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Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

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Comments

  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Now here's a good one =P Alright, it's kinda hard to find a tire that has a stiff enough sidewall for the 14's. However, I had good luck with the azenis on the 14's but I still got the sidewalls to flex enough so that the response was very bad, but the grip was still incredible. But, since the 14's were indeed lighter, I was able to get better acceleration out of them.

    The 15's will be the better choice in this comparison. They're fairly light and wide enough to put a piece of rubber on there that'll make you quite happy in grip and response. Also, there are more high performance tires for the 15's than the 14's. I've been privilidged to drive my old car with 205/55/14 kumho victoracers and it was absolutely incredible. The only other tire I have experience with is the falken azenis in a 195/60/14. The 15's offer MUCH more selection.
  • 90gs90gs Member Posts: 107
    Ha! Between the time that I posted and the time I viewed your response i came to the same conclusion....15x6 over 14x5.5. I hadnt even thought about the sidewalls let alone the availability of tires! I actually talked to my motor guy who had a chance to wear both and he said he definately felt more comfertable with the 15x6s.

    Than I did a reality check... If Honda put the 14x5.5 rims on a civic (96-97) that was a non-perfromance but good gas mileage car than would that really be an upgrade for me? However my car (GS) started out with 14x5.5 alloy wheels that actually weighed about 15lbs so yes it would be!!!! but than I though, assuming Honda, er, acura has been continuously trying to improve their integra, they went from my 14x5.5 (1990-1993, even the GSR of that time, hooray for B17!!!) to 15x6 for another 7yrs (94-2001) than it would appear that they DID find the best rims for our car!!!
    I mean doesn't Honda/Acura put much more time into their R&D than us consumers do?!?!?! :D
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    You are right but another reason they went up to 15x6" in 1994, is because the Integra got bigger and heavier. '90-93 Integras average 2400lbs. '94-01 Integras average 2600lbs.

    There are of course 14" tires that can easily handle 2,670lb (+driver & passenger) GSR's, but they would have to be like 215-65-14's or 205-70-14" (195-75-14", etc.) like I used to put on some of my 70's american beater cars I owned in the 80's that weighed ~2900-3100lbs. ie: higher profile tires would be needed that are also harder to find these days. Not very practical on a sporty coupe that you want to make the best FWD handling car (back in the mid-90's many magazines called the GSR the best handling FWD car).
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • jebbidiahjebbidiah Member Posts: 16
    I haven't posted in a while, but nothing really exciting has gone on. I got my skunk2 cat-back on and it sounds awesome, just what i was looking for, not too loud when driving around town but at about half throttle its really deep and well...... just awesome sounding. I can also notice a slight power increase which is nice. I should be getting the rest of my exhaust soon after i get a suspension set up on. I was wondering if you guys could give me a little input on what all installing high compression pistons involves. I've been looking into it and i just dont want to go in over my head with parts that are necessary when installing them.
    Mike
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    when you start messing with higher-compression pistons, things start to get wierd. First off, you'll need to do a little research into how much compression you want. I believe that if you go with 11.5 and up, you're not going to be able to use street gas. Of course, it depends on altitude as well.

    If I were going to do it, I'd go to about 11:1 compression and leave it there. Get some cams that'll take advantage of the compression, and then get it tuned.

    As for parts, if you go with 11:1 compression, you shouldn't need to upgrade the fueling system, but you might. If you do, bigger injectors and/or a high-flow/pressure fuel pump will be needed as well as a fuel pressure regulator or some sort of tuning device.

    For physical hardware, you're going to need pistons, piston rings, wrist pins, and the necessary installation tools. Along with that, you'll need to hone the cylinders in order to get a good seal with the rings. You'll also need seals and gaskets. If you want me to go over EVERYTHING you need, then I will. Just know this, if you do get new pistons, just rebuild the whole motor, it'll save you time and money.
  • jebbidiahjebbidiah Member Posts: 16
    ok second question. Are the power gains even worth the money and effort? If not, anyone know of other N/A setups that would be a good choice.
    -Mike
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    If you rebuild the motor, then yes, the power gains will be worth the effort. You'll have a fresh motor that hasn't been abused yet and is built with your goals in mind.

    If you're looking for a slight boost in N/A power without a rebuild, then I'd recommend the bolt-ons: intake, header, high-flow cat, exhaust. Then go deeper with the modifications such as a bigger throttle body, slightly aggressive cams (more aggressive = head modifications and higher compression), and maybe an intake manifold.

    When I did my engine rebuild, I stuck with stock compression but with forged pistons. I was planning on turboing the motor, but then I had an unfortunate event which stopped that plan dead. Anyways, the only "modification" I did was to go 20 over (20 thousands in diameter ... or radius, I'm not sure =P ) and open up the intake valve seats about a millimeter in diameter. In doing the valve seats, the intake ports opened ever so slightly and I realized a big increase (it was noticable even in the initial break-in) in power. The added displacement from the overbore was nice as well. If my calculations were correct, I was above 1800cc's (b18c1/5 are about 1780cc's, b18b's are 1800+) afterwards.

    I did an intake, header, testpipe, exhaust, ITR cams, 7 lb flywheel, and an ACT HDSS clutch, and the car was a beast. I could beat ITR's in the straights as well as the turns and braking, so my 4door was easily one of the fastest N/A fwd cars at the time that was racing at the track.

    Of course, all b-series motors take well to boost, and that's a fact. While it is a massive 1-time investment, it'll be cheaper in the overall picture and has the possiblity for more power later on.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Haha, alright, I've found a product that has sparked my interest. It comes with a 24mm adjustable swaybar up front, 15mm adjustable in back, bilstein HD shocks, ground control coilovers, 700 lb/in front, 350 lb/in back. *begin stupidity* How is this going to ride on the street har har har *end stupidity*. Anyways, for the miata, this is the spec suspension, however, I'm thinking of moving the 350's to the front and getting ... 250's for the rear? Of course, if you remember my past posts, I'd have to get new top hats, as the stock ones have been bored out to 12 mm from 10 mm. These new ones give the user about an inch of suspension travel back, so I'm thinking that it'll be a good investment with a lowered car. Does this sound like a good plan or should I look at something else?

    Here's another question, you have ~25-27000 to spend on a new (emphasis on new) street car. What would you get in ~1.5-2 years? 27000 is my absolute upper limit. I've been looking at the Golf Gti, WRX, Civic Si, Scion TC, and the RSX-S. Considering I've only driven the old WRX and a Scion TC, my experience is limited. Any opinions would be appreciated ^_^ Oh yeah, I'm keeping the miata as my impractical car, so not another miata =P
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I think that may be the Spec-Miata standard suspension, but I always thought it was 500 in the rear (700F/500R). That's a road race setup. What do you want to do? roadrace the car or auto-x? If you go with the Ground Control coilover kit you can swap springs anytime you want (I 've tried 4 different spring combinations since '02) within reason and within your shocks' capabilities of course. Are the Bilstein HD's externally adjustable? Can they be easily rebuilt & revalved?

    There is a guy in my local SCCA club who is extremely fast with his CSP Miata with 450F/350R so your choice sounds pretty good. They had to kick this guy out of the novice class 2yrs ago in mid-season, because he was just too far ahead of all the other 1st year novices. He uses GC's Advance Design shocks though which I 'm sure make a big difference too. Speaking of which, I still haven't sent mine back to to GC to have them rebuilt.

    To answer your question, if I had $25-27K to spend and needed a more "practical car" (otherwise S2K would be my choice), but was limited to the 5 cars you mentioned, I 'd probably go for the Civic Si because it is all new. New chassis, newer technology, etc. But that is NOW, because the RSX, WRX, and GTI are old. They 've been in production for 5+yrs.

    1.5-2yrs from now (it's nice to fantasize once in a while, hehe) who knows what the RSX-S or the WRX would be like? It's certain they 'll have more power, maybe even look better, handle better, who knows? That is if we 're talking about NEW cars, not used. You can be sure there will be new RSX and WRX models within a year or two. The Scion TC is not a bad looking car and well worth the money but it's not in the same class as the others. It's heavier, built cheaply from what I read as an economy car to keep the price down while still delivering respectable power & torque. The TC weighs >2900lbs. If it weren't for its 163ft-lbs of torque it 'd be an average car just a little faster than my wife's CRV which has the same HP and Torque. Now I think the TC does 0-60 in the mid-7's and has the least power in the group. Still a a whole second slower than the others so that would probably be my last choice or 4th. The GTI would most likely be my last choice because is just plain ugly and well just plain looking. It hasn't changed much in 2 decades. Since I 'm nearing 40, I 'd probably spend the $27K on a different cars than these 5, but that's just me.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    What kind of cars would you look into? I'm open to all suggestions and opinions, so don't hold back ;)

    As far as what I want to do with the miata, I'm sticking to daily driving and auto-x until I get the new car, then it's becoming a spec miata. I think 350 lb/in in the miata will be the max I would want to go with on the street. I had 350's on the integra and it was nice and smooth on the street, but I'm not sure how the miata will react to the same spring rate =P
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Spec Miatas are much more stiffly sprung that just 350.. You won't be competitive in road racing with low spring rates. There are 2 guys with spec Miatas that show up to auto-x once or twice every year. They 're not in CSP but my class, DSP. I know one guy runs 700lb springs and the other 550 or something like that. That's pretty high for an auto-xing Miata and not recommended, but great for road racing. Try out 350 and take it from there. Have you been on Spec Miata forums to see what others are running?

    Well if I had a shorter commute than the 160mi. one I have now, I 'd be looking at slightly used Bimmers, 3series or a late 90's M3 (240hp) which can easily be had for $20K or less. My first choice of course would be a used S2K for like $25K + tax should come close to $27K. I found a few '05 S2K's 4sale. These people are just sick. They just want a new car every year or 2. One guy was selling his '05 S2K with only 9k mi. on it because he wants some new color that's available for '06. He was asking $28K (you can buy them new for 29K). He ended up selling it for $26K. He didn't care. People just have the money and when they make up their mind to buy something else they just want to sell the old and not wait for the best offer.. That's good for you the buyer. That's what you want.

    1 - 2yr old cars, even 3yrs old, are very hard to sell because they cost "too much". Those are the cars you usually get the best deals on. My friend got a used '04 S2000 for $23.5K, 28k mi. The guy was asking $25K but couldn't sell it. I think my friend got a great deal since the guy only bought it in April '04. So the car was less than 1.5yrs old when he got it.
    Now if I had a choice between a new RSX-S, WRX or a 1.5yr old S2K for $23.5K, I 'd be all over the S2K.
    Check out the performance tests on the link below. I 've also seen 13.6s in the 1/4 and 5.2 to 60mph in MotorTrend, (also 113ft 60-0), but these are very close and probably more realistic:

    http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/honda_s2000_6spdmt_2005/16022/style_performance.html?refsrc- - - - =offnetwork%2Fcpc%2FPI

    Now go look at the specs of WRX and RSX, especially the braking, roadholding and slalom speeds.. 115ft 60-0 is NSX, Ferrari & Porsche stopping distances (Type-R did 120ft). But the S2K is not practical and it's not a car you drive in the winter so a Bimmer, RSX or Civic Si would also be good choices with high scores in the fun-to-drive department. Just remember, $25-27K can get you a LOT of car, if you 're not limited to new cars only.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • 90gs90gs Member Posts: 107
    Garados-
    Just get a hybrid and forget about it. ;) Have you seen gas prices?!!? I mean, really it depends on your driving style. If I could afford to have/maintain two cars I know exactly what I would do. I would have a 94-97 cadillac deville or maybe even an '04 civic hybrid (now that I'm thinking about gas prices!) -but basically a cruiser that I can throw some really good speakers (who cares about weight on a cruiser) and just have that be my daily driver. Than I'd keep my Integra (or in your case Miata) and strip it until it's too noisy/uncomfertable to drive on a regular basis. But than I like to tear up the road on a daily basis so I might have my cruiser slightly more on the perfomance side.
    NOTE: even though the new accords are getting progressively uglier on the outside, they keep adding more cool stuff on the inside and they've got a hybrid version too. I mean maybe gas isnt a big deal to you but over here it's still over $3 - I'm probably not the right person to talk to about new cars though b/c I dont understand why anyone would basically throw away a few grand (or more) on a brand new car!!! I mean you lose at least $3,000-6000 as you are driving off the lot, for what, a warranty!?!?!?!? A false hope that your new car is going to have less problems than a used one!??!!? My friends w/ new cars have to bring it in for recalls almost all the time!!! More often than I repair my 15yr old Integra!!! My point is: the extra money you lose to a new car can easily be beaten by almost any car 5yrs old or older.... and that extra money can go to modding it (fun) or spending it elsewhere. What do I know though.... :)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    The reason for the new car vs used car is the fact that I do want a warranty and the free stuff that comes along with getting a new car =P That's all =P Besides, if I get a used car, it's gonna turn out to be like the integra and miata, a stripped, loud, heavily sprung crazy-[non-permissible content removed] car that won't be comfortable, but will be damn fun ^_^ Also, I need to get a car that I WON'T do that to, but one that'll be entertaining enough to drive so that I don't get the urge to modify it ... or at least modify it as soon as I get it =P Oh yeah, the s2000 is looking mighty attractice now :P
  • 90gs90gs Member Posts: 107
    You're just not putting the right mods on it. I'm telling you, once you take a car (any car) and you start going one direction with it it get much easier to stick to that plan. Especially if you've got another car that has different aspects to it.
    For example: Take you're S2K that you want... get the oldest (cheapest) one available to you.... no warranty. Let's say you dont want it to be noisy like your miata.... Bulk Dynamat!!!! It'll be like $200 online and than one Sunday of stripping your car and installing the dynamat and than putting the carpets and seats back in. Huge diff. from your Miata
    I have got a laundry list of other "minor mods" that I've done w/ my friends to make "old cars" way nicer & cooler than newer, more expensive cars. I'm still trying to bulid this webpage thing in my spare time so I can show you guys what I've done to this Integra as far as "customizing and modifying" goes.... it's actually come a really long way since I first started posting a few months ago. It's actually in the shop right now (I've been taking the bus to work :cry: ) and I'm getting some paint fixed and painting some extra parts that I must keep a secret right now... :surprise: , but bottom line, I'm really excited!!!!
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I 've reserved an '06 Civic LX coupe 5sp. from the shipment that's coming in Oct. 31 / Nov. 1st. My '01 EX coupe has 159k mi. and I 'm getting tired of it. I have it up for sale now but since it has hale damage (little pings on hood,roof,trunk lid and some on top of fenders) I 'm not asking a lot.

    Gas prices is the reason I keep getting a DANG Civic every 4yrs. I was planning on getting the '06 Accord LX or EX Coupe manual a few mos ago (they look better than '05 models - they changed the nose, headlights, tail lights, etc.) but the gas prices are not coming down much so I 'm stuck with another Civic that gets 4-5mpg better mileage than the Accord.

    At least the Civic has 140hp now and the same torque as a g3 Integra. I wish I had a shorter commute than 80mi. each way, but I 'm not. I 'm not rich either, so I have to buy econo-cars. If I had a shorter commute I 'd have a wider range to chose from and the Si would probably be one of them.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • integratedintegrated Member Posts: 1
    Sorry to be butting in on your conversation but, I was reading that you were talking about wheels and I was trying to find out if I could put 18 X 8's on an integra that has been lowered approx. 2.75 inches, maybe lower now that the springs have settled, with out doing any wheel well modifications. If so, what size tire could I put on it?, 40,35?
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    I've seen 18's on an integra, but dayam, they're HUGE! I'm not entirely sure if they'll fit even with fender modifications. I had issues with a 7" wide wheel, mainly fitting it between the fender and the suspension. So, if you can find an 18x7, then it'll be doable ... if the offset is right. So enough beating around the bush, fitting an 18x8 with a 35 series tire is going to be a pain in the butt anyway you look at it.

    With my old integra, I was lowered ~3" with 215/40/16's and had slight rubbing in the rear from the width, and the tires were tucked about half an inch, but absolutely NO suspension travel. Now, according to this ...
    http://miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html
    if you go with a 215/35/18, you're tire will be about .5" higher than my setup, so the tire will be way in the wheel well.

    If you are dead-set on getting 18's, get adjustable-height springs so that you can get the ride height how you want. If the car still "looks" too high, then get a body kit. Anyways, I enjoy the look of 14-16" wheels on integras, with 16's being just a little too big for my taste. Harry and I race our cars, so we use small, light-weight wheels with sticky rubber. Seems to me that 90gs is also trying to get into that game as well.

    Finally, be prepared for a massive loss of performance in acceleration, braking, handling, and gas milage with the addition of 18's.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    I drove the corolla xrs today, and I must say, it's a pretty nice car. Lots of room for me, nice, responsive engine, 6 speed manual, 16" wheels ... oh yeah.
    The engine, though, is what gets me. I think it's the same one from the celica gts. It redlines at ~8000 rpm and pulls nice and hard up to redline. I'm not sure what I was hearing, but there was a definite change in the engine note at about 4500 rpm and then another at about 6500-7000 rpm. Perhaps a dual stage intake manifold and a cam switchover?

    I didn't get to toss it around in the turns, but it comes with upgraded suspension, and it looks like some wierd-[non-permissible content removed] beam across the rear wheels. I didn't know what to think of that ... so I'll go to braking. That car stopped on a dime and they were very easy to modulate. This car is definitely one of the ones I'm going to consider when the time comes.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    what Phoy said (Garados)..

    You 'd have to do fender modificiations or fabrications to fit 18x8" wheels on there unless you raise the car at least 1.5". Only then they will fit but you will still have rubbing on the inside when turning because 8" width is just too much for an Integra, unless the wheels have an offset of 30mm or less but then they would look funny extending beyond the fenders. 17x7" is more doable and 17x7.5" is manageable but not easy.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    That's WACK! I'm sorry for your loss. But yeah, you can still post on here. I drive a miata but I still post =P Anyways, is insurance going to help you out at all? Hope everything turns out well. keep your head up ^_^
  • jebbidiahjebbidiah Member Posts: 16
    I had an explination of how i was going to get another gsr that my grandpa has. Its red 95 and leather with about 20k less miles than my STOLEN one. So i'm not completly stuck in the mud. I didnt have full coverage, which along with getting an alarm was what i was planning to do in like a month. I feel very violated. sorry for the 'hidden cursing' or whatever it was moderator, i was mad.
  • jebbidiahjebbidiah Member Posts: 16
    They found it. 14 car theives down, a couple thousand more to go. They found my car with no body damage in a chop shop with a few other cars. They had just stripped and sold off the parts last night of a few of the other cars there and were planning on stripping my car tonight probaly. Engine was gone in all of the cars though so i may have to start looking for a new engine. I'll take them to court and try to get some restitution from them but who knows how that will go. Good excuse to buy a JDM type-r motor right?

    If you guys do have any suggestions on what to do if my engine isn't found feel free. Right now i'm just glad to have my car back.
  • 90gs90gs Member Posts: 107
    Gar-e, you struck on something big!!!! My friend was telling me about how he got smoked off the line by a corolla with a celica motor. He was driving a '92 integra w/ a B16 and he just got completely humiliated. He rolled down his window and asked the guy what it was and he told him it was the "xrs" - I'm not too sure about the engine but I can tell you that Celica motors are infamous for their killer low end torque and HP... as for that switch at 4500, maybe they added something to take care of the top end too (maybe cams!?!?!) - do you know if its DOHC?

    Also, since we're on the subject, I was wondering if one of you guys could verify this info. I heard that the new Lotus is basically just a tiny, stripped car with some sort of celica engine. And most of the performance comes from the amazing power/weight ratio. Is this true?
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    That's good that they found your car. Hmm, if you don't find your motor, I'd get a b18b1 and turbo that biznitch =P

    90gs: yeah, it's a DOHC motor. As far as the Lotus goes, it's running the 2zzge motor (out of the celica, but it makes 190 hp, the camry xrs has ~170). It's quite an amazing car because of teh power to weight ratio combined with suspension and grippy tires, it makes for a wonderful machine.
  • 90gs90gs Member Posts: 107
    B18b + turbo!?!?!??! :mad: Thats my plan! :surprise: I can't wait... I'm going to do a complete rebuild with 90% OEM honda parts... rebuild the whole thing and than but a T3 on there at 6psi... I realized it's the quickest, cheepest and still very relable way to get some good power out of this car, man I like torque.

    What squeezes those extra 20HP out of the lotus? better air flow?
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I guess the moderators pulled your post before I had a chance to read it. I 'm glad they found your car before it got completely stripped. Does it still have the tranny? GSR trannies are almost impossible to find (as are Type-R) and very costly, even to rebuilt one, unless you do it yourself.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • jebbidiahjebbidiah Member Posts: 16
    Every thing important was still in the shop when they found it. They took everything to the impound lot along with this pos civic that had my nice blades on it (he's still trying to claim he bought it from a friend). Anyway, my engine and tranny + shift linkage were all out of the car but its there so thats all that matters. Its better than having to buy a whole new engine and tranny. I guess its going to be sitting in a shop for a while getting all put back together.

    The only concern i still have is that my brand new Skunk2 exhaust and AEM cold air weren't with all the other parts. They say its probly still at the guys house but... i can't go get it without the police and they cant go searching without the consent of the owner. I'm no expert in law or anything but wouldn't you think that if my parts are at his house i would have the right to get them? I just don't undertand how i could be just 'out' that money if it is mine. At least i have my car :)
  • rinerriner Member Posts: 1
    I GOT AN INTEGRA LS. ITS PRETTY QUICK AS IS BUT I WNT MORE SPEED OUT OF IT. IM IN THE MILITARY SO I DNT HAVE ALOT OF MONEY, SO IF YALL KNOW SOME BIG HP UPGRADES FOR CHEAP LET ME KNOW PLEASE.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    just so you know, writing in all caps is the same thing as shouting =P Anyways, an integra ls, eh? Cheap, fast, reliable. Pick 2. I say get a wet nitrous kit or a fogger system, upgrade the fuel system via a fuel pump and injectors, colder sparkplugs with some sort of on-nitrous timing-retard system, and get it tuned via Uberdata or Hondata. Shortly thereafter, upgrading the motor mounts and the clutch will be necessary.

    Jebbidiah, I'm not sure on the nitty-gritty, but if I had to guess, it'd be from ecu calibrations, intake and exhaust tuning, and maybe fiddling with cam timing.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Hahaha, well, it finally happened. In the next week or so(when all the paperwork and transactions are done), I will be the proud, new owner of a grey 2003 IS300 with the manual transmission and only 18000 miles, mainly freeway. It has Eibach Prokit springs, Hotchkis Sway bars, and a Powerdyne supercharger.

    Now, ususally, I'd stay away from modified cars, just because they're abused and the parts are ghetto-rigged to fit, but I know this isn't the case. I wired the e-manage into it and helped with the fuel-line and additional injector installation. Also, it's been driven nicely because my brother owned the car before me =P

    I'll give a full report in the upcoming weeks when I take full possession of the car.
  • jebbidiahjebbidiah Member Posts: 16
    AHHHH, all you rich old men and your new toys. New car sounds sweet, hope everything works out nicely for you.

    I'm slowly starting to get regrouped after my car theft fiasco last week. Motor mounts and accelerator cable should be coming in tommaro sometime, so the engine should be dropped in soon... hopefully. I re-orderd all of my parts (AEM cold air, Skunk2 exhaust, and shift knob/ short shifter) today. Police told me that once they get all the papers sorted out they'd set a court date and get that guy in jail.

    I was looking at some type r pistons last night when i was browsing for my replacement parts. Garados, i know you told me about high compression pistons but does the same case of being to costly for the results apply. I'm not looking for a huge performance boost, just wanting some extra power while i'm in the "to boost... or not to boost" stage. Type r pistons aren't looking too expensive unless i have to upgrade ecu, fuel system, valve train, and all that stuff in order to make the upgrade effective, but i guess that where your expert opinions come in :P
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    If I were you, I'd just leave the stock gsr pistons in there. They're high enough compression to give you enough power in naturally-aspirated trim, but is low enough for you to run boost comfortably. If you are set on getting new pistons, however, I'd highly recommend getting stock compression pistons in a forged alloy of somesort. This will give you a little more insurance when you do boost it.

    If you want a little boost in power, look into 98+ integra type r cams or civic type r. If your budget doesn't allow both the intake and exhaust cams, then just the intake will be good. It's basically a bolt-in, drop in deal. It'll net you a MUCH better midrange if you have the capability to change the vtec crossover. If you can't, they'll still give you noticable gains after ... 5000 rpm or so, if I recall correctly.

    Just an example on how well the cams work ... I had just put them into my 4-door gsr. I had a short-ram intake and a 2.25" cat-back exhaust, lightened flywheel and an upgraded clutch. Well, shortly after putting the cams in and breaking them in (idle for ~15-20 minutes), I went for a drive and it was absolutely wonderful. The car felt much more responsive. So here's the good part. I ran across another gsr. It was a 98+ 2door with an intake, header, test pipe, and exhaust. We did a quick skirmish on the "freeway" on the east side of town and went from about 20-75 mph. to about 35 mph, we were even, then from there on out, I just kept pulling on him. So, for 400 bucks, I think that cams will be the most impressive modification you do to the car.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Garados: I agree but cams alone don't make a GSR that much faster. You need a header, intake & exhaust (free flow CAT woule be nice too) to get the most out of them.

    I 'm saying this because my friend last year had installed both intake & exhaust Type-R cams on his '95 GSR plus some cam gears, Jun or Skunk2 ones I think. Now he didn't have anything tuned. Like you said, he just dropped them in. Everything else was stock in his car except for some cheap 4-2-1 header he had bought for $189 (some cheap off brand - can't remember) from Ebay. His car didn't feel faster than mine or as fast as mine when I went for a ride with him. He redlined 1st & 2nd and then slowed down. I think mine was a little faster than his. Mine had 158.3whp last summer just from the DC header, cold air intake & lighter flywheel (no exhaust). It could have been because his GSR had 140k mi. on it and had possibly lost some compression in the cylinders. Not sure.
    If I recall you rebuilt your motor and put some other stuff in it, no? If anything just the rebuilt alone without the cams would have made your car faster than a GSR with many miles on it, but I hear you about the seat of the pants noticeable difference. My friend said the same thing but he was lacking basic bolt-ons that could have made his much faster. Cams need a nice upgraded exhaust system all the way through from the header to the muffler plus an intake to suck in more air. There was this guy that used to auto-x with his '96 GSR (haven't seen him since '03). He also had cams and gears. One day I noticed his car looked faster and his times were better too. I asked him what he did, and he said he just got a 2.25" RSR exhaust and his car was noticeably pulling harder.

    Wouldn't you think cam gears would also be nice since you 're in there already installing the cams? Or did you not recommend them because cam gears usually need some dyno tuning?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • aznazn Member Posts: 14
    nosuch as cheap
  • aznazn Member Posts: 14
    i still have not gotten a stright answer about my model issue, i have a honda civic SI, 1.7 L engine. everywhere i look for aftermarket parts they ask if my models a ex,lx, or si, when i tell them mines an SI they look up the part for the SIR which is a 2.0 L engine, why do i keep getting this prob when dealing with U.S companys.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    We'll need a little more info.

    Give us ...
    1) year
    2) complete trim level
    3) engine code (if it's swapped, let us know)
    4) perhaps a picture

    The only 1.7L motors that I've heard of (I'm not sure beyond 2000, though) was from the 92-93 integra gsr. It was a b17.
  • 90gs90gs Member Posts: 107
    *I dont mean to be rude but I'm pretty sure this forum was titled: Customizing & modifying Acura / Integra... did the civic forum kick you out or something!?
    In answer to your question they put a 1.6 in the Si until 2000 and than for 2002 they put in the 2.0 which makes me assume that b/c the shop is telling you have the 2.0 that you've got that newer, ugly looking one that Honda really screwed up on. Just trade it in for the '06 civic... its way faster and way prettier... or if you're really stuck on the 1.7 maybe just look for a 92 GSR Integra and you can save a lot of money, mod it to be faster than your current civic and you can appropriately input to this "Acura Integra" forum! ;)

    My new issue... this weekend we pull my 98 LS block apart and I'm pretty much sold on rebuilding it with whatever OEM parts really need to be changed. However there are some internal upgrades that I want to ask you (particularly Garados) abou...

    ACL main/rod bearing: I heard these are much stronger/better than OEM.
    Manley/Eagle Rods: will these screw stuff up if I plan on NOT sleeving? Can they be used with OEM pistons&rings?

    The main reason (aside from money&time) that I don't want to do forged pistons & rods is b/c of the extra heat they cause which would obligate me to sleeve or put a block gaurd on it. Don't forget I'm going to hone the block, balance the rotating assembly, and maybe even get 'em shot peened, dunno yet.

    So I guess what I want to know is what can I get away with!?
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    I don't know why you'd want to go with upgraded rods and not pistons, but I believe upgraded rods will work with the stock pistons. Call the manufacturer and see if it's a stock wrist pin setup, or if it's different. If you do a stock buildup, you'll be told that you need to take the piston and rod to a shop to have the wristpin pressed in. Try this. Put the piston and the rod in the oven for a few minutes and put the wristpins in the freezer. It should go in without too much of a problem. Just DON'T SCRATCH THE SKIRTS (the sides) ON THE PISTONS!!!

    As far as forged stuff increasing heat and whatnot, I don't believe that's the case. I ran forged pistons on stock sleeves in my gsr without a problem.

    Hmm, I'm not too sure about the bearings. Just be sure to plastigage across the WHOLE friction surface. I say that because I messed up and checked the clearance on the middle of the rod. Thing is, the bearing was too wide and was binding on the outer edge of the friction surface. If I had plastigaged across the whole thing, I would have seen that. Just be careful.

    Oh yeah, there's a trick to getting the correct bearing for each connecting rod and main bearing. There are numbers and letters stamped in the block and on each rod. You match those up to a table and it tells which bearing should be used. The bearings (from Honda) will be color coded.

    When you do the rings, if you have the ability to grind them down to the proper thickness, gap them a little more if you plan on turbo'ing the car. This will allow you a little more expansion before the rings expand to the point where they bind and lock the piston into the cylinder. Of course, this is only applicable to the compression rings, not the oil ring and spacers. Be very very careful not to knick the ring at all. That will make the ring bad and it won't seal for crap.

    Good luck with the buildup and tell us how it goes!
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    In the let's keep this TEG mods vein, I have something to donate.

    I have recently acquired news sponsors for my racing efforts which will allow me to build up my TEG for some events in Canada. Namely Ontario Touring Car Series and Targa Newfoundland. I am reporting on the build at my race site: blinkracing.com which is just starting.

    The car an 00 GS TEG is in mint low mile condition and has been used in Solo events. The car is loaded w/leather etc.

    I have come to grips with the fact that I am building this car and not buying a ready made. Reasons are numerous but manly I have alot of parts from a previous R that I want to build. Plus a friend of mine was twice chased at gunpoint in Toronto for his R. They tried to steal it 3 times.
    So I've decided on a sleeper R.
    GS + gobs of mods = frankenR but track friendly, able to take co-pilot for Targa and modded back to roundy round car for the rest of the time.

    This also means the complete leather interior with airbags and steering wheel are going to be sold around Jan-Feb. Offers? Hood, sunroof and trunk lid also.

    So I joined and will be back to post.

    Glad to be here and hope this interests you folks.

    Cheers
    Charlie

    "I suppose I should be glad that the kangaroo was hunched down when we hit it at 190kph" -- Petter Solberg
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    An obstruction where the header goes into the exhaust is robbing power. It tapers down there and restricts scavenging. You need to put headers on and a true cat back system. Versus throwing an exhaust on without a header.
    Cheers
    Charlie
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    FYI for racers visiting Canada and are looking for a rental seat.

    My car choice at link title is explained here.
    I am building this 00 TEG to end up with a backup car for rentals. I am planning on putting 2 more cars into the fray.

    Currently I am negotiating to get an RSX to build into the identical team car and I have a 03 993 which will be introduced for the 07 season. At least 2 of these cars of the 3 will be available to rent for Touring Car and Targa Newfoundland in 2007.

    Currently the 993 is Stage 3 and too fast for me so it stays a street car for now. That build starts Nov 06.

    I hope that got your gander up.

    So there it is a new time with possibilities. Anyone got good input or interested in booking rental ahead?

    If anything the Targa Newfoundland is a must do.
    Check them out at link title
    2200 kms with 500 kms of Speeding!
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Welcome to the board! What kind of suspension are you going to be running? I take it that the car will be a dual-purpose street/track car, is that right?

    I'm also very curious to see what you do with the engine. What are the rules that you'll be following with the buildup of the engine as well as the rest of the car?

    -Phoy
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I hope that got your gander up.

    That must be a St. John's joke eh? :-)

    Steve, Host
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    It was an inadvertant one (Gander)

    The rules are much the same as the US rules for touring and is only (get this) 8 pages. You can do a lot from stripping for weight to serious engine and suspension mods. There was only 20 cars in the series (BARC Canada) and they are looking for entries. I would think you could push the rules in this series. It runs alongside 3 big events here. 2 molson indy IRL cars and the F1 in Montreal.

    Allowed 3 inch min suspension for touring but will have to deal with some rough roads and new roads in NFLD. Too stiff and I'll fly off the road. Or too many rear stiffners may not be good. Thinking Tien adjustable.

    Big brakes front, normal rear, falcons az, other suspen components to come. Wing, splitters. Looking for downforce.

    Engine mods according to rulebook. Will post that or link it. N/A but could go forced and would be bumped to gt in touring and modified in Targa. It's an option. I'm doing this for excitement so I want a thrilling machine and plan to built something very competitive. Plus I want to blow the doors off some cars that may doubt TEG's ability. MuHaHaHa. So....stroke, head etc. Maybe a transplant. I have been looking.

    Marketing: This car will have some wicked sponsors. More to come on that.

    Charlie

    "If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith."
    Albert Einstein
    US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    It will be barely streetable but is required for Targa Newfoundland. So it will be plated and then somehow I have to deal with emmisions here in Canada. We have slack rules compared to the rest of the world. I will post on my site emmision stuff.

    That is a big question because there is a serious differance in street and track. My concerns are more with safety and if an interior can burn then it's gone. (I have seen)

    Fire suppression will be a big part of this car. A lot of racers overlook this aspect.

    The car/s will get vinylwraps for ads. Note when you vinyl something it stays new underneath the vinyl. At the end of the season when you peel it off, it's new under the vinyl. Saves paint, east to patch.

    So it will be a track/rally car disquised as a street car (without graphics) And will keep it's plate.

    Note Targa Newfounland issues a government :shades: plate for the event (see pictures at their site). You replace your plates with it and give it back after the event. I guess it's
    A LICENSE TO SPEED PLATE. Can you imagine? :surprise:

    Thanks and glad to stumble on this board.

    Charlie

    TARGA
    BLINK Magazine (writers wanted)

    "I suppose I should be glad that the kangaroo was hunched down when we hit it at 190kph" -- Petter Solberg
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    The entry fee for Targa NFLD is 3500CDN if paid before Jan1-06 then it goes to 4500CND closer to the event date.

    Newf is 19 hours drive from Toronto. then an 8 hour ferry ride to the island.

    Note: Organizers in Nova Scotia are bringing an Isle of Man event there in 06 for motorcycles. The East Coast Canada is shaping up to bring premiere motoring events. The gov is even helping. All for Tourism.

    I'm born in Montreal not NFLD, in case you think I am a NFLD promoter. Only been there once. But it is supposed to be the friendliest place on earth. Lobster too.

    Cheers
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Phoy and I do mostly Solo2 events. We spend a fraction on entry fees of what you posted. I personally race my GSR almost every weekend between March and November. Too many clubs in my area, SCCA, non-SCCA, NASA, Porsche & BMW clubs, etc. However I spend a bundle on tires. 3 sets of Hoosiers (and/or Kumho V710) per season for me.

    Which Teins are you thinking of getting for the Teg and what spring rates? Can you get custom rates and have Tein custom valve the shocks? I currently have the SPSS3 valving (custom) on my Koni Yellows. These shocks are much better suited for road racing and not SoloII with this particular valving.

    Before that I had the Ground Control Advanced Design double-adjustable shocks. They were true coilovers because the shocks are threaded unlike the Konis. The AD shocks come custom valved according to the spring rates you order from them or are going to use. They also include your shock dynos whey they ship them. The AD's are also designed more for the track and many people here use them for that. They were great in auto-x too. They don't last too long though and need to be rebuilt every year. They warn you not to drive on the street with them on but my car is not a trailer queen so they broke towards the end of the first season. I 'd hit 130-140mph and there was nothing the car couldn't do with those shocks. They were awesome at high speeds and the Falken Azenis.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    Yes only1 it's steep. And they're talking capping the entries to 120 or so. I think it will sell out.

    I hear you can only run one set of tires with 2 spares and a spacesaver spare. So if you're not to lucky hopefully its stiff enough to run on 3 wheels to limp into the next town.
    I have a Falken Sponsor.
    We have the same solodeux as the USA.

    Racing in Canada Eh
    Here's a link to the local race body if interested. Note many Americans come ElNorte to race. Most have far more exoctic machinery than us. Lot's of Amarican entries at the Targa NFLD. I used to go down to Sebring for the 12 hours with a Camaro in the early 90s. I mostly went to learn how to cheat from the good ole boys. And then bring that back here. Did I just say that?

    Suspension. Your advice is wonderful. I don't know enough yet to say. I will be talking to some racers who did this event last year. But I think Tein has this adjustable setup. From 1 to 4 inch drop. Rules say 3" min ride height. I can live with that. Plus my sponsor IACTech in Mississauga may want to put something else on.

    Besides the track which, other than the odd guard rail is just fields and you may end up with dirt in places dirt can't go.
    Targa on the other hand has cliffs...huge ditches, more cliffs. Giant rocks....why Newfoundland is called the Rock...A Porsche hit some rock in the 05. Toatalllled. Very bad. So must keep it on road.

    How's it go?

    If you can get through the course without lifting ....you need a faster car!

    I like the sound of that 140mph Falkens no problemo.
    Only1, thanks for your shocking input and look forward to more interaction. You could post to my race blog anytime. I'm just figuring out this Movable Type an it's workin'.
    BLINK Racing

    By the way I have links on my sites to the Hans Stuck video, Gumball 3000 and some of my magazines.

    I clicked on entry form for the Ultimate Rally - It's not a rally it's a Race (Gumball 3000)Start here Kimpire (Gumball 3000)
    Link is on Kimble's home page, the sick puppy that he is. Anyhow I clicked on the entry form....sold out! What...100 cars.
    So book for 07. Okay.
    Note: They have pictures of Ferraris cut in half there. It's crazy and have heard nut drivers are among the racers. But a serious targa team could win it. Keep you car glued to Kimbles car. He has pre-run it.

    Cost?
    30000 Pounds or ? 50K US! Entry fee.
    Plus a fast car etc. You should see the entry form and what you get.

    Of course this is an illegal race and although I showed my sponsors that DC Sports had 3 highly artistic Subys entered and were on the cover of mags everywhere. They of course being a corporation will probably say no. Cause tis illegal.

    First prize. 2 million ! with cash payout at 1 of 4 stages paying 50K US first place stage win on downward to 5th. (10K)

    Cheers
    Charlie
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    Why not change the pistons and while watching dome clearance , you can increase the cyl pressure to 11 to 1?

    Also Blue printing and balancing will give you lots more power. And it will feel like smoother power.

    Cheers
    Charlie

    Unless we change direction, we are likely to wind up where we are headed.
    Chinese Proverb
  • charliehalpincharliehalpin Member Posts: 10
    How do I get a flag near my post handle? Can I have a pirate Flag?

    I was checking and found out that the SCCA? runs touring car series in the states and Acura has a contingency plan payable to Acura 02 newer and pre 01.

    Pre 02 Payouts: 4000 1st (Pretty good for a TEG!)
    02 + : 7500 1st (RSX Holy cow than 10K CDN!)

    This would make me want to run in the US. But I'd get my pants whipped. And all that travel.
    You guys enter down there. You win. Take the money from Acura and then you can enter the Targa Newfoundland.

    Seriously, check it out. Serious dough! More than most manufacturers.

    Sorry not available in Canada ? What? Discrimination.
    We don't use any American products here. Except maybe the runners for our dogsleds. We already have the ice for our igloos.

    SCCA SPEED World Challenge

    There's actually a stop on the US tour here for this large American Series at Mosport in Ontario. It's 2 hours from where I live or 1 hour 10 minutes by 993.

    So I scoured the contingency page looking at all this money all these sponsors are giving away down there and thought I could get some. Up here. Fine print say's not payable in Canada. I guess that's for American cars too? So the Americans are taking a hit to come up here and race. It's a no wonder none are rushing up. But I guess they have to come for points.
    There you see you can come up here and win but it's goin' to cost you. MuHaHaHa

    Cheers
    Charlie

    If I had only known, I would have been a locksmith.
    Albert Einstein
    US (German-born) physicist (1879 - 1955)
This discussion has been closed.