what to do?

i was wondering what i should do to my car. i either want to get 17's or i want to do something to the engine. whatever i do i don't have a ton to spend so if you have any suggestions i would really appriciate it. also i want to know what i can do to my engine for the most horsepower? thanks.

How much money are you gonna spend?
17's will reduce performance unless very lightweight!

For the most horsepower send your engine out to a speed shop. Let them bore, hone, balance, blue print, port, polish, machine, etc. While upgrading all internals & then slap a turbo with nitrous!

Well, would you rather have a car that looks ok but was fairly fast? or Do you want a car that Looks tight, but isnt fast enough to get of its own way?

As far as performance... If you have enough money to buy 17" rims (Im guessin somewhere near 1,000 bucks or so? You could do.....
1) cold air intake ($170)
2) Headers (400)
3) Exhaust (500)
With all of that you should be putting out more than 20+hp.
---OR---
1) High or low compression pistons (400)
2) Rods (500-600)
and then you can build an all motor or go with a turbo set up.... And peice together parts after that... Just my two cents.

i think i would like it to look good and at the same time be pretty fast, but right now i just want to know what people think i should do. i know it is my car but i just wanted opinions. if anyone could tell me what they would do if it were them and they had around 1000 dollars then i would really appriciate it, thanks

i think i would like it to look good and at the same time be pretty fast, but right now i just want to know what people think i should do. i know it is my car but i just wanted opinions. if anyone could tell me what they would do if it were them and they had around 1000 dollars then i would really appriciate it, thanks


id do suspension and with the money left over exhaust and intake.... header later.

As far as performance... If you have enough money to buy 17" rims (Im guessin somewhere near 1,000 bucks or so? You could do.....
1) cold air intake ($170)
2) Headers (400)
3) Exhaust (500)
With all of that you should be putting out more than 20+hp.


20+HP eh? Ya right. People dont understand that those mods are a good start, yet they arnt going to be giving those 20+hp numbers. On average a CAI with supporting mods only gives you about 1-2hp at the wheels. If your going to spend 1000 ...Go get a full catback exhaust and thats it. Keep the rest for a turbo getup or a bodykit whichever route you want to go.

if i were going to lower it what would i need to do that? i don't want to spend all my money on just lowering my car. also what catback exaust would be good or could i get one made by a muffler shop? i have heard of that being done but didn't know if it was a good solution. please keep giving me ideas. thanks

Reverse indiglo gauges -$45... to your door
DC header -$285... to your door
AEM cai -$160... to your door

16"Motegi MR7's w/Toyo rubber -$805...mounted & balanced to your door

If I had a grand to spend, and I wanted to look good off the bat, I'd go with the gauges, the cai (even though hardly seen it provides an inexpensive humble instant gratification (sound, improved response)), and a wheel package.

If I didn't really care how I looked right away...maybe full exhaust (w/ header)...or suspension and catback...or ReVo's compression pistons and rods idea (you might not realize how happy you'll be once that's done)

Anything that lasts a long time, is built on a good n' solid foundation :2cents: :cheers:

:iagree: SUSPENSION
Get yourself some nice springs & shocks
Eibach Pro-kit with KYB AGX or H&R Cup Kit. www.tirerack.com
If you plan on more than 2" drop you will also need a camber kit.

Its cheapier to make a slow car handle good than it is to make a slow car fast. A good handling slow car can be fun. By slow I mean anything higher than 13's in the 1/4 or more than 5.0sec 0-60mph.

A good muffler shop can make nice customs pipes for your aftermarket muffler of choices.

O/T there should be a new racing style - 1/8mile straight with 1 left & 1 right turn then braking to a stop with overall times IMO. Similar to drag racing except a couple twisty's & stopping.

i'd put the money into performance before i'd put it into looks. people are gonna laugh at you a lot more if you get big wheels and a body kit but your car is slow rather than if the car looks stock and its a lot faster. just shop around for parts. you could do a cold air intake, headers and cat back exhaust for a lot cheaper if you shop around. just be carefull about buying shitty stuff. i'd start by searching ebay

if i decided to lower my car could i just get springs? or would that not work? also has anyone heard of dh racing? i saw some of their stuff on ebay and they claim to get 25 to 35 horse power to the wheels by using their ported intake manifold and throttle body. they also say that they can do a port and polish job that will add around 30 horse power to the wheels. you can go to their website to check it out it is dh-racing.com. just tell me what you guys think about this. thanks

another thing, how much do think it will cost to get a muffler shop to make me a catback exaust? thanks

You could use stock shocks with lowering springs. You'll be buying new shocks in a few months, just do it right the 1st time. Dont be cheap with suspension, buy quality.

Port/polishing can give significant gains!!!!!! If you do that an intake/exhaust will be very helpful. http://www.mmrusa.com/gudehead.htm

what is the core charge on that page? can you explain it to me? thanks

The core charge is for your old parts. If you do send them your old parts then you dont get the core charge back. They take the cores inspect, port, polish, etc. & re-sell just like you would buy from them.

so they like give you money back for your old parts? sounds like a pretty good deal. thanks

anyone know how much it would be to get a local muffler shop to make me a catback? also has anyone ever sone this to thier car and what do you think about the sound? thanks

so they like give you money back for your old parts? sounds like a pretty good deal. thanks

Kinda, they charge more if you dont return the old parts.

Example : $1500(parts) $500(core) - you would pay $2000 until they received your old parts, then you would get your $500 back.

That is a good deal & Gude is good stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You could buy the cam,retainers springs, etc. & have your intake manifold, throttle body, & head ported polished w/ valve job for less but you would be without a car for a short time.

I am in the process of learning port/polishing : we are gonna offer that @ our shop some day soon. :naughty:

I dont know for sure about your other question, but I know where you can get an answer. Call muffler shops in your area & tell them what you want to do, then AX(ask) for a "rough estimate". Also find out if they do mandrel bends since that will flow much better than a pipe with a kinks in it. :smokin:

thanks, also do you know if i should get a resonator on it if i got one made at a muffler shop? thanks again

I think so, cars without them sound 4cyl like shit & are too damn loud. Now if was better sounding noise then a buzz like a V8 i could see removing it. Lots of people just use a cheap "glass-pack" cherry bombs are decent. For all out performance you would not want the resonator & definately use a high-flow cat. or no cat. at all with a nice header. You could find a universal fit high-flow cat for damn cheap - like $50

i would put the cherry bomb in place of the resonator?

Yes. I heard a civic with a 2 glass packs - 1 for resonator & 1 for muffler - sounded decent.

cool thanks