Another New Guy

[Joshua W.]

Hello,

My name is Josh from Lynchburg, Virginia. I have a 1994 Acura Integra LS. At least I think it's an LS. It doesn't say anywhere on it what it is, but that's what I put on the insurance. It's got 286K miles on it but the engine runs great and has got some good strength left in it; probably another 100K before it gives up (that's what I love about Acuras/Hondas).

Anyway, it's completely stock, even the rims are just the bland steel ones with cheezy hub caps on them. I love to take it for drives through the country but with 286K miles on it, I'm afraid of blowing it up. But before I do anything to the engine, I wanted to work on the suspension first to make the ride a bit smoother.

First of all, I can already tell that the motor mounts need to be replaced as the engine keeps bopping around during acceleration and deceleration. Also, the brakes begin to smell after decelerating from 100mph only one time so I think I need to get those replaced as well.

Those are my first two steps to be sure, but I'm not sure what to get. I'm not interested in racing against other people, I just want to have a car that's fast and fun to drive but not insanely fast or crazy looking. What do you guys recommend I get as far as brakes and engine mounts go? Oh, and I don't have a lot of money either soooo... cheaper is better! =D

After the brakes and engine mounts I wanted to do something with the suspension, maybe lower it, but I'm totally lost on what I need to get. Can anyone offer some advice on where to begin with affordable suspension work?

Thank you so much to anyone who can help. I don't have my own computer (on my friend's) so the best way to get of hold of me is through my email at:

vandlevalsher@yahoo.com

Alternatively you can use:

yoshimitsu017@yahoo.com

But I will get the first one first.

Oh and Hi. =)

 

[mirrorimg]

You can tell what model you have by the vin. It has the year, color, engine type encoded into it. If you have a 4door, then DB7 is LS, and DB8 is GSR. 2 door models im unfamiliar with, but I beleive 2dr gsr is a dc2, and ls is a dc4. You could also look at the engine itself to see what motor is in it. On the left side of the block theres a stamp. b18b1 for LS, b18c1 for GSR, and b18c5 for Type R. Welcome to the site. :welcome:

Added for reference
Vin Decoding
Location on block

 

[Joshua W.]

You can tell what model you have by the vin. It has the year, color, engine type encoded into it. If you have a 4door, then DB7 is LS, and DB8 is GSR. 2 door models im unfamiliar with, but I beleive 2dr gsr is a dc2, and ls is a dc4. You could also look at the engine itself to see what motor is in it. On the left side of the block theres a stamp. b18b1 for LS, b18c1 for GSR, and b18c5 for Type R. Welcome to the site. :welcome:

Then it's definitely LS. Thanks for the clarification on that.

 

[SLV_DB7]

Before you get too comfy driving the car around, do a compression test on the motor to see what condition it is in, also go ahead and replace the timing belt if you are unaware of when it was last changed (IE reciept).

after that are you just looking for a comfy DD suspention? no togue or track days? if not then a good strut (tokico illuminas) and a goood spring (Tein s-tech) will be soft enouugh for DD stuff, if you plan to get more into the racing scene then a different suspention will be needed

 

[Joshua W.]

Before you get too comfy driving the car around, do a compression test on the motor to see what condition it is in, also go ahead and replace the timing belt if you are unaware of when it was last changed (IE reciept).

after that are you just looking for a comfy DD suspention? no togue or track days? if not then a good strut (tokico illuminas) and a goood spring (Tein s-tech) will be soft enouugh for DD stuff, if you plan to get more into the racing scene then a different suspention will be needed

Racing not so much. But the thing is, I like to take it for long hard drives through back roads. So I could be out driving it hard for about 40 minutes to an hour and half solid. So it needs to be comfy, but I don't mind vibration for the sake of that "glued-to-the-road" feeling. If it comes down to one or the other, I'd rather have a tight, performance-minded suspension. Whatever helps the car handle better. But the back roads here dip a lot so I think that lowering it too much could cause it to scrape against the pavement.

I'm thinking that, based on what you're saying, I'm going to need a different suspension. As of right now, it floats a lot at around 80-100mph and it's got a lot of body roll through turns and corners. It also doesn't stop anywhere near as fast as I want it to, plus the brakes overheat after only one rapid deceleration.

I know what you mean about the timing belt, it already occasionally squeals, I think I will add that to my list of "need-to's" along with brakes and motor mounts.

By the way I'm reading myself, I think that (unfortunately for my wallet) I'm going to need some serious braking power considering just how long I'm out driving. What do you think would give the stopping power and long lasting cool temperatures that I need while not paying three and a half grand? Or will I have to pay three and half grand? Hah!

 

[MeDiKTeG]

This is just my :twocents:Look at www.sportcompactonly.com, you can get a complete kit of Tokico Illuminas and mated springs for around $500, you'll get about 1.5 inches of drop and adjustable stiffness. For the body roll, I'd go with a front strut tower bar and an anti sway bar. I'm using Tanabe equipment on my teg. For stopping without spending the kind of mony you don't want to, by oe replacement slotted or drilled rotors and upgrade your brake pads. These are all things that I have done with mine. You can look in the lounge under Merry Christmas...from Irap and see how low the car would sit. Like I said, this is just my suggestion. By the way, I do love my setup and it didn't break the bank.


And...:welcome:




And...:nopics:
You should just add a few. Happy New Year!!

 

[mirrorimg]

For more stopping power, you need to increase the surface area of the pads touching the rotors. The big brake kits answer this, but are as youve seen, are rather expensive. On the other hand, you can make other calipers work with some modification. I think i have seen people do Acura Legend caliper retrofits.

 

[Joshua W.]

This is just my :twocents:Look at www.sportcompactonly.com, you can get a complete kit of Tokico Illuminas and mated springs for around $500, you'll get about 1.5 inches of drop and adjustable stiffness. For the body roll, I'd go with a front strut tower bar and an anti sway bar. I'm using Tanabe equipment on my teg. For stopping without spending the kind of mony you don't want to, by oe replacement slotted or drilled rotors and upgrade your brake pads. These are all things that I have done with mine. You can look in the lounge under Merry Christmas...from Irap and see how low the car would sit. Like I said, this is just my suggestion. By the way, I do love my setup and it didn't break the bank.

I'll see about getting pics, but it's really not much to look at. Teal with some faded and chipped paint. But for $1900 with everything working including a sunroof, power windows, power door locks, working AC/heater... it was the first non-junker that I've ever had and I love it to death.

I checked out your car in the "Merry Christmas... from Iraq" thread and that would definitely work just fine for me. I think that this would be an on-going project for a while and it would take place in multiple stages as the money became available.

What do you guys think of this list?

Stage 1: "Must-haves". Timing belt, motor mounts, brakes. Also fixing the oil leak if there is money left over. (EDIT: I would do a compression test first)

Stage 2: Suspension. Also fixing the oil leak if not fixed in Stage 1.

Stage 3: Exhaust and engine. Cat-back for the exhaust with a SMALL tip (can't stand that loud obnoxious sound). Tuning kit and cold-air intake for starters on the engine.

Stage 4 and beyond: ???

Tell me if you see anything wrong, out of order, or just plain stupid.

 

[ropeadope14]

i think i have a set of engine mounts that i can give away pretty cheap. il have a look

 

[JDMxDB8]

Welcome.

 

[Mikifiki]

First of all, I can already tell that the motor mounts need to be replaced as the engine keeps bopping around during acceleration and deceleration. Also, the brakes begin to smell after decelerating from 100mph only one time so I think I need to get those replaced as well.

You might want to slow down with bad brakes.

 

[Joshua W.]

You might want to slow down with bad brakes.

Haha! Yeah, I was thinking that I would take it easy from now until the car is in better shape.

i think i have a set of engine mounts that i can give away pretty cheap. il have a look

Yeah, I'd definitely be interested. Shoot me an email and we'll see about doing business.

EDIT:

Pics!

Like I said, not much to look at now, but I plan to change that in the future. Anyway, I'll keep you guys posted as things come up. Thank you all so much for the advice; I will definitely take it all into consideration before I do anything. I'll be sure to send updates with pics as things progress.

That is all for now.

 

[SLV_DB7]

What do you guys think of this list?

Stage 1: "Must-haves". Timing belt, motor mounts, brakes. Also fixing the oil leak if there is money left over. (EDIT: I would do a compression test first)

Stage 2: Suspension. Also fixing the oil leak if not fixed in Stage 1.

Stage 3: Exhaust and engine. Cat-back for the exhaust with a SMALL tip (can't stand that loud obnoxious sound). Tuning kit and cold-air intake for starters on the engine.

Stage 4 and beyond: ???

Tell me if you see anything wrong, out of order, or just plain stupid.

Sounds like a good plan

 

[heykosal]

For suspension, since you're only doing spirited street driving, you won't need full coilovers. Adjustable sleeves like Ground Controls will serve you well. Also, even either Eibach kit you'd be satisfied with.
As for brakes, again since you're only doing spirited street driving, you won't need a big brake kit. Aftermarket larger diameter rotors such as those from Brembo or PowerSlot would serve you well along with a good quality high performance brake pad. Those pieces coupled with stainless steel brake lines would serve you well.

BTW :welcome: Glad to see a n00b taking the smart approach, and also who can type with appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation..propS!!

 

[SLV_DB7]

BTW :welcome: Glad to see a n00b taking the smart approach, and also who can type with appropriate spelling, grammar, and punctuation..propS!!

:werd:

+1