Rep Power: 247

Well yeah this might sound like a noob question but I'm really having a hard time deciding what I want to do with my new(used) 03' Civic EX. I don't race my Vic because it's strictly for commuting and long trips. I just want a lil more from it. I use to drive a 89' Prelude 2.0Si and a 95' 4Runner 3.0 SR5. Both had i/h/e and made a noticeable difference.

My question is would it be worth it going for i/h/e on the vic? Would there be a noticable difference? If not I could go for a different setup.

Setup I'm thinking about:
- AEM SRI
- Megan 4-1 Header
- Apexi WS2 Catback

Different setup if not worth it:
- Neuspeed Front STB & Rear STB (if i could find one)
- Lowering 1.5 - 2.0in (not sure on which springs and shocks)
- Camber Kit (still doing some reading)
- Front Lip

What would you do?

 
Rep Power: 303

you can get some snapier throttle response out of it with those mods. but your not going to be impressed at all. it will wake her up a bit but it isnt going to yeild a bunch of power. maybe 5-10hp at most. so you can decifer from that. the cars handle good with aftermarket suspension systems but raw power are not their strong suits. i say do both lists and youll enjoy yhe car much better as i do with all the mods you listed and a few extra.

 
Rep Power: 338

the "power mods" listed will rob you of low end torque but perhaps gain a little top end.... maybe 5-7HP. The suspension list is good, but Neuspeed doesnt make a rear STB.... but if it's for commuting, perhaps it's best left stock.... save up for something else.

 
Rep Power: 348

where's the funky bunch?

 
Rep Power: 247

well i guess i'll leave it stock. don't want to lose any low end torque.
but i'll go for suspension and looks.

 
Rep Power: 0

Yeah..
Go for suspension for now.

-Carmina_joi.

 
Rep Power: 303

well regardless of what people say you can do I/H/E with out losing any low end. you just want to go with a smaller piping. ie 2-2.25 is max. i think most exhaust kits come with either a 2.25 or 2.5" piping. if you go with a 2" piping you should be able retain all your bottom end and still pick up some top end power. its called exhaust tuning. if your that concerned about losing 2hp low end and gaining 5-7 top end then stay with a smaller size piping like 2" and just use a universal muffler of your choice. then do the dc 4-1 header and an intake system. this way your allowing the car to breath better but no increase the exhaust sizing so large that you decrease bottom end power.

 
Rep Power: 812

eh, add those if you want a different sound. thats all its good for.

 
Rep Power: 303

i think there are very few people here that understand how back pressure works and how increasing the size of your exhaust too much can decreae bottom end power. but using a slightly larger diameter than stock no more than a .25" can yeild power with out taking it too. i think that it sucks that the people that dont really know this are the ones giving the advice. im not saying that the people arent knowledgable in other areas but i dont htink they completely understand exhaust tuning to your set up and needs!!

 
Rep Power: 338

dont know who youre referring to on this thread, but I agree with you on the piping and back pressure being important in exhaust tuning.... but just from the list he compiled, 4 to 1 header and 2.25 inch exhaust will yield some low RPM loss.... he's saying it's a daily driver so perhaps he may want to keep the car the way it is. Exhaust and header will make the car noticable louder than stock.

 
Rep Power: 303

to be honest you were not one of the ones i considered to be in that group. i have spoken to you before and you seem to have a good grasp on how things work and should be. now from looking at his posts he asked about a specific exhaust system. i know that you can actually piece a system together and have someone do the 2" piping for you for cheaper than a lot of systems out there, and it will yeild less loss on bottom end and still maintain a reasonably quiet exhaust note. by utilizing the stock resonator and an aftermarket muffler and custom piping it can be done. you will have a bit of a bottle neck by using the stock resonator but an icrease in performance can be achieved this route and still keep it reasonably quiet. i ahve tons of friends that have gone this route ove the years rather than buy an expensive exhaust system and end up with a low end loss. this car does like back pressure!!

 
Rep Power: 247

decision is made. i'll just go with suspension mods. the rear passenger side sits lower than the left side. i'm not sure what the problem is right now. so i'm looking forward to fixing that. as for power mods, i'll just save the moolah for my 300ZX.

 
Rep Power: 303

WHY WOULD YOU EVEN CONSIDER MOTOR MODS ON THIS CAR WHEN YOU HAVE A Z! LOL

 
Rep Power: 338

exactly! you have a Z32! A performance car!! A civic is a econo car.... the $$ spent on Civic for bolt ons, you'll get exponential amounts more power on the Z32.

 
Rep Power: 295

Get a Revo Short shifter, probably one of the most popular mods for our cars.