affordable engine mods
#1
10-10-2007, 01:50 AM
affordable engine mods
yes, i'm a noob. ive been reading up on may forums and decided to join one finally.
i drive a 2000 iced teal pearl civic lx sedan(d16y7) auto
(was my sister's now is mine)
so far the engine mods i have are:
SRI
4-2-1 Headers (no cat) with heat wrap
stock piping header back to custom exhaust (a-spec muffler)
tb spacer
iridium plugs
low resistance plug wires
tb bypass (redirects coolant around the tb)
ground kit with voltage stabilizer
royal purple synthetic oil
and i believe thats all.
now the reason for the post:
I WANT MORE POWER! i want what everyone wants, MORE! lol
in all seriousness, i want more power to be decently quick, reliable (since it my daily driver), fun to drive, and be able to take to the track a few times. in short, i want to have good passing power when i mash it, not just make noise.
agian i want something affordable, and have thought of a a y8 head, but dont wanna mess around with electronics of the ECU(since i would need an ECU with a vtec controller). i have thought of turbo and s/c but its outta my league. ive thought of nitrous, bout 50 shot mAX(dont kno if it makes up of a difference or if my engine is set up for it) i think i would like internals but i probably would have to have a shop do it for me, and i'd rather do things myself. im not sure if im capable of doing internals correctly since i have only a general concept of how everything works, but not the experience.
my friends got into fixin up their cars cuz of me and i like it, but i dont like how my friends cars are not only better but faster than mine too [sm=boohoo.gif]
oh, and maybe i should mention i only have a bit over 42,000 miles on the whole car. [sm=happybounce.gif]
so please if anyone can help out with ideas, thoughts, or anything else, i'd really appreciate it
i drive a 2000 iced teal pearl civic lx sedan(d16y7) auto
(was my sister's now is mine)so far the engine mods i have are:
SRI
4-2-1 Headers (no cat) with heat wrap
stock piping header back to custom exhaust (a-spec muffler)
tb spacer
iridium plugs
low resistance plug wires
tb bypass (redirects coolant around the tb)
ground kit with voltage stabilizer
royal purple synthetic oil
and i believe thats all.
now the reason for the post:
I WANT MORE POWER! i want what everyone wants, MORE! lol
in all seriousness, i want more power to be decently quick, reliable (since it my daily driver), fun to drive, and be able to take to the track a few times. in short, i want to have good passing power when i mash it, not just make noise.
agian i want something affordable, and have thought of a a y8 head, but dont wanna mess around with electronics of the ECU(since i would need an ECU with a vtec controller). i have thought of turbo and s/c but its outta my league. ive thought of nitrous, bout 50 shot mAX(dont kno if it makes up of a difference or if my engine is set up for it) i think i would like internals but i probably would have to have a shop do it for me, and i'd rather do things myself. im not sure if im capable of doing internals correctly since i have only a general concept of how everything works, but not the experience.
my friends got into fixin up their cars cuz of me and i like it, but i dont like how my friends cars are not only better but faster than mine too [sm=boohoo.gif]
oh, and maybe i should mention i only have a bit over 42,000 miles on the whole car. [sm=happybounce.gif]
so please if anyone can help out with ideas, thoughts, or anything else, i'd really appreciate it
#5
10-10-2007, 09:18 AM
RE: affordable engine mods
defenetely do a swap, and make sure you doauto to manual when you do. Don't think, "Well, my motor has low miles, so I guess I should keep it for a while" you SHOULD be thinking, "YES, my motor has low miles, that means I can get more $$$ for it!" Do a B20 or B18 swap, that would help you keep up with your friends
#7
10-10-2007, 09:38 PM
RE: affordable engine mods
i have a short ram intake.
i was thinking of nitrous, i just want to make sure that its ok to run on my car, i kno i already have 1 Degree colder plugs and have low-res wires, the rest of the ignition is stock and so are my internals, all i have is i/h/e with the tb spacer. i was thinking of the one kit by venom vcn-500, and it comes with a 25,35,and 45 shot nozzle, i think. thats seems to be a good solution since i want power on there when i want. cuz it is my daily driver and gas mileage is an issue if i do mods that require more fuel all the time.
the venom kit is also expandable (when i contacted them at venom) and they said that i can use a bigger bottle (the kit comes with a 12oz) but wud neet to change the AN fitting and some adapter thing.
the other thing is i notice my car runs awesomely powerful(if its possible [sm=smiley2.gif] lol) in the mornings when its cold. and i kno colder temperatures mean better combustion= power (to some extent) so thats y i was thinking about the DEI CRY02 system with the intake cooler. anyone kno if its it worth it or if makes a noticable difference? its sorta the same concept as nitrous but instead of feeding the engine with more explosive gasses it feeds the engine with a colder denser charge, causing better combustion.
its one of those two im think would be best, i would love interals but the dont come cheap, especially for the hp to $ ratio compared to nitrous or even cry02.
and as for swaps, my car would be outta commission for too long and i need it, i drive it everyday to school/work
if anyone can shed light on this debate and help me figure out wuts best or if i am mistaken in my thinking. PLEASE help out.
thanks again fellas
o btw, i shud mention im always thinkin about the budget or else i would splurge cuz my dad is disabled now and was forced to retire from work cuz of cancer earlier this year [sm=smiley6.gif]. so i do gotta help around the house with medical bills, fone bills, rent and the like. and if anyone can help out or if anyone knows where i can find stuff for cheap, lemme kno.
i was thinking of nitrous, i just want to make sure that its ok to run on my car, i kno i already have 1 Degree colder plugs and have low-res wires, the rest of the ignition is stock and so are my internals, all i have is i/h/e with the tb spacer. i was thinking of the one kit by venom vcn-500, and it comes with a 25,35,and 45 shot nozzle, i think. thats seems to be a good solution since i want power on there when i want. cuz it is my daily driver and gas mileage is an issue if i do mods that require more fuel all the time.
the venom kit is also expandable (when i contacted them at venom) and they said that i can use a bigger bottle (the kit comes with a 12oz) but wud neet to change the AN fitting and some adapter thing.
the other thing is i notice my car runs awesomely powerful(if its possible [sm=smiley2.gif] lol) in the mornings when its cold. and i kno colder temperatures mean better combustion= power (to some extent) so thats y i was thinking about the DEI CRY02 system with the intake cooler. anyone kno if its it worth it or if makes a noticable difference? its sorta the same concept as nitrous but instead of feeding the engine with more explosive gasses it feeds the engine with a colder denser charge, causing better combustion.
its one of those two im think would be best, i would love interals but the dont come cheap, especially for the hp to $ ratio compared to nitrous or even cry02.
and as for swaps, my car would be outta commission for too long and i need it, i drive it everyday to school/work
if anyone can shed light on this debate and help me figure out wuts best or if i am mistaken in my thinking. PLEASE help out.
thanks again fellas
o btw, i shud mention im always thinkin about the budget or else i would splurge cuz my dad is disabled now and was forced to retire from work cuz of cancer earlier this year [sm=smiley6.gif]. so i do gotta help around the house with medical bills, fone bills, rent and the like. and if anyone can help out or if anyone knows where i can find stuff for cheap, lemme kno.
#8
10-11-2007, 09:00 PM
RE: affordable engine mods
heres what you do...you save and save and save, then your order a b17, b20 or what ever ( i kinda like the b17, dirt cheap and my friends b17 swaped hatch is retarded fast and since its almost stock, its reliable) then you save some more, get everything ready (rounding up all your small parts and stuff that you might need) (odviously your talking to people who have done the same or similiar swaps and taking notes) and you save and work some more, then you request like 4 days off and you swap that biotch! ...and skip school if you need to....and it helps to have some friends near by...never know when you may need a soldering gun or something random.
i dont know much about the cryo2 systems and stuff, but i heard they dont make a hudge difference unless your boosted and spraying your FMIC. also, you have to take into account the weight your adding with that system. the nitrous 35 or 50 shot should be pretty safe on stock twigs...as long as you dont plan on spraying every time you get on the highway or anything like that.
hopefully i helped you out some.
#9
10-12-2007, 12:38 AM
RE: affordable engine mods
thanks the_turtle
i kno im being repetitive, but im not sure if i really want a engine swap, cuz then i'd have to get the proper ecu, make sure that the engine i get is clean and isnt a ticking time bomb, and i also have to get a tranny for it too!
what i like about my d16 is that i can just keep the block in there, and if need be get a mini-swap,. just change to a vtec head, change the cam for a more aggressive vtec, get a nice intake mani, and TB, maybe even pistons. and maybe for icing on the cake, even a small shot of nitrous for kicks. but again, i dont have the money for it now and if i save and save, then i'd rather find another civic for cheap and just make that a project car.
btw, if say i get a d16y8 head what else wud i need to make a complete swap, around how much would it dent my [dusty] wallet, and also would i have to change to my ecu or can i just get an external vtec controller and keep my stock d16y7 ecu. i kno i would need to remove some oil plug or sumthin to let oil through for the vtec. i kno i also need the sidmount intake mani (mine is top mount now) and can i just reuse my tb, or is it better to just get a y8 tb.
also i kno this is random, but what is the deal with the underdrive pulleys? i kno its not good to lighten the crank if u have a harmonic balancer, especially for a daily driver, but wat about the accessory puleys? are they legit or does it sound good only on paper?
again if i can get comlete y8 head swap ....and maybe a small shot of nitrous(dry)/ or a more aggressive cam for the y8( which one wud be better?)..... for no more than a grand, i think i can manage to sacrifice my social life for a while and save up for the mods
you guys think its worth it? cuz i really dont feel like doin a complete engine swap cuz i kno i wont have the patience for it nor the right tools/ experience/ time....unless someone knows where i can get a legit, complete vtec b-series for less than a grand...
i kno im being repetitive, but im not sure if i really want a engine swap, cuz then i'd have to get the proper ecu, make sure that the engine i get is clean and isnt a ticking time bomb, and i also have to get a tranny for it too!
what i like about my d16 is that i can just keep the block in there, and if need be get a mini-swap,. just change to a vtec head, change the cam for a more aggressive vtec, get a nice intake mani, and TB, maybe even pistons. and maybe for icing on the cake, even a small shot of nitrous for kicks. but again, i dont have the money for it now and if i save and save, then i'd rather find another civic for cheap and just make that a project car.
btw, if say i get a d16y8 head what else wud i need to make a complete swap, around how much would it dent my [dusty] wallet, and also would i have to change to my ecu or can i just get an external vtec controller and keep my stock d16y7 ecu. i kno i would need to remove some oil plug or sumthin to let oil through for the vtec. i kno i also need the sidmount intake mani (mine is top mount now) and can i just reuse my tb, or is it better to just get a y8 tb.
also i kno this is random, but what is the deal with the underdrive pulleys? i kno its not good to lighten the crank if u have a harmonic balancer, especially for a daily driver, but wat about the accessory puleys? are they legit or does it sound good only on paper?
again if i can get comlete y8 head swap ....and maybe a small shot of nitrous(dry)/ or a more aggressive cam for the y8( which one wud be better?)..... for no more than a grand, i think i can manage to sacrifice my social life for a while and save up for the mods
you guys think its worth it? cuz i really dont feel like doin a complete engine swap cuz i kno i wont have the patience for it nor the right tools/ experience/ time....unless someone knows where i can get a legit, complete vtec b-series for less than a grand...
#10
10-12-2007, 01:15 AM
RE: affordable engine mods
I don't know about you but if your friends cars are so fast they must know a thing or 2 about motors,and also have tools. As far as experiance goes there only one way to get some open the hood and get your hands dirty you can't gain a whole lot of experiance sitting on the couch! Hopefully your "friends" will help you and in the end you will have spent some fun time with the guys and maybe learned a thing or 2. Good luck bro in whatever you decide to do. Just remember if you get stumped we are always here waiting to help!