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hey, what kinda things are there that i can do [other than an exhaust and cai intake] under the hood to give my car more hp? except an engine swap because thats an evident choice.

 
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hey yo-for small thingz some good expensive spark plug wires(NGK) etc. n new plugs, then pulleys/cams, do carb clean out too-itll run waay better, bigger throttle body-(edlebrock/skunk2)

 
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dude stay away from lighterweight harmonic ballancers unless you don't care how long the engine lasts. a harmonic ballancer balances the vibrations on the crank. you reduce the weight on that and it is unable to absorb and dampen the vibrations, putting them straight back into the rod bearings (I have seen a lot of thrust bearings gone bad after one of these mods on various vehicles.) You can safely add a lighter flywheel.

Using high dollar plug wires alone is a waste of money. if you are going to upgrade the ignition system then you need to do it all in one fell swoop. if you add a high power coil alone you will fry the dizzy, i've seen it happen a lot, especially on hondas. you will need to get a spark controller (MSD comes to mind here, am sure there are others,) lower resistance wires, and plugs that are designed for hotter sparks. multi tip plugs are a waste of money. go with either NGK stockies or an iridium plug with this setup. I went with the denso iridiums without any other ignition mods (they were free) and noticed very little (only 1/2mpg gain.) another trick when you do this kinda upgrade is that you can increase the size of the gap a bit (0.005"-0.010") since you will have more power going to the plugs with this type of setup.

A wider throttle body is a good idea if you are looking for xtra horsepower. note though that if you go too big (and note that this would have to be an exhorbarantly large intake setup) you will be lacking on fuel and will need larger injectors to compensate for the demand. if you go too big then you'd be better off adding a turbo.

The biggest bang for your buck is gonna be nitrous, but make sure that your setup can handle nitrous first.

please please please for the love of all that is living, do not put on a larger diameter exhaust, you will KILL your performance unless you have made enough mods to your intake, ignition and fuel delivery beforehand. TRACK PROVEN! i can't tell you how many civics i've seen with 3 inch beer cans at the back of their car and the owner telling me that "it hasn't run the same since." I have also seen many cars with new exhaust piping from a high flow header that was far too big for the car itself (like a 3 inch setup on a stock civic intake.) pissed them off when i beat em in a drag race with my 50 dollar cold air intake (and that's it.)

My basic rule of thumb when doing upgrades.
first, do the intake
next, the ignition
third, the exhaust
fourth, mechanical upgrades

 
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What the hell is a beer can (they make fart can sized beer cans now?)? Ive never heard a fart can called that before.

 
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i tried to not use the term fart can but that is exactly what i meant.

 
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k so wait. i have a sri intake already, it came with the car, and unfortunately a 3 inch exhaust, incomplete system tho. i still have a stock header. by a completing the intake system what would i need. other than the piping and filter itself? i was plannin on injen or fujita cai? i wasnt aware there was more to it then just putting it on?

 
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i would change out the stock header with a better one, a one piece if you can afford it. Go ahead and put on the intake setup as well. with the combined upgrade in the intake and exhaust you will feel a difference. it's just not going to be as good without the upgrade in the ignition as well. if you take care of all 3 components (intake, spark and exhaust) you will be very pleased with your results, both on the track and at the pump. there is a ballance that needs to be maintained. the bigger throttle body will also help out but it is optional.

how far down is the 3 inch exhaust? that seems very large for a little 4 cylinder. you do need a bit of back pressure to have a fully optimized engine. I have seen turbocharged 4 cylinder engines producing 350hp at the crank with only a 2 inch exhaust setup.

for the exhaust on your car, i would try to find a header with the output being only a 1/2 inch larger than stock and having an even size all the way down. combine that with a high flow cat and a proper size muffler and you will have a car that sounds decent and doesn't scream 'ricer.'

 
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Yeah I agree, the first thing to do is help the car breathe better with the intake , up the spark with new plugs, wires, new dizzy, and a stronger coil, then get a header and down, test pipe, and a catback... also with the exhaust size, 2-1/2 in is the biggest you will want to go if your staying NA, 3 is common in turbo'd rides.. and after that you can start with the drivetrain.. or do like me and hit it with the "juice" best bang for your buck..