I recently got my first civic and am taking the advice of starting with i/h/e and given i already have cai and exhaust installed when i got the car i would like to attack the header first. Granted, i would like to replace both intake and exhaust as im not sure they are quite up to par on quality but i figured since the header hasnt been touched ill go there first...now my question is how much if at all does my decision making on i/h/e affect future plans under the under ie engine swapping as well as major upgrades that come with that territory. I am no whiz under the hood although i have a great interest and am already enjoying having something i can call a project car. if it helps any my end goal as of now would like to be to have a significantly modified civ but i dont need to have the fastest one in my state or one with such high maintenance im swapping engines/major parts every 6 months. I just want to be able to hold my own and stand out among other civics in my area(which for the most part is not going to be hard to do haha) thank you so much guys this is an awesome site!

 

okay, my ADHD kicked in about halfway through your post and I didn't try to re-focus myself and read the rest, but I'll take a shot at what you're getting at:

If you get a header now and keep the same engine (ie, no engine swap) and stay naturally aspirated, you'll be fine. If you swap engines to a different series engine (you have a D-series now, so say you swap to a B, H, K, or F), you'll need to get a new header. If you get plan on getting a turbo eventually, you'll want to skip over the header and intake, as a turbo kit will replace both.

*edit: and if I'm way out in left field with my reply, can you restate the question in fewer words? My attention span's not exactly that long today.

 

Thank you that was alot of help....while i wont have the money soon for the swap im not real thrilled about puttin cash into this one when i will need to replace the parts im buying now so maybe i should jus keep sockin away till i can get that engine....and yes i would eventually like to install a turbo on my new engine how about the exhuast tho? will that in any way be affected or will my choice of engine upgrade have any influence on that?

 

Well, if a swap and/or turbo is a long way off, I'd say get an inexpensive header now. Megan Racing headers retail for around $150 (though they aren't legal, so I wouldn't recommend MR if you live in cali), as do Hedman's Chikara header (which are 50-state legal). And I'm not 100% sure, but I think you'll be fine with the exhaust system. You might have to have a little modification done at a muffler shop if you get a turbo (you'll have to have some custom work done if you piece the kit together yourself, anyway) or an engine swap, just to keep things lined up nicely, but I doubt it'd cost much.

 

I would say the swap/turbo would be late next summer...i live in ohio so i dont gotta worry about cali laws thankfully ha....how about a class series of engine upgrade considering the kind of results im lookin for any suggestions?

 

I'd say get a b18 swap... from what I've heard, b16's feel like d16's, so there's really no point in swapping to them. If you really want power (on a budget anyway), get an h22... they have about 200 hp at the crank stock, and are relatively cheap swaps (though a bit more difficult than "drop-in" swaps)

 

h22s are from preludes right? how much significance does the turbo & new i/h/e have combining them together as far as hp/performance?

 

yeah, h22's are from 'ludes. And like I said before, a turbo kit will replace the intake and header. But a turbo is arguably the single best thing you can do to a civic regarding performance. I think (meaning don't quote me on this one) most off-the shelf turbo kits for civics are good for around a 50 to 75hp-ish gain. Personally, since you don't exactly want the fastest civic ever built, I'd say a pre-made turbo kit (Edelbrock, Turbonetics, GReddy, etc.) would suit your needs just fine.

 

awesome that sounds about right up my alley with what im trying to accomplish....im sure i can prolly find it if i look it up but do u have an idea off the top of ur head what that swap would cost i guess just a round about number ill find that h22 for? thanks alot for ur input its prolly gonna save me hours and dollars of headache haha

 

but he can peace one together himself for much much cheaper