Newbie, questions with D16Y8 upgrade options

[W8NoMore0081]

Hello, I am new here and I am sure this has been beat on time and time again, and I scanned through 8 pages of topics, but 122 pages is a bit much. My question is simple... I JUST bought a 2000 Honda Civic EX automatic, and I want to get a little more power and economy (or at least power) out of the engine. It is a great car with about 166K on it, and runs great. Small oil leak I can fix on the valve cover, but otherwise it's very clean. I looked at intake manifolds (around $400 on average) CAI (again, $400 for the good ones), headers ($400, again), and I even looked into cams, pistons, cam gears, pulleys, and a few other things... they all seem to say they add about 8 hp, but that would be around 5% more power, and none would really do that much by themselves. I want to at least add a little power, and I do want to keep it as close to a daily driver as I can (no street or drag racing) but I want it to be nice. I know turbo kits are great for manuals, but I have an automatic. Is there anything I can do that would work, or do I just have to boost it, or am I stuck doing an eventual engine swap? I built a 1980 Mustang and did a full engine, transmission, drive shaft, and computer swap and rebuild on it, so I am no stranger to working on an engine and I can do it all myself (except welding). I would even be interested in meeting some people near the Louisville area if any are near here. Let me know what you think (yes, even the silly/stupid ideas, lol) and let me know if anyone has a group I can meet. Thank you.

 

[thendi]

You should check out the parts store on the website because some of the parts I bought already turned out to be cheaper on here. Far as turbo, engine swap, or whatever it depends on what you want (economy or speed) and how much money do you want to spend as well. I am in the mist of debating if I want to rebuild my Y8 or swap in a B20b.

 

[HeX]

Its not at all worth it to upgrade anything being that you have an automatic tranny. Enjoy the fuel efficiency and reliability while you research and buy parts for an engine swap with a manual tranny.

 

[5SpeedEJ6]

Manual tranny FTW!

 

[Joe Mason]

HeX hit the nail on the head. Don't put any $ into the car other than maintenance.

 

[mc360]

If you really feel you need the power of a turbo and you like automatics you CAN boost it if you want, neptune I believe makes a tuning solution for an auto p28 ecu. I'm not saying it will hold up well but it can be done, not sure if better torque converters can be bought off the shelf or if you have to pay someone to modify one. I personally would swap to manual and boost it, none of those power gains are rear it's all advertising. A camshaft might help but you would need a tune to really benifit from it