New to modifying your car - see here
This is meant as a guide only and both OzHonda and I take no responsibility for any choices you make or damage you incur. This is up to you personally!
The first thing that you should look at before modifying your car, is to make sure that the modification is both safe and legal. If in doubt speak to your local state authority and/or speak with an automotive engineer.
1. Exhaust
There are a number of reasons to change or upgrade your exhaust. Some of these include:
· Sound
· Looks
· Performance
· All of the above
The exhaust system removes all of the ‘spent’ gas from the engine. By improving your system you are able to produce more power (at least in most cases). At the engine block are the header pipes (that come off each cylinder) and into a single pipe. Headers are also known as exhaust manifolds and by replacing the stock unit with an aftermarket manifold with equal length pipes assists in smoothly removing air. After the manifold comes the catalytic converter, which removes many of the harmful elements. It is essential that you have this on your car, not just because the gas is harmful to the environment, but also because if you get caught without one expect to pay a HUGE fine (in Victoria it is well over $10,000). Following on is what is most commonly known as the ‘cat’ back. It includes the muffler at the end (and the exhaust tip) where most of the sound is generated. In-between the muffler and the cat is some piping and a resonator or hotdog. This swirls the air and reduces some of the noise. Smaller or longer resonators can be added to a system to reduce noise as well as adding two resonators (one behind another) if your exhaust is particularly loud.
There are a number of companies that produce exhaust systems (mostly catbacks), but you can purchase multiple components from the same maker. Do a search or speak with one of the traders for more details.
2. Intake
There are a range of intakes available. The aim is to improve how your car ‘breathes’ – that is how much cold air is feed to your engine. One of the most common modifications overseas is to replace the stock airbox (essentially a box with a filter in it that feeds air into your engine) with a tube that has an open filter at the end. It improves power that your engine produces but an open filter is illegal in many states (so check with your local state authority).
Another option is to simply replace your stock filter with a high flow filter or install an entirely new airbox with other units such as those made by ‘Comptech’. In both instances they flow more air but again may be illegal so undertake some research before installing these.
3. Engine
Honda produces a range of engines that can produce a fair amount of power and torque. Depending on both the engine and the car modifications can go from ‘mild to wild’. Some of the more simplistic modifications can include changing cam gears to sprockets and the like. You can then open up the engine and change valve springs, pistons, sleeves etc. You can also look at the cars ‘bottom end’. These modifications usually cost a fair amount of money as there is a fair expense in labour and expertise.
The next step in modifying your engine may be to totally replace it with a more powerful/bigger engine that Honda produces. Many Honda parts are interchangeable and without too much custom made parts can be put into other chassis.
Other alternatives may include, to supercharged or turbo charge you Honda engine. Essentially this forces much more cold air into your engine than a standard intake would do. As such, it produces a bigger ‘bang’ in your cylinder and hence produces more power. Like with an engine upgrade, there is a fair expense here and lots of research should be undertaken before choosing any option. When upgrading your engine some issues you may need to be aware of (but are not limited to) include:
· Engine management
· Exhausts
· What you are trying to achieve with your car
· Engine internals etc
"If you wanna go down the FI route, make sure you choose parts that are from reputable companies, if you think that a price for a turbo kit is too good to be true, it probably is. Stay away from products made by SSautochrome, or turbochargers made in China. If you do want to get more involved in boosting your car, it's usually better to piece your own kit together, and there are a lot of users here that have gone this route with great success."
"Whilst Turbochargers and Superchargers both increase the amount of power that an engine will make, a supercharger provides boost instantly, and is belted directly on to the engine, which gives good driveability and torque, but lacks the power that a turbocharger will give you in the top end. There are positives and negatives to both. If you're after more power, turbocharging is most likely your best option. If you just want to increase your quickness just around town, supercharging might be what you would look at.
Buying your own parts and piecing them together can be a fun process, but you must research research research." (care of yourfather)
4. Wheels, tyres and brakes
There are a number of different wheels and tyres available for your Honda. There are genuine Honda wheels which can be purchased through Honda or privately (either someone is selling a set or try a wrecker). There are large number of aftermarket wheel companies that produce a range of styles and sizes. Information can be gained from local tyre and wheel experts such as Bob Jane, Beaurepaires etc. Important areas to note when choosing wheels include:
· Wheel size (14”, 15”, 16” etc)
· Wheel width (5”, 6.5”, 7” etc)
· Wheel offset
· Brake and fender clearance
All of these factors change depending on what you aspects you choose. For example on a Civic 17” sized wheel that is 7” wide might have a 40 offset, but this may not suit an Integra or S2000.
Often wheels and tyres will appear as such 205/40/17 17x7 et 40 (the first part looks at tyre information, followed by size, width and then offset).
For more detailed information see here:
http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/index.jsp
Wheel offset information:
http://www.1010tires.com/WheelOffsetCalculator.asp
Tyre information:
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/tire.htm
Brakes
Although we all love to be able to speed off in a hurry, we should also think about being able to stop in a hurry. Having a good set of brakes can, in all seriousness, be the difference between a near miss and a huge accident, between life and death. On stock engines upgrading the brakes isnt really necessary, but once you start upgrading your car it is definately something you should consider. NSW law actually requires that brakes be upgraded when engine power is increased by more than 15%, and an engineer's certificate must be provided as proof of adequate braking power. Also, when purchasing brakes, make sure the set you buy arent too big to fit behind your wheels.
Tyres
Often overlooked on a car are the tyres. After buying a brand new set of wheels many people choose to cheap out on their tyres in order to save money. Tyres are what deliver all your engine's power to the ground. If you have crappy tyres, not only should you expect reduced ability to launch without wheelspin, but also less grip when cornering, and even further reduced performance when in the rain. Any engine upgrades are reduced in value if your tyres cant grip properly, so just lash out an extra few hundred and feel confident that you've got the good stuff.
http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
5. Suspension
Lowering your car is a popular modification. There are a range of ways to do this, but they all involve your suspension. The simplest way to lower your car is to change your springs. This involves removing your stock springs and replacing them with springs that have fewer coils/shorter springs.
The next area to address is to change the cars shock absorbers. They are essentially the part of the car that reduces the bumps you feel in the car. Like with the springs there are a number of companies that make good quality ‘shocks’ such as Konis. It is often advised that if you lower your car significantly you should look at upgrading your shocks. The stock shocks that come on the car are designed for a standard ride height and comfort. As soon as you change your springs to lower your car or improve handling you affect the way the shock handles how the car rides. You also limit the life of your shocks.
One of the best suspension choices you can make is to look at coilovers. This is a spring and shock combination that have been chosen to match each other. Depending on the brand and style of coilover, they may be height adjustable (to lower or raise the car), damper adjustable (how bumpy the car is) or both.
Honda’s are also known as awesome handlers, and you may also choose to add sway bars, strut bars and torsion bars to help ‘tighten’ the car and improve its handling. Information about these bars has been covered on numerous occasions, so try a search. Here are a few links to get you started though:
http://www.ozhonda.com/forum/showthread.php?t=31014
Some areas that you should investigate when looking at lowering your car should include:
· Camber
· Toe
· Caster
Most of these are adjustable by getting a wheel balance and alignment. In some instances you also may require a camber kit (but I suggest searching the forums before you take this step).
