cheap power upgrades

chronsolo

MAD MAN
yo thanks for all the advice guys, i thought i was going to get grilled for being a noob! it's a dd for me so i don't wanna mess with new cams/internal components, hopefully looking to get a decent header and full cat system one day.....(i'm broke). I stripped alot of it out doing stereo stuff, i noticed it felt a litter faster but i can't stand driving a car with no guts, everyday. i was thinking about some new wheels/tires, maybe some new springs/struts, i want to lower it a bit (definately no SSS!) but right now it's bone stock, 140xxx, STACKS of service records from original owner and i picked it up for 1,500 cash. it's my first honda product, and i am stoked with this teg. o and this club is GREAT for help, but why do people all talk shit? no, my car is the fastest.
 

chronsolo

MAD MAN
pardon another noob question,everybodies got to start somewhere right? but, with a cai i've heard that i'll get alot more noise than noticable power. keeping in mind i'm strapped for cash, would it be worth it to invest in a performance air filter (ie. k&n) and just keep the factory air tubing in place?
 

Accel.speed

basically, i like fast!
chronsolo said:
pardon another noob question,everybodies got to start somewhere right? but, with a cai i've heard that i'll get alot more noise than noticable power. keeping in mind i'm strapped for cash, would it be worth it to invest in a performance air filter (ie. k&n) and just keep the factory air tubing in place?
Click to expand...
You can buy an ebay CAI for cheap on ebay. mine was 57 lol. but they even go cheaper. If you want to keep some stockstuff, you could do an icebox. just attach a new pipe to the bottom of the stock filter box. and get a new filter to go inside. And yeah a CAI (well mine from ebay too) will make your ENGINE louder. Not by a lot but you will notice it. And if you rev it high enough then other people will notice lol.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ACURA-INTEGRA-LS-RS-GS-1-8-COLD-AIR-INTAKE-1994-1995-G-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem415059dffdQQitemZ280520941565QQptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories

I've got one thats just like this. Works great. I like it a lot. Just be aware that most cheap ebay intakes wont come with brackets to hold it up. So your going to want to custom make one like i did so it doesnt lay on your ac lines. PM me if you want to see my bracket... too lazy to find it right now lol.
 

tenshi_R

luxury integra driver
as much as you hate to hear it and even though it seems fast to you , the LS engine is not made for speed in its OEM state, not even close. its made for people who live in MIDRANGE. who load it up with stuff and haul across town or on camping trip. thats what its best for.

cai it all depends where you live. and what car you have. with an integra the actual outside temp is almost equal to temp under hood where your filter usually is.
#2 cold air intake will give you a small power "hump" in the mid range BUT
you will loose the throttle responce.
i personally had one on and traded it for short ram.
when you step on it the car bogs down for a sec before speeding up because the long tube creates more vacuum than a half size short ram tube.

but whth a properly sized SRi you should be ok.

to be honest i had an ebay B16 short ram for last 4 years and swapped it with few other types of intakes and even put the filter straight on the TB( bad idea no midrange lol)
and did not see much notticeable difference.

say if you have a 1000 dollars to spend on an engine.
choice one would be
1 sell your whole swap for another 1000 dollars and buy a gsr swap for 2000( theres plenty to choose from on CL)
2 ebay intakes are mostly exact copies of brand name pipes. a pipe is a pipe ( sometimes you pay 200 for the carb sticker or a brand name sticker) which actually includes thousands of dollars spent on the research to bring you the power increase.
then an ebay jacka$$ goes and copies the product but makes it hella cheap and affordable, and without much testing sells it as XXX brand STYLE, claiming similar gains.
now that i said that, on your budget obviously all brand name stuff is out of question.

LS vtec is the next on the list.
b16 or gsr head 300-500 dllars.
94 obd1 LS ecu can be chipped( go to xenocron.com and order the honda chip kit+ vtec kit) which costs around 50 bucks if you got soldering skills( many walkthroughs on the netz, check out PGMFI.org and here of course)
wires can be addded for vtec and IABs on gsr head if you using one. no need to get a vtec engine harness.
golden eagle sells the whole VTEC conversion kit for around 250 bucks.
and then tuning would cost you another 200-300 bucks because LS vtec is pretty popular most shops would have basemaps that dont need much adjustment.

3 the 100% boltons that would still prefer some basic tuning.
intake like i said above SRI is my personal preference
headers 4-2-1 headers give a lil bump in the midrange, 4-1 headers give more at the top which this engine is not made for.
exhaust 2.25 diameter catback+ hiflow cat if you want

4 if you can get your hands on a used supercharger for around 1000-1500 bucks that would be the most effective upgrade you can do before getting into internals and all.
i almost went that route but didnt have enough cash and craigslist dont accept credit cards
 


chronsolo

MAD MAN
i had a buddy talking to me about the doing the vtec head. i think that would be sick but price and practicality are an issue, this is my dd remember. i think for now i'm just gunna get my second amp installed and pick up some new 6.5's, i work at a high end car dealership so i usually get to bust loose in car that aren't mine, which is really nice. i should be busy with body work for the next few decades lol, not too mention i gotta save up some money to lower this bitch. i think i might just roll stock for awhile, if i win the lotto or something i might look into a gsr swap but we'll see.

oh an while i'm at it, tenshi, how much headache am i in for putting a four channel amp under my passanger seat and wiring the speakers? thanks in advance dude.
 

tenshi_R

luxury integra driver
under a seat would be kinda tough, depending on the amp.
you gonna always have to watch out for it . passengers in the back stepping on it. you dropping some metal pin on it or other stuff. moisture.
the easiest and the best looking way, also the most acessible location is the back of your rear seat.
the seats have metal backing that is easy to screw in and it doesnt leave marks because theres a carpet covering it.


but if you want to be very sneaky and retain the stock look heres a great place to mount it (especially when you have RS because it doesnt have the abs module you see in the picture


and btw that is not a proper way to mount a speaker, that is a big waste of 6x9 speaker that will not sound ay different from a properly mounted 6.5. the back pannel cant support anything bigger than a 30 watt pioneer speaker so it will destroy the bass even with alpine type-r in its place.

her it iz mounted

 


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malachi12

New Member
chronsolo said:
hello there in integra land, i just bought a 96 special edition ls, i just got my stereo all hooked up but i want to go just a little faster. what are some affordable performance upgrades that i can do myself? the motor has 120k on it, i just sealed the oil pan back up, along with new ngk's and wires, i don't want to do anything REAL drastic. any advice is helpful, thanks
Click to expand...
that stereo prolly added 15-20 horses...haha jk jk man, what you have to remember is that you have to pay to play :)
 

chronsolo

MAD MAN
ya ya i know, and that is a dope amp set up man! i think i'm just gunna leave it alone for now and work on shit i can do for cheap- body work.
 

gangstarhotrod

New Member
I agree with these guys about intake header exhaust but the cheapest thing you can do is clean out the intake system by taking it apart piece by piece, then adjusting your valves and timing. but both these things were mentioned already haha:D
 

chronsolo

MAD MAN
that's what i'm fucking taking about! i'm totally gunna look into that ice box style intake, cheap, easily fabricated, diy, that's what's up good lookin out bro.
 

Throwdown

New Member
We currently have a GB going on for Unorthodox Racing pulleys, if you are looking for some quick and relatively inexpensive power, check them out!
 
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