Ok I'll get the basics outta the way first... 97 civic ex, d16y8, 5spd, AEM cai(the one that goes down into the right front weelwell, with K&N cone filter) chakara 4-2-1 header.. 199k miles, running full synthetic 5-30

I'd really like to see what i can do to get this thing a little quicker for daily driving... I'm not looking to run in the 9's, but I'd like to be able to keep up with most of whats out there on the streets....but i gotta do it on a tight budget, or the wife'll freak.....

I put the cai on it about 2 years ago, and love that deeper throaty sound it gave... and then i did the header when i found the spiral crack in the cast manifold... these to parts really woke this car up...

Right now i have the old steel stock wheels on it, and i HATE steel wheels, so i'm looking at getting some new ones.. about the best that i have found that i really like are the sport max 008's black... I'm thinking 15's cause of a couple reasons... 1) price... i found these at wheelmax online for a price that i think is reasonable... 2) i really dont wanna go too big cause this is a daily driver, and the super low profile tires are just too expensive, and the other reason is that if i do build this thing up, i'd really like to head in the direction of a sleeper... plane jane on the outside, but got it where it counts on the inside...

the current issues are as follows...
clutch noise... not when im on the pedal, but when i'm off!!! if it were the other way around i'd be looking at the T/o bearing
right front wheel bearing noisy
the rubbers on the arms of the right rear wheel are all but gone
steering wheel is falling apart
i feel some slack in the steering wheel on really really cold mornings, and the steering is stiff till the car warms up

what i'm thinking i'd like to do....
first get some wheels and tires, the tires that are on it are fried! the right rear vibrates enough to re-arrange the rearview mirror at 70mph... its not out of ballance, it has flat spots all around... i'm guessing from the gone rubbers
figure out that clutch noise... it dosent seem to be the T/O bearing, im wondering about the flywheel to crank connection, i hear this noise when the clutch is engaged, weather in neutral or in gear, but it goes away when you push on the pedal(seems louder when the car is cold)
change the steering wheel(how do i safely get that airbag out of there???)
i have that header on there, butthe exaust isstock from there back... i'd like to change that to something a little more performance, but i really dont wanna go TOO loud with the exaust, this is gonna be a sleeper afterall...

well, thats about where i'm at for now... I'd love to hear your input, suggestions, ideas, things of that nature.. if you know of good sources for parts in the austin/SA area lemme know.... and remember, money's tight, so lets go for the best bang for the buck and keep it cheap.

 

What's your budget?

I'd go turbo, that's the only way you're going to get serious power out of a D series...

 

i doubt his budget is going to be enough for a turbo since he said he is a on a very tiny one. i would say got with the rims, 15s are a good size. also next i would go with suspension so that when you do finally upgrade the engine or do some type of horsepower gain you will have the suspension already set up.

 

ok wheels, and suspension, that makes sence, i know that with what i have right now, if i leave a stoplight or sign hard, in first when i hit about 5kRPM i can hear the tires squeeling... then when i catch second they bark.....

Since i'm new to all this, some questions have poped into my head about the wheels... the stockers are like 5.5 wide... the ones i'm looking to get are 15xeither 6.5 or 7... i think that the backspace is like 42...are there going to be any clearence issues with this? also looking at wheelmax, they are selleing some kind of an adapter or spacer, or centering ring thing with these wheels to fit this car... is this necessary? i know i'll need new lugnuts.. but centering rings???? sounds a little unreliable....

also, on the suspension... what do you suggest???? I'm guessing that the mods i will make will help with the weight transfer, cause im already spinning the wheels.... feels like the car lifts in the front and squats in the rear on a hard takeoff... on a RWD vehicle this is good, but i'm not so sure about the physics of trying to get a FWD to go fast.... I'm really looking for good light to light zoom... i run up and down the highway just fine now... 80-85 is comfortable....

I did look at some turbo kits... complete from about 3grand....thats more than i have right now, and i'm not a patient person... saving that kind of cash would take me forever... altho i love the idea of adding a turbo... i just wonder if this old motor would live very long with that kind of add on....

199k miles and only just about 2000 miles ago i had to do the head gasket....and yes, while i had it apart i had the head done, and new timing belt, water pump and all that jazzz... i figured if i gotta go that far into it, i might as well take the 3 extra bolts off and do it all right once....

 

yea i would go turbo i know a lot of people selling d series turbo set ups right now and one was like 700 dollars. i also have 15s on my carso i suggest staying with smaller wheels yes it is cheaper and the big wheels are just not me so i favor small ones now. if you need help finding stuff for your car let me know because i find stuff like crazy.

 

^Will you be my sugar momma? Haha. Could you pm me with some specs on that turbo setup?

 

WOAH! a turbo rig for like 700? ok now we're talking something i could save up for... who, what, where... INPUT NEED INPUT!

 

go to www.xceedspeed.com look in the parts for sell section i found one like 2 days ago. just search for d series turbo.

 

oh man, thats nice. I like the sleeper thing. well im more like your twin because i am in a low budget,prefer 15" rims and i have the same car but i run in automatic.now if you dont mind, can anybody help me out as well? same car but all stock.low budget.actually no budget, all part will have to be saved up for. im in highschool. 16yrs old. thanks.btw try the victoriatires.com for cheap packages but i doubt the brands. a good site is racinglab.com or racerwheel.com. good ones. ok well good luck...names adrian btw

 

i always find stuff for good prices just let me know.