Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

only1harry

1.6-7 deg. of negative camber is not bad and it 'll help with auto-xing. -1.6 is actually the limit but still within factory specs - if you look at the printout. I had the exact same camber as you with the H&R Sports before I put the coilovers on and I was happy with that. My tires didn't really wear out quicker on the inside but I did rotate them pretty often. Every other auto-x event as a matter of fact or very few hundred mi.
 
Now I have no clue what my camber was after I installed the coilovers last August but I bet it was 2.0 deg. if not a little more. I don't want it over 2. I 've scheduled a wheel alignment this weekend too. I 've raised the car a little for the winter and I 'm only lowered about 1.5" at the most now, so they should be under 2". I 'll race at this height for a little while then lower it a little more and get another wheel alignment in the beginning of the summer and see what the camber changes are. Hopefully I 'll have my Konis revalved by then too. Don't want to lower the car more until I do that. I spoke to the supervisor at Koni (have talked to this same guy a couple of times in the last year) that 's in charge of rebuilding/revalving the shocks, and he said cars with off the shelf Konis work best when the car is lowered NO more than 1.5".
Anyway I 'll be doing 1 more winter auto-x event in Feb. and I can't wait. I did one in January and it was a lot of fun although you had to restrain your self much more than usual so you wouldn't wheel hop or loop the car around on the cold surface (which I did once). It was 28-32 deg!

avcii2

I have a 1996 Green Integra GS-R, 89,800 miles. I had the car up for sale asking $8,000.00 since I bought my Honda Pilot in October, but no buyer and have since decided to keep it. I still love the car. I have been experiencing shifting problems. Clutch doesn't seem to want to let go when shifting out of a gear and doesn't want to take a gear shifting into one. My question is two-fold:

Can anyone:

1) estimate for me the cost of replacing the entire clutch so I know I am not getting ripped off?

2)give me the name of a REPUTABLE mechanic that can fix an Acura/Honda in the Staten Island, NY or Central New Jersey Area?

I have had some real beauties in the last year. One guy wanted to charge me $280 to change a brake light switch. I ended up paying $80 after buying the part at Acura Dealer and having Pep Boys put it in. Also, one mechanic changed my radiator and left the plastic on. I over heated the next morning and he wanted to charge me AGAIN. I am banned from that place after the argument I had...like I was going to go back. Thanks in advance for any help.

only1harry

There are a lot of Honda/Acura shops in the NY Metro or tristate area. It sounds like you just need a new clutch (disk and pressure plate).
You might want to buy an aftermarket clutch from ACT, their street version. They make excellent clutches and they 're less $$ than Acura OEM. The parts will cost you around $330.
Go to www.honda-tech.com forum. Register and get a username & pw. Do a search first on shops in the NY/NJ area. If can't find anything then post a message asking the guys there for a reputable Honda/Acura shop that is good on tranny & clutch work. Labor at most these shops usually goes for $400, because they have to drop the tranny to install the clutch. If you want better performance, you can install an ACT or Fidanza lightweight flywheel at the same time, while the tranny is down.. You 'll be able to get all the info at honda-tech. I know there are a couple of shops in Central-to-North Jersey too. I live in Upstate NY, 55min-1hr north of the GWB.
   
Have you ever changed your MTF - Manual tranny fluid? It should be changed every couple of years. I think this won't help you now because it sounds like the damage is already done. But GET IT done when they replace your clutch or before that. Also look into replacing the clutch fluid.
My '99 GSR only has 32k mi. but I 've been racing it for more than 3yrs. Towards the end of last summer, I noticed 2nd gear was grinding a little more than usual and it was constant, and 3d gear started grinding a little for the first time. I replaced the tranny fluid and every gear now shifts better, smoother & a bit faster, with no grinding. Gotta replace your fluids regularly regardless of mileage! Same with brake fluid, every 2-3yrs (under normal driving conditions) regardless of mileage. Most fluids break down & lose their properties with time, not with mileage.

only1harry

Hope you 're still around and doing well.

The Hawk HP+ pads on my '01 Civic are squealing a lot lately. They have about 10k mi. on them but I honestly don't use the brakes much because 99.5% of my commute is highway. There 's still a good amount of pad left. I 'd say 80-90% of the pad is still there. They squealed a little when they were new but now are doing it more. They also seem to grind some times depending on how cold the temps are. Have you experienced the same thing with yours on the GSR? Is the "grinding" and squealing what they mean when they say these pads are a bit noisy on H/T?
I 'm going to try and replace the brake fluid this weekend. Hopefully I 'll see an improvement. I got 59K mi. on the Civic already. I 've only had 1.5yrs!

I 'm thinking of getting a DC Sports JDM Header (Type-R) for my car? Will I need to get a 2.5" CAT as well? or do any other modifications to make it fit? Does it mount fine on the motor? I 'd like to get a Carsound CAT and probably a cat-back exhaust. I 'm also seriously thinking of getting the AEM V2. Just waiting for prices to go down and for someone to post some dyno results. They 're averaging $240 right now which is more money than I ever saw the original AEM go for.

himiler

Harry -- did you ever end up with a LSD on your Integra?

Oh, and you can count me in as someone who's VERY interested in the RX-8, too.

only1harry

No, not yet but that 's a definite mod that I 'm doing this spring. I 'm still looking for a good shop that 's done a lot of these. There's one in Long Island, almost 2hrs away that I hear has installed tons of LSDs on Honda/Acuras so I 'll probably end up going there. I 'll probably be ordering a Quaife next week.
The RX-8 sounds very appealing especially if it weighs 2800lbs or less like some people are saying. The 350Z doesn't do much for me for some reason. It's got plenty of power & torque but I 've seen 2 of them auto-x (2-3 events) and I beat both their times. I 've also read that the 350Z's suspension is more tuned for comfort and the street so that 's a big turn off for me. If the RX-8 handles the same or better than the last gen. then it 'll be a winner, especially if they keep the weight down which they are. I hear it has low torque though.. oh well, I guess you can't have a perfect car for $30K. I 'm still playing with the idea of buying a used S2000 in a year or so. They make a great auto-x car and are lots of fun. With stock tires and everything they still manage a .90-.91g at the skidpad and 70+mph through the magazine's slaloms which is higher than Type-R & new Miatas. The S2K only weighs 2800lbs and is still a very capable car amongst all these new ones coming out. High 5's in 0-60 is also very noble.
I still don't know how the RX-8's reliability will be because the RX-7's was hit or miss or average at best but I 'm very interested in it. I always wanted an RX-7 up until a couple of years ago. It was the turbo failure/replacement that scared me away every time.

So how is your Quaife holding up on the Prelude?

nyccarguy

Harry, I've read in the Daily News & New York Post during the last few weeks that there's a dealership (Paragon Honda in Queens i think) that still has 2 2001 S2Ks left over. I'm not sure if they're gone or not. If you're looking for a used S2k, the 01 has a plastic rear window where as the 02 has the glass w/ defogger. May be worth a shot, check it out.

himiler

The Quaife is still kicking major butt. Now that I've had it in for a year, my driving style has changed to take full advantage of it. It still blows my mind when I can absolutely rip around tight corners with my foot planted. Ahhhhh...yes!

Per Automobile mag, the RX-8 6spd weighs in at 3020lbs. with a full tank of gas. The model thay tested had the moonroof (no thanks) and leather (yuck), but I'm not sure if it had the power seat. I'm betting that Mazda has sorted out the rotary bugs with the Renesis, because they don't have much going for them as a company without the rotary.

To me, the 350Z feels more like a GT than a track car. Nose heavy and softer damping than I had expected. Good ratios in the tranny, though. To bad it sounds like a tractor when you rev it above 4500rpm.

only1harry

thanks but I 'm not ready yet. I still want to have some more fun with the GSR before I part with it.
Enjoying your Prelude? You should look into a Quaife LSD like himiler put in his Lude.

himiler

nyc's got the Type SH.

only1harry

Good to hear you 're having tons of fun with the LSD. I would too and hopefully will soon :-)

I just saw a new full blown road test of the RX-8 in C&D. Actually it was a comparison. RX-8, Infiniti G350 coupe (with the 350Z motor) & Mustang Cobra (??). RX-8 came in first although it was almost 1.3s slower than the Cobra in 0-60. Now I didn't read the whole article because I was pressed for time, but I saw the specs and the performance stats. RX-8 did 0-60 in 5.9s and 1/4 mi. 14.7s but they had to launch it at 6-7K RPM!! Hmm.. a Type-R can do almost that when launched at 6K RPM (remember, 300+lbs lighter than RX8). Torque is only 159ft-lbs. Weight they said was 2920lbs but that's probably with an empty tank of gas. Handling was excellent: .91g in the skidpad and 73mph through the slalom!! What surprised me the most, was that they said you can fit 2 adults in the back. I didn't expect that.. The car also looked a little bigger than RX-7 and it has a pretty long wheelbase which made the ride more comfortable around town. It was 106.x in. I believe prices started at $28K but I have a feeling dealers will "make up" prices like they 're doing with the 350Z. To summarize, this car doesn't seem to be a pure sports car like the RX-7 was. Although it handles great, the 2920-3,000lb weight is a bit disappointing and the 4 seat capability doesn't appeal to me that much. I guess I was expecting a 2 seater or 2+2 (the ones you can't fit anyone in the back) and a 2800lb car at most. The RX-8 I think would be a great car if it had another 50-70 more torque or 30-40 more HP. You could see where its weakness was, power. In the rolling start from 5-60mph, it was considerably slower than all the others. Where the other 2 cars where only .6-.7s slower in the rolling start, the RX-8 was 1.6s slower! It did it in 7.5s because they couldn't do a 6K RPM launch when the car is rolling at 5mph. Most of us don't launch our cars at 6-7K RPM and it would mean that I 'd be buying a 7sec. car instead of a sub-six one.. I don't know.. My feelings are mixed about this one too. Although it seems it would make a great auto-x car! Traction & adhesion is not where this car lacks.. that's the good news and usually, for me, it is more important than power, but when paying $30K for a car, it be nice to have both. The S2000 still looks very attractive to me because it barely weighs 2800lbs and has the same stats or better than the RX-8. Very comparable anyway. Don't know, I still really like the way the S2K looks. RX-8 looks fresh but C&D's pictures didn't seem to elevate my temperature much.. although I like it better than the 350Z as far as looks go. I think I 'm getting really picky in my "old age" :=)

himiler

If Honda brings the S2200 coupe to the US, I'll have to figure out how important that rear seat in the RX-8 really is.

I don't drag race, so the fact that the RX-8 is down on torque doesn't bug me. Like you, I'm far more interested in steering response and how much speed I can carry thru corners.

nyccarguy

Himiler: You took the words right out of my mouth.

Harry: I love my Prelude more and more every time I drive it. Although I don't have the LSD like Himiler does to help me get started in the white & wet stuff, my ATTS does an excellent job at pulling me around corners at speeds well above the posted limit. I love to pull away from toll plazas and trying to keep the VTEC cam engaged. My common sense pulls me back before the car does. The winter has been pretty rough to it though. I ran over a steel plate that the city uses to cover large potholes/open manholes and ended up with a popped tire, cracked rim, bent RR ball joint, bent RR lower control arm, twisted rear stabalizer bar, my exhaust severed from the resonator back and I had to have a new pipe fabircated (It actually has better low end throttle response due to the higher grade steel), and part of my rear bumper is hanging off. My Prelude has actually been sidelined for about 4 weeks due to the snow storm and the subsequent potholes. I've been driving (if you can call it that) my sister's Automatic Jetta VR6 (and Himiler has been a good sport about listening to me moan, whine, and complain about it). I plan to get it sometime this week or by this weekend the latest.

Enjoy your GSR while you can. As much as you love it you'll have to replace it with something else (like Himiler and I will have to do to our beloved Preludes one day in the very distant future).

If you're looking for something purer than the RX8, then hang on to your GSR for a while longer and see if the RX8 sells well. If it does, then I'll bet the marketing guys as well as the bean counters at Mazda (Read Ford) might send an RX7 or RX8 Coupe our way.

The numbers in the magazines do look impressive. All the journalists seem to rave about the car. Car and Driver tested it against The Mustang Cobra and G35 Coupe as you mentioned while Automobile tested it against a 330i and a 350Z. I'm looking at the numbers this way: It has 50 more horsepower and 2 more lb/ft of torque than my Prelude Type SH. It is RWD (always a +), weighs about 102lbs less than my Prelude. I think we're all going to have to drive this car to get our impressions right.

You also have different needs than Himiler and I dur to the fact that you autocross your GSR on a regular basis.

nyccarguy

If this thing is screwed together as well as my girlfriend's 2000 Protege ES, then we'll have a winner.

only1harry

Sorry to hear about hitting those dang things in the city. I hate when that happens. I can't believe even your rear sway bar got damaged. I 'm looking at my 22mm (I think you have the same size) and I can't imagine the force it would take to bend that piece of solid steel. Must 've been some "bang". I had a similar mishap 2yrs ago where I hit a really wide and deep pot hole. I 've replaced the control arm but my caster is still way off so now after going to 4 different race shops, 1 frame & axle and 2 body shops, I 'm almost convinced the frame is slightly bent because everything else looks good.
Anyway, I think the RX-8 should be well put together and you 're right, I tend to look at a lot of cars from an autocross racing perspective, low curb weight, small wheelbase, no sunroof, etc. I 'm sure it's a great car.

My GSR sat in the driveway for over a month too buried in snow. I just finally drove it this past weekend which was the only nice wknd we 've had in about 2 mos! I just couldn't help but going left & right with it in the backroads like the NASCAR cars do while they follow the pace car just before a race. Very responsive steering & stays nice & flat (helps to have coilovers, Konis, etc.). I missed driving it and had almost forgotten that it handles 10 times better than my '01 Civic and pulls .2g's more. I then drove back to the house, put my son in the GSR, and drove 55mi. to visit my brother & his new fiance in his new house in Ft.Lee/NJ. I averaged 65mph there and back. I got about 30mpg. I couldn't believe I could still get decent gas mileage after almost 4yrs of racing. Of course I hadn't driven the car nicely in a long time either, and have not gotten more than 27-28mpg in over a year. I enjoyed the open road and didn't even really step on it or beat the car. Only hit VTEC twice or so on the ramps getting on the Palisades Parkway. Yes, enjoy the open road as much as you can! Because you never know when we 'll have crappy winters like this one that doesn't want to end..

nyccarguy

Still thinking of selling you his Type R?

only1harry

I would 've bought it by now. He changed his mind and decided to keep it for at least another year, maybe more. He plans on putting Konis on it, aftermarket brake pads, 5mm H&R wheel spacers, and start auto-xing again. He 's even considering installing an aftermarket cat-back exhaust, because he sees a couple of other Type-Rs with it and they seem to be a little faster. They also have free-flow CATS which helps. He just wants to be more competitive in the Stock SCCA class (DS).

nyccarguy

Another car you may want to consider if you're willing to wait another year or 2 with your GSR (like you say you are) besides a used S2000 is possibly a used BMW M Roadster. I know himiler's going to shoot me down on this one, but there seem to be many available for under $30K with little mileage. Wait until 2001 leases come up for the S54 315hp versions if the S52 240hp engine doesn't suit your tastes. I know the Z3 is based off of the archaic E30 rear suspension, but it is an M car we're talking about here. You could potentially get a car still under BMW factory warranty (4 year/50K mile) plus the extended CPO coverage of 6 years or 100K miles from the original in service date. As long as you run the car by a BMW speacialist it could be another option for you.

himiler

I don't have any problem with the M roadster, but the M coupe is a better driver and overall package. Even the Z3 Coupe looks like a ton of fun.

nyccarguy

The syling of the M Coupe (or Z3 Coupe) never appealed to me. But it is supposed to be amazingly rigid and fast to drive due to the lightweight and high horsepower plus BMW M grade suspension.

One of the Mags tested all of the M cars against one another and picked the M Coupe as their M car of choice.

only1harry

I don't like the looks of the M Coupe but you never know if the price is right :-)
Another reason I 'm considering a used S2000 is that it has been an SCCA class winner for the last 2-3yrs (A Stock). This is a huge achievement for Honda because the S2000s go up against dozens of Porsche Boxters in the same class every year at the SCCA National Championships. Some of these Boxter drivers were ex-National champs themselves before the S2K came out or National caliber drivers. The idea of owning a $20-25K used Honda that can beat $50K Boxters really appeals to me :-)

xiuxu

Hi,all,
I just bought an acura integra LS,1998.
the milage is 105,000, but the timing
belt hasn't yet been replaced.
The inspector of a car repair told me
that it's really expensive to repair
the cylinder if the timing belt isn't
replaced,and the price of replacing
the timing belt is about $450. I don't
know whether I should replace it right
now or I can drive a little more.
Do you have any advice?
thanks a lot.
xiuxu

himiler

What's peace of mind worth to you? To wit: I sold my '89 Prelude to a guy at 93K miles, having never changed the timing belt, of which I informed the new owner.

Three weeks later, he called to inform me that the belt had broken, causing the valves to impact and bend to the tune of $2100.

Having owned more than a few Honda/Acura cars since this episode, I've been fairly religious about swapping the belt every 90K, and have had no problems.

I'd get it done sooner rather than later.

deryckfm

Weather has started to improve in Chicago. Got a chance to spend more time on the GS-R again to unhibernate it. Last couple of outings required a 3rd passenger in the backseat (happens sometimes). Was wondering if an '03 Accord Coupe, 6mt, 6cyl, 3.0 should be considered as a viable option for swapping the GS-R with. Having heated seats and navigation sys would be nice but are not that important enough to do a trade.

I am aware that these are 2 different cars, but just wanted to see what other's had to say about giving up a 2000 GS-R (8k miles) for a 2003 Accord EX Coupe. Thanks in advance.

xiuxu

Thanks to himiler.
it seems that I'd better replace the timing
belt right now.It sounds terrible.
xiuxu

vegoen

Hey, guys which integra trim is best value for performance? LS GS GS-R or Type R?

Any advice on buying a used integra?

only1harry

the GSR. Type-Rs are not that easy to find and you 'll pay a few thousand $$ more than GSR for one. LS/GS are not that much less than GSRs and you get 30hp less. A used Type-R will range from $14-21K depending on the year. Most Type-Rs sell for $16-19K depending on mileage. For $11-14K you can find good deals on GSRs with relatively low miles so I would say the GSR is the best value for performance, but if you plan on racing the car (autocross, roadracing/track) the Type-R is the car to get because it's just a very different car than (a non-modified) a GSR. If you don't know what the differences are (besides 25hp) between the two let me know.

vegoen

Hey thanks man, yea i know the difference specs wise, and I love v-tech engines. Although I dont like that integras have low torque they are fun to revv

Lots of consumer reports state that integras are unreliable and have lots of problems, my sister owns an LS and shes been having lots of problems with it.

So what car do you think I should go for? gs-r or related coupe type?

garados

alright, let's take it easy. Nobody is a troll and himiler isn't 12 years old. He's given lots of useful info, so he knows some stuff.

Anyway, I've just gotten my skunk2 camberkit in, and it's a beauty. I can't wait to get my camber back, or close to, 0 degrees. I've had my kumho 712's on for about 1000 miles and I've already taken off about a quarter inch of tread on the inside 2 inches of the tread. Before raceday, though, I'll set the camber to -2 degrees or so. Is that a good idea? or should I just leave it alone?

vegoen, I agree with harry. The gsr is the best for the money. It has good performance, a wealth of aftermarket support, and it's a lot cheaper and more available than a type r. Also, the gsr and type r have vtec, not vtech. vtech is a phone manufacuter and vtec, well, you know what vtec is.

About the reliability of integras, there really isn't much of a problem with them. The only things that went bad on my car were my tanny and clutch, and that was my fault. I downshifted VERY poorly and destroyed the clutch, and in turn, destroyed the main shaft bearing. I replaced both, and the car is running very well. Oh, the water pump and timing belt should be replaced between 60-90000 miles. The integras don't have a tendency to break as long as you do the routine maintainence and don't do anything stupid like I did.

only1harry

The Integra's reliability (any flavor) is definitely above average. Himiler has put over 200k mi. on each of his Integras (thus his nickname) and the last Integra with much more than 200k mi. is still driven by his sister.
Another friend of mine that has been racing his '00 GSR for over 2yrs, has had no problems wiht his. He has 150k hard driven miles on the car! He 's a nut and will drive hundreds of miles just to autocross race and goes around to all the clubs in 3-4 states. He 's even gone down to South & North Carolina from his home state New Jersey, so that's how he piles the miles on.

I believe my good "forum" friend Himiler was implying that you could be very young (compared to us) and inexperienced with cars, since you mispelled VTEC and called the Integra "unreliable" which is not. Those are usually signs of a teenager looking to buy his first car, who may not be of age to drive yet. We 've seen a few here on the board which doesn't mean anything, and I don't think Himiler meant anything by it. It just that I would probably address a 15yr old different than I would an 18+ yr old..
Anyway, I think your question has been answered by both me & Garados (how 've you been buddy?), as far as which Integra offers the most performance for the least $$.
And finally we are all car enthousiasts here and most of us have modifications done to our cars and belong to race clubs or Motorsports clubs.