CF hoods for the pieces of crap I used to drive lol. I just wondered how much difference the hood alone could possibly make. Then again I like sleepers, and to me a CF hood kinda blows your cover...

Thanks for the welcome.

 

Hey welcome, Auto98Ex. That post was really refreshing. Well thought out, specific questions and actual use of grammar and punctuation. I can't hardly stand it.

We don't take too kindly to ricers 'round here either, and you're right, there is a huge difference between import enthusiasts and idiot ricers. Import enthusiasts, or "Tuners," read, research and wrench, while ricers only want crap that will stick to their car.

Unfortunately I can only help you with #4. In the Tuning world, weight reduction is (or should be) just as important as properly tuning your motor. When it comes to the streets, Civics are very often outgunned by more cylinders, more Hp, and almost always more torque. We fight back by using volumetric efficiency and lightness as our weapons. I dont' have any numbers comparing the weight of a stock hood to a carbon fiber one, but as my buddy likes to say, "Ounces make pounds." I would hope that someone with a carbon fiber hood is at the very end of his weight reduction tactics and couldn't find anything more to cut, because I just don't think the price is justified. I personally like the way it looks, but I wouldn't put one on my car because I don't want people to know my car weighs only 1700 pounds until I get to the finish line first.

Again, welcome to the forum. I am sure someone with a 6th gen will be along shortly.

 

Yeah, seriously!
Welcome to the forum [sm=burnout.gif]

 

haha, well put man!

Welcome to the forum Auto98EX, i'm sure you'll enjoy your stay

 

Welcome to the import world! Nice thread well organized ideas, good structure. Good luck in your tuning experience.

 

#2- if you pull up on the power steering resevoir, it will pull out of its bracket and you can squirrel your hand down to that headlight bulb. do the passenger one first so you see how the clips work. its kind of a pain, but its one of the only everyday maintenance headaches you will find on these cars. as for #3, the tranny will hold you back, but if youre not going huge on power, youll be fine. intake, header, and exhaust will open it up nicely, and youll feel the HP gain. it wont be too huge, but itll be enough. welcome to the light.

 

Lol, its funny how we hate ricers too.


Anyway a real carbon hood can take alot of wieght off, my first one weighed in at under 8lbs. Wasnt worth it though, it was so hard to keep up will you were under the hood cause it would start folding over itself, and when it was light outside you could see through it which kinda made me nervous. ANyway, I dont think anyone makes real ones anymore, most of them are now fiberglass with a cf layer or two. They are mainly for looks nowadays but dont get me wrong, they do help a lil bit and the keay to the sport compacts is power to weight ratio. If you only lightened your car you could gain some serious performance, but youd have to do alot.

I have one but my car is far from a sleeper.

 

hm on the tranny, depending on the mods, there will be up to and possibly over .3 seconds added to your time with an auto. its not all power, but its 1) heavier and 2) doesnt shift at peak power. but shifts are flawless...and if your bad at driving stick then it may not add any time, or even reduce it some. its like when my dad first taught me stick...'it really makes you think how much the automatic transmission is doing behind your back'

welcome to the forum!!