97 Civic Sedan Gli

Hi everyone

I am new to the forums and new to cars in general, and i recently brought a 97 Civic Sedan Gli. I just have a few probly dumb questions, don't flame me lol. First of all how much difference is there between a Gli and Vti in terms of performance, and is it worth working on a Gli? If it is wat should be the first thing to be done, the car is stock except for 15" Alloy wheels.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Welcome

I used to have a GLi but recently drove my mates VTi

I haven't driven the GLi in a while (over 1 year) so my opinions may not be accurate.

But on first drive of the VTi, it feels much quicker. it has got 8kw more but I didn't expect such a difference.

Having said that, keep the Gli. That 8kw difference isnt worth the 2K you will lose from changing over cars.

Just get the basic Intake/headers/exhaust/suspension, work on a nice sound system (to improve driving enjoyment) and u'll be set for a while.

Thanks for the reply SiReal, regret not getting a Vti lol. A question about sound systems, the car came with a stock Honda CD player, how much difference is there between the Honda CD player then an after market one. So should i keep CD player and just work on the speakers, probly won't get a sub take up too much boot space.

change the speakers first and use the existing wiring.

thats the easy part.

changing speakers make a pretty big difference.

Then change the Headunit to branded one - I found that made a BIG difference. DO it in stages.

If you get aftermarket, may as well get a sub.

Ppl often say change the wiring cos its crap blah blah blah but it does the job fine.

I own a 99 Civic GLI Sedan but its pretty near the same as your 97 one

the performance upgrade is Ram pod intake and hi flow exhaust and you can really feel the difference in the top end of the revs if you want ur car to have abit more performance, but then again that would apply to almost all cars.

I used to have 2 x 12" subs in the boot and that nearly took up all the boot space. I now have a single 15" sub and it gives me half of the boot space so i can carry a decent size laguage.

As for the wiring, using stock wires is fine if your just thinking of upgrading the head unit and the 6" front and 6x9" rear speakers only. Head units only give out ~20Wrms. If you thinking of using amps then you need to upgrade speaker wires also.

Hope that answers ur questions:thumbsup:

Thanks for both replies all good information to educate me with. Yeah might get a pod filter and probly get some decent speakers to start, still not keen on the subs, i need my boot space.

Any cheap easy way to get a bit more performance out of the car would be good.

Another thing i noticed is the car is auto but when it changes gear its jerks, kinda feel like the slow down you get when shifting in a manual, is that normal? Also it takes 3-4 clicks before the car starts i am guessing one of the spark plugs might be out, is it possible?

funny this
i actually owned a 96 Civic GLI Sedan automatic also before my 99 manual model one.
My 96 model had also so same problem like urs with the jerk more noticable goin from 1st to 2nd. Calling it a problem is not really right as it is quite common and is one of the down side of an ageing automatic civic of our type.

To help reduce the jerk is you can change the automatic fluid more often than needed. Other than that, nothing much you can do i think.

Unless anyone else has come across a solution?

always use genuine honda auto trans fluid. that stuff works absolute miracles.

it does on my car - an auto 01 accord which is renowned for having a problematic gbox.

yes yes
i back that

use honda fluids only

Thanks again guys, what about starting the engine is it normal to take a number of clicks before the engine starts?

it usually takes a bit to start, maybe a few turns of the engine. the good ol d-series.

welcome to the civic sedan club buddy :)
The GLi is a nice car, i was thinking of getting one, but opted for a VTi instead, i think the only differences are that we get a tacho? and power options and all the airbags and abs? not really sure though.
Anyways, with the system, what you have to find out is if your central locking/alarm (if it comes with a stock alarm) is wired through your honda radio, if it is, then youll have to change some wiring if you decide to change to a new head unit.
Also have a look around with suspension mods buddy, if your only keep on gaining minor power gains, then you might aswell allow your car to handle way better. My most recommended mod is if you get a ek4 (vtir hatch) or a em1 (vtir coupe) rear sway bar installed. Youll definately enjoy the car more during turns. =)
Cheap and effective mod.
Have fun man and keep us updated!