hey all, well i figured id ask this question here, dont know how well of an answer ill get since most of u love your cars :D well anyways i have a bunch of questions bout the honda civics, k... number
1.i see ALOT of aftermarket parts for the civics but here on the forums i dont here that nice things (first time ive been in the honda part, so most likley diffrent) well anyways hum.... how should i write this, k, dont bug me if this is hard to understand, k, r the civics actual compation to other cars or r they pretty much all show and not much go?? like if a civic was to race a good car with a decent amount of mods on it would it have a chance?? cause some of the civics look pretty nice and my parents r planning to buy me a car after high school. but since im workin right now im gona pitch in some cash so i dont get sum half dead barley driving thing and i was thinking of the civics but i want something that can stand up the compatiton, hope u get what i mean...

unless you are planning on putting in an integra or crv engines in, dont think of civic as a car worthy of words, race or speed.
They are dependable and can be nice, but if you want something thats fast, go with a eclipse, prelude, maybe a z28 if you dont mind a domestic.

Originally posted by kane2g
unless you are planning on putting in an integra or crv engines in, dont think of civic as a car worthy of words, race or speed.
They are dependable and can be nice, but if you want something thats fast, go with a eclipse, prelude, maybe a z28 if you dont mind a domestic.

amen to that!!

only way to make it reasonable is to swap the poopy engine out or go force induction (maybe both?:devil: )

Like i already posted in the street racing forum:

Ok, first things first.

Like polygon said, they are econoboxs. Always have been, always will be. They have fairly decent(although not really all that sporty without an engine swap) Horse Power numbers, however they're torque numbers are PATHETIC. However polygon is incorrect in saying that torque is necesary for most types of racing.

If you want to drag race, then yes. it is the most important thing and without it you'll always lose. If you want to drag race, if your concerned with 1/4 mile times and the such, then don't buy a civic. Period, end of story, it's simply a waste of time and a very inefficient use of both your money and a potentially fast car.

I say a potentially fast car because although civics are absolutely useless(did i mention they're useless?) for drag racing(in other words, civics are absolutely horrible for drag racing). They due hold a fair bit of potential for auto crossing cars. They're lightweight(if you get a hatchback and dont waste money are crap like lights, body kits, stereos, dvd players, etc.) They handle well, and can be made into very fast cars if you learn how to drive properly.

Ya see, polygon was wrong in saying Torque is needed for most races, it's not. The old saying goes, "Horses for courses" in other words, you can make a track car that handles superbly from a civic with out to much work.

However, as for drag racing, then yes, polygon is totally right. Torque wins in the 1/4 mile. And, since torque is created by rotational mass, then plain and simple, the bigger the engine, the more torque you have.

So, if you want to drag race you've got two choices. You can do the smart thing and buy either a domestic(sorry guys, i love japanese cars, but they aren't designed for drag racing.) with a large displacement engine because that is by far the easiest, cheapest and most importantly fastest way to quicker times. Plus, if you do to say a mustang what you'd have to do to a civic to run 12's the mustang would be running 10's. Bigger engines just have more potential.

However, if you want to drag race but are still determined to own a japanese car, get seomthing that's at least 2.0 liters and it has to be turbocharged. Oh yeah, and it HAS, and i cannot stress this enough, HAS to be either AWD or RWD(preferrably RWD, it's just the best plain and simple.) FWD does not work for drag racing, at all. It will actually slow you down.

Now, if you want to be smart, and learn how to drive your car and learn how to really race, then sure a civic would be fine for auto cross and street courses. However, like i've been saying this entire time. If you want to drag race, don't buy a civic it's a complete waste of time and money.

so what race wouldn't you need any torque?:confused:

This is BullS:dogpile: , I've seen a lot of civics killing v8 and v6 in 1/4 of a mile. If you swap a better motor you will be going hella fast, on the 1/4.:flipa: :flipa:

Your topic asks if Civics are worth it. I say yes. Civic's are rather cheap as far as Honda's go and they appeal to those on a budget. I purchased my car for $3,000 2 years ago... it was definitely in my budget and I was happy with my choice.

I did buy a CX which is VERY slow and lacks everything. However, it made a great base for modifications. Due to a few untimely events it now has a DX motor in it (and it's still slow), but one day I will drop in a b18c1 Integra GS-R motor in it. After that... I would like to turbocharge it... but it will be very costly. I think I'd be lookin' at close to $8,000 for the motor and turbo installed.

The point is... for me... Civic's are worth it. They aren't "fast"... but they sure have the potential to be in the future... but that all depends on you.

you can make any car fast with the right amount of money....i love how civics look and there is alot of aftermarket support..i say there worth it

Originally posted by GSteg
so what race wouldn't you need any torque?:confused:

Track racing. It isn't that you don't need torque, but it isn't as important. Thats why a civic type R and an integra type R and such great track cars. They're light weight, they have good suspensions and since once you get going on a track you shouldn't need to let your rpm's drop to much if your a good driver then it doesn't matter to much that you don't create your power until like around 6000rpm.

However, as for drag racing they're pointless. It's a waste of a car to buy a type R and then use it for drag racing. The money the it would cost to upgrade it to a respectable drag car would be much better spent on things like polyurathene bushings and other suspension parts and then use it for Auto-X.

I mean, in drag racing torque is very very important. it's simple physics. Acceleration is depedent on force, or in other words torque. And itegras and civics don't have torque, or at least not much compared to other cars. Hell, I've seen a dyno sheet from a turboed integra LS and it was making something like 400HP, but only somthing like 230lb-ft of torque. Again, with a few suspension upgrades and a good driver, that thing would be god on a track, but it's just not meant for the strip.

So bottom line, hondas are great for the track, it's what they were designed for and what they were raised on, but they definitly aren't made for the strip.

But again, like Custom said, it's all a matter of preference. If you want a relativly cheap car, with good milage, thats reliable and is easy to work on. Then sure, a civic fits the bill. However, if your looking for a truly fast car for drag racing, then look somewhere else.

you need torque, regardless of what race you're in. cutting through corners, passing other cars, accelerating through straightaways, etc. i wouldn't say you don't need torque in track races. since honda civics and acura integras are lighter cars of honda/acura, its not necessary for them to have 300ft.lbs of torque. but you shouldn't say track races don't require torque. hell..i even seehonda accords and some bu not alot of preludes on the track. they are no mean lightweight cars, but the increased torque helps them. even if they had good susupension, they'll need torque to keep up with other cars.

you can have all the horsepower in the world..but its useless if you have no torque for horsepower to work on. :)

hey this is jus a response to the dude who thinks civics are worth it cuz they are cheaper...it works the other way around...as we all knoe, domestics have lower resale values than imports (most the time), so instead of getting a 17 sec. civic and paying a cheap price, why not get like a faster 14 second 5.0 foxbody mustang for a cheap price and making it faster....if u wanna drag race of course. otherwise listen to the dude who runs his mouth about the auto x'in...cuz thats a fun route of go...

Originally posted by old man celica
hey this is jus a response to the dude who thinks civics are worth it cuz they are cheaper...it works the other way around...as we all knoe, domestics have lower resale values than imports (most the time), so instead of getting a 17 sec. civic and paying a cheap price, why not get like a faster 14 second 5.0 foxbody mustang for a cheap price and making it faster....if u wanna drag race of course. otherwise listen to the dude who runs his mouth about the auto x'in...cuz thats a fun route of go...

i think you summed it all up for us:licker:

personally, I love the whole idea of the engine swap. No one really knows what the hell you have in there, and four bangers are always better on gas.....unless you beat the hell outta it!