Hi all - just picked up my 2nd Civic today, a Cypress Green Pearl '97 LX sedan. I searched for a while until I found a relatively unmolested one in decent mechanical shape with a 5-speed. I would have preferred a coupe or hatchback, but needed something with decent back-seat access and great on gas (due to my commute).

We owned our previous Civic, a rare Camelia Red '94 EX coupe, for 10 years and loved every minute of it. We eventually sold it to a guy who kept it stock looking, but installed a T3 turbo in it for a great sleeper effect.

In any event, I enjoy driving light cars with short wheelbases and high-revving engines, so I'm sure my new EK won't escape the mod bug. With it being the smaller motor, I'll probably build it up for handling, first. In the Spring, I'll probably also swap on a set of Miata wheels, or maybe the Enkei RPF1s that were slated to go on our race car until the wheel choice changed on that.

Hoping to both learn a lot from this group, and pass along some of the useless knowledge I have kicking around my head from playing with cars for the last 15 years or more.

 

Welcome to the forum!

With the Miata wheels, make sure to check the hub bore. I have a feeling that Civic hub bores are slightly bigger than Miatas. Either that, or they are slightly smaller. I would suggest to look into that before buying anything!

 

Thanks for the thought. I remember reading it somewhere before, but can't remember if it was larger or smaller. I have a few sets readily available, so I might see what works. In the past, I remember the early 14" Enkei (aka Miata "Daisy" wheels) wouldn't clear the front calipers on our '94 Civic EX.

 

Welcome! I'm from MD aswell. If you're building you car up for handling, bring it out some autox events next season! I'll probably see you around if you decide to.

 

Howdy! I'm sure we know a bunch of the same people. I haven't autocrossed in years, but have lots of friends who campaign Miatas in the DC region, though I know a few guys who used to run Civics, too. I think the Civic guys moved on to road racing, though.

I'm also out in the pits or flag stands at Summit Point on occasion, so if you make it out there, let me know.

 

And the answer is - Honda hubs are LARGER than Miata ones. Today I popped on a spare Miata wheel I have laying around, and it's probably a millimeter or two smaller than the Honda.

Figured I'd post it up here for anyone else's future knowledge.

 

Understand that EX brakes are bigger than DX/LX brakes. I had a set of CRX rims that everyone said wouldn't fit without spacers or grinding down the caliper. I tossed them on and they cleared with no problem.

 

Yea, if anything, I said that. The same wheels wouldn't fit on my EX.

 

Hi there welcome to the forum