AEM big brake kit & cold air intake

[Pubhi]

I have 1998 accord LX 4-cyl. I'm in the process of upgrading to 17" wheels and along with that I want to upgrade my rotors/brakes. I have been looking at the AEM big brake kit for my car and I would like to know if anyone has that on their accord? I called up the company and asked if the rotor would fit perfectly on my car and he said it would, but I would still like to double check with someone who has tried this with their car.

I will also be changing the stock intake to a cold air intake and what i would like to know about that is if all CAI's are the same? I have seen some for $70 and others for $230 and some more in between. So, my question is which one should get? Will the $70 intake give the same power increase as the $200 intake? If there is a difference between the performance aspect, then how significant is it? I am also concerned that I might damage my engine by letting it "breathe" better but keeping the stock exaust system. Should I be worried about this?

My last question is anbout lighting. I have been surfing the internet in search of a lighting system that is similar to the system on European/japanese luxury cars. Will a "Projector headlight system" give me the result i'm looking for or are they just for looks? I know they they have blue light bulbs in them but that doesn't mean they are as intense as the HID lighting. I did call up one shop and I asked if they sold HID systems for accords and he said they did and that it would cost me $450. Does that price seem about right for such a system?

Thanks in advance for the help. If you guys anything to add then please do so.

[92AccordCoupe]

i wouldn't waste my money on the big brake kit. your stock discs should do fine. unless you're planning on racing (i mean seriously racing, not this stupid street stuff), you don't need the stopping power. then again, that's my opinion...

i got a rather "generic" intake and it doesn't do jack for me except make my car a bit louder. i've also heard similar experiences from other people who have more expensive intakes on their cars. you won't hurt the engine because the difference is minimal. even if you get a header and a cat-back exhaust, you'll be hard-pressed to notice any difference (aside from the extra noise)...or so i've heard around the boards. personally, i haven't dropped the extra $1k to get the header and cat-back, so i couldn't tell you for sure.

a projector light system is a replacement for your entire headlight unit. if you look at your headlights, you'll notice that there is just a bulb in there and an arrangement of reflectors to focus the light. a projector system uses a lens to focus the light more precisely and efficiently. check out projector fog lights and driving lights to see what i mean. this is different from a hid system.

a hid system is the replacement for the actual light bulbs. it involves replacing your bulbs with hid bulbs, a bunch or wiring and a couple ballasts. a hid bulb is different because it doesn't have a filament like a regular light bulb, instead it creates light by creating an arc of electricity between two electrodes. kinda like what happens when you connect your + and - terminals on your battery with a screwdriver (hasn't everyone done this once?) only in a more controlled manner

$450 is about right for hid conversion kits...it's actually a bit low. the philips conversion kit goes for $750 msrp, but i've seen it as cheap as $450 on the net... keep in mind that the $450 is just for either the low or the high beams, not both. the advantage of hid bulbs is that they are more efficient (they use less power to create more light) and the bulbs last longer (no filament to break).

good luck and post some pics when you get some pieces done!

[VTECseoul]

DemonicAccord has a '95 LX w/ AEM Big Brake & says he feels GREAT differences & you MUST HAVE 17" or larger rims. and alotta ppl also say the cross-drill rotors will crack after long, hard use.

EBC, at www.tirerack.com, has some slotted/dimpled rotors that are OEM drop-in replacements. considering the 150HP we have, those will be fine for now. fading is very inherent w/ heavy cars & small rotors - so the slotted discs will help.

the price you got for HIDs seem to be dropping, last Xmas they were $550 - either get Philips HID or just PIAA replacement bulbs. maybe MadCatz or Polarg bulbs.

the AEM intake seems to be a ripoff - the only difference is that they powdercoat the pipe for cosmetic reasons & the K&N filter. just get an APC or Ractive pipe system & buy a K&N later to replace the "cheapie".

DO NOT BUY THE AEM BY-PASS VALVE - GUARANTEED RIPOFF I DON'T BELIEVE IN IT AT ALL & A BUDDY HAD 1 THAT CAME APART & FUCKED HIS THROTTLEBODY; i cannot stress this more.