em2drone

Hey, I'm new to the forum and to the modding world too. I have a 04 civic VP sitting on 16" HFP rims. The top three things I want to do to my car are lowering it, getting an exhaust, and a shorts shifter.
I was looking at the Megan Racing catback exhaust (http://www.meganracingperformance.co...-p-449493.html) and heard good reviews for it, but the site says that it is for "01-04 EX civics only", is this true or would it fit on my VP?
I also researched struts and springs vs. coilovers and found Megan Racing Street Series full coilovers (http://www.procivic.com/pages-produc...85f/index.html) for a fair price, a little cheaper than the strut and spring combos I had found and ontop of that , the coilovers come with a built in camber plate which helps on the price. I saw posts of people vouching for these coilovers and saying they really liked them and that they fit their 04 em2's. I also like the idea of being able to jack the car back up in the winter.
I didn't do too much research on the short shifter other than reading that Revo was a good name to look for so I found this (http://www.kseriesparts.com/cr/REV-SS-REV-HC01.html)..

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice as to whether or not these were good choices to go for and if they would fit my car, thanks in advance!

Mad Dog Tannen

Do you want to go faster? Or do you want your car to be loud and get attention, because you will loose performance with most aftermarket exhaust on a stock Honda engine. A more free flowing intake would give better performance for cheaper.

I do love short throw shifters, I cannot argue with that one. And shocks are a great choice for these cars.

lowlife9

if your willing to spend that kind of money on exhaust and suspension please don't waste it on chinese products like Megan. my advice regarding exhaust is just slap on a good quality nice sounding universal muffler like Vibrant Street Power or if you have cash to burn Apexi world sport 2. suspension wise in that price range i woul only consider two or three setups for this car Progress Technology or Ground Control sleeves+Koni yellows.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

The revo is a great upgrade for the price. I have one and it makes shifting more enjoyable.

For suspension I personally would go with a used set of Progress or KW over the Megan, but that's me. Even new Koni's and used GC sleeves.

Unless you are going to need massive amounts of alignment adjustment like camber and caster, pillow mounts will just make the ride harsher then it will already be.

em2drone

Mad Dog, I wouldn't mind going a little faster but I'm under the understanding that there's not much, short of a Kswap or a turbo that will actually make a em2 fast, so I guess you could say I'm looking for more of a headturner and a enjoyable ride with the lowered suspension.

Lowlife, is it just a personal preference with Megan parts and it being chinese-made, or do they lack in durability and other categories? because I like the sound that the Megan will produce over the vibrant muffler.

Progress coilovers are around the 1200$ price range on the progressauto site, are they that much more worth it, I want to go coilovers, so if need be I can raise the car back up in the winter so I'm not plowing with my front lip. I also only wanna drop the car maybe 2" max, no desire to slam it as it is my daily driver that I put a good 500+ miles a week on it. If the coilovers are worth it, used was mentioned, where would I look to get a used set that was still in good condition?

Mad Dog Tannen

I say put a chambered muffler on there with a fancy tip. Chambered is more restrictive than a turbo muffler and should provide better tone and you will not loose as much low end power. That is what I would do, but then again I have built my last 3 exhaust from scratch so it may be easier to just buy a bolt on cat back. Muffler shops are surprisingly affordable and can do cat backs with a tip for cheap, plus it would be more unique.

Honestly as a non Civic owner those super loud 4-5 inch turbo mufflers are a joke and I have less respect for those who put those on their car. I would not have put those on either of my old Civics. But if you want cops and everyone else turning to look at you accelerate from 0-60 in 2 minutes then go for it! ...Just my .02

I still love those short throw shifters... if only my car was a manual.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

For used stuff check:

http://forums.clubrsx.com/forumdisplay.php?f=193

http://www.ephatch.com/forum/forumdi...TS-or-WTT-ONLY)

This forum

7thgenhonda.com

Befor I bought my KW's I found a used set of Progress on club RSX for $700 shipped. You can call and ask how much it cost to rebuild the struts incase they are shot.

I love the sound of my HKS Hi-Power exhaust. Smooth and deep. Not to thrilled about the 4inch tip but the sound makes up for it. I do have stock headers and cat which make it sound deeper. I did have a chambered Dynomax muffler which sounded nice it was just to quite for me.

em2drone

Would the HKS Hi-Power exhaust be compatible with a VP? and I'd be able to keep my stock headers and cat, making it able to pass emissions?

&& if possible could you put up a soundclip of your exhaust? please and thank you

lowlife9

no its not just personal preference megan is well known to be cheap.megan uses cheap materials that exhaust mite sound good at first but after a few months when it starts to rust and its cheap sound dampening starts to burn up it will get ten times louder and raspier. and yes progress is worth the extra 300 bucks there made in america will quality parts there hand made to order not just pulled off a chinese barge.

em2drone

Okay, that's what I was worried about, I like the deeper, meaner sound if you will, over the stereotypical raspy "fart can" sound. but i'd also like to keep the sound for a while. do the megan coilovers break down like the exhaust? i read a few posts on here saying that the megan ss coilovers were actually very good and a smooth ride with the 32 levels of dampening.


Should I go new or used if I went with progress?

lowlife9

put it this way you couldn't pay me to use megan coils. i got my progress coilovers from here.
http://www.corsportusa.com/store/cat...a&filter_id=28

Mad Dog Tannen

Chambered style don't really break in much but turbo style do, Glasspacks wear out quickly and require periodic repacking or they get loud.

em2drone

what do you mean by 'break in'? and i wasnt thinking going glasspack anyways, id prefer to go the full exhaust system way

Mad Dog Tannen

If you are just going for sound then don't waste money on a full system, just get a cat back. A lot of the aftermarket Honda mufflers are glasspacks that's why I mentioned it. A lot of the raspy sounding cars you hear are because they need to be repacked. I still think chambered sound the best on Hondas it gives a nice low loud tone. Glasspacks are probably going to be the loudest. Turbo style (the straight through kind) generally tend to be a little quieter and have better flow. As an general rule the bigger the muffler the quieter it will be.

I have 2 Borla turbo style mufflers on my car right now and they get a little louder after about a month or 2 of use.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

Not sure if it will fit a VP. The HKS is only axel back so you would still have to replace the other pipe. There are YouTube videos of em2's with HKS exhausts you can check out.

To go with what lowlife was saying about the quality, I bought my HKS used and it still sounds great. It was an expensive exhaust new, because they use quality material. Megan gives you 32 way adjustability because they want you to buy the coilovers. My KW's if I bought them new would have been $1800 and they are only 1 way adjustable with no fancy pillow mounts. They are well engineered and I can feel the quality. I'm not going to say some companies are not overpriced for what you get, it's all about finding best quality for the money. I do have a Progresd rear sway and it is a wonderfully built sway bar.

em2drone

GolNat, how could I find out if it would fit a VP? I know there are different kinds of ways the exhausts are run throughout the car depending on the EX, DX, or LX, but i havent found anything regarding VP's

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

Here's my 2 cents (as a guy that's been modding his car for about a decade now):

Buy quality parts from reputable companies. I'm not telling you to buy the best of the best, just not ebay/cheap crap brands. You'll spend more up front, but you'll spend less in the long run. If you do decide to peruse eBay, do so with extreme caution. There are a LOT of legit-looking knock offs that aesthetically look like the real deal, but perform like crap or are extremely prone to premature failure.

Also, if you can stand the wait times in modding, do things in groups; that is, if you have to break into a system for multiple mods, it'd be better to do it all at once than break into the system multiple times. Typically, every time you break into a system, you'd have to replace a gasket, or some other inspection would have to be performed. As an example, I'll use lowering your car. My route to my current setup went like this: stock -> springs -> struts -> full coilovers. Every time you break into the (front) suspension system, you have to get an alignment. Unless you hate your tires, then screw it. If I would have done the springs and struts at the same time, or foregone the spring/strut combo for full coils, I would have saved the money spent on multiple alignments (here in Vegas, I've only found one shop that will touch a lowered car, and their alignments run $125).


One final thing: don't half-*** anything. Do things right the first time. Kinda goes hand in hand with the first tip above.

I'll get off my soapbox now.

lowlife9

VP is the same as DX LX the cat is attached to the header. also as said above there is no need for a full system you can buy just the muffler and have it clamped or welded on for very little money.
http://thmotorsports.com/hks/hks_uni...r/g-50127.aspx

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

This is the HKS that I have:

http://thmotorsports.com/hks/hks_hip...5/i-38001.aspx

Says it only fit 01-03 so you may have to get a universal one like lowlife posted and get it welded or clamp it on yourself.

If your going to do a sway bar upgrade you might run into a problem with the exhaust hitting the sway if a shop does a custom fit. When I put on my Progress sway my Dynomax muffler hit the sway bar so I removed it and got the HKS which clears the sway but it is also a direct fit for my year.

Mad Dog Tannen

What up Riceboy? long time no see.

I half agree with this, I believe that it is ok to cheap out on things that just don't break, like I just bought a cheap intercooler and built a cheap exhaust, why? No moving parts to break. You couldn't pay me to put a eBay turbo on my car because they will fail and ruin you engine, as long as the exhaust seals doesn't rattle and fits right (may take adjusting) I say cheap out on it. Also Your car will probably be fine if exhaust breaks/falls off (that's more of an installation thing. I have had cheap exhaust and been happy with it.

Just make sure it is not bare steel or it will rust very quickly. Aluminum coated steel is usually the cheapest acceptable material.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

^ I would do an eBay intercooler but still not on the exhaust. Cheap metal, poor fitment, no quality control, no customer service. Probably don't have rust issues in CA but I need something that will stand up to winter salt and rain. I also don't want it to not fit well (not saying all stuff is like this).

eBay strut bar for example. Not an important part but the cheap eBay ones don't actually do much. If you want it to look cool then its perfect, if you want it to actually help there are better designs. Some cheap front strut bars also hit aftermarket air intakes because they don't have the proper bend in them to go around it.

Everyone's definition of cheap is different also and there are products out there that are marked up just because of the name. A cheap exhaust to me is $300 and under for full cat back.

lowlife9

did your used HKS exhaust come with that massive resonater i would imagine that would sound completely different with or without it. thats basically a second muffler.

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

No it didn't come with that. It's from stock resonator back. Yea, I would imagine it would be quieter if it had that resonator on it, but I just have stock resonator with stock Lx mani/cat.
I don't think HKS even sells anything for our cars that isn't from the resonator back.

Kenny has the same muffler and said the sound changed when he put in his test pipe (more ricey). He might have headers also.

em2drone

why would it say its for 01-03 only on http://thmotorsports.com/hks/hks_hip...5/i-38001.aspx but 01 to 05 on http://www.procivic.com/pages-produc...036/index.html ? from what i can tell they are the same thing, I couldn't find part #s anywhere


I found it here http://www.2kracing.com/Product/7752.html with a part # and it says it fits ex/dx/lx models for 01-05... would this fit my 04 VP??

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

According to Dezod's website its for 01-05:

http://www.dezod.com/mobile/pd_hks_h...ic_01_rear.cfm

I tried finding it on HKS website but it looks like the US site is under construction and the Japan site wasn't helpful. The VP should have the same exhaust setup as as Lx or Dx so it should bolt right on. You can always get a shop to custom fit it also. Muffler shops are usually pretty cheap.

Another option for an exhaust that is a good price is a Magnaflow. They have a complete cat back for $500-$600. I looked on Magnaflows website and it didn't list the VP only the other models.

em2drone

i like the price and sound of the hks over the magnaflow, the hks is a catback too right? and if it is 01-05 then it theoretically will bolt onto my vp without a problem?

GolNat

iTrader: (7)

No, the HKS is axel back. It is basically just a muffler. It starts right after your resonator which is rite before your rear passenger tire.

em2drone

whats the difference between catback and axleback? besides where they connect, i get that the catback is from the catalytic converter back and the axleback is the axle back, but are there any other differences?

mikey1

correct

i have never understood why somebody would want a car that looks fast but is not fast, i would rather have the complete opposite of that,

if you just want something that will "turn heads", why not just buy a 1970's VW van with a fan on the dashboard?

em2drone

head turner in the sense that my car looks good, you can do a decent amount to an em2 to make it look good, and i want to put on coilovers and lower it not only for the look, but for the added handling, the exhaust is more for looks. its my daily driver and i put a good 10k+ a summer going to and from work and i plan on having the car for atleast 3 or 4 more years, so i figure why not enjoy the ride? make it more fun to drive.. the mods i wanna do are more for me than anyone else, i guess if i really think about it, it's not a headturner i want, because frankly i dont care what people think, its more of a i want to take pride in my car and make it fun and enjoyable to drive