Need a little more power ? ? ?

Hello all, I ran across this site while searching for performance stuff for a Civic. I have read through most of the FAQ section but I'm confused on what I should really do and what would be the best bang for the buck. There's so much stuff out there advertized to add power but what really works ? First let me give a little info on what I'm trying to do here. My wife recently got a 2003 Civic coupe EX with an automatic. We had move further out and she was starting to realize just how much gas she was burning in the v8 Ford Explorer so she wanted to get something that would cut her gas bill in half. Well the Civic cut the gas bill in half but now she is complaining about the power the car has. She says it does not have the power it needs to move around traffic on the interstate. The power is adequate at lower speeds but once your up to 70 mph, there isn't much passing power there. My question is what can I do to add some power to help this situation out ? I'm thinking that maybe 20 more ponies would be needed to notice a difference. What will be the best option to get maybe 20 more horse power or more if you think more would be needed ?

You could probably get those 20 ponies out of a good intake, header, and exhaust. The header will be the most power for you, but the 3 would be a good combo.

You could probably get those 20 ponies out of a good intake, header, and exhaust. The header will be the most power for you, but the 3 would be a good combo.

Are there any headers,intakes, and exhust systems that will add the performance without adding much additional noise ? She wants the car to remain as quiet as possible but I realize that some additional noise might be a requirement in order to get the extra performance. Also, will these mods. cause any issues with Honda standing behind there warranty on the car ?

Are there any headers,intakes, and exhust systems that will add the performance without adding much additional noise ? She wants the car to remain as quiet as possible but I realize that some additional noise might be a requirement in order to get the extra performance. Also, will these mods. cause any issues with Honda standing behind there warranty on the car ?

I don't know about adding 20 ponies with just a intake, header and exhaust system. I got an aem cold air intake, dc sports 4-2-1 header, and an Apex'i World Sport cat back exhaust, all of which are good, and i doubt i added 20 hp.

Obviously the exhaust system is going to add more noise than the other two, and i doubt his wife or him wanted to be driving around the neighborhood with even a quiet performance exhaust system. Even the intake might add some noise that can be heard by people in the car. You're not going to get the quiet muffled sound you get with the stock exhaust.

I think you're screwed.

he power is adequate at lower speeds but once your up to 70 mph, there isn't much passing power there.

Are you serious? I have the same exact car (2003 EX Automatic) and I usually notice the most power past 60 MPH--> until 100MPH when I'm VTECHing.

I have a DC Sports Ceramic Header, AEM Short Ram Intake (they only made short ram for the auto EX) and HP Racing Exhaust and I definitely notice a power increase. I noticed a small amount from the intake, more from the header, and the most from the exhaust. I've also put in 2 12" Speakers, which added more weight. My car is pretty loud, and you won't be able to avoid most noise from those mods. I'm not sure about 20 HP though.. could be; I haven't dyno'd it.

Here are the specs that the manufacturers said the mods added:
HP Racing - 8% HP
DC Sports - 5 HP

And, yah, the intake added a little bit of noise that was heard inside the car.

Thanks guys for the info. I didn't realize it was so hard to bump up the horse power a little. We are pretty much regretting our decision of buying the Civic now. I sure wish bumping the power up in a gas engine was as easy as and cheap as bumping up the power in a diesel engine. Heck, you can get an extra 140 hp and 250 ft lbs or torque with just a chip in a diesel truck. Did you guys know that diesel technology has reached the point that you can run 11's in the 1/4 mile with a 8000 pound crew cab dually 4x4 truck ?

would you consider a turbo or supercharger? that could get you a lot more power without much noise... it would cost AT LEAST a couple thousand though...

would you consider a turbo or supercharger? that could get you a lot more power without much noise... it would cost AT LEAST a couple thousand though...

I think we will just hang on to the car as is for a while and then trade it in on something different. Maybe an Accord. What is a 4 cylinder Accord like ? Do I need the V6 to get better power to weight ratio so that I'm not right back in the position I'm in now ?

my friends 4 cyl accord is slow... if i was to get an accord myself i wouldn't get anything but the v6

I'd say the thing you really need is a manual 'box!
Why would anyone ever buy a auto'box in a light, hard revving car like a Civic? (Actually I used to think only really old people drove automatics.)
In a chuckable small car like that, I'd rather have a good 5 or 6 box than an extra 30bhp.
...
(Honest as I am, I admit my first car ever was second-hand '83 Nissan Sunny automatic (from an old man) and I really loved left-foot-braking while racing/thrashing through the bendy bits.)

I think they make camshafts for the newer EX's which would add about 10hp. You could do that along with an adjustable cam sprocket for tuning purposes and it won't really be any louder. Get the engine ported for more airflow as well, and you'll see a definite improvement. About the warranty, I took my car in and they said they won't fix it because I had an intake header and exhaust. That was on my stock engine too.