when mod'ing an engine is there generally an order for parts to mod?

20civiclx02

20civiclx02
i've got a 2002 civic lx coupe, the body is in great condition, with little to no rust. im planning on really tuning this car up, but this is going to be my first project car and im not sure if there's usually an order to follow when mod'ing parts of your engine. i was always told intake and exhaust first, but im not sure where to go from there. =/
 

nicoalex2

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What are your goals with the car?
I/H/E would be the first way to go. Header if you don't plan on going turbo.
To make real power with this engine you would need a turbo. You won't get much from it N/A, no matter how much you spend.

Find out what your goals and budget are and we can go from there. I see you're seventeen and may still be in school. Money may be limited.
 


20civiclx02

20civiclx02
i'm a little hesitant to do too much to the this engine right now, it runs nice but it has 285k miles on it, so a turbo would probly blow something. eventually im planning to drop a vtec into it. and yes, im a senior in highschool, so cash is a bit hard to come by with a minimumm wage job. i should be able to scrounge up a grand or two this winter though after all other expenses are paid.
 

nicoalex2

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Me personally would start with the suspension and brakes. Then save for I/H/E.

Give it a nice stance and good feel. Make i hug the corners.
 


nicoalex2

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Any pics to give use an idea of what youre working with
 

JohnS.

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A grand or two is barely enough to get any decent out of it. Unless you do your own motor work and can pick up used parts for real cheap, you're not going to get much at all. The best thing to do is save for now.

If you really insist on modifying you car, upgrade the handling. Shocks/lowering springs or coilovers, rear sway bar, different wheels, and stickier tires. Even a 6th gen civic coupe with a stock gsr swap still only runs 15's which is slow. If you want power, you're going to want to drop a K in that or boost something. Even a K24 /w a 6 speed would be a great swap.
 

20civiclx02

20civiclx02
i just replaced the front rotors, calipers, and pads. still needs new rear brakes. i've never really looked at suspensions, what's there to choose from? and what would i base my choice on? stiffness? i like to get all the info i can on something before i actually do it
 

20civiclx02

20civiclx02
and yea, this thing is gonna be a work in progress for quite a while because of the cash shortage. just taking it one step at a time.
 

nicoalex2

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nicoalex2

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and yea, this thing is gonna be a work in progress for quite a while because of the cash shortage. just taking it one step at a time.
All great projects do.

Start a thread to introduce yourself and build from
 

JohnS.

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i just replaced the front rotors, calipers, and pads. still needs new rear brakes. i've never really looked at suspensions, what's there to choose from? and what would i base my choice on? stiffness? i like to get all the info i can on something before i actually do it
Your biggest factor would be budget. From there you can decide:
- Lowering springs / shocks or coilovers (AKA do you want to be able to adjust your height or not)
- Comfortability (stiffness goes with this)

There's a lot to choose from. TEIN, Eibach, PIC, Function & Form, Skunk2.... You can't just say "help me choose". You need to decide your goals.
 

20civiclx02

20civiclx02
well, since im up in NH i really shouldnt lower it more than an inch or 2 unless i want to bottom out every time i hit a bump or a frost heave. but yea i understand not to say "tell me what to get," i hate it when people do that. im trying to figure what to base my choice off of, and if you guys prefer a specific brand or not for some reason or another so i can look into it. im not saying im gonna choose that brand just because someone likes it, just tryin to get a feel for what brands are reliable and which arent, stuff like that.

im guessing stiffer springs would be best suited for going faster, and taking corners at higher speeds?
 

JohnS.

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Generally, the stiffer and lower, the better the handling. Ever notice how really high end race cars have practically no wheel gap yet it looks like the suspension barely moves in turns? You could probably jump on those cars and the suspenion would barely move.

When it comes to coilovers, ground control + Koni Yellows is probably the most highly recommeneded. Function & Form and PIC are great brands too. TEIN is also a popular choice (you've probably heard of the super street's). Some people even choose Skunk2 but I personally would never go that route.

For lowering springs, there are a ton of choices. It really depends on how much you want to lower the car and how stiff/soft you want the springs to be. For shocks, I only ever recommend 2 different kinds: Tokico Illumina's for a "lower" end shock (they're still great) or Koni Yellow's if you can afford them.

For brand names, just go to online stores and look around. There are a ton out there.
 

MistahJuice

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Yeah stiffer springs tend to increase ur handling, but stiffer is also better if you plan to go really low, that way theres less travel and your less likely to bottom out.
 

20civiclx02

20civiclx02
lol if you jump on mine right now the wheels practically touch the wheel wells.

does anyone mind taking a sec to explain where each part in the suspension system is, what it looks like, and what it's function is?(aside from sway bars, i know what those do lol) just helps me understand what im working with. i'm a complete newb with this stuff, but i learn quick.

just put up more pics btw.
 
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obracer12

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since you are on a budget and you don't want to go too low, I would suggest koni yellows and some tien h-tech or s-tech springs.. later on down the road if you want to go lower (and you will) the foundation is already laid for some Ground control coils to slip onto the konis.

right now leave the motor alone until it dies, then swap it out. save up for a full swap. Since you have an EM2, your options are limited to the hard-ish to swap h-series or a k-series... both of which are pricey.. or you can go the budget route and do the d17 that came in the ex of that year, pop some economy v-tec and be on your way.

Right now the name of the game is research and save. You will waste a ton of money changing your mind. pick a build/style/look and go for it.
 

JohnS.

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We have double wishbone suspension which means there is an upper and lower arm. The upper arm is usually shorter to help correct camber (front is upper control arm which also has an upper ball joint, rear is camber arm). Then you have the lower control arm (straight in the back, more of an A in the front I believe on our cars). Then you have a shock/spring combination. In the front, the bottom of the shock goes into a hole in the shock fork and sits in there, and the shock fork bolts to the lower control arm. In the rear, the bottom of shock is bolted straight to the control arm. Then there's the front lower ball joint where the hub connects to the arm. The sway bars are pretty straight forward, they have end links that bolt to each control arm. The rear has a trailing arm where the rear lower control arm connects to it and then the other end of the rear trailing arm goes to the car, then just beyond that is where the toe adjuster bolt is to adjust the rear toe. The front toe adjusters are are on the tie rods I believe which are also connected somewhere on the front hub. I'm not too sure on tie rods. The other end of the rear lower control arm bolts to the subframe.

I'm at work and it would take a long time to link parts and name them so I'm not going to do that lol. Read this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_wishbone_suspension
 

20civiclx02

20civiclx02
obracer12
thanks for the info on the swaps, i can see this engine going atleast another 100k miles, so i've got plenty of time to save up. hows the d17 for performance?

JohnS.
that really helped, thanks dude. how long have you been working on cars? you seem like you know quite a bit
 

JohnS.

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Eh... I went to school for automotive for a semester like 3 years ago. Just learned the basics but still learned SOME stuff (like oxyaceteline cutting, making brake lines, etc. I forgot most of that by now lol). Didn't really learn all that much as it was my first auto class so it was intro stuff. But I've done my own maintenance for years now and have learned from touching everything on the car on my own and learning how stuff works through reading, looking, and understanding.
 


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