trikky74

Hey guys,
I am looking at putting some mods on my 2005 Honda Civic and I need some advice, which I am sure I could find with a sherpa and about 2 weeks of time to search all the applicable threads, on products that are well thought of.

I am looking at adding;

1) HID headlights but I want a totally enclosed, plug and play, type of product
2) A cold air intake that won't require any flashing or computer work or that works in concert with mod #3
3) A chip that is able to fluctuate between programs such as performance and fuel management etc
4) Sway/torsion bars
5) Lowering kit (quality)
6) Quality front seats (having a hard time finding decent reviews on sparco versus mono etc)
7) I want to replace the dash instruments with an led digital dash insert

Thanks guys, I know that these boards are flooded with this type of information but I am having a hard time narrowing my choices down to products that are well thought of.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

Quick question.. Do you have a DX/LX, EX, or Si?

1) morimoto retrofit kit from theretrofitsource.com.. closest to PnP you'll get.
2) Choose one. you won't have to flash or anything.. Just do an idle relearn procedure and you'll be fine. I personally like the AEM V2, but it's a bit pricey. It looks pretty in the engine bay though.
3) Splurge for a hondata k-pro.. Requires a donor k-series ECU plus 1100 for the k-pro itself. Unless you plan a full on n/a or turbo build, this is fairly unnecessary with the D17
4) Neuspeed front upper strut bar is a good one. Acura RSX 19mm rear sway bar bolts right up if you have a stock sway bar. Rear lower tie bar if you so choose.
5) I'm a personal fan of tein suspension products, but it depends on what you wanna do. Just lower it? Or do you want adjustability? If so, what kind: height only, dampering and height? You'll want a camber kit to go along with lowering, no less.
6) I like my sparcos. Only complaint is fading of the black parts. Recaro makes real nice seats, too. Many companies use the to make their OEM racing-style seats (like in the subary WRX STI)
7) Good luck.

trikky74

Thanks!

I appreciate the response. I have an EX, AT, and I was holding off because I was contemplating getting an SI. It turns out that now that the car is paid off, and being as how I put 200 miles a day on the car commuting to work, that getting this one worked on is a more attractive option.

I am taking a look at the products that you listed right now, thanks again!

lowlife9

its automatic i wouldn't even bother putting money into the engine.

trikky74

I'm not looking to tune it up for high performance or anything, I'm looking for adjustability and fuel management. What would you suggest, other than buying a manual transmission car?

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

It's your car, do what you want to it.
I have an AT too, doesn't stop me from working on it.

1) HID headlights but I want a totally enclosed, plug and play, type of product
For HIDs, you will want to run a projector to keep the light focused.
Like riceboy said, morimoto minis are the choice.
2) A cold air intake that won't require any flashing or computer work or that works in concert with mod #3
Any cold air intake works, they are all plug and play, no ecu mods needed.
3) A chip that is able to fluctuate between programs such as performance and fuel management etc
This isn't a sports car where you can hit a button and have sport mode, you either tune it for performance, or leave it as is for fuel savings.
4) Sway/torsion bars
RSX rear sways will be a nice upgrade. Stock RSX is 19mm, 05/06 Type S is 21mm.
They both will bolt right up.
You can get a brand new Type S 21mm online for about $100 shipped with bushings.
5) Lowering kit (quality)
Ride quality or handling quality?
Tein makes good springs and coilovers.
6) Quality front seats (having a hard time finding decent reviews on sparco versus mono etc)
EP3 (7th gen Si) and RSX seats are good stock alternatives.

trikky74

Thanks Kenny, I will look into those seats.

xRiCeBoYx

iTrader: (22)

sidenote about the RSX seats.. Only 3 of the 4 bolts holding them down bolt in to the stock locations. The fourth you have to drill out a little.. Not sure if it's the same deal with teh EP3 seats

SlimRisk

K-pro isn't that expensive. A used prb ecu is ~$200 and you can send that into hondata and get the newest version for $675. That comes to $875. Since hondata lowered the price some guys I were talking to said they would take a used kpro (v1 or v2) only for $600, no more

SlimRisk

What are you looking to get out of your car? Power? Handling? Fun daily driver? I'd just k-swap it ^_^ solves all the problems

sdaidoji

iTrader: (1)

if you just want some lowering, easiest way is spring/shock combo.
shocks - either
Tokiko HP (blues) - non adjustable but can easily handle lowering up to 2" (? memory is not good anymore... )
Koni (yellows?)

Springs
personally use the eibach pro and it's small lowering but confortable for me. there's the sport version that goes lower, but i like my cars with stiffer springs but with compliance (saved me during my canadian stay, with all snow)
H&R or tein had good reviews too. Neuspeed sounds good ones too. can't say on them sicne i never rode on them.

if you want coilovers, it get more expensive, but mid way is the GC sleeves with the shocks mentioned above.

either way, below 2" you likely will need camber adjustement kits for street use also (I autoX, so even with my mild lowering the rear camber was too much...)

more details, there a whole lot in my signature below