B18C2 in EJ8 Questions (a lot of questions)

[nijalninja]

Hello, this is the first thing I shall be posting/asking as part of the Oz Honda Forum, and I hope that someone may be able to help me, and that I can fit in a little bit with the Honda community.

Ok, so I own a 1996 Honda Civic EJ8, which has a B18c2 from a 1996 Integre VTIR, and I am planning on working on it for a few years and using as a daily for as long as I own it. What I am trying to do, is get a little bit of competitiveness out of the engine without using forced induction, or changing any of the internal parts, because I have heard that a majority of Aftermarket parts wear more easily than OEM. So I am really just looking at bolt-ons and stuff. At the moment it has as (engine-wise) ITR Headers, A custom CAI, and a Custom 2.5' inlet to 2.5' outlet exhaust system (with a muffler, not a cannon).

Intake Manifold:

I want as much power out of this engine as possible at the moment, but the only sure IM that I have found that will definitely fit on the B18c2 is this Skunk2 one. The rest of them I am not sure of. Is this particular IM any good? Could I get one even better? Price isnt a problem for me since I plan on doing this over possibly 4 or more years, but I wanted to get my head in the right place first. Also, in the when driving my car at 6000 rpm there is quite a change in sound I get more power. I know that this is a VTEC engine (please dont think I am that uninformed), but I have read that at 6000 rpm it is something in the Intake which makes this change. Is this true? and if so, would an aftermarket IM make any difference? Because, although I want more power I do like that little kick. This intake manifold looks really nice, and by the sounds of it, it is worth its price, but it does specifically say that it will fit the B18C2 engine. Same questions as before.

Throttle Body:

I dont know much about Throttle Bodies, or what size is best, but I am looking at this one in 68mm which shouldnt be an oversize I think. Any suggestions, or better offers I should be aware of? Is 68mm good? This is another option for me.

Exhaust Manifold:

I havent found many really good looking headers for the b18c2 engine, but these look pretty good, and I have kind of been gauging quality off of price. At the moment there is a set of ITR headers on the engine, which perform great as it is, but they are only 4 - 1, and where all 4 pipes join to one, they are all squished together really shortly and it doesnt look like the best flow to me, but if someone advises me to keep them for the right reasons I might consider. Does anyone have any experience with these Skunk2 Headers? Are they any good? Is there anything better? I also had a look at "these" with the same questions. My other option in terms of exhaust manifolds is a custom one by these guys, but I dont know much about custom setups, or even what these guys are like, so if anyone could shed some light that would be great. Is it likely that a custom header would be better than, even a really good, aftermarket setup?

Also, has anyone ever installed one of these oil coolers on one of these engines? If so, are there any particularly good places to mount it, and did you have to do any other mods to fit it, or get it working? It is apparently universal, so it should work for the B18c2, but firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated.

I have heard certain rumors about Skunk2 and their work, but havent seen any real proof of it yet, but yet again, any advice is greatly appreciated.

With all of the bolt-ons and stuff done (in the future) I might go through the fuel delivery system if it is worth it, but I dont know much about fuel delivery and all that, so if it is worth it please tell me, and what would be the best things to do? At the moment I am looking at upgrading the Injectors, Fuel rail, Regulator, Fuel pump, Surge tank, and anything else that is neccessary. The lines are already upgraded.

Ignition wise I think I might have a go at these Spoon spark plug leads, and maybe some new Spoon plugs.

With all of this, I am also going to get the ECU tuned, and I am wondering whether it is worth spending money on a Hondata ECU? if so, which one?

At the moment the car pulls around 150hp at the wheels with its current setup, and I would be quite happy if all of this gave me another 10 or 15 hp.

Thank you very much for any and all help since I am very new around here.