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Looking to get into the tuner world? Heres a list of some stuff you can do to your car that isnt to expensive and not really considered "rice" (lack of a better term).

First thing: Register at www.eBay.com (if you havent already). You can find anything and everything you want for your car on there. My car itself was bought of eBay (of course it was a stock hatchback back then )


Exhaust: Cheapest way to get cat-back exhaust is to get yourself a muffler off eBay ($20 - $60 for no name brands) and take it to your local exhaust shop and tell them you want this muffler put on with 2 inch or 2 1/4 inch (wouldnt go any larger then 2 1/4 on a NA car) piping from the catalyic convertor back. Grand total should be around $150 instead of a $600 Greddy bolt on cat back, just remember you get what you pay for.

Cold Air Intake (CAI): Once again eBay! You can get an off brand for $40 - $75. Easy to install yourself. If you have any problems installing it there are plenty of people on here to help you out. Grand total: $40 - $75 instead of $250 AEM CAI, just remember you get what you pay for!

Lowering: Can you guess? Yup, eBay! Universal coil-overs $50 - $120. Not too difficult to install yourself WITH the proper tools (SPRING COMPRESSOR!!!) again if you need help installing, plenty of people on here to help you out. Grand total: $50 - $200 (if installing yourself) instead of $350 for Ground Controls, just remember you get what you pay for!

This should get you started. There are endless options to modding your car. eBay isnt always they way to go but it is usually your best bet. Try to buy from a seller that is a company so your less likely to get screwed over.

Also remember that Greddy, Skunk2, Eibach, DCsports, ACT, Exedy, AEM, Brembo, Sparco, etc etc they cost a lot more for a reason, they are better quailty and will last a lot longer. I will always suggest getting the name brand stuff over the cheaper stuff but the stuff I mentioned above is just a good way to get yourself into the turner world and get your head full of some tuner knoweldge.

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Welcome to HCF. Everyone is new at sometime or another and we all have questions. What I’ll try to do here is cover some of the more common questions that we get from our new members. Also, don’t be afraid to use the search button located at the top of every page. You will be surprised how much you can learn from reading previous posts and responses. Almost any question you have has probably already been asked and answered by some of the best Civic people you are likely to come across. With that being said, don’t be shy with questions or posts, nobody is going to “flame” you or make you feel like an outsider. You won’t find a more civil forum anywhere and you’ll probably get as many welcomes as responses.

Q: What’s the best/first thing I can do to my Civic to make it faster or improve the performance?

A:--

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I believe the first thing anyone should do with a bone stock car is give it lungs. Put on an aftermarket air intake, either cold air or short ram. Then change out your header and get a good exhaust system. The better your car breathes the better it runs

- Omen68

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I recommend starting out with a cold air intake, cat-back exhaust, then a header and high-flow cat..."

- 90Civtegra

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Lol, what good is it to modify an engine if it can't breath right?

-97CivicEX

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exhaust and headers are where most of your gains will be."

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if you dont want to be loud and noticeable, then you want the Greddy EVO2 (which seems to be the favorite around here.). its nice and quiet, and makes a decent amount of power. on a sohc, it should give about 7-8hp. along with a CAI, header, and a high quality high-flow catalytic convertor, you should see nearly 15-25 hp(depending on the condition of your particular motor.).
cat-back-$450-$500
CAI-$120-$200
cat-$50-$150
these prices should get you some decent quality stuff. check out ebay.

- Sacicons

--My $0.02- Stick with quality brands that have a good track record. They cost a bit more but are worth it. If you can't afford new stuff check out e-bay. Used parts are a great way to stretch your budget. Wondering about a certain brand? Or who's the best? Do a search.

Q: What swap should I put in my car? What's a "Mini-Me" and is it right for me?

A: Swap Info Including what motor you have, how many Hp it has, and Sacicons write up of his opinions on the different motors.

Got a D series non V-Tec motor and want more punch? The Mini-Me head swap may be just the thing you are looking for.

Q: Which one is better? A turbo or a Supercharger?

A:--

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There are pros and cons for both turbos and superchargers... its just deciding which will work best with your set up.

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Definately, a s/c is easier and less complex. If you want reliability then go with a supercharger.

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Like i've said before. I have owned both an find a s/c'd car alot more fun to drive. Yes my Turbo was alot quicker, but took alot more money and time as well.

-polo708

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personally, i like turbos better than SC on hondas because:
1. theres more aftermarket support. yeah, theres a ton for SCs too, but nothing compared to turbos.
2. turbos are easier to manipulate to your needs.
3. turbos CAN raise your efficiency enough to increase your fuel efficiency more than an SC, because they are driven by wasted energy, instead of crank energy.
4. FWD cars tend to have traction problems, esp light ones like hondas. that low-end torque often ends up as tire smoke.

-sacicons

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there's a good chance you'll run into traction problems with a SC (in a FF 4 banger) unless you ride the clutch like a ten dollar hooker.

-Kappa22

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It seems to me that this all depends entirely on your driving habits. If you never go to the strip, but like the occasional "race till the speed limit" at a stoplight, a supercharger is probably the way to go. But, if you go to the drag stip a lot and plan to run low 1/4 mile times, a turbo is probably the way to go. Note this is strictly for Civics here. Taking into account the build of the Honda engine and the final drive ratio, a supercharger just isn't going to give you power where you need it. When you are dragging, you spend probably about 5% of the time in the launch and below 4000 rpm in a civic. This is why turbo civics do so well, because the turbos will put the power where you drive during most of the race. In the end, it all matters who crosses the finish line first. Nobody is going to give you props for keeping ahead for the first 100 ft.

-XCM828

My $0.02 - I read a lot of threads on this subject and it's a pretty heated debate with no clear winner. A couple of the highlights were: A supercharger is cheaper and an easier install and is more reliable as a daily driver with instant power. Because a turbo takes a moment to spool up, it creates more "useable" power where a Civic needs it, in the higher RPM's. And lastly, both make really cool noises.

Q: What's the best oil and filter? Should I switch to synthetic?

A:-

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modern engines and oils make the choice less important. but if in doubt, just go with good old 10w-30. if you want, get a synthetic oil, then you can go about 7k before you change it. but you should change the filter about halfway through. and you can get a horsepower or 2 from synthetic.

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but ill stick with Castrol and Valvoline

-sacicons

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I belive synthetic oil is one of the only automotive attempts where something works almost better than it was intended to.

-LEVIII

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when I switched over to Amsoil it cleared up a lot of that black film and ran smoother. I have heard a lot of good things about Mobil 1 synthetic as well,

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I cannot say it enough, a good quality filter is just as important if not more important than the oil you use. I would recommend Mobile 1 or Amsoil filter for best filtration. Napa Gold, Wix, even purolater is "ok" for normal filtration. I cannot stress this enough, if you go with synthetic and longer oil change cycles, change the filter at regular oil cycle intervals! I would say this, stay away from fram and castrol syntex/blend.

-97CivicEX (our resident oil guru)

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If you want an oil upgrade just go with synthetic (Mobil1 is the best)

-polo708

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Con: The only one I know of is the cost of the oil.

Pros: Reduces friction (gets around engine faster than regular oil), Increases Fuel Economy and Performance, Lowers Operating Temperatures, Easier Cold Weather Starting (doesn't get like molassis like regular oil), Extends Oil Change Intervals, and Extends Engine Life (Reduces Stress and Scuffing).

-ngoti8tor


My $0.02 - I read all of these oil posts and a large majority of our knowledgeable members feel Amsoil and Mobile 1 were the best synthetics and that switching to synthetic was a good idea unless you are breaking your motor in. As far as filters it seems that Mobile 1 and Amsoil (again) were the best. There is a plethora of information out there on oil if you need more than that.

Well that should get you started! If you made it this far then you now know more than I did when I registered.

Holla.

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FF- Front engine, Front wheel drive car.

FR- front engine, Rear wheel drive car.

MR- Mid-engine, Rear wheel drive car. engine is mounted behind the driver and in front of the rear axle.

RR- Rear engine, Rear wheel drive car. differs from MR in that the engine is mounted mostly behind the rear axle.

Boost- forced induction, extra air pressure added by a turbo or supercharger.

FI- forced induction, meaning extra air is being introduced to the engine by some manner other than the suction of the piston moving down. I.E. Nitrous Oxide, supercharger, or turbo.

Nitrous Oxide- AKA, N2O, NOS, NAAWWWS (sarcastic), laughing gas, "the bottle". a liquid that is stored in a bottle in the car that is 2 parts Nitrogen, one part oxygen, that, when injected into the engine with the proper amount of fuel, breaks apart into the seperate O2 and N, that allow the engine to burn the extra fuel and O2, and the nitrogen stabilizes the burn. this allows for a much higher power level.

Mini Me- putting a vtec head on a non-vtec block (SOHC)

Frankenstein- same as mini me, but on dual cam B-series. (namely LS, but also used to refer to CRV motors.)

Turbo- exhaust driven compressor that adds air pressure to the intake to boost power.

Supercharger- Crankshaft driven compressor that adds air pressure to the intake to boost power, usually driven with a belt connecting the crankshaft to the turbine/compressor.

VTEC- please spell it right. it stands for Variable valve Timing and lift with Electronic Control. it changes the cam timing and lift at a specified RPM point to compromise between the low-end power of a small profile cam, and the high-rpm power of a big cam profile.

VTEC I- Variable valve Timing and lift with Electronic Control and Intelligence. same as VTEC, but also, controls cam timing in relation to the crankshaft.

Cam- controls the opening and closing of the valves.

Valves- open to allow air/fuel into the engine, and exhaust out.

Engine- air pump, byproduct of the amount of air pumped, is power to turn the wheels.

Transmission- changes the gear ratio of the wheels to the flywheel of the engine to allow useable power to be maximized.

Transaxle- a transmission commonly used in FF and MR or RR cars that also contains the differential.

Differential- also called Diff. last factor in gear ratio, spits the power to each wheel.

L.S.D- Limited Slip Differential, allows power to be split more evenly between the tires.

Open Diff- most stock diffs are this type. under hard acceleration, puts more power to one wheel.It causes wheelspin. Its not good for performance.

Shocks- shock absorbers. stop the bounce of the springs.

Springs- absorb the variations in the road, allowing you to not feel every bump in the road.

Coil-over- suspension design that places the spring around the shock. also used to describe the adjustable systems that use a threaded collar to adjust ride height.

Lowering springs- aftermarket springs that are shorter, and usually stiffer than stock springs.

Header- exhaust manifold that has seperate tubes for each cylinder, allows air to flow out of the engine easier.

Cat- catalytic convertor, burns excess hydrocarbons as they leave the engine, can be replaced with a higher-than-stock-flow one to improve power.

Test Pipe- straight pipe that replaces the honeycomb filled cat, improves exhaust flow as long as it is the same inside diameter as the surrounding pipe.

Camber- the tilt of the wheels when looked at from the front or rear, the top or bottom is closer to each other.

Negative Camber- tops of tires are closer than bottoms, from front or rear, has / \ profile. a little bit is good for cornering, when the tire rolls over, it makes the loaded ouside tire flat on the ground.

Positive Camber- opposite of negative camber. has \ / profile from front or rear. doesnt have any use on civics. maybe useful when jumping (as in rally or off-road racing.)

Downpipe- pipe that carries exhaust from turbo to cat. AKA, DP.

Drilled Rotors- brake rotors have holes drilled in them, in theory, it helps cool the rotor, but more often than not leads to cracking.

Slotted Rotors- Have slots running the width of the contact surface of the rotor. they remove the gas layer that is formed while braking, helps improve brake efficiency. and also scrape a thin layer off of the pad to keep a fresh contact surface.

SS lines- common name of Stainless Steel brake lines, which wont expand like the stock rubber ones, resulting in a firmer brake pedal.

Proportioning valve- valve that splits the braking force between the front and rear tires.

Distributor- sends spark to the proper spark plug from the coil. also reffered to as "Dizzy".

ECU- Engine Contol Unit. computer that controls the aspects of engien systems, I.E. timing, air/fuel ratios, injectors, and trouble codes.

Rad- slang usually reffering to the radiator.