Header, Intake -- is it worth it all...

[Atoche]

Okies, some questions that more than likely have been answered already, but here I go....

I got a '95 auto Civic and I am trying to decide if I should sink some $$ into intake and exhaust....

What I am curious about -- being I will never go high tech (turbo, internals, ect)... is it really worth the money for intake and exhaust? Is the sound all you get? How much faster is the car with these lightweight mods?....

I am thinking I would be better off loosing some weight over trying to gain HP....

Cmon' guys, school me up!

[HondaDude84]

Please correct me if I'm wrong my friends becasue I am not too knowledgeable on this subject, but I think that having a good intake and exhaust greatly improves the vehicles performance which include gas mileage and stuff.

[SiGirl]

When I had my 98 accord I only had the cold air intake and my car was a little quicker and got alot better gas mileage. I would definately spend the money and even plan on it with my new car

[TJ213]

The intake and exhaust will probably give you minimal gains in power, and often a CAI will some sacrifice low end power, which most Hondas are already lacking. There are also some heat transfer issues with the metal. However, the CAI can free up a little bit of top end power (think 2-5hp)

If you are looking at a SRI it probably isn't worth it, most often their dynos show an increase in power because they are getting cold air since the hood is open and there are fans contantly blowing fresh air into the engine bay.

The header is not worth it, shorty headers often give a very slight increase in HP, but almost no TQ increase, sometimes actually causing a decrese in TQ. The exhaust may free up another 2-5 hp, but is expensive and can lead to more profiling of your car by others (there is an image associated with civics that have aftermarket exhausts)

The increase in gas milage is often hard to come by. This is because most people will find themselves using more throttle because of the new engine note. However, if your driving patterns remain the same a slight increase in gas milage may occur.

Really, unless you want the sound your money is better spent in weight reduction, which can help you with acceleration, braking, and handling.

[EyesofFreedom]

IDK...I put on a cold air intake, header and catback and I have noticed a difference on acceleration and in mileage...its not a 10 sec car but there is still a noticeable difference.

[Wolverine]

Is the translation loose 7 pounds = gain 1 hp???

I saw that somewhere, but who knows...........

does make sence though, less weight should mean better handling, braking and acceleration. Unless all the weight is lost in the wrong place.

[EyesofFreedom]

You wont gain any horses by weight reduction.

What you need to think about is your power to weight ratio.

Think the 125 horsepower for 2200lbs which is about 1hp/17lbs, then say 125 hp for 2000 lbs which is 1hp/16lbs. Each horsepwer has to pull one less pound so you get better performance throught the whole range.

[Wolverine]

I know you dont acctualy gain horsepower by droping weight, what I was getting at is a certain weight reduction would be compairable to a certain HP increase.

And I think my numbers came from a motorcycle hp / weight ratio.
I was WAY off for a car!

[Neil]

IMHO (or experiences rather) with the RIGHT (and that is the key) intake, header and exhaust combo you can see some decent gains. What is stock HP on your car? Less that 100 if it's a SOHC, right? A gain of 5-15 HP with simple bolt ons is pretty good.

However, I would start with weight reduction and look into a clutch and lighter flywheel before spending gobs of money on expensive intakes and such. You will notice better throttle response and bite with the clutch/flywheel. Once you are certain that your power is getting to the wheels (and not being burned up by a poor clutch) then start with the bolt ons.

After the clutch and flywheel, if you are still unsure about the bolt ons, work your suspension. No, it won't give you more horsepower, but these cars handle great. Why not accent on that to improve the car. I'm not talking ebay lowering springs either. Spend the money and get a nice set of lowering devices (there are so many!) and possibly some sway bars (you can get them in a kit) and this will improve a lot of things.

Building these cars (imports) is a difficult path if you are unsure where to start. I started out building 60's hot rods with big V8s. With these, everything is spendy, so you want to put your money in the right areas.

Hope I helped a little and didn't confuse you.

Good luck!

[EyesofFreedom]

The flywheel may be cheaper than a good intake but if you can not install it yourself a shop is going to charge you a substantial amount for installation.

Oh and my SOHC stock was 127hp.