noobie looking for recommendations

[FIzzGiGG]

wassup, my first post here, and my first civic.

I've got a 98 Civic EX coupe w/auto tranny (all stock equip.)
I know it's an auto and all, but the car was mainly purchased for better gas mileage and reliability. I love cars, and I always like to tweak sheit, so I am looking for suggestions as to what I can do to boost the hp (and eventually the curb appeal).
I will be doing my mods very gradually, seeing that I have a limited budget and most of this will need approval from my CFO (wife).

thank you in advance for the help.

btw - I would post pics but what's the point, it's black, w/spoiler and all stock, except for some rims the previous owner added (14's, alloy/gold), ew.

 

[civickidd99]

Check out ebaymotors.com if you want cheap parts! I know alot of it is crap, but somethings are a lot cheaper on there. I know what you are saying about the boss(wife) saying yes or no! For you go with the basics first Intake, header, and exhaust. Wheels no bigger than 17", please! Don't get too aggressive on the drop, the wife will hate it, trust me on this one! Hope I helped out some!

 

[Declectic]

first, to the site man!!! hope you like it here, hopefully you'll learn a lot...

second, how much power are you tryin to get out of that bad boy?? cuz the d16y(whatever it is) is a weak engine, so it depends if your tryin to HAUL ASS... hall balls... or just get it to be quicker ..

 

[FIzzGiGG]

That's what I was thinking, go for the air flow first.
Cold air intake, intake manifold, maybe talk with my neighbor about doing a port and polish and valve job on the head, exhaust manifold, new pipes, etc.
I have to agree also with the rims and drop. Personally, I don't care for the extreme drops, just an inch or so would do me just fine.

 

[FIzzGiGG]

Originally posted by SeanJohn1802
first, to the site man!!! hope you like it here, hopefully you'll learn a lot...

second, how much power are you tryin to get out of that bad boy?? cuz the d16y(whatever it is) is a weak engine, so it depends if your tryin to HAUL ASS... hall balls... or just get it to be quicker ..

D16Y8 I believe. What's the specs on that? 127HP or somtin?

Well I want to stay NA, no turbo or nothin. No NOS. I'm kinda of an ol school muscle car type guy. I would like to acheive all this with just performance replacement parts, no crazy sheit.

 

[FIzzGiGG]

question about VTEC

Flame me please!

Does VTEC basically increase the fuel burn duration at higher rpm's? or is it related to valve lift?

How does it work?!

 

[Team 4R]

vtec = variable valve timing and lift electronic control........

get it yet? no........? then go to http://www.howstuffworks.com/question229.htm

 

[FIzzGiGG]

vtec

Thanks, that sites always got somethin good to read about.

How about cold air intakes? Should I go with the "long" ones? Will that be an issue with snow and slush in the winter? and what do people recommend for a brand?

 

[knockoff]

"long" = Cold Air Intake


just buy a cheapy CAI off ebay or something, and make sure its a 2 piece... so when winter comes along, you can take off the bottom piece and half a "short" ram intake...

all intakes are created equal... IMO a 20 dollar one, and a 200 dollar one, are still just a pipe with a filter on the end... so be careful what you buy...

 

[FIzzGiGG]

Originally posted by abej6
"long" = Cold Air Intake

I guess that makes sense.

I see some pretty damn cheep ones on egay motors, like $50 for a 2 peice. Is the filter going to good enough, or should I go buy a K&N or somethin?

Now on to the intake business...
Should I get a new intake, or go with a larger throttle body? (Remember, limited budget, one thing at a time.) The intake is probably going to more expensive that the TB, but will I see much of a performance increase from the larger TB at this point?