[CL9] Euro Mods

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Hey Guys,

Just thought I'd start a thread as I was reading through 200+ pages on CU2 mods.

CL9 Boys and Girls we need to start showing off a bit.

What to include:
Your mods and a mini review on them
Engine Mods
Suspension Mods
Body/Interior Mods

Ill start off

Engine:
JTune CAI
Jtune 4-2-1 Headers
Jtune Hi-Flow Cat
Jtune Cat Back
Hondata Heatshield

Suspension:
Whiteline Rear Sway Bar 18mm
Everything else stock

Body/Interior Mods:
XCarlink
Mugen Visors
No lights on headunit (Thanks Honda)

Review:
Coming from a corolla AE92 carby auto I was surprised how quick this was. I quickly found an Intake and thought this sounds amazing however didnt feel much performance. I was looking around for an exhaust for while couldnt be bothered getting one shipped and took up an offer was impossible to refuse so got the JTune Exhaust. First impressions on it was wow this car has just become everything i wanted, It was quite when idling and when driving normally and when giving it a bit it was not loud not droney just nice. I then got the Heatsheild, not sure if i felt anything but its in there now. Along time passed then got the Rear Sway Bar from npcan (top bloke) gosh did this make a difference made me turn without much oversteer on stock suspension there is still bodyroll but you can feel the car wanting to turn much better.

That is all whos next

[Fredoops]

Alright.... my CL9... Butch is her name. (just for lols)

Engine
Comptech Icebox intake (not installed)
Pivot Raizin Voltage Stablizer
HKS Ground kit
DC Sports Ceramic Header with custom double braided flex pipe (not installed)
Random Technology 250 cell high flow metal cat (not installed)

Handling/Suspension
eBay Tower strut bar
Cusco Type II lower brace: 4 point brace (not installed)
Comptech 22mm Rear Sway bar (not installed)
Stock Suspension

Body/ICE
Chrome B pillar highlights
HID conversion (not installed)

Wheels
Stock 16 inch (9kg each, oem enkei's iirc)
Nexen/Roadstone N7000 rubber

Braking
88 Rotors Slotted/X-drilled rotor F&R

Fluids
Engine: Mobile One Extended Performance (US import) 5w-30
ATF: Honda OEM (ATF-Z1).... switching to Redline D4 by Xmas


Review
Had this SoB for 7 years, modding it never came cross my mind till recently, hence the whole list of modes thats '(not installed)'. So I'll review on what I Do have installed

- eBay tower bar does the job just fine (its the same as a Cusco unit except a bit heavier), sharper steering and all, but I reckon once I have the lower strut brace installed it'll be even better.

- PR Voltage stabilizer and HKS ground kit only cost me $100 in total (decent deal), the car starts easier and idles more smoothly now, which is nice, considering the OEM ground wires are all but fooked after 7 years.

- The Nexen/Roadstone N7000 was a cheap tire, but IMO is handles better in wet than the Kumho Ku31 I had before, and quieter, except the side wall is a lot softer compared to the Kumho, which makes it look deflated all the time, but it IS a tough tyre, after a year the original rubber studs are still there on the side, I am not kidding.

- The 88 Rotors brake rotors, I got front and rear slotted/x-drilled rotors from USA for $270 delivered (thats BEFORE $AUD went parity, in comparison a part of Front RDA slotted is approx $220), cant say anything bad about them, compared them to a set of RDA slotted rotors, they are about the same quality... Except 88Rotors is made in USA... So made by Mexicans instead of Chinese.... not that it makes a damn difference.

- The Mobile 1 EP Engine Oil. CHEAP Horsepower right there, coming from Castrol GTX and Magnetec, the Mobile One EP made a world of difference, engine revs freer, harder and quicker. and it warms up quicker.

*UPDATE*
Got the CT-E icebox in, took 2 man a whole afternoon to get the SOB in.
Why? cause it's made badly, I was unfortunate enough to get the late 2009 early 2010 stock from a local seller, the plastic cast was in consistant, and I cant get the bolt to bite the bottom half as a result.
I ended up having to grab a stanley knife and shave the resin off the bolt area to get it to fit (theres like 100 grams of resin/plastic shavings in the garage afterwards).

Performance wise, it's very quiet under 3000 rpm with less than 40% throttle, and Loud when you go WOT, the engine response is quicker and mid range is a lot better.

Future mods
Rims and a set of street coilovers (looking at wither GAB or HT/FoF)
lightened pulley (Ralco RZ or NST, same thing)
Hondata/P2R intake manifold heat gasket . AND Port the Intake Manifold at the same time. (might as well since you are taking it off)
some of the ebay rubber/soft plastic splitter thingys for front and sides (to protect from scratching)

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Get the p2r its cheaper couldnt be that much difference im pretty sure its the same material.

I didnt do future mods

Kpro or new ecu
Toda spec c cams
Comptech sc

Imediate future
Bc racing coilovers
Te37 18"x9 +30 or xxr522 same specs

Leaving sc till last though

[Smogol]

My CL9 so far...
Engine:
Simota Carbon CAI
Yellow top battery
Full custom exhaust from headers all the way through

Handling/Brakes:
BC Racing Coilovers
Rear Sway Bar (Future)
Cusco Strut Bar (Future)

Front RDA Slotted Rotors
QFM Brake Pads

Interior:
Junction Produce Curtains
Junction Produce Neckpads x 4
Junction Produce Fusa & Tsuna knot
2 x Pioneer Champion 10" Subs
Pioneer Amp
2 x Pioneer speakers that i cbb putting in.

Exterior:
Mugen Visors
5 Spoke dish rims (Future...still trying to find a nice set)
HID 6000K Bulbs
HID 3000K Foglights

Review:
going to do more later on when i get some moneyz...
But,
Simota CAI: Surprisingly i wasn't expecting much more from this because i had to replace my panel filter, but in the end i just opted for the cheap CAI. Sounds awesome goes well with my exhaust system, in terms of performance, it gave a slight increase in response its noticable but not major this thing was about 200$ so can't expect much. But still like it.

Custom Exhaust: Kinda got sick of reading all these different brands and piping and all that crap, dont have the time so put it through an exhaust shop, pretty down to earth guy, told him i wanted a good high flowing system with maximum increase in power but under EPA in terms of sound. Just not that much of a fan of loud idles. Yeah hooked me up with a full system in day dropped it off before work and got it after work sounding awesome. Felt the gains better response, and bit more of a pull than the stock CL9. Bit of a mix between mild steel and stainless steel i think it was.

Yellow Top batter: Optima yellow top, expensive but worth it...I'm the kind of guy that leaves his lights on, done it twice now, left it on for 2-3 hours, car starts fine. Bought it also for my sound system.

BC Racing Coilovers: I think these are pretty good, not much of a track person just wanted to lower my car with a bit of improvement in handling. Reduced my body roll by quite a bit, but still need my sway bars.

All the other stuff, I'll review if you request it, but pretty self explanatory, neck pads and curtains are cool and comfy makes my vehicle a bit jazzy. But yeah, when i get the extra cash other parts will go in.

Have fun modding =]

[Fredoops]

Simota Carbon intake, it's very similar to the Mugen design, IE: direction shielded SRI.

It's not very popular here but it is a very reputable brand.

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In relation to swaybars I got whiteline 18mm non adjustable but alot of people buy the comptech 22mm fully adjustable.

Never been in a euro with a comptech rsb but mine is awesome as

[Fredoops]

In relation to swaybars I got whiteline 18mm non adjustable but alot of people buy the comptech 22mm fully adjustable.

Never been in a euro with a comptech rsb but mine is awesome as

I got it. havent installed yet tho :-)

Ps: I don't think comptech is adjustable, you might be thinking Progress RSB

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How do you fimd the bc racing coilovers im thinking of getting them aling with a rear camber kit

[jono_l]

Engine:
-CT Engineering Icebox

Suspension:
-eBay strut tower bar
-Ultra Racing lower arm bar
-Progress 22mm rear sway bar - soft setting

Body/Interior Mods:
-JDM blue tinted anti-glare convex mirrors
-JDM stainless steel door scuff plates
-Euro R / Sport grille

Lighting:
-Osram D2S 66240CBI 5000K HID bulbs
-Raybrig 4500K parkers/licence plate lights
-35W H8 halogen reverse lights

Multimedia:
-Boston Acoustics S953 6x9s on rear parcel shelf
-Parrot CK3000 Bluetooth kit

Quick Reviews:
Icebox: Throttle response seems improved, can't really say it made a huge difference in power, but from an engineering standpoint the design should theoretically work. Noise-wise it is louder than stock at all rev ranges, high RPMs sounds nice. High engine loads at Low-RPMs induces a lot of booming resonance, no doubt due to removal of resonator chamber, which may or may not be a deal breaker.

Suspension mods: Strut tower bar and UR lower arm bar both appeared to improve steering turn-in - strut bar alone didn't make a huge difference, but with the lower arm bar I'd say it was fairly noticeable. Rear sway was awesome, massive improvement to turn in, cornered noticeably flatter and made the car more neutral. I'd consider the "Soft" setting on a Progress sway to be near neutral and a good balance on a daily driven vehicle - personally would not go any stiffer. Would recommend the rear sway as a first mod

Lighting: Osram 66240CBI are reported to be some of the brightest 35W D2S bulbs you can buy, at 3400lumen over standard OEM 3200lumen (and less for some aftermarket D2S bulbs!), now fitted OEM to some new European cars (Benz I believe). Cost too much, but love them - a pure white colour, and definitely brighter than stock. Raybrig 4500K parkers match these fairly well. H8 halogen lights in reverse lights are definitely brighter than stock, but still pretty woeful - most of the company cars I've driven do a better job lighting up my driveway at night.

Multimedia: The Boston S953 to appears to perform adequately even unamped, as they are fairly efficient speakers. Am generally quite happy with them, tighter bass than stock. Waiting to find the time to install matching front 2-ways. Parrot Bluetooth kit was a great buy at $65 off eBay refurbed - harness used to install it cost another $15. Great kit, works very well, automatically mutes speakers during calls, and plays calls through front speakers.

Future mods:
-RacingBrake ET300 front pads going in next weekend hopefully - will attempt to use them to clear OEM pad deposits as I've got bad brake shudder. Matching rear pads will go in when OEM ones are worn.
-Boston S50 2-ways - still sitting in box, will attempt later.
-Hoping to get Koni Yellows & Tein H-techs as funds allow. Do not want to stray too far from stock spring rates for ride comfort concerns, nor do I want to drop the car by too much as I've got a nasty driveway entrance.

Closing thoughts? The CL9 is a very good platform even in stock form. I recently started a job in the auto industry in a role which involves benchmarking/evaluating vehicles, and many people that I work with consider the stock CL9 to be a benchmark for how a medium car should handle - very dynamic without sacrificing comfort. Most actually feel that the CU2 was actually a step backwards dynamically, just as many feel that the current Jetta is also step backwards dynamically as compared to the previous Golf-based Jetta. And whilst there are certain areas where the Euro isn't quite up to par with the new cars these days, it still manages to put a smile on my face each time I get behind the wheel.

[Smogol]

Yeah the BC Racing Coilovers are pretty good i reckon but it depends on what your doing with your car, its mainly for street maybe a little bit of tracking but i wouldnt push it, the Euro has natural camber at the rear looks good but yeah a camber kit would help i was thinking of getting some too when i get my progress rear sway bar.
btw, Jono where did you get the stainless steel scuff plates from? I tried contacting one place that use to have it but they said they dont do them anymore.

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Just to let you know jono jdmyard is selling eibach prokit for 295 the best price on these springs in australia

[raffyboy]

My CL9 before selling it

Engine:
Custom CAI
RBC manifold
Toda Headers and customer 3" dual exhaust
stage 4 clutch and lighten flywheel
adjustable cams + pulleys
hondata kpro piggy on stock ECU
Cusco oil catch can

Handling/Brakes:
BC Coilovers
Front and rear RDA Slotted Rotors
Bendix brake pads
CL7 front and rear swaybar
cusco front strut
GMAX 17x8.5 drift 6 wheels with federals

Interior:
Stock

Exterior:
Mugen lip
Honda grill debadge

Review:
Car is excellent - I planned to S/C the car but I have to weigh in some factors and just decided to sell it, then bought myself a DC5R and kept my Stagea as family car