Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

garados · September 2004

yeah, it's probably the stuff on the header burning off. After I installed my header, it smelled pretty wierd in the cabin for about a week or so, then it went away.

2001integragsr · September 2004

Hello everybody. I'm still learning about engine work and mods and the such so i'll prob be posting questions often.
I've been looking into getting a turbo kit for my 2001 GSR and i've gotten different info and different advice form different people- and most of them arnt even saying the same thing. So...I was wondering what other integra owners had to put in on this subject- since yall would know best.
I was also wondering about over boring for the GSR, whats too much or if not to do it at all? Thanks for yalls time- hope to hear form yall soon.
PS.- also if yall know any good sites for me to visit please let me know!

garados · September 2004

for overboring, I went 20 over (20 thousandths over bore) and it's working just fine. If you stick with stock sleeves, 20 over is the maximum that can be done. I believe that the sleeves can be replaced so that you can go to an 84mm bore (stock is 81mm), which would be around 2 liters, if I recall correctly. If you do that, Golden Eagle and Dart ... or is it Darton ... I'm not sure, but they make good stuff to make your motor stay together with that crazy bore. I did some calculations and found that I could theoretically get another 5 hp from my .020" overbore ... but I don't think it happened, hehe.

Anyways, I would recommend boring out the motor 5-10 over, just to clean up the cylinders and start fresh. Of course, if you do that, you'll need new pistons and rings. If I were you, I'd also redo the bottom end, new seals, bearings, turn or polish the crank (depending on the shape of the journals), and just clean everything up. If you do this, you'll also have a chance to look at the head, and if the head is in decent shape, don't worry about it. If it isn't, then it's time to do some work on the head as well. Basic valve job to clean the valve seats, new valve seals, check the valves for damage, and maybe do a little extra, like opening up the valve seats and some porting and polishing of the intake and exhaust ports.

Well, good luck with your turbo project. If you need anything else, let us know here, or contact me personally.

only1harry · October 2004

Sorry, I 've been so busy at work I don't have time to surf the net anymore and the wife gets PO'd when I turn on the PC at home..

I have much to tell you (most of it not good, I miss my AD's!! I think they screwed up the valving on my Konis..) and will address any questions.

Someone here was looking at 4 different cars. Stay away from the older Eclipses!! Way too many problems!

I 'll be back later to post more. I 'm trying to get out of work right now..

2001integragsr · October 2004

gotta quick question- neone know whats type of clutch come stock on a 2001 integra gsr? pad or puck? cant find a list of stock parts online so i thought id check here. thx

bemathew1 · October 2004

Its been a while you postedgood to see you back.I thought just like CJ- casey you also disappeared!!!!!

I had my Konis + GCs installed two weeks back (400 Front, 8" Front spring length, 450 Rear, 7" Rear spring length). I want to thank you for pushing me to go for this set up. Combined with Type-R rear sways + Falken Azenis, difference is awesome. Night and day difference. Oh btw I installed a K&N RU2820 filter in the stock air boxtook out all the resonator stuff out, extended the pipe (goes into the air box) to the turn signal. Now its like a DIY ice box.

I am still not able to find the perfect ride height + koni adjustment yet ( playing around is half the fun??). Any suggestions for the ride height and Koni firmness for Auto-x?
I read that you had trouble with GCs & customer service. Hope you sorted everything out.

Gardos, did you do something about your tire wear. Next To DO list for me is an alignment that is good for Auto-x and safe for street

only1harry · October 2004

thanks, I told you you 'd like the setup

A good height for Konis and what they work best at, is about 1.5" drop so you can retain about 2" of suspension travel. I 'm lowered about 2" now on my revalved Konis, and the handling doesn't seem as good as when I had a 1.5" drop last week.

Alignment makes a big difference. Make sure you get a custom wheel alignment and the shop is willing to set it at what you want. A good auto-x/street setup is a little Toe-Out in the front (not a lot because you 'll go through the tires fast!) like -0.03 or -0.03 left and right (-0.06 total). The max. recommended Toe-out in the front is 0.0 so it 'll show up red on the monitor/print out. In the rear you want slight Toe-In like: +0.02-0.03" on each side for +0.06 total. +0.04 is the factory maximum so that 'll show up red too which is ok. It's very close to factory.. These settings will still give you a pretty stable and confident ride. As your suspension settles more, the toe-out will increase in both the front & rear so you want to make sure you check the alignment again after a few months. Be prepared to do about 1-2 alignments a year when you 're lowered and auto-xing. Also make sure they set the Hunter machine to INCHES, not degrees.

As far as balance and ride height, I found out that the car handles better when the rear is higher up a little more than the front. Our cars need that factory 1-2deg. "rake". That is the angle of the car from rear to front - should not be even when you use a leveler (with the bubble).

I had a similar setup like you before. I used to have 400F/475R (I reversed them also to 475/400, you can too if you want) so I know exactly how your car behaves and handles. Also keep in mind that the lower you go, the worse the ride will get.
Unfortunately, to get the fastest times in auto-x, you need to go with an 1/8th of Toe-out (.12 total or more, I run -0.20 total toe-out!) in the front and even some toe out in the rear, but this will make your ride horrible, the car will need much correction on the road/highway and will chew up your tires quickly. One time (in '02 I think) with that the 400/475 setup I didn't get an alignment for like the whole season, and at the end of the season when I went for an alignment, I had 1/3" of toe out in the front and 1/8" in the rear! That's -0.33" front and -0.12 rear! The car handled great though but those settings ruined my Bridgestone RE730s and the car rode kinda funny (also makes your car slower in straight line acceleration). It was the best season I ever had in auto-x though and I was consistently in the top 10 in Raw times and PAX! I brought those toe settings down quite a bit and my car hasn't handled as well since. It almost did with the Advance Design shocks but with much less toe out because the ADs are better shocks than the Konis.
Another advice I have for you is play around with the Konis a lot the first 2-3 auto-x events. You need to find out the right settings that make you the fastest on the course. Don't go too firm. Don't be surprised if the best settings are only at 1/2 firm or softer than you thought. You want the car to be agile and quick through the slalom. Sometimes setting the rebound high (firm) makes the car sluggish and slow to respond to steering input which causes the car to push. If you car pushes when auto-xing, soften up the front by 1/4 of a turn. Than 1/8th at a time. If it still pushes after a couple of softer adjustments, then soften the rear 1/8th (1 red line) at a time.
My best setup that was similar to yours, was about 1 full turn in the front, and 1.2 to 1.3 in the rear. My Konis were 3yrs old at the time and the older they got the firmer I had to set them. Yours are new so you shouldn't have to set them that high because they 're pretty firm and nice when they 're "new". You 'll know what I mean in another year or two :-)

only1harry · October 2004

I don't know of any "street cars" that come from the factory with a PUCK style clutch. Maybe some expensive high end cars but definitely not any ordinary car.
Why do you ask anyway? Puck style clutches are for racing purposes only and you 'll hate the car on the street, plus your foot will get tired VERY fast! If you must get a puck style clutch because you 've increased the HP or torque by a lot on your Integra (turbo, etc.) then get the mildest one they have. Most ACT or Exedy "pad" style clutches can handle an extra 100+ HP and torque than we already have. My ACT "street" clutch (HDSS) can handle up to 240ft-lbs of torque and my foot still gets tired in traffic. The pedal is about 50% firmer than the OEM was. I should 've gone with a Type-R clutch instead. I love the feel of my brother's Type-R. Actually I love everything about it :-) but he won't sell it to me!! This year I 'll be getting my butt kicked by Type-R's because they got bumped down to my class (DSP)!! Stock Type-Rs I can handle and have beaten many of them, but modified Type-Rs are a different story..

bemathew1 · October 2004

Not sure how much my car has dropped. Initially I could barely put my finger between the wheel arch and the tire ( I assume this time the drop was less than 1.5  drop??).now I have changed it for the street use. For the track, I will try to have a drop if 1.5 

only1harry · October 2004

Barely fitting 1 finger above the tire in the wheel well is about a 2.25-2.5" drop. You have hardly any suspension travel on the Konis. 1.5" drop is when you fit 2 fingers comfortably (sounds perverted, hehe) with a slight "play". Of course it all depends how big your fingers are.
When your car is up on the alignment rack (6ft off the ground), try walking up to it with a flashlight and shine it through that gap you measured with your finger. Look for the shiny silver shock shaft. You will probably see very little of it. What you 'll see is the top of the yellow shock body, and the bump stop above it. What 's in between is your suspension travel. The ideal for our cars is 2" of shock travel. I have barely 1.5" right now (lowered about 2") of the shaft showing and I 've cut my bump stops in half. I do have higher spring rates than you though (600/750) with revalved/stiffer Konis. If I had your spring rates I 'd raise my car a little.

I just got new Kosei K1s 15x7" with 38mm offset. The K1s I have now are 45mm. The problem is I can't find anyone that's willing to roll up my fenders (fender lip) in the rear so I won't have any rubbing with these 38mm wheels. I have an important race this weekend. Every body shop or regular shop, is afraid they might put a crease in the fender or something. I may attempt to do it myself with a broom stick.

Garados: Have you rolled your fenders?

bemathew1 · October 2004

Is the drop the same on the front and rear?
Considering that there is an additional 180 lbs (that is me!!!) on the driver side, I think I may have to have the front driver side a bit raised more than the passenger side? Not sure when I can do cross weighing

garados · October 2004

Harry, I have not rolled my fenders. My wheels tuck underneath the fenders when the suspension is compressed, so I'm good in the fender department. If you do attempt it, check out this article. http://www.team-integra.net/sections/articles/showArticle.asp?Art- icleID=698

Bemathew, I would just set all of the springs to the same height and worry about the cornerweighting later. In my opinion, I think you should play around with the ride height for a little bit until you find a good height, then get an alignment and cornerweight it when you're all done.

only1harry · October 2004

I finally found a body shop that was willing to roll the rear fenders. Cost me $110 but I have peace of mind. I auto-x last Sunday and they didn't rub in the back at all BUT, one of them rubbed slightly in the front! It's the front driver's side which is lowered slightly more (like 1/8") than the drivers' side.
How are your engine troubles? All gone?

Bemathew: What I do with the height when I first get new springs or coilovers, is play with the height in between heats when racing. I try and find the right ride height where the car handles the best. Usually I have to raise the rear a little higher than the front, because when raising, you 're actually putting more weight on the tires. Yes, I know it's confusing. I didn't believe it at first but I saw it on the corner weight scales! Raising the spring perch (height)adds weight to that side/corner! When I got the car corner weighted a couple of weeks ago, I had a 70lb difference in the front. The driver's side was heavier (of course) with me in it. The ideal weight difference in the front should be <60lbs. So we lowered the driver's side 1/4" which took weight off that driver's side (I 'll explain why) and the difference came down to 58lbs and the cross weight went to 50.1/40.9 so we left it alone.

What happens when you raise one side, is that you are compressing the spring more, so it pushes down on that wheel more, thus putting more weight on the tire. When you lower the car, you 're uncompressing the spring because you 're bringing it lower down the threaded sleeve. This takes weight off the wheel and sometimes it's bad. You do need a certain amount of weight on the wheel to make it stay on the ground and give you better handling, not too much weight of course..

Naturally if you raise 1 side 2" more than the other side, you will be definitely transferring weight to that other side that is much lower. But we 're talking about small increments here.. Yes, you might add a couple of pounds to the other side, because when you LOWER lets say the driver's side (to take weight off that front left/passenger tire), you 're also lifting the rear right corner of the car. By lifting the rear right corner, you are also slightly transferring weight to the front (right) of the car. So as you see it's not as simple as you thought. For every corner that you adjust, you 're affecting all other 3!

This is why I play with the height first at the auto-x event if time permits, to try and find out what feels good and makes the car handle better. Some settings will make your car fish tail more, others will make it push, etc. Believe it or not, the car will be very sensitive to any changes to make to the ride height of just 1 or 2 corners! You may not be able to tell, possibly because you are not pushing your car to the limits like I am (with R tires) but I can tell the difference in handling (positive or negative) immediately after the first slalom or first turn, when I make a height adjustment in the pit area. For me right now, I have to raise the rear about 1/2" more than the front to keep weight on those tires in the back, because with 750lb rates in the rear, they tend to want to slide and the car feels like looping all the time. I had the ride heigh a little too low in the rear 2 weeks ago and I looped the car twice. The rear was just too sensitive and wanted to come around all the time. So I raised the rear up and the car became more neutral and the tires in the back were more planted. Why? because by raising (compressing) the springs I added weight to the tires. Sometimes this causes a bit of understeer but I can deal with that because with the more traction in the rear now, I can fly through the slaloms like I used to without having to worry about the car going sideways. I 'd rather gain time in the slaloms and lose a little on the turns. It only pushes slightly on very fast turns or sweepers. In tight courses, you can't tell the understeer is there but I still get some throttle oversteer, if I let go off the throttle so if I find my car pushing I ease off the throttle a little to bring the tail around and rotate the car in order to point it to the next gate or turn or proper direction and then I floor it again. Of course this all happens very fast and I have to be very quick with my reflexes otherwise I will not be able to control the rotation and will spin out.

So test & tune is very important when you have coilovers. You have to experiment with the height the first 2-3 events to see what works best or what you are most comfortable with. You want the car to be predictable and provide more traction at the same time. You also want to look for slight oversteer when letting off the gas, which is unerving, but is something you must have in order to be fast in auto-x. Understeer is your worst enemy. You want the car to rotate without pushing or with very little pushing. Of course in your situation, since you 're on street tires, you will probably get much understeer because of the lack of traction of the tires or because they have reached their limit. If you can digest half of what I 've said, you 're on your way to a great auto-x carrer :-)

only1harry · October 2004

Once you have adjusted the height where the car feels really good or handles the best, then you MUST do a custom wheel alignment. A good wheel alignment will make the car handle even better and makes a greater difference than just adjusting the height but one must come before the other.

garados · October 2004

that's some good info. I can vouch for everything he says. The only thing with me is that I don't have enough time to fiddle in between runs to get the height right =P I did tests on the street (very dangerous, very stupid, but hey, it worked) Just dumped the suspension (3-3.5" drop) and then kept raising all four corners little by little until I stopped rubbing, then went and got a cornerweight and alignment done.

As for my engine troubles, I'm pretty sure they're mostly all aleviated. The only thing now is that I'm burning oil from my excessive ring gap. I had done that so I could do endurance racing and/or forced induction as per JE's instructions. Speaking of which, I think I may be getting a Jackson Racing Supercharger at the end of the year or so, but I'm trying not to get my hopes up.

Last thing, I cracked one of my 16's! I'm so mad at pot holes. Anyway, it's on the inside of the wheel, where the tire sits ... yeah, it's cracked right on the very edge of the wheel, so air is escaping through there. The crack is maybe 3/4 - 1" long. I'm wondering if that can be fixed and still be able to handle abuse.

bemathew1 · October 2004

I had done my corner weighing some time back...courtesy of our local club. Looks like we will have one soon...till that time, I will play around with the ride heights.I don't think I will get time in between the runs to change the ride height...more over I am not at a position where 1/2" drop will make any difference in my run times.

only1harry · October 2004

Sometimes what I do after I put new springs or shocks on, or after the winter, when I 'm ready to lower the car again, I make adjustments in my driveway and then go drive around to make sure the car feels ok, or it's not too lose in the rear, or it doesn't push much. 1/2" can make a big difference in my car with my setup. It could mean the difference of looping the car around or being much faster by keeping the car well planted. For me it also could mean the difference between flying through the slalom or holding back because the car feels unstable or unbalanced. I guess it depends on your level of auto-x expertise and if you drive the car properly to its limits (not overdriving).

Sometimes it's hard to tell, but after a while I 'm like wait a minute I seem to be 1/2-1sec. slower that those other drivers (you should always compare yourself to several others and keep an eye on their times) after I made adjustments.. so you go back and undo them or make completely opposite adjustments, etc.

only1harry · October 2004

dang you 're having some bad luck!

I 'm rubbing in the front now since I put the Kosei K1 15x7 38mm offset. I used to have the K1 in 45mm and never rubbed before.

I rolled up the fenders in the back so I have no rubbing there. Just slightly in the front. I may have to raise the car more which I don't really want to because I lose negative camber everytime I do. I 'm only lowered 1.75" now and the car feels pretty good except it's way too loose in the back since I installed LCA polyurethane bushings. Oh well, if it's not one thing it's another..

fed · November 2004

have a type r to sell soon, but can't figure out a decent asking price because of rarity -- any help greatly appreciated

only1harry · November 2004

Go to Kelley Blook Book, www.kbb.com to see how much you can get for you car. Look at "private sale", not retail or trade-in.

Depending on mileage and condition of the car I would say you can ask anywhere from $16-20K for an '01 ITR but check KBB first.

For a quick sale post it on www.honda-tech.com in the classifieds section. You should get a few serious inquiries from people in your area. Is it black or yellow? What #?

Mr_Shiftright · November 2004

Rarity by itself doesn't increase value. The buyers, who set the market, have to care a LOT that it is rare, and be willing to pay extra for it. So don't assume that rarity automatically boosts value on a car.

Harry has good advice for you.

Edmunds has the True Market Value calculator which is very good IMO, so click up top on "used cars" and appraise your vehicle according to the instructions provided.

Also keep in mind that 'asking prices' are only that. You can always tell how good your pricing is by the level of action you get from the ads.

You might check on Ebay and see what's selling there and for how much.

gismap · November 2004

I have a 1997 Acura Integra which won't start below approximately 39 degrees. At first we thought it was a battery problem, and found the battery was bad, so it was replaced. But the problems continued. The mechanic replaced the starter and tightened some of the connections. It still would not start below 39 degrees. So the mechanic replace the starter again. Same problem. New, different brand starter was put in. Same problem. The mechanic says 12 volts are at the starter when it won't start. The lights on the dash all come on, but there is no sound, except the radio antenna, when it is below the critical temperature. Has anyone experienced this problem? Help..........!

Mr_Shiftright · November 2004

You need better diagnostics. I'd suspect either bad battery cable to starter motor or positive post on the battery, or a defective ignition switch. The likelihood of so many bad "new" starters in a row is just too extreme.

Oh, also, is there some kind of anti-theft device on these cars that could be temperature sensitive?

only1harry · November 2004

Never heard of that one. If the only thing that responds is the antenna, and you have 12V at the starter, then the problem is between your ignition switch and the battery somewhere. It has to be a bad cable or connection. Sounds like there is condensation build up somewhere in the wiring. You might have to take it to the dealer. They service a lot more Integras than your mechanic does and chances are good that they have seen this before. Let us know when you get it fixed.

garados · December 2004

I have left the integra arena, due to some unfortunate events in the recent past. I am now driving a 93 miata, but I really miss the integra =( Anyways, this whole RWD thing is kinda freaky, especially in the snow and ice. Although, in dry weather, it's pretty cool only have 2200 lbs to throw around (28-2900 for my old integra), but it behaves so differently from FWD, and it's a lot harder to keep in control when things get crazy. I need auto-x season to start a few months early, so I can learn and get taught how to drive this car =P

I'm looking for some new suspension for the miata, since it looks like a 4x4 and can clear curbs without too much trouble (don't ask how I know this). It already has koni yellows on it, so I'm thinking of just getting some new springs and sway bars, probably Tein for the springs and Eibach or Racing Beat for the front and rear sway bars (although ... will a front bar be equivilent to a rear sway bar upgrade on the Integra?). I don't know anything about these cars, hehe.

Anyways, I'll still be lurking around here, just to answer questions (if I know the answer ... but if I don't, I'll just b.s. one) and see how everybody's doing.

Hope everybody had a safe Thanksgiving and have a great holiday season ^_^ Take care everybody.

only1harry · December 2004

What happened to your Integra? You put so much work into it..

The Miata can be a good auto-x car too and fun to drive. I would race it in its stock class, at least the first year. You can upgrade the front sway bar in RWD cars. It's a legal mod in Stock classes and doesn't bump you up. It 'll make a big difference. The best thing you can do to these cars is get a custom wheel alignment and adjust the camber. They have adjustable camber! Get as much negative camber as you can in both the front and rear and upgrade the sway bar. Many Miatas I see at the auto-x events have very noticeable negative camber. If the Konis are in good shape, this car will make a good auto-x car in C Stock (1.8L) or E Stock (if it's a 1.6L).

The concept is the opposite of FWD with the shock adjustments when it comes to RWD. You set the front Konis firm and the rear soft. It takes a while to get used to and learn a RWD car well after having driven (and raced) only FWD cars. Especially Miatas. You have to somewhat change your driving style. It's almost like learning how to ride a bike, to be fast in a RWD car after having learned the same in a FWD car.

Anyway get some decent tires (Falken Azenis), do a custom alignment and upgrade the front sway bar. If you decide to do suspension upgrades you can always race in STS2 with street tires. Cat-back exhaust is also legal in stock classes and in the Miata's case I heard it adds several ponies. How many miles on the Miata? Many guys around here race Miatas that have 150-200k mi. on them. Hit the Miata forums and talk to auto-xers. There are plenty of them. I 'm also pretty sure you can even upgrade to Miata-R suspension package (shocks/springs & sway bar) and still stay in a stock class. It might be on '94+ models you can do that, I 'm not sure now.. Look into that! Older lighter Miatas with the R-package are very fast. I know because I ask people that drive their Miatas really fast in Stock classes if they have any hidden mods jokingly, and many times they say, "no just the Miata R package/suspension which is legal". I believe that comes with Bilstein shocks but if your Konis are in good shape they should perform better than the non-adjustable Bilsteins. The 'R' springs are stiffer though and a slightly shorter. The fastest Stock Miata drivers (ES & CS) in my region have Koni yellows.

The best thing about modding older Miatas if you want to run in Street Prepared (CSP), is that there are a veriety of 13x8.5-9" wheels that you can fit on them, where the '99+ Miatas cannot use any of the 13" wheels currently on the market because of the bigger calipers. Wrap some 235-45-13" Kumho Ecsta V700 (or Hoosiers) on them, and you have a lean, mean, handling machine that is capable at coming in the top 10% or close to FTD at most regional events, with an experienced driver :-)
Good luck with the Miata and don't be a stranger!

garados · December 2004

Yeah, the koni's are in good shape, and they're working out well. The car had a nice, custom alignment, a little toe-in in the front with about 2* of negative camber, 3* in the back. I'm really interested in getting the front sway bar and just getting some new springs (I'm a ricer at heart =P ) Another thing is getting new pads because these autozone pads don't grip for crap, but they work fine on the street.

I'm planning on running in e-stock when the season starts up again, using an upgraded front sway and no engine mods. I think I'll use the 16" wheels from the integra with the tires on there now, then upgrade to azenis when those wear out. When I get the money together, I'm going to do a greddy turbo kit with custom piping and an intercooler (kit has no intercooler), maybe 6-7 psi. That should be good for about 150bhp. Only thing is the turbo lag, but that shouldn't be too bad, since the turbo is a small 15g turbo.

Learning how to drive this car is pretty interesting. I found that I need to wait just a little bit longer in a turn before rolling into the throttle. If I don't do this, the back end will come out really quickly. Even with the aggressive alignment, the car is still really tail happy, but I think it should be okay and controlable after the front sway upgrade.

Harry, if you want to know the story with the integra, shoot me an email, phoy.stjohn@gmail.com and I'll tell you what happened.

Take care everybody!

only1harry · December 2004

Yeah that's what the alignment should be. A really fast ES auto-xer in my region uses the same 2 deg. negative up front and 3 in the rear. Not sure what his toe is though. You can get lots of negative camber in the Miatas without a camber kit.

You got PM.

only1harry · January 2005

Happy New Year to whoever is out there.

Autocross season will be starting much sooner than I thought. M-Club, one of the local auto-x clubs (non-SCCA) is holding 3 events in Feb. & Mar. Feb. 13 is the first one so I 'm sending out my Advance Design double-adjustable shocks to have them rebuilt. I doubt I 'll get them back in time but I like them a lot better than the revalved Konis I 'm running now. The car just handled much better with the AD shocks. I will most likely ship the Konis to Koni America to have them shortened after I get the ADs back. I realize now I should have done that last year when I sent them to Koni for the revalve/rebuilt job.

gary4322 · February 2005

I am a new driver and my first car is a 92' integra GS-coupe. I would like to know if the motor is a vtech

garados · February 2005

Just so people don't give you crap in the future, it's VTEC, not vtech. The only motors that came with vtec were in the gsr's for that generation. So no, you don't have a vtec-equipped motor. If you have any questions, feel free to ask ^_^

-Phoy

only1harry · March 2005

That's funny, my wife came home yesterday with a Vtech cordless phone she bought at Walmart (?). It's true! I didn't know they made vtech phones :-)

How is the Miata doing Phoy?

bemathew1 · March 2005

Not sure I posted this before...put in the K&n filter. Made a DIY Icetake (filter in the stock air box....taking the air behind the turn signals ...take out resonator etc).
Koni yellows with 400 & 450 Ground controls.
Car feels pretty good.

I had some curb damage where one of the OEM wheels is slightly bent. Looking around for some 16x7 or 17x7 wheels.There are some good deals on Honda-tech....Not sure which one to take.There is a Brigs 17x7 wheels which weigh just 14 lbs..for $*50

Did you all see the new Miata specs and pictures....somethings get better with age???

only1harry · March 2005

Well it's about time! :-) I believe you told us you have the 22mm sway bar installed but not the coilovers & Konis.

You 're asking the wrong person because if you 've been reading my replies to garados and others, I 'm against using 16" and especially 17" wheels. Probably because to me they 're no good for autocross. The larger wheels will hurt your acceleration, even if they 're 1lb lighter than stock. 16 & 17" TIRES in general are heavier, pricier, and require more power to rotate them than a 15" wheel/tire. Our cars usually handle better with 15". Your car should look pretty good now (a lot better than before) with the 15" wheels if it's lowered 1" or more. The lower stance makes the 15" look like 16" and much more symmetrical in comparison to the rest of the car, etc. See if you can pick up a used set of 15x7" Kosei K1, 38mm offset (45mm works too, I have both sets, one for my Falken Azenis and the other for the Kumho Race tires). They weigh exactly 13lbs. I 've had mine weighed and a couple are 12.95lbs. You should also know that 7" wide wheels track the imperfections of the road more and you have to hold on tight to the wheel. 7" width does improve handling considerably though, but just like every mod you do, it has its good points and its bad. Rougher ride is one of them. I don't disapprove 15x7" I 'm just telling you what to expect.

bemathew1 · March 2005

Thanks Harry,

I have my auto-x Azeniz tires on an old set of Rota cobras ( approx 13 lb each but 15x6.5).
I am planning to use these 16" or 17" for my daily use not for auto-x . I have to admit that its mainly for "All show no go" !!!!!!!. At the same time, I don't want those heavy wheels which could Impact the handling and can have rubbing issues on the road. I saw some 17x7 forged wheels in a group buy thread (its a set of Brigs wheels.. 14.2 lbs each. approx 825 shipped). I dont want to spend that much for a streey use wheel. I think you can get a decent, not so heavy 16x7 for around 500 to 600 or a 15x7 for around $400.

Expenses are mounting up.its time for changing the Ultimate axis brake pads. If I get a good deal, probably I will go for a rotor + pads deal. Its 70 k miles now and I may want to think about changing timing belt and water pump. I also want a good header + exhaust set up, spark plus and wires..list is going on

Harry, good that this thread is alive and going on. Hope that this doesn't go to
Archives like the Ford probe, Contour SVT threads.....do you remember those days when
you used to have some interesting discussions with some of them ? he he

only1harry · March 2005

Those guys with Ford Probe GT's used to come into our Integra forum all the time trying to say that their cars are faster than ours, when I had personally raced several Probe GTs and there was no contest. The GSR would always pull on a Probe. I 'm glad you remember those days :-) I don't think I'd have the interest or energy today to battle it out with those guys again. After 5-6yrs I really don't care much about that and I guess I have better things to do that spend hours on Edmunds like I used to.. Remeber there was one Probe troublemaker that kept coming into our thread and Edmunds cancelled his user account and then he reregistered and came back again but the word "Probe" was always part of his UserID/nickname and we always recognized him right away.

Anyway, how about some of the Rota 16x7 wheels they have out there? And god only knows they have like a dozen different models. Have you looked at them? They usually run around $500 for a set of 16" including shipping. They 're around 15-16lbs I think. I have the Rota Attack 15x6.5" on my '01 Civic, 40mm offset (38-42mm is ideal for the Integra). Had them for 3yrs now. Paid $450 shipped. They 're 12.8lbs each and almost as strong as the Kosei K1 because I hit a few (not a foot deep but..) potholes and they held up ok. You can lift them with 1 finger. They 're really light. I 've put 100k mi. on them, but they 're mostly highway miles. How much is your car lowered now?

only1harry · March 2005

Shifty has slightly changed the name of our thread and has also listed it under the "Speed Shop - Modifications" Forum. This thread shows up on both forums. There are a couple of Integra guys on that forum asking about suspension mods so I 'm "cruising" that board too :-)

Mr_Shiftright · March 2005

I didn't change it but I did request it appear in both boards since you guys dispense such usual info. I'm not the Host here anymore. I'm in Speedshop and Maintenance & Repair, so see you there I hope!

Shifty

honestabe · April 2005

I just bought a used 95 integra GS-R with only 80000 miles and all stock, and i couldn't be happier with the performance and handling over my old 92 Camry stationwagon. I'm looking into a few basic mods (Intake, exhaust etc.) and was wondering if any of you had any good sugestions on brands or other good mods.
-Abe

90gs · April 2005

Hello,
First off I'd like to know the specs on this "Vtech" cordless phone; how fast can it dial?, how much does it weigh?, etc.

Next,
I recently bought a 1990 Acura Integra GS 2D w/ ABS. I love this car! It's affordable and very fun to drive. I want to "finish off the handling" but I'm not really sure of the best way to go about it...

Here's what I have already:
-HP Tokico springs and shocks
-Stock alloy wheels (that look pretty scuffed) wrapped in
Pirelli Directional Tires P500 - P195/60R14 85H M&S
-A really heavy foot on the accelerator while cornering turns

1)I've been looking at sway bars and tie bars but I'm not sure what the difference is. DC tie bars seem good but expensive. Is what I pay for what I get? I'm willing to spend the money if I'll feel a difference but otherwise I'd rather spend it on something else. I'm keeping this car for at least 3-4 years. Also, will ABS get in the way of a front tie bar? I also should mention that it has some crap illegal headers on it that I'm gonna have to remove for smog in about a year.

2) The tires. Since the wheels are scuffed and a little oxidated, I'm pretty sure I'll upgrade to some 5-spoke GSR''s, GSR saw blades or 7-spoke Civic Si's. With that in mind, what tires should I put on them (or have on them) without breaking the bank but still getting the most out of those turns (i.e. stickiness, strong side walls). I can't stress enough how much I love those turns.

3) Finally, what's the deal with brushings? Are they a good investment in this car that I'm keeping? Remember, I already put the springs/shocks on.

Mr_Shiftright · April 2005

You want to be careful here that you don't put too big a sway bar and too stiff a bushing on the car---you could turn a firm ride into a punishing one that you may not like day after day after day. A little "squish" in the suspension can give you that "electric wire" feel that makes a car more fun even if it gives up something on the skid pad to a rock hard type of sled.

Ditto tires---the lower the profile the harsher the ride as a rule, and the wider the tires the more steering effort.

It would be great if you could drive a car that has the more extreme suspension set ups and see if you really want that on the street.

only1harry · April 2005

This goes for '90-01 Integras (RS,LS,GS,GSR).

Tie bars are a good start but usually not too noticeable, especially if you already have other suspension mods. They 're a little noticeable and help a bit on completely stock cars. Tie bars do not hurt and they do help stiffen up the chassis a little so I recommend them. I usually say go for front upper and rear tie bars BUT, not before you upgrade your rear sway bar. Sway bars make a world of difference. They take a lot of the body roll away helping you maintaing more tire patch on the ground which = better handling.

Comptech makes a 22mm adjustable rear sway bar - tie bar combo and it's one of the best in quality and reliability. It comes with both the sway bar and the rear lower tie bar which is installed in such a way that it serves as a subframe reinforcement. This was one of the first mods I did on my '99 GSR and besides tires, it should be the first mod for everyone with an Integra or FWD car who wants to improve handling and take those sweepers and curves faster and with more confidence. Another popular rear sway bar is made by Suspension Techniques (ST). It is also 3-way adjustable and less expensive than the Comptech but it doesn't come with the tie bar and I personally think craftsmanship (you can see it in the paint - they use a grey flat paint on the bar that looks like you could have painted it better yourself) and materials is in a lower class. The Comptech uses a billet aluminum lower tie bar which is extremely light and very strong. It comes in your choice of colors but I personally prefer the silver tie bar. Very noticeable to drivers behind you as it hangs a little low since it "ties" both Lower Control Arms together, and shows you 're serious about your suspension :-) The sway bar is usually black unless they 've changed that don't know. Check their web site: http://www.comptechusa.com They specialize in Honda/Acura aftermarket parts.
DCSports stuff is ok but they 're not known for their sway bars. More for their tie bars which are average but I 'd recommend looking at Neuspeed for your front upper tie bar. Neuspeed makes nice front tie bars and they 're very popular with Hondas & Acuras (got those too..).

In a few cases a bigger sway bar however can induce unwanted oversteer but only under certain specific conditions. It is unlikely you will experience it on the street especially in our FWD Integras, but it is possible if you drive on the street like a complete maniac. Mainly what I 'm talking about is You should be careful not braking or making sudden changes while going fast in the middle of a ramp or curve because the car could fishtail having a stiffer rear. This is usually remedied and/or controlled with adjustable shocks. I don' t know which Tokikos you have but I hope they 're the adjustable Tokiko Illuminas. Normally the 22mm sway bar is not a danger to anyone on the street. Under real racing conditions (such as autocross/Solo II or road racing/Solo I) it takes a few min. to adjust to, but once you learn how the bar makes your car behave, you 'll drive the car subconciously the proper way and become faster in the turns.

TIRES: Great inexpensive tires are the Falken Azenis (Sport) and the Kumho MX. They are Ultra high performance tires that last ~20k mi. but they 're the best handling tires you can get for the price and very comprable if not better than other expensive Michelin and Bridgestone Potenzas. These are typically called "summer tires" and are absolutely not recommended for winter use if you get snow where you live. The best thing to do is get '99-00 Civic Si (or GSR, etc.)rims, or an extra set of rims with your winter or all-season tires on them. This way you don't have to mount & dismount tires with one set of rims which can get costly with balancing. Rota makes inexpensive 15x6.5" alloy wheels that are lighter than the Acura factory wheels by ~2.5lbs and they 're 1/2" wider. They 're also popular with Honda/Acura. In any case 205-50-15" is the best tire size for our cars and the one that won't rub or give you any problems. Do not get 16 or 17" wheels as they 're too heavy (unless you pay thousands $$ for forged wheels) and will comprimise handling, steering response, turn-in, and definitely acceleration.

So after you make the No1 mod which is tires, and the No2 mod which is a bigger rear sway bar (badly needed for our cars), then you can look at intakes. AEM, Injen and Comptech make the best intakes. With Comptech you can get their "icebox" which is like a cold-air-intake (CAI) but safer than the others because it won't suck in water if you go over a few inch deep puddle. Normally the AEM & Injen cold air intake (prefer AEM) is pretty safe unless you get flooding where you live, then get the regular intakes which are also sarcastically called warm air intakes but called officially: RAM air intakes or "short" air intakes. Short intakes take in warmer engine air thus giving you lesser HP gains than Cold Air intakes which have a longer intake tube with the K&N filter much closer to the ground right behind the bumper.
An exhaust won't do much good unless you have an aftermark intake so take in more air and an aftermarket header to dispose of gases faster. A header is more important than the exhaust and provides better HP gains than just an exhaust alone. All 3 together, I/H/E, make for a noticeably faster car. A free flow Catalytic converter (CAT) also adds to the HP and torque gains but be careful if you have very strict smog inspection where you live. Some free flow CATs may give you problems passing inspections but most claim they 're completely legal in most states for passing emissions inspection and I 've known very few people that had problems with them. Most of the time they 're fine.
Oh one thing about Comptech I just remembered, they may only sell stuff for newer generation Integras, not older.. Also go to www.tirerack.com or http://www.discounttiredirect.com for the best prices on tires.
Ok that's enough for now. There is so much too tell but so little time.. Oh btw, Shifty is right, do not install polyurethane bushings. If you don't believe me, come drive in my GSR and tell me if you don't think you 're in a MAC truck. I race my GSR and have a race suspension as well (among other things), but up until last summer I was on rubber bushings and was driving the car around in the street even though it was very rough. Well after I installed poly bushings all around (upper & lower arms + shock bushings, etc.) the car has become almost unbearable. So I went back to my race valved but streetable Koni shocks to relieve the pain on my spine and lower back while driving on the street. Listen to your host Shifty, he sometimes knows what he is talking about.. (I wonder where he learned most of it from? from reading my posts probably! hehe) :-) Ahh, so much to tell so little time hey Joe?

Mr_Shiftright · April 2005

Everything I know comes from Harry, that's true.

only1harry · April 2005

com'on you give me too much credit. 1-2% of your knowledge comes from other sources :-)

BTW, checkout my 2nd race of the year in the pouring rain. The STi' s got the fastest times with their AWD which gave them the advantage in the slippery cold & wet surface. Luckily they 're in a higher class than me.
I 'm in class E but surprisingly I didn't get killed by any of the WRX's in my class as I expected due to the bad weather (40 deg) and wet surface. My race tires were ice cold too every time I got back from a run! Yep, sometimes it's all about the driver

http://www.nasanortheast.org/results/2005/GS04-03-05-results.htm

honestabe · April 2005

Wow, you said a mouthfull but that really cleared some things up for me, thanks!

I plan on getting the AEM V2 and the comptech suspension upgrades. Do you know anything about high performance ecu's? I have heard that many of them can ruin your engine and greatly lower you gas mileage. And that some just trick you air flow sensors into thinking that your gunning the throttle when your not, so when when you do gun it there isn't a noticeable difference. (venom 400)
Got any recomondations?

90gs · April 2005

Okay, so I wanted to do some research before I responded. First of all, thanks for the help with this. My Tokico's are HP's not Illuminas (stereo was more important than super expensive shocks, plus I have a girlfriend so minus two or three bills a month). Comptech doesn't make stuff for my car

but they did make a blower for my friends type S TL that's pretty impressive. Also I should add that I'm a big fan of stock looking cars (even if it is a stock from a dif. year or model ie, newer/better looking). So Rotas are out of the question. In most cases I'd rather leave my GS looking stock (sleeper mode) than " [showing I'm] serious about [my] suspension

.

THE SUSPENSION
That in mind here's what I found...
-Part# ST-52150, desc. Susp. Tech. Anti sway bar system.
-A black Neuspeed front sway bar (but it's for no ABS, I have ABS, is there a way around this?)
-Some really cheap sway bars on ebay
PLEASE comment on the above three findings and suggest the best for my sit. Remember I'm only spending money on what I'll feel. And I don't want the ride to be too much stiffer b/c they haven't fixed all the pot holes where I live. We can leave a little flex.

The TIRES
They don't have either of the tires you mentioned, just Falken
Falken Ziex ZE-512 and Kumho Ecsta Supra 712 & Kumho Ecsta ASX. Another performance shop said dunlop's are good on our cars too. Are dunlops worth the extra buck though?
Again I appreciate your help with this, I will be asking you about JDM 1pcs in the near future, er' I mean posting it so that anyone can respond! Ha! :shades:

driftracer · April 2005

don't lower it much, and go with a nice set of Acura alloys in 15" size....tires are cheaper, still a bunch of selection, and you can pick up a set of wheels off of ebay from some kid who just put 18s on his Integra...

Suspension Techniques makes a great product, and they're usually not too radically large to cause flex problems. Tires...you get what you pay for - I've run Kuhmo 712s on mine and my oldest son's cars - they were cheap, but after 6-8k miles, the chopped up badly (with GOOD rotation and balance practices) and became noisy, also lost grip.

The Yokohoma ES100 or Dunlop FM 901 are good choices. It's a non-weather car (Southern CA), you could use the Falken Azenis Sports like I just put on my Ion Redline - these things are incredible.

90gs · April 2005

I think it's funny how these kids will buy 18" wheels and lower their integ 2.5 inches just so they can screw up their camber and eventually get their ride stolen. Speaking of which is their a diff. between the GSR saw blades & the 5-spokes? Should I just go for the Si 7-spoke, whats a good price to pay for an unscuffed set?

TIRES:
My car is used to Central California and the weather can be very unpredictable. I don't want to get any San Diego tires (sorry DR!) But both those tires seemed reasonably priced (Es100 &FM901) did you try both of them? Do you have a preference? Also, what speed rating did you get for your Falken Azenis Sports? For now I'll forgive the fact that their on a saturn.

SUSPENSION:
Still need help! Is $250 gonna be worth it for this ST Anti sway system? Is it OK that I have ABS, most of the websites sell ones: "w/out ABS"???

only1harry · April 2005

1. Leave the front sway bar alone. The bigger the front sway bar the more understeer you 'll have. You want to look into upgrading your front sway bar's endlink bushings only. Go to suspension.com and look at the Energy suspension kits to see if they make them for your car. You 'll feel the difference.

2. ST rear sway bar is fine. ST sway bars are a lot better now than a few years ago and they 're reasonably priced.

3. Stay away from Ebay crap unless they 're big names. I recommend getting a front STRUT bar. I never mentioned front sway bar for your car unless I fat fingered something.. Neuspeed should make a Front Upper Shock Tower bar for you car (same thing as front upper strut bar) or aka: front upper tie bar. It ties your 2 front shock towers together. The GSR comes with one standard. Neuspeed tie bars should be around $99-109 from what I recall. Their tie bars are good because unlike most upper tie bars they mount at 2 different places in each corner. You said you wanted to feel it so I recommend the Neuspeed front upper tie bar. Most other cheap tie bars will not make a noticeable difference. The only other bar you will feel is the SPOON front upper tie bar which I 'm not sure if it fits in your car. It is made for the Type-R but fits all '94+ Integras and '92+ Civics. It may fit your car as well. I replaced my stock strut bar with the Spoon one. Bought it used for $100 but it was like new. It costs $200 new. Spoon makes top of the line stuff but all their products are VERY expensive. I actually didn't feel the difference over the stock one but I didn't expect to because I have a very stiff suspension and polyurethane bushings. I even raced without the bar a couple of times while I was waiting for the Spoon bar and only then I felt that it wasn't there very slightly, but didn't miss it and didn't think it hurt my times. I think it was more psychological than anything else. But on a mildly modded car like yours or with non-adjustable shocks like you have, you 'll feel a small difference with a good upper tie bar. You can always look into the OEM '94+ GSR bar to see if it fits your car. The Acura dealer might know. They 're only about $40-50. It made a slight difference on my brother's '95 LS. Turn-in got a little better and the steering a tiny bit more responsive. Nothing big but every little thing helps.
The Falken Azenis Sport is being phased out. It's been replaced by another Falken. Can't remember the model right now because it's passed by bedtime but my brother just got a set and installed in on his '98 Type-R. He says they 're at least as good as the Azenis Sport but he won't know if they 're better until he goes racing with me in next week. I 'll ask him where he got them from. You should be able to do a search and do some price comparisons. The Azenis Sport 205-50-15 price range (I have them too) was $65-75. Very reasonably priced and it's one of the top street tires out there now and has outperformed most high priced ZR/WR summer tires for the last 2-3yrs. I can imagine the New Falken that replaces it being a couple of bucks more. You might be able to still find the Azenis Sport if you search hard enough but most likely the SCCA autocross guys have bought them all. It's the most sought after autocross street tire for the Street Touring Street tire class (STS).
I mentioned the Rota wheels because Honda/Acura 15x6" OEM wheels in half way decent shape will run you at least $300/set. The Rotas are around $400-450 shipped. The Rotas are also 6.5" wide and a couple of pounds lighter than OEM which in most cases makes a noticeable difference when you 're accelerating and turning. GSR wheels are 15.5lbs and '99-00 Si wheels are 16lbs. Most Rotas are 12.8-13.2lbs like the Kosei K1 15x7" which I have on my car (have 2 sets of those, 1 for street w/45mm offset, 1 for racing with a more agressive 38mm offset - pushes the wheel out by 7mm). 2.5lbs of less unsprung weight means 25lbs off each corner of your car. 100lbs all around. I also have Rota 15x6.5" (Attack model) on my '01 Civic EX coupe. They 're fine for daily driving and I have put 90k mi. on them so far. I 'm not saying by any means that the Rotas are a better wheel than OEM. Honda/Acura OEM wheels have superb craftsmaship, polished lip, more durable, etc. definitely better than Rota in most categories. It's just that Rotas like some other brands are an inexpensive alternative to OEM and are LIGHT which is a big plus for fuel comsuption, acceleration, handling, turn-in and steering responsiveness. They 're also not too light as to comprimise the wheel's integrity so they 're fine for every day street driving and like I said earlier, very popular with Hondas & Acuras (I see a lot of Integras with the subzero ones) and have an ideal offset of 40mm (stock Honda 6" wheels are 45mm).

90gs · April 2005

Harry, again thank you for the help. Just a few quick things because I'm supposed to be working right now. I looked at the Rotas, and the subzero is alright but they wanted 400-500 for the set! I still got to get all these other suspension mods! Just to check before I dont buy: " front sway bar" that causes understeer is under the engine bay right? Back to rotas: will that extra .5" on the width really be noticed, same w/ 3-4lbs. Thank you Harry

Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

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