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Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

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Comments

  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    You like close competition ^_^ That's great. Why do you want to get a new crank pulley? About the exhaust, get a custom one done. Not only will it be cheaper, you can have it look like you want and sound like you want. There's a guy here that has a straight through muffler, actually a cherry bomb, but by using resonators, the exhaust it extremely quiet. What did you do with your old suspension setup? FTD, I'll be really happy when that day comes for me. Until then, I'll be happy with a good standing in the novice class =)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    A lighter crank pulley frees up HP and transfers it to the wheels. Just like the lighter flywheel does. Which is why you rev the motor faster. So instead of losing the usual 15-20% at the wheels, we only lose maybe 10% or less.

    These mods do not add extra HP to the motor, but free up Ponnies from of your existing total HP. This is why BMWs are so quick even though they 're relatively heavy compared to Integras. They only lose about 10% at the wheels, compared to most other cars that lose 16,17,18% or more.
    When I dynoed my car stock it was exactly an 18% loss by the time power got to the wheels! Type-Rs lose an average of 17%.
    BTW, I had my car corner weighted and it weighed exactly 2595 without me in it, with no spare or jack. I still had many CDs in it and the glove compartment was full of stuff. That's not bad. I figured most of the weight reduction came from the stock air box and resonator which is said to be about 10-15lbs more than the AEM CAI, lighter flywheel (7+lbs) and probably 15lbs from the shocks as the Advance Designs are very light and made out of titanium. I couldn't believe how light they were compared to the Konis. And the Konis are slightly lighter than the factory shocks.
    The GSR intake manifold is very heavy as well which is why I want to get an aftermarket one. I picked up a new Skunk2 GSR manifold they had on display at the front of the shop, and it was extremely light. Maybe 15lbs. The GSR intake manifold is all cast iron and at least twice as heavy and more. It also gives you a couple of extra whp since it allows more air in. The only thing is that it has single runners so you don't hear the secondaries like we do now at 5800RPM (speedo may show 6k because it's off) which is somewhat exciting. Most people think that's VTEC kicking in but it's not. That's just the secondary runners opening up on the intake manifold, sucking in more air. VTEC activates around 4600 RPM (or 4800 I forget).
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    going to get the crank pulley, make sure it's balanced. My friend had a lightened one, and it totally destroyed the crank due to the unbalanced pulley.

    How does the car handle now that you've corner weighted it? Also, how often are you in the low rpm's? I hear that the low-end torque loss is pretty significant with the skunk2 manifold.
  • meehowmeehow Member Posts: 6
    I'm looking to get a car and I found a '96 GSR w/ 70k on it for $7,000. I looked at the car today. It's not in great condition, but its pretty good. There's some samll paint chips on the front bumper and some small scratches on the right door. Also, theres some paint damage on the back bumper, but no body damage. The owner says someone with a trailer hitch backed into him. Other than that theres only a couple small things wrong; no tweeter on right side, clock doesn't work, cieling scratched inside. I had the car looked at and everything checked out. However, there are 2 problems that I'm afraid may be serious. The SRS and ABS lights are on. The SRS one is pretty serious b/c it is illegal to drive with this light on and its also "illegal" to sell a car with this light on. More importantly this might be an indication of a fairly big problem. This could range from bad wiring or bad sensors to even worse, bad air bags (roughly $1,000 a piece). The ABS light is not as serious IMO as the SRS light, but is still quite important. It could indicate a broken ABS modulator ($250). Another possibility is that the ECU could be broken, which is around $250 plus labor (correct me if I'm wrong). When I notified the current owner of these problems he offered to take it to a Honda/Acura dealer and get it checked out and send me the report of what needs to be fixed. He said he would be then willing to get those things fixed or to drop that amount from the selling price. What do you guys think?
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    was a blast ^_^ $150 for almost 2 hours of track time with instruction. I'm sooooo tired right now. I went at 7:00 am and got home at about 6:00 pm. IMO, it was money well spent. Going into the clinic, I was kinda nervous, because I had never been on a road course, but it was fun regardless. The track was 1.5ish miles long and the max and min speeds I reached were 90 and 20 mph. Hehe, it was fun. There was only passing on the straights, and I had some problems with passing, but oh well.

    Firstly, I'm a novice, so I was put in with all the, well, novices =P There were 2 ac cobras (both were beautiful kit cars), two corvettes, an mr2, a dinan something (turbocharged, 170 bhp), a wrx, and a spec miata. On my first session (7 laps: 1 warmup, 1 cool down, 5 hot) I started last and passed everybody by the end of about the 4th lap ^_^ I continued to do this and be very consistent for a total of about 20 hot laps. I made the corvettes, cobras, and the dinan very upset when I passed them. They couldn't believe it, hehe. The general consensus was that it was embarassing enough to be passed by a honda/acura and even worse to be passed by a sedan ^_^

    So, after lunch, my instructor moved me up to a different group, where the drivers are experienced and there are less people than in the student group. My instructor and I did a follow-the-leader thing, and I was able to stay with him for the first 2 hot laps. Then, on the third, I passed him ^_^ I was so happy!! On the fourth lap, he passed me after I made a terrible mistake and scrubbed off a lot of speed. On the fifth lap, at the final straightaway, I was able to catch up to him and pass him again ^_^ It was a good challenge and he was very impressed on how well I had become in a single day. In the beginnning of this year, we went to the track, and he beat me horribly. Now, hehe, I can stay with him and even beat him ^_^ Oh, I guess I should add this in. This whole time my instructor and I were "battling" =P we were both passed by a couple cars, mainly the zo6's, an nsx, and some sort of datsun. So, overall it was a great experience, and I hope to go back soon ^_^
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Sounds like a great idea. Let the owner take it to the dealer so you know exactly what is wrong with the car, what needs to be fixed, and how much money it 'd cost.

    Here's my take on it: If that Integra only has 70k mi. it 's got too many lights on. Integras with 70k mi. don't have ABS and SRS lights on. I think something is going on with this car or something had happened to it. Maybe the ECU or other parts were stolen and he put an aftermarket cheap ECU, etc. don't know.. but you should let the dealer look at it and see what is wrong and ask that you meet him at the dealer lot so you can talk to the mechanics there and ask them what caused all these lights to come on which is unusual for an Acura with 70k mi. Also ask for permission to look under the car while they have it on the lift. Look for signs of an accident, and make sure it's a GSR and not an RS/LS/GS, etc. How did it run? Did you test drive it?
    Good luck.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    sounds like a lot of fun!! Looks like you were born a road racer and I an auto-xer :-) Although I haven't tried road racing yet.. I might 've been born for both :)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    auto-x'ers make good road racers, but road racers don't always make good auto-x'ers. I think that you'll be awesome on a road course if you go out ^_~

    Well, I don't know what I want to do now. I now know that I can road race with some of the better drivers in the area, but I still can't keep up with them during an auto-x. I need to practice my auto-xing skills, but it's a better value to go lapping at a road course.

    Also, I burned a quart of oil during the lapping sessions. I'm going to be replacing the cam seal cap as well as do a compression check. Also, what is a PCV?
  • storms_furystorms_fury Member Posts: 9
    Hi Acura/Honda fan club (*smile*),

    It's my first time posting to the forum, but found it very helpful in my quest to find a new car. I had a 1999 Accord EX coming off of lease and refused to pay (overpay!) what they wanted for the car. I considered an RSX (is it me, or is the rear visibility terrible???) and the Celica (cute but I love Hondas).

    One afternoon, I saw him: my 1995 Integra RS, silver, 34K miles!, sexy! The next day, I was driving home my new obsession. So far, I have put about 500 miles on the car and other than forcing the dealer to replace the timing belt (which they couldn't prove had ever been done), I've had no problems.

    All in all, a great little car, great on gas and very zippy! Now, I want a good keyless/security system on my 'baby'. Any suggestions? I don't want to pay a fortune, but I would absolutely KILL if anyone took him...also, any idea on a good place to get a car cover for him?

    -->one hot chic, loving her newly acquired 'Teg!!!
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Sounds like a great car ^_^ Hope you have lots of fun with it. Also, check to make sure that the water pump has been replaced as well, just in case. Trust me, it's a pain to get that timing belt off. I've done it three times, and each time sucked.

    For an alarm, go to a reputable place. I've heard the stories of little places doing the alarm system, finding out everything about a car, then go and steal it afterwards. I would recommend a "viper" alarm paired up to lo-jack. To my understanding, lo-jack is a system that tells the location of a car if it is stolen, so you have a higher chance of getting it back.

    I found that autozone makes custom car covers, but I don't know if they make one for the integra, but it wouldn't hurt trying.

    Have fun with the teg, and do some suspension and brake modifications before engine mods. It'll be much more rewarding. If you do want to go this route, only1Harry and I will help you with which suspension parts to get.
  • storms_furystorms_fury Member Posts: 9
    I appreciate the advice! I am loving the car so far. I went to Circuit City last night and they had a DEI Viper Keyless/Alarm system on sale ($239 including all parts and installation), so I decided to go with that. I plan to get it on this weekend. Lojack sounds like a good idea, too...not sure if they can add it on with that alarm system...will pester the techs. :)

    I forced the issue, so the car dealership replaced the timing belt (at no cost to me) and all other hoses/belts, but I wasn't savvy on the water pump issue at the time!!! :( So, for now, I will keep an eye on it and since the car is under extended warranty, get it done when I take in for an oil change? For now, I don't have any apparent problems with it.

    I'll check on the car cover this weekend too -- I am having such fun!

    Now, what was that about 'brake modifications'? As far as 'suspension' work, I don't plan on racing my new baby...

    In a few weeks, I will try to have a digital pic of the car to post on this site. :)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Before I go into brakes and suspension, remember this. Your life is riding on these two things. Don't go cheap on brakes or suspension.

    Just to make the car more fun to drive, and also safer, braking and suspension modifications are good. I would recommend in getting some new brake pads, rotors, fluid, and maybe brake lines. Now, if all of that looks good, then don't worry about it.

    Integra's are pretty good when it comes to having a good stock suspension setup, but there's lots of room for improvement. Lowering the car is a good first step, not only will it look better, it'll handle better as well. Depending on where you are, and your ambitions to make the car look better, I would recommend a 1.5 inch maximum drop. Any farther than this, and an alignment will not be able to save your tires. Eibach, Neuspeed, H&R, and Comptech are good spring manufacturers.

    When lowering a car, the shocks must also be upgraded, or else the extra wear from the lowering springs will cause the stock shocks to wear prematurely. Getting aftermarket shocks designed for lowered cars will solve the problem. Look for Koni, Tokiko, and Bilstein for shocks.

    The most bang-for-the-buck suspension modification is upgrading the rear sway bar. Getting one from an Integra Type-R is the cheapest way to go, and will be easiest on the wallet. Some sway bar makers are Comptech, Suspension Techniques, Neuspeed, and Progress.

    If you ever get a chance, try to find a local scca (sports car club of America, www.scca.org) auto cross event. If you find one, go to it and just watch or even ask for a ride.

    Finally, this board isn't as active as some, and we don't have all the answers. I would recommend www.honda-tech.com or www.team-integra.net as great resources for information. Although, Harry is a great source of information when it comes to suspension and auto crossing ^_~
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    good luck with your 'new' Integra!

    Don't listen to Garados. He tends to get a little carried away some times :-) Enjoy the car stock the way it is. If and when you start to get tired of it or used to it, a year from now let's say, then come back and ask us what you can do to make it more exciting. The Integra can be an exhilerating car to drive if you only spend a "little bit" of money on it. They can handle amazingly which makes them a lot more fun to drive. With a little suspension modding, it 'll be a whole new experience (for the better).

    You have one of the lightest 3d generation (called g3) Integras ever made. The RS weighs under 2500lbs, due to lack of accessories, so your stock brakes should work pretty well as they 're the same on a GSR that weighs 2650lbs. Just make sure your pads are in good shape as well as the rotors and change the brake fluid every 2yrs with Honda brake fluid only.
    Honda-tech.com is a very technical forum and there's tons of information there for those who want to modify their Honda/Acura. It is also a major forum for people that race their Hondas. It can become very overwhelming reading through hundreds of posts (they get about 2,000/day!) but it is for Honda/Acura enthousiasts so you might want to check it out. I 'm sure you 'll find good info on car covers. Just make sure you do a 'search' first, otherwise you 'll be yelled at and told that your question has been covered many times before.
    Most auto parts stores carry decent covers. Just make sure they 're 2 or 3-layer covers that protect the car all year round from the sun as well as rain/moisture. Don't buy a cheap one or anything under $90. Have fun with your Integra! I 'll post one of mine again soon (I can only post my racing pics, I don't have any normal pics of my car sitting in the driveway or something like that.. weird!)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • meehowmeehow Member Posts: 6
    The car was in an accident. The front end, A/c, and radiator were replaced. Now you can't even tell that the front has been replaced and the A/C works great. I've taken the car to 2 different shops and both of them said it was fine other than the lights. I'm sure its a GS-R, because I ran a CarFax and RS/LS aren't this quick. Yes I did test drive it. It feels nice and drives smooth, my biggest complaint is the road noise, but I've read this exists in all Integras. Anyways, the guy took the car to the Acura dealer here in town and they told him it needs a new ABS modulator, and a driver's side airbag. The seller said he is going to do this work and show me recipts. He also replaced the broken antena. After these repairs I got him down to $6,750.
    What do you think?
  • meehowmeehow Member Posts: 6
    A few more questions:

    -What are some of the down-sides of buying a car thats been in a wreck. Other than that its been in a wreck :)

    -How much would a stock front bumper cost(new or used)?

    -How much would a stock rear bumper cost(new or used)?

    -How much would a interior ceiling panel cost and how hard would this be to replace?

    Once again thanks for the input
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Some downsides to being in a wreck could possibly lead to lots of problems in the future including bad suspension, things just being a little out of whack causing other things to break, etc.

    The stock front and rear bumpers can cost a lot of money if bought from the dealer, upwards of 300 dollars. I think I got quoted 450 for the front bumper. The same goes for the rear bumper. Then again, if bought used, they can be very cheap, like 50 bucks or so. Just look around, and you'll find something.

    I don't know about the ceiling panel, but I don't think it would be hard to replace. Just as the bumpers, shop around. You'll probably find a good deal... hopefully.

    Good luck with the teg =D
  • storms_furystorms_fury Member Posts: 9
    ...for the input, for now, I am very happy with the car. I'm female graduate Mech'l Engrg student, in school fulltime. So, I just wanted a reliable, fuel efficient, but FUN TO DRIVE car, and my lil Teg is fitting the bill nicely! It will take about 3-5 to get the degree, so then, I would consider making any mods to my car...unless my husband gives me some $$$ to do it! *smile*

    It's funny...I worked in aerospace for a few years before coming back to school to get my Ph.D. in M.E., and so people think that means I should know about cars --- WRONG! I am humble enough to admit that engineers learn the 'theory' and that technicians learn 'practical knowledge'! Now, I like to hang out at my Honda dealer's service dept (I had an Accord before this Acura) and ask questions, and learn what I can from the cool guys there...the Acura service guys are pretty good too, but they don't like my 'silly questions' as much! :)

    Before, I had 2 leased vehicles (a 97 Nissan 200SX and a 99 Accord EX sedan), so I just had the oil changed, took them for service, put gas in, and went on with life! (Hey, what can I say, I'm a girly-girl!) I got sick of the large size of my Accord, and missed the compact size of my old 200SX...I was looking at the Acura RSX and Celicas, but when I saw my Teg, it was no contest--how could they stop making this great car?!?!??! Now, this Teg is my first 'owned' vehicle, so I want to take good care of him and keep him for many years to come.

    I have to admit, learning about cars is pretty fun! I was too busy working with jets to realize how cool cars are. I am learning more everyday and you guys are giving me all kinds of good info.

    (and this forum is a good distraction for when I get tired of studying!) hahahhahahahahhaahaha

    ---Storm's Fury
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    You're getting a degree in M.E.? Me too ^_^ Although, you're a little ahead of me. I'm shooting for a degree within 5 years and I'll be starting my first year at the end of August.
  • storms_furystorms_fury Member Posts: 9
    Yep, I'm an M.E. too...and a former SAE queen at my undergrad university to boot. :)

    Good luck to you on pursuing your degree. It will be challenging, but rewarding...it's such a broad field. What do you want to do with the degree?

    And a little off topic question for you: where can I go to get a hood pin/lock installed? That's a pretty good idea to keep would-be thieves/scum/bottom feeders from getting inside my car...
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    dang! we 're all (or will be) engineers but I work in the LAN/WAN network engineering field. Sadly enough, most companies are now off-shoring these jobs to India and elsewhere :(
    Over $1B (billion!) of American jobs were offshored last year alone. Our government really stinks to allow this to happen.

    Any garage should be able to install the hood lock. Check with auto parts stores to see what they carry. Also check with car alarm companies since their work is "auto-security".
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Sounds like this car needs many things.
    The price you agreed on is fair if there was nothing wrong with the car. But if you need to pay for bumpers and other interior stuff, then the price of the car will go up to $7500-8K. Check with Kelley Blue Book on line: www.kbb.com to see what the price on the car is (in fair condition, not good or excellent), and decide from there.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • meehowmeehow Member Posts: 6
    KBB in fair is ~$7,200, in good it's ~$8,000, and I haven't checked excellent, so judging from those it would be a good deal, just wanted to know what you guys thought. Just to clarify the car doesn't need the bumpers or interior, therefore they aren't a top priority for me. They're just something I would consider doing if I got some extra $.
  • storms_furystorms_fury Member Posts: 9
    I agree, offshore engrg DOES suck. Every other day there is a plant closure. :| That is why I am back in school now!

    AS for the hood pin, thanks for the followup, I will check on that, hopefully get it done this weekend.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    What did you look at? Private sale? or retail price - what a dealer would sell it for?
     
    Only look at private sale and wholesale/trade-in prices. Then take the average of those 2 and that's the price you should be paying if buying it from a private owner.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • jimc93sijimc93si Member Posts: 34
    Hi folks.
    I just bought a 2000 Black GSR. I found it at the credit union repo lot while looking at loan rates. It was just listed as an Integra, so when I drove over there and saw the GS-R label inside the driver door I almost fell over.
     It's in new condition with only 36000 miles on it. Spent its whole life in Florida with one owner and the leather looks like garage-kept. I signed the papers today for 12.5K plus tax. Tomorrow I take it. :)
     My current car is a 93 civic si with 189,000 miles, it still runs and looks fine.
      It's a nice step up from the civic. Everything is in the right place. The only problem I have is I'm 6'3" and the headroom is a little tight. Having been brought up in MG midgets I'm used to confined spaces, so that's not a really big deal.
     What I really wanted was an MR2 Spyder with the sequential shifter, but that's like 30K after taxes etc. and my wife thinks I should give more priorty to the mortgage and the 2 teenagers. Plus, the MR2 had only 1.2 cubic feet of storage and no back seat, which hurts when my daughter wants to bring her girlfriend home from swim practice or something.
     Anyway, this is a great car, I love it. It's never been modified and everything is stock. So, intake first, so I can hear it, then lower profile tires.
    I wish I was driving it now instead of typing on the computer :)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    sounds like a steal ^_~ I would buy that in a heart beat... if I had the money... but that's a different story =P An intake is a good beginning mod. It sounds good too. Have fun with the car ^_^
  • storms_furystorms_fury Member Posts: 9
    Dude, what a great purchase! I would have snapped that up for sure! My newly acquired Teg was also an ex-Florida, low mileage, garage kept car.

    Enjoy your new purchase. I am definitely having an 'affair' with mine. :) (And my husband doesn't mind -- much).
    -->Storm's Fury
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Congrats & good luck with it!
    It's funny though, I don't have a GS-R label on the inside of any doors..
    Maybe only the '00 & '01 models had them.. Is it engraved on the door panel, a label, what does it look like? I 'm curious. My '99 doesn't say GS-R anywhere.. I don't think. It only has the DOHC/VTEC sticker in the back.
    You got a good price too!
     
    Just make sure it has an 8100 RPM red line. It should be a 5-sp. and the valve cover (black) should say DOHC VTEC on it.
     
    BTW, if it's a GSR, you should be "hearing" it already. GSR gets pretty noisy at 6K RPM when the secondary runners open up. It sounds good. But an aftermarket intake can only improve performance if it's a Cold Air Intake (CAI). Get the AEM CAI. It gives the most HP and torque gains. I gained 12.4 hp at the wheels, and 7.5 ft-lbs of torque at the wheels. It's the best bang for the buck, only $180.
    Just avoid deep puddles and you 'll be ok. My car is lowered over 2-2.25" now and the splash guard was ripped out a month ago while auto-x racing at an SCCA event (It was hanging out pretty low because a screw fell off so I was just asking for trouble). On the way home (80 mi.) it started raining very hard and kept raining till I got home. I was worried because the air filter from the AEM was only about 5.5" away from the ground and totally exposed. I got home fine and I even averaged 65-70 mph. There was also some flooding with about 1" puddles here & there. I checked the filter. It was a little wet but I didn't have any problems. It needs to suck in a lot of water at once to damage the valves or motor. Little tiny dropplets or mist don't do anything.

    As for tires, 205-50-15" is the best size for the stock alloys and they look much better on the car. 205-50s also don't alter your speedometer as much because they 're almost the same circumferance. Don't go cheap on tires! The GSR is a good handling car out of the box, but only with decent tires. Get ZR summer tires if you can. Falken Azenis (Sport) is the best one out there and very inexpensive compared to other Ultra performance tires. Use snow tires in the winter if you 're going to be driving it in light snow or sleet. All season tires will not work well in snow and never do. Use winter tires for that.
    You 're on the right track to make your car a lot more fun to drive. The only other thing that every Integra owner will tell you is an absolute must, besides good tires, is a larger rear sway bar to cut down on body roll and increase your lateral G forces. It helps tremendously when cornering and on long sweepers (skidpad/winding back roads). 22mm is the most common which is the same size on the Integra Type-R. Comptech makes a really good 22mm sway bar that comes with a lower tie bar that also serves as sub-frame reinforcement which we need for anything over 19mm. Your stock rear sway bar is only 14mm. So in order of importance and safety: Tires, rear sway bar, intake. Good luck!
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    I get carried away? Sheesh, you're just as bad as I am =P

    Well, I need to find a compression tester because mine doesn't work >:O My engine is burning oil at a rate that's kinda scaring me. I don't redline that much, but it do get into vtec occasionally, just because my exhaust pops when vtec engages ^_^ If I find that the engine is bad, I'm going to do a swap, probably to a b20b. I'll use that to keep my car running (I can't afford down time, now that school's starting), fix the b18, then swap it back in when I have time. After that, I'll just keep the b20 or just sell it. Would that be a good plan? I don't plan on racing the b20 at all, just in case I forget that it'll explode if I take it to 8100 rpm.
  • jimc93sijimc93si Member Posts: 34
    Thanks all for the useful comments.
    I live in Tampa, Fl so there's no problem running summer tires all year. Someone on HT suggested the iceman CAI, which uses the same intake port, I think. Massive puddles are a problem here, they are not too deep, but kick up alot of water.
    Just having front & rear swaybars is a nice adjustment from the SI. Once I get used to making payments again (I haven't had any in 5 years) I'll see how much is left over for upgrades.
    The car is a lease return, not a repo as I was initially informed. It is in near mint condition. Yes, it is definitely a GSR. I could have sworn there was a silver metallic label on the drivers door jam, but now there's not. There is a bigger label that says GS-R along with other specs. The valve cover says DOHC Vtec.
    I can't wait to drive it across the bay tomorrow and show the guy who paid list price for his RSX-S :)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Remember me?:D Finally decided to get off my lazy [non-permissible content removed] and poke my nose in here again. I honestly can't believe so much time (~6 months) has passed since I last posted here, and it looks like I've missed some very good conversations. Oh well, I guess that's what happens when you start a new job and your kids find new ways to keep you busy.

    All is good with me, and I have a lot to tell you about -- from my new GCs to my first track day and my autocrossing this year. But I'll have to check back later 'cause I need to catch a flight to New Orleans. Bye for now.

    -Casey
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Sheesh, long time. Glad to hear all is going well. You'll have to tell about your auto-xing and other things you've done the last couple months. Have a good flight ^_^
  • meehowmeehow Member Posts: 6
    The guy who is selling the 96 GS-R I mentioned earlier, has replaced the driver's side airbag and the ABS modulator. Both of which were causing lights to go off. He is now willing to sell me the car for $6,750. The catch is that the car does have a salvage title. It was involved in a front-end collision when it was 5 months old (@8k, different owner). The front end was replaced along with the A/c and radiator. The current owner has driven it for the past 62K miles w/ no major problems. I have also had it checked out by two shops and niether found any problems with it. The guy is moving on Sat. so I only have a couple days to decide on this. What do you guys think/suggest?
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    welcome back buddy! People even posted topics with your name on H-T and you never replied so I was worried.. One guy did say that you took first in STS at one event in the Atlanta region a few weeks ago, so I knew you were alive :) Congrats!
    I took my first FTD at a BMW club the day after I installed the Advance Design race shocks with 650/750lb springs (car is really NOT streetable now, which sucks because I love driving it every weekend or whenever I can). It felt good kicking M3 butt (many E36 modified ones - BSP/ASP cars) :-) and everyone else's with a 185hp 4cyl car :) It's funny how you get instant recognition when you get FTD :)
    Glad to hear you 're doing well. New job will definitely prevent you from getting on line or posting a lot. Why the change? Did they have layoffs at your company too? Here they 're offshoring everyone left & right. I 'm just waiting for my turn :(
    Garados: Whatever you do, don't go into the IT or high-tech field.. Go for finance, business or bio-medical & pharmaceutical field. White collar high-tech and engineering jobs are all done with in the US. Everything 's been offshored to India and other countries. 3 million American jobs will be offshored in the next 5-7yrs!! Well enough of that. Back to cars :)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • himilerhimiler Member Posts: 1,209
    If two different shops have said the car is straight, then it probably is.

    As long as you're comfortable with the car's history, you might as well go for it. Otherwise, keep looking.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    If the car has a salvage title, then it means it was totalled by the insurance company.

    This also means that if the car was only 5mos old when the accident happened, that there was substantial damage (like $17-18K) totalling more than the cost of the car. Front end/suspension, plus A/C and radiator usually don't total a 5mo. old car, unless there was a lot of body work that needed to be done, plus brake hubs/assemblies, rotors, calipers, wheels, and straighting out the frame. Usually when a car is bought from the insurance company with a salvage title, people fix the bare minimum stuff to get it up & running, which explains why there was no side-airbag and other things replaced/fixed in the car.
    The one thing I 'd be afraid of in a car with a salvage title, is the frame or condition of the chassis. It is possible that this car may chew up tires every few months because of a crooked/bent chassis. Wheel alignments don't help. Car might always pull or may be unstable at high speeds. Also another problem with big accidents is, that the motor and tranny might have moved (as well as suspensoin components and axles in relation to the tranny position) as a result of components or the sub-frame bending. This could cause one of your 2 front axles (half-shafts) to break often, brakes wearing out early, and in general weird things happening with the front end, brake, and steering components, even clutch components if something 's misaligned from the accident's impact. It's a tough decision. If the car drives really well, and tracks well, ie: relatively straight then you might want to take a chance and buy this car since the guy already fixed 2 critical things.
    I 'm also further skeptical about the repairs this guy did. Did they install a new airbag and ABS modulator? The air bag with installation alone is about $600-800 if it were done at the dealer. How can this guy afford to still sell it around the same price he was asking? Did he show you the invoice of all the work done? I hope they didn't just reset the computer or did something else to bypass it or break the indicator lights.. It could be the guy just wants to get rid of it bad enough too, that he was willing to pay good money to fix it up. I don't know, it's a difficult decision and unless I was there and saw and drove the car, I cannot give you a definite answer.

    I know you feel sort of indebted to this guy since he fixed what he promised, but I think what you should do as one final step, is have the Acura dealer "certify" this car. It's the only way to know exactly what the condition of the car is and what it really needs to bring it up to Acura's standards. I 'm sure you 've heard of Acura certified pre-owned vehicles. That's the direction I would take. Only then would I be satisfied that I 'm making the right decision in buying this car. If the Acura dealer gives it a clean bill of health and CERTIFIES it that it met and passed all of Acura's inspection points, then grab it. Of course this might cost a couple of hundred bucks $$ more, but hey, tell the guy if it passes, then you 'll split the cost with him. There may not be enough time for this though.. Let us know what happens.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • meehowmeehow Member Posts: 6
    The guy got the car check out at an Acura dealership which is where they told him about the airbag and modulator, however the work was done elsewhere. He said it totaled roughly $1000 for both the airbags and modulator(he used a refurbished airbag). I'm going to meet with him tomorow to look at the car again. He said that he was going to bring the recipts/paperwork from those two repairs. I would love to get it certified by Acura, but I doubt I will be able to get that in within the time constraints. I will let you guys know how it goes tommorow. Once again thanks.

    EDIT: one of the shops I took it into checked the frame specifically and they didn't notice anything out of the ordinary
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    unless they put it up on the frame machine ($$), it's very hard to tell. Usually the subframe gets out of wack because that's what supports the front end but if the car feels fine when you drive it, then it's probably ok.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Alright, I found that my piston rings are fried. I burned a quart in less than a week. So, here's my question. Can I just replace the rings? or should I take the block out and have it bored out then put new rings in? I don't really have the time or money to do the latter, but if it's absolutely necessary to do, I'll do it. Thanks
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    on what condition the rest of the motor is in. If it's just the piston rings then replace those. Might it might that the the motor needs a rebuild. How many miles on it?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    the rest of the motor is in pretty good condition, except for the cam seal cap thingy. That's leaking a little bit. The engine has 108k miles on it now, and it still runs really strong. I just burns lots of oil =P Do you know what a good set of rings to get is?
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I can talk about bolt-ons all day long. When it comes to engine internals, I have no clue about brands or manufacturers. JDM stuff is always good to get I guess but pricey. Why not OEM parts?
    Sounds to me like this car was drag raced a lot by previous owner(s) or by current owner :-)

    I met this guy at the gas pump the other day driving a '95 GSR with 142k mi. He said the only repair so far is the water pump and that was recently so he did a 2nd timing belt at the same time. He also said that he only redlines it "maybe once a month" and that he 's taken really good care of the car since he bought it used in '98. So it would only make sense that too many trips to redline will cause problems with rings and seals around ~100k mi. But hey, how else are you supposed to enjoy the car if you don't make trips to redline?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • deryckfmderyckfm Member Posts: 29
    Hopefully my GSR too will only have the same signs of old age as that guy from the gas station above. So far that weird noise from the fuel pump still shows up once in a while but the dealer could not find anything wrong with the pump(could not replicate the noise though while it was in for an oil change). They did say that they only had to replace 1 pump amongst all the GSR's that they've dealt with. Not much to update you guys with about that weird noise then, sorry.

    Good news is that the GSR is now paid for so extra cash can go to mods now. Only has 10k on the clock though so maybe by next spring a CAI, rear sway bar, tires (in that order you think?) can be saved for.

    Here's another weird story. A friend of mine was driving an older Integra (124k miles) on the highway (55-60mph) in 5th gear and out of nowhere, the rev's went up, speedo registered 70mph, but the car wasn't going faster. He thought that he accidentally took it out of 5th gear so he pushed the clutch in and pushed it back in 5th (but turned out not to be in neutral). Car ran normally for a few more miles and the same things happened again (revs went up, speedometer went to 70), but this time he just let off on the gas for a second or two, revs went down, speed went down, gave it some gas and car seemed to be "back in gear". Only happens on 5th gear/highway speeds. Told him it might be the clutch (still has the original), but his mechanic said that it's not the clutch (but only drove it around sidestreets) since it was not slipping. Mechanic said it might be the trans. Any similar experiences among you all? Was it the clutch or trans?
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I learned a 'little' about my trans. a month ago when they had it all taken apart in about 40-50 different pieces to install the LSD (Limited Slip Differential for the newbies).
    There 's this large "gear" (I 'm still not that good with trans. lingo) type looking round piece that sits on top of the differential. I was told that piece there reads the RPMs from the engine and passes along to the diff. and the rest of the tranny accordingly. It has gear teeth all around it and not only does it sit on the Diff. but when they were putting it all back together those teeth align with some other gears in the rest of the tranny. That piece probably has worn "teeth" and this is why they say over time you have bigger margin of error in your tacometer. I 've noticed mine changed. I used to read 80mph at 4k RPM, now it's 4100-4200 at 80mph. I think that's because they bend some of those teeth on the RPM gear and I brought it to their attention. They were then banging it with a bronze hammer to straighten them out. So it 's not as accurate as it used to be, but I think your friend's problem is a lot worse. You can pick up a used tranny in decent condition for like $600-800. I saw them on H-T and on Ebay for sale with like 60k mi. on them (but who knows the real mileage). He can even get a Type-R tranny if he can find one but I 'm sure that 'll cost a lot more. I was lucky, I only paid a couple of hundred $$ for the whole LSD install because I drove 100mi. to PA where the labor is cheaper. I 've seen good mechanics that do this often take a B18C tranny down in about 1/2hr! Takes a little longer to put it back up and everything back in place but a lot of shops in NYC charge an average of $300 to take it down install something or fix something and put it back in. Transmissions shops are the ones that usually will rip you off because they 're "specialists" :)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    My new job continues to kick my butt up one side and down the other.... Mind you, I'm not complaining. Having a secure job in today's economy is a blessing. Having a job you truly enjoy is beyond what you could ever hope for. And so it is with me. I took a new job back in February. Why? Because it was too good an opportunity to pass up and it also happened to be a promotion, which obviously didn't hurt. I made my decision to work in the field of public health nearly 20 years ago and have never regretted it.

    Back on topic... I'll begin with this last Sunday's autocross. To be brief, I finished in second place. Not only that, I finished in second place behind a guy who was co-driving my car, by about 0.3 secs. :( Not only that, this was the first time he had ever driven it! :(:( So, the good news is that my car finished in 1st and 2nd place at the same event. How many of you can say that? :D And while I hate getting beat by another in my own car, there's not a lot of shame because this young lad is very talented. He recently went to a national event (DC?) and co-drove with Brian Flanagan (formerly of BMW DSP class fame, now driving in STS) and actually put down a faster time on Day 1, and ended up only 0.2 secs behind him after day 2. This again in a car he had never driven before. So, I eat my humble pie and try to learn a little something that will help next time. And I was really not having a good day last Sunday. First time in a long while where it felt as though I was fighting the car, the course, and the conditions all day long. Finally realized that I was tyring too hard, and over-driving the slow parts of the course. Next time I need to work on being more patient. Funny how these things you usually do well can escape you from time to time.... :-/ Well, I'll check in again with more some time soon, gentlemen. Have a relaxing weekend.
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Did I say something to offend? :-P

    Or is it your turn now to go into seclusion? :D
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    No, you didn't say anything to offend us =P I've been WAY busy with getting ready for school, so I haven't posted much here or at h-t.

    Sounds like you had fun at the auto-x. I don't think I've ever come close to 1st or 2nd place... ever. That'd be pretty cool to have the fastest car out there. hehe, having patience on the track is a good thing. I learned that the hard way, a couple of times =P Hehe, sounds like you and Harry are some of the best drivers in your areas when it comes to auto-x, and I'm not that good =P But road racing, on the other hand, is what I'm good at. I wrote a story on that on the last page, I believe. In short, I was a novice, and by lunch, I was one of the best front wheel drivers out there. I beat corvettes, ac cobras, porsches, and other higher performance cars, and they were kinda upset because a) they were being passed by a kid, b) I drive a honda, c) it's a 4 door =P Well, that's about it.

    Take it easy ^_^
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Seems you got the champion car in your region as well as the skill and talent to take 1st this year. Good job. I don't know if you read past posts but I 'm on 650F/750R spring rates with the advance design double adjustable race shocks. The car is pretty much unstreetable now :( but I like the lightning quick steering response and the solid feel the car has now. These shocks also have a much wider/thicker shaft than the Konis. I look at my old Konis in my garage and I laugh now that I see how small in diameter the shaft is.
    I 've been doing well with them but I 've only gotten maybe about 1/3-1/2 sec. faster overall. I also took an FTD the day after I installed them at the BMW CCA club of NJ, 58 drivers. Not the same skill level as SCCA clubs but hey I worked hard for that. Funny thing is I went there just for test & tune and ended up with FTD.
     
    I had a bad day yesterday at the Mclub. They held a 2-8pm Fri. event because they can't get any more weekend dates at the Giants Stadium. They 're booked with other events. I came in 4th first time in about 3yrs! I knew I was going to have a bad day when half way there I realized I was wearing sandals instead of my luck sneakers :) It was also almost 100 deg. and extremely humid which I hate.
    Anyway, what I was doing wrong was the tire pressures. I 'm new to Hoosiers so I was running them like Kumhos plus it was a pretty fast course with some big sweepers. So I figure let me set them higher than usualy so I inflated them to 41F/39R. I could hardly get any traction. Mind you at the SCCA events (NY & NJ) I usually run them at 38/36. At the end of the event I was talking to the President of the club who also runs on Hoosiers, and I find out he was running 32/29 with his E36 M3 which is a heavier car! I started questioning that so he calls this other guy over that was on Hoosiers and this guy was running 32/28! I had the pressures all wrong which is why the tires felt like rocks and like I was on an ice skating rink.. Also because of this I was overdriving out of frustration (in the tight sections too which is a no-no). Oh well, I 'll know next time. I made the mistate of listending to this other guy that "used" to run Hoosiers and told me to run them really high so they don't overheat. Now I find out Hoosiers love the heat so you must run them lower than the Victoracers so they heat up faster. That's ok. I 'll reclaim the podium on the next event. I hate when people come up to you and ask "what happened today" or "hey a couple of guys in your class came in with a faster time". Just because you win all the time or for a couple of years, does that mean noone else can win for a change? I like having good competition. By the way all the cars I lost to were SM cars, much faster than mine. This is a non-SCCA club so they only have 6 car classes. I lost to 2 Subaru 2.5RS, turbocharged with all kinds of aftermarket stuff on them and 1 GSR with a Type-R motor that was modified on top of that putting down 185hp at the wheels (at least 210hp). I got bumped up to this class last year because of the coilovers. This should make me drive better. I really do like competition. I don't like it when I 'm a whole sec. or more ahead of everyone else in the class because then I relax too much and don't drive to my full potential.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Yes, I had read about your recent upgrades to the car. Between the new spring rates, the racing shocks, and the LSD you've got yourself one seriously set up car! And I'm seriously jealous now... How easy/hard have you found it to tune your D/A shocks? I know how much tinkering I've done to figure out what works best for me and my Koni's, and there's only one adjustment for those babies. I imagine test'n'tuning your car just got a whole bunch more complicated.

    Congrats on your FTD. Even if it was at a BMW-CCA event, it must feel good to beat up on some expensive German machinery. :D Nice job!

    Late last year, I put some GCs on my car with 400F 450R spring rates. The stiffer spring rates certainly make a difference, but what I like most is that they're linear and not progressive like my Comptech sport spings were. The steering and turn-in response are so much better now. My car understeers a bit less now and, by playing with the rear tire pressures, I can get my 4-door beast to rotate a bit better, too. Though it's no where near what I would like it to be. A bigger rear sway bar and/or stiffer springs (say 550-600) might be my next move. But this car is still my daily driver and I'm not sure I want to subject myself and family members to a stiffer ride than what I currently have. I still enjoy the heck out of my car and will likely just keep things as is and drive the piss out of it whenever I can get to an autocross.

    Not sure I even have a mathematical chance of winning the STS championship this year in our region because I missed the first 3 points events of the season (due to work and family conflicts). Even if I had made those events, it would have been a big battle between my and the guy who co-drove (and beat my time) my car at the last event. When he was driving his '90 Si, we were very evenly matched, with me winning about half the events and him winning the other half. Now, for our next event in Oct., his new STS car ('89 Civic) will be ready. And I know from our Divisional event in June that I'm at least a full second slower in my big, heavy family truckster than these cars.... :( The 4th gen Civic really are the cars to beat in STS now.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    The STS champ Chris Shenefield did most of the work on my car at his shop in PA. He has an '89 Civic HB (standard I think they call it) and it's not even a DX model. Has no A/C, no radio, nothing. Barely weighs 2100lbs. He trailers it even though he has Falkens on it! His car that actually won at Topeka last year was bought by a local driver here who is a PRO. It's a white '89 HB. Its new owner (Ted Kaminski) will also be co-driving Chris's new Civic. The thing is though, that the STS rules say something about back-dating with the motors, so they both have the '88 Si 108hp motor in it! I 've raced at 2 events with both of them and they were both a few tenths faster than me! That shows you how slow I am and on race tires too! But this will be the last year they 'll be allowing to put older motors in the Civics because they 're just too darn fast! I drove Shenefield's Civic around town (his shop) for about 10 blocks and it handles really well almost like a go-kart (he has ADs on it too) with 450lb springs all around. The thing that impressed me the most is that it was almost as fast as my car! It felt very torqy. All he did to it was I/H/E with no muffler, and advanced the timing. The piping is custom made by him. They say that those mods are good for 10whp on the older Si motors. So you have a car that weighs 2100lbs with about 120hp. His is extremely low to the ground too as is his older Civic which I have not been able to beat in 2 events (different classes though thank god!). These Civics are just amazing and the Falkens are almost like an auto-x R tire. I know because I use them now as my regular street tires on the GSR.

    The ADs are now worth IMO the money I paid for them. They 're not a lot better than the Konis. The Konis are the best bang for the buck still to this day. They only have 3 compression adjustments which I don't mind because it makes things simpler, but there 's a big difference between the 3 adjustments so none of them really work for me too well with my setup. I usually race with the softest setting in the front and the compression pretty soft (quick) too so I get quick transitions, but I feel I need a little more compression in the front. So when I dial it up 2 (1 is softest, 3 firm), the compression is too much and the car pushes/understeers bad! In auto-x anyway, for the road setting 2 all around is just beautiful. The rear I set to 2 if it's a very tight and slow course or 3 if it's an average or faster more open course. Anyway, I 've come to the conclusion that these are really road race shocks and that's what they were always and it's their purpose. The car feels really good on the highway but in auto-x I 've only gained about .3 secs overall with the new shock/spring setup. I may go even higher to 800lbs/in. in the rear because that's what Matt Watkins runs + ADs in his GSR and he says he likes the setup a lot. Although I haven't gone up against him yet (I will soon at NNJR) I know he 's still faster than me but then again he has the Panasport 13x8.5 which I think make a big difference, more than the switch from Koni to Advance Design. So I think I should 've taken a Pro's advice a couple of months ago, and should 've just spent the $1600 on the Panasports and 235-45-13" Kumhos or Hoosiers. I think 'd be a lot faster right now although my Konis were pretty shot. I 'm thinking of having them rebuilt and revalved and selling the ADs because the ADs are really bad on the street and they 're not meant for that. Plus Ground Control told me that I have to send them in every year to get them rebuilt for $200+sh otherwise they won't perform well and I 'll blow a seal because I 'm not supposed to drive on regular roads with them. So I think there's a lot of sacrifices you have to make and too many negative aspects when going with the ADs, and for the $$, you only get a couple of tenths faster than if you had the Konis. So I 'm not recommending these to anyone that has Konis or is a regular middle class worker like me. If I know one makes lots of money and is well off or drive an M3, I recommend the ADs but younger kids that come up to me and tell me they want to get the same setup as me but they have to wait till they save up some more, I tell not to bother and get the Konis with GC coilover kits. The performance is really not that much more when you compare the AD shock at $400/ea. to the Koni at $130/ea. The Konis are also a lot more streetable. The ADs are not and they make different types of noises and squeaking that drives you crazy. I 'm lucky my GSR was never a daily driver which is why I put up with it. I gotta run. I have a 2pm auto-x event at Giants Stadium. It's payback time :) I now know to set the Hoosier pressures low and will try not to overdrive this time, plus it's cooler, about 80 deg. vs. 96 deg. the last time. 80 deg. is perfect for me. I 'm still ahead in the points but if I lose this event I may be in trouble because I missed the last 2-3 events. Wish me luck! :)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
This discussion has been closed.