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hey guys so i have a 03 four door lx d17a1 from my grandmother its a 5 speed and i wana get some speed and power under me, ik that the d17a1 is one of the most hated honda engines but i don't care i want to make it work! so what should i do to make it better i bought a CAI, whats NEXT???



Thanks

 
Rep Power: 511

Don't waste money on bolt-ons and start researching a boost build

 
Rep Power: 228

you'll need money... a lot of money.

for what that car is worth you'll probabley spend half of it's worth at least if you boost the car. here they sell for $4500-5000, buying parts to boost the car you'll probably want to buy some used and will need $3000 or more. you'd probably only be able to hit around 250hp.

so is this the car you want for some time to come? do you love it that much? if so do it bro! but i'd suggest selling the car and buying on with more hp stock. it would be way cheaper then building this car.

the only real ways to make power on the 7th gen are NO2 or turbo (N/A building this car costs a lot and for the money you'd make way more power boosting).

NO2 only lets you use that power until the bottle runs out and though it's cheaper then turbo build at first over time it ill cost more.

so the only real option is to go turbo.

if you had a d17a2 you could make some good gains by buying a crower stage one cam.
however if you wanted to do the same you'd have to swap the head to a vtec head and change the entire exhaust. after doing that it's probably worth more if you went boosted, but this is an option for you if you'd like.

 
Rep Power: 228

if you buy everything used for a boost build it might end up looking like this.

turbocharger $180-$300
bov $100
waistgate $100
intercooler $100
piping $100
injectors $200
ecu (piggy back) $300 aem or greddy (but what you'd really want is kpro with a k ecu, $1400)
boost gauge $100
oil return lines $100
exhaust manifold $300
downpipe $50
high flow cat $100
cat. back $100.

with the lowest numbers that comes to $1830 then you'd need it tuned that'll cost $300 or more so that's $2130 and that doesn't include labour if you don't know how to put it all together. so you might be able to complete the build for $2500 with labour.

but these are base prices and it's most likely to cost more then this.

 
Rep Power: 314

Boost the engine, or swap the engine. You have many options to you. Some will cost more than others. It all depends on you and your budget. I had the d17a1 and to solve the lack of power, I swapped engines. I knew guys who boosted the D17, and got greedy with boost, and ended up having a lot of problems.

If you like the car as a whole, don't sell it. explore your options with the engine you have, or start looking for a new powerplant.

 
Rep Power: 511

He said he wants to make the -a1 work, so let's stay on that track.

It does have a slightly lower compression ratio than its -a2 counterpart, so it would handle boost a bit better. However, you can always swap in pistons with a lower compression ratio if you feel like throwing more boost at it.

You can also swap in an ex tranny to give you a bit more pep to your step. The ex transmission has slightly shorter gears for a slightly faster acceleration.

Honestly, like mac alluded to, you're gonna need some (ok, hella) money, so give us a budget and we'll see what we can do for you.

To be honest, You can put a hell of a suspension setup on the car and have fun in more than a straight line.

 
Rep Power: 180

They make cams for the D17A2? Note taken. I had no idea that was an option. What kind of gains could one expect from that?
I see that you're running a twin cam, so maybe you'd know a thing or two about D17 heads, lol

 
Rep Power: 180

And more on the basic topic, what they're saying here is all true.
You really have to love your 7th gen before you commit to adding more power. Turbo upgrades are complex, and not cheap. Another option popular for our cars, the K20 engine swap, is even more complex and expesnive, but will open a whole new door of performance opportunities.

I'd love to turbo my D17A2. I have the time and money to do so! It's just that I have a damn 4 speed auto

 
Rep Power: 511

Crower makes cams for the d17a2. Stage 1, stage 2 turbo, stage 2 n/a, and stage 4, all cost $360... Stage 2 and up require the valve spring/retainer kit which runs you another $300 or so, and also require engine management. A stage 1 is a straight bolt on.