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Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

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Comments

  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    haha, hint taken ;)

    My Miata

    I'll get better pics after the suspension and wheels are upgraded :P
  • mjm78mjmmjm78mjm Member Posts: 1
    So I have to complain to someone. Someone stole my baby! After being broken into 3 or 4 times in Phoenix, then once in Chicago, my '01 GSR has finally been completely stolen right from my street in Chicago. Ugh...I still can't believe it sometimes. It feels really weird to not have a car (aside from the 2007 Kia Optima my insurance company gave me in the interim). I wish I had lojack so I could find out where the heck it is. $700 - $1000 to almost guarantee to get your baby back. Man that was a nice car...I loved it. I'm sure it's stripped to the bones by now.
  • branden1331branden1331 Member Posts: 1
    Wondering about horse power on a gsr that has upgraded, cams, cold air intake, exhaust, throttle body, fuel rail, intake manifold? Then to install a turbo and the horse with it? and what would be best setup for suspension?
  • uk_archuk_arch Member Posts: 1
    I am looking to add some HP to my stock 2001 GS-R. 82,000 miles, in what order should i do these three, exhaust system( headers ,muffler) cold air intake? any other ideas how to make this car faster.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Glad to see my 8+yr old thread is still alive and doing well!

    Garados: Thanks for taking up the duty of giving good advice to everyone visiting. I told you I was training you to be my replacement. I bet you didn't believe me :)
    Have you been auto-xing at all? What happened to your Miata? I haven't read all the posts since I was last on here last March or April but it seems to you had an accident (or I forgot that you did). You should have been auto-xing your IS300. They 're not bad auto-xers you know. They do relatively well in D Stock at regional events.

    Where is 90GS? How is his project coming along? Has he finished his 200-250whp B18B motor yet?

    All I can say about me is that I was assigned to a new account last April farther away and I 've been working 55-60hrs/wk (no OT, I 'm on salary). So needless to say work sucks and I get home at 9pm at night with no desire to spend any time on my PC except to look for a new job closer to home now and then. I also worked most weekends (mostly from home) so I didn't get to race that much this season. I probably attended 5-6 events from April to October compared to 20-30 events in the previous years. My car 's also been having some issues that I haven't had time to fix or I should say diagnose, so it was probably for the best I didn't race it much.

    I did race my brother's Type-R twice. I felt bad beating my brother by 3-4 secs.. really. He said he won't let me co-drive his car any more because I 'm making him look bad! I would have held back had I known he 'd behave that way. In any case I PAXed very well in D Stock even with the Azenis. It's fun being in a stock class with a nice low PAX index :) I paxed 5th overall on the 2nd event (10th on the first event) because I started experimenting and dialing in the brand new Konis I talked him into buying. I got his Type-R dialed in good now. Basically it's almost 3/4 firm in the front (1.5 turns) and almost all the way stiff in the back. The stock shocks were much stiffer than I thought. I also realized that they Koni Yellows are the same ones they are using for the GSR. The ITR Konis are not any stiffer which took me by surprise. Anyway everyone thought I had R tires on. They think PAXing 5th on street tires is some kind of record. That's very possible who knows? I guess I can still drive as good as ever. I thought I 'd be rusty having only raced my GSR about 4 times this year.

    Most of the ES Poly bushings on my GSR are shot and it just upsets me too much to think I paid $500 in labor to have them all installed (lower & upper arms and shock mount ones too). Handling has been greatly affected by the ceased up LCA bushings. My SPSS3 race valved Konis were leaking so I installed brand new OTS (off the shelf) Koni Yellows with softer Eibach ERS springs 400F/450R. Feels like my car has stock suspension now compared to the 600F/750R I used to have with the old custom valved Konis. I think I may also have some bad tie rod ends cause I got a wheel alignment in July-Aug. and the steering still feels weird and not as responsive. It may be the steering rack because I had bottomed out the entire front end one time in '05 while racing. The course went over a large dip which I drove over at 70mph in 3d gear (that's rare for auto-x - it was more like a road race course). That put a dent in the oil pan and ever since, the steering has felt "funny" and it even makes a squeaking noise once in a while when I turned the wheel. So it seems I need a lot of things checked out and fixed. Hopefully is just the bushings causing all the trouble.. I have all new front OEM LCA bushings sitting here as well as new rear LCAs. They cost just a few bucks more than the bushings so I got the OEM arms that come with the rubber bushings. I will get them installed by March or so or when the weather warms up a little. I want to give the car some normalcy or OEM feel to it cause I think this is going to be the last year I hold on to it. I don't want it to feel like a race car or a Mack truck when I sell it. It would sell faster if it felt more like a "car".

    So tell me about the Miata and the IS300. What's new and all that.
    I have convinced my boss to let me work from home a couple of days/week so I 'll have time to post more often but I handed the reigns for this thread to you a while ago and you 're doing a great job keeping it alive! Good job!

    PS. What happened to "Shifty"(Mrshiftright), he was the moderator for like 5yrs. He probably had enough of us :)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Yes, a cold air intake does wonders for our GSR's. That's a great start and the very first mod I did. Get the AEM V2 CAI. You won't regret it. Easily 11-13hp at the wheels.

    After that if you get hooked and want to continue spending $$ there are many things you can do. A muffler alone won't really do anything. It all depends how much you want to spend.
    I have one of the best exhausts and that provides the best gains for the GSR. It's the Type-1R (T1R) 2.5" Power catback exhaust. I also replaced the Catalytic with the T1R 2.5" resonated test pipe. But in order to get these 2.5" diameter parts to fit you must have a header with a 2.5" collector. Integra headers except for Type-R, come with a 2.25" collector. So I suggest instead of getting an aftermarket 2.25" header and exhaust, go 2.5" all the way from header to CAT, to exhaust. The 2.5" piping all the way through provides much better gains than a 2.25" system. My car feels like a have a supercharger in it and my brother thinks my GSR is faster than his Type-R (I think so too) when he drove it a couple of months ago. The T1R exhaust and test pipe are also resonated to reduce the noise dramatically. It also comes with a silencer for the exhaust tip which helps a lot and only robs about 2-3whp. The company T1R I think claims that their exhaust alone provides 9-11whp. No 2.25" exhaust company comes even close. Add another ~5whp gain for the test pipe (if you 're allowed to replace the CAT where you live) and another ~7-8whp for a 4-1 Type-R header (OEM, JDM, or aftermarket) and you will easily gain 20whp with this setup. About 30whp all together with the AEM CAI.

    I know I have easily 30whp more cause my car is just too much faster now since I added the 2.5" piping. I wish I had done that sooner and not play around with a header first and then this and that, all with 2.25" piping. Waste of money. Should have gone 2.5" from the start. The T1R also has an awesome sound. It sounds deep and like it means business. It can get a little tiresome and noisy on long trips though. Just turn up the radio a little and it's very liveable with the silencer on. I rarely take it off anyway. only when I go racing because to get that extra couple of HP when you remove it. Takes about 10secs to remove (1 hex screw). This exhaust really does sound amazing and looks really good too. It doesn't have the 4-5" coffee can look or diameter at the tip. I think it's more like a 3" diameter tip and it's slanted. The T1R exhaust and test pipe are Stainless Steel all the way through. Check out randmotorsports.com. They 're one of two companies in the US that carry T1R products. Dyno proven to give you more HP than any other exhaust, even more than Toda, Spoon and Mugen (the very expensive ones). There are 2 types of T1R exhausts for our cars. You want the Power exhaust that makes the most HP and torque. I know it transformed my car. I couldn't be happier with the acceleration now. I also have a very light flywheel which helps me rev faster but that's a lot of $$ in labor. You can do that when you replace the clutch. I had that before the T1R exhaust and test pipe and made a slight difference. The header, exhaust and test pipe made a HUGE difference. Had them all installed the same day. I thought I was driving a Type-R on the way home from the shop. Well worth the $1,050K for all 3 parts and the $200 in labor. It will bring your GSR back to life.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • 944s944s Member Posts: 42
    Hi im pretty new to the forums.
    i need some advice,,, my neighbor is moving back to california and he cannot take his 1993 integra with him,,,, ist been sitting in the parking lot for about 2-3 months. i want to buy it from him,, he said he wants 2-3 hundred for it. i think its got some major engine damage,, last time i spoke to him he said that it burns oil and he was told that he needs a new engine. other than that the car is impecable inside and out. i dont know the trim of the car but i thing its the GSR because it pretty loaded its got the pwr moonroof, pwn antenna etc,, but im not sure...
    i need to know if it is indeed a new engine it needs and what honda engines fit this model. and how much it will cost,,, if everything goes good i plan to eventually modding the car......... any answers will be greatly appreciated. i really like the car and ive heard nothing but good thinds about integras.
    thank you.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    The '92-93 Integra GSR is very rare. '92 is the first year the GSR came out. Chances are it's not a 1.7L GSR but most likely the Integra LS which came with a moonroof and all power stuff, or the GS which adds leather.

    The RS/LS/GS '90-93 (2nd gen) Integras came a 1.8L motor and 130hp. The GSR had a 1.7L that put out 160hp.
    You will not find a "new" engine for this car because they don't make them anymore. You should be able to find a rebuilt engine but you are probably better off getting a used or rebuilt B18b (140hp) engine from a '94-01 Integra. They cost about the same as the B18A engine of the '90-93 Integra.
    You might have to make some modifications to the exhaust however or get a custom made exhaust because headers made for the B18b engine have a longer collector I believe. It's not too expensive to get custom length piping.

    90GS should be able to answer all your questions because he owns a modded '90 Integra with a B18b motor. Hopefully he 'll visit the board soon.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • 944s944s Member Posts: 42
    thx a lot man,, do you know if the B18b engine is a direct bolt-on (other than the header). and do you know how much it'll run for ( used or rebuilt??) and thx again for your imput!
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Should fit right in and work with the same tranny if I remember correctly.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    holy smokes, long time, my friend! Yeah, the Miata has gotten a beating from being a daily driver.

    There's one road locally that has a wonderful design. There are two roads leading into this intersection. The westbound has a west/east traffic pattern, and the southbound is a one-way.

    As you can see, if you're heading west, there's nowhere to go =P So, to turn around, there's a gravel pit to the south. I go in there and *BAM* the road falls off about 8 inches. The impact bent the front subframe and pulled the driver front tire back about 2 inches. It's sitting while I collect funds to fix it.

    I'll be trading my 1.8 liter engine with a 99 head (best flow, no variable valve timing = good for early-model swap) for a new front subframe and larger 1.8 liter brakes on all four corners. Along with this repair/upgrade, I'll also be putting on new springs on the front and rear. I have Koni Yellows with GC coilovers. The front rate will be 450 lb/in and the rear will be 300 lb/in or 375 lb/in, depending on how crazy I feel like getting with it.

    As for the IS300, although I haven't auto-x'd it, I did take it to the track today for a little bit of fun. It's supercharged, has a lightened flywheel, and a heavyduty ACT clutch. Suspension consists of Eibach prokit springs on stock shocks with Hotchkis front and rear sway bars.

    It's a little twitchy on corner entry and a little tailhappy on the way out :P I guess that's the problem with ~250-300 lbft of torque available at 2500-7000 rpm. So, trying to be fast, it was fairly easy to drive, but with street tires and the competition being more experienced and on race tires, I was left in the dust. It was fun, though! It definitely needs an alignment and better tires if I want to become a little more competitive :blush:
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Hey buddy! Hope you get your Miata on the road soon. Can't they straighted out the subframe? You 're probably better off getting a "new" one anyway.

    The 450F/300-375 is a good auto-x setup for the Miata. You 'll like it. Have you thought about getting Konis or aftermarket shocks (Bilsteins should be good too) for the IS300? Being on stock shocks with the Prokit springs can't be helping you. I was on H&R Sports on stock shocks with my GSR for 5-6mos shortly after I bought the car. Everything was great at first and handling felt good but after the 3d month handling started deteriorating and eventually 1 front shock started leaking and one rear started making a squeaking sound. It was right after I started auto-xing. The stock shocks couldn't take the 30% spring rate increase in the front and the 75% increase in the rear. Replaced with Konis, and I was immediately 2.5secs faster on a 45sec. course. The Eibach Prokit typically has 10% more aggressive spring rate than the H&R Sports. I think you 'll really benefit from aftermarket shocks. The IS300 is twitchy enough without aftermarket sway bars and with stock power. I can imagine the bigger bars make it more so but I 'm sure it's more evident because of all that extra torque from the S/C. All the more reason to improve the suspension (shocks, shocks ,shocks!) to handle all that power. It must be a blast to drive though. You should try and take it to the track to see what it does in the 1/4 mi. :) I 'd be very curious if I had that car. That way I would know who I can and can't race at the light ;)
    BTW, I haven't done that in a very long time until about 2 weeks ago when I raced a new '06 Civic Si. We were dead even (to about 75 and then we had to slow down) and I almost bogged and had to catch up from being behind a whole car length! I launched at around 2K RPM and let go of the clutch too fast :( Had I launched at 3K or more I think that Si would have been in my rear view mirror. Or, I would have been sitting there spinning my Azenis because it was 34deg. out. They don't grab well in the cold. Not too smart to drag race with summer tires in NY in January. I was actually about 1/4 car ahead at the end and my 3d gear was just kicking in. I would have liked to red line 3d all the way to 90 and see how it stands up to the Si's 3d gear. My car is a different animal now after the 2.5" piping all the way through with no CAT, and the JDM Type-R 4-1 header (with 2.5" collector).

    The reason our Integras (Civics, Miatas, etc.) get noticeably faster with some simple mods and a "few" ponies is because they are light compared to most cars. Mine weighs 2582 now with 1/3 gas tank! The lighter exhaust and header shaved off quite a few pounds. It used to weigh 2601 with the lighter Titanium ( and aluminum) Advance Design race shocks and 1/4 tank with stock header and exhaust (no spare, but full interior, lighter wheels, and no trunk floor board, lightened flywheel, etc). The Konis I have now are at least 10lbs heavier the 4 of them, than the AD's. So this means I shaved 29lbs with the T1R exhaust, test pipe, and header. If my car was 3200lbs like a 3-series Bimmer or an Accord V6, I doubt 25-30whp would have made a big difference. The weight is a big factor. A good local auto-xer here has a Mazdaspeed (turbo) 170hp motor in his '90 Miata (in Street Mod) with bolt-ons (I/H/E). You would think that Miata has at least twice the HP if you watched it race. He claims the motor is completely stock. It's because it barely weighs 2200lbs.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    oh yeah, weight is a huge issue for me =P Speaking of which, I've dropped about 30 pounds since last summer! Stopped eating all that junk food and being a couch potato.

    Anyways, I'd love to strip the IS300 down to one seat and a dashboard, but I don't think my girlfriend would enjoy that too much :P When I did the flywheel and clutch job, I was expecting to see a flywheel on par with the one from the Integra, about 20 pounds for the flywheel and about the same for the clutch. It ended up being ~40 pounds for the flywheel (it's a dual mass with a solid clutch disc) and the clutch/pressure plate wound up being 25-30 pounds. The new pieces were ~25 pounds together. It made a HUGE difference in acceleration and throttle response. It went from being slower than a WRX to being almost on par with an STI.

    As for the Miata, it's going on a crash diet when the subframe is replaced. I'm going to pull the AC, power steering pump and lines, carpeting, and everything that isn't necessary for around-town driving. I'll relocate the spare tire to underneath the car to get more room in the trunk.

    With the new subframe, it'll be getting new upper and lower control arm bushings and balljoints. I think it'll feel like a brand new car when all that's done. I'm also thinking about doing a "butterfly brace" which has covers for the frame rails and a large cross member that'll tie the sides of the car as well as the front and rear of the car together.
    image
    People are saying that it makes a huge difference in the way the car rides and handles. Instead of the chassis flexing, the suspension will actually have to do its job :P

    I'm excited to get everything together and running on the Miata. I miss the sharpness that the Miata has when it turns. Sure it's not as powerful as the IS300, but the handling is lightyears ahead due to the fact that it has 1000-1100 pounds less to lug around :blush:
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Well, I wanted a new subframe and it happened! Got it aligned yesterday and took it out today for a nice drive around town. All I have to say is that I should have done this stuff long ago. The car is so responsive now, it's amazing.

    For the alignment, I got the following:
    front:
    camber -1.5*
    toe ~0.0
    caster 5.5*

    rear:
    camber -2.0
    toe 0.1* in

    I also got the chance to put the larger brakes on the front. "WOW!" was the first thing I said when I laid into the stop pedal. It has street pads on there now (Hawk HP+ pads on the old setup) and they have an amazing cold bite. What really got me, though, was that the warmed-up braking was MUCH better than the hawks. The first hard stop I did, I though my face was peeling off my skull :shades: All in all, ~1 inch more in diameter and another 3/8 of an inch in thickness combined with a beefier caliper makes for a VERY worthwhile upgrade ;)

    I'm excited for the warmer weather and some more funds to get nice tires for my 16's (gunmetal Rota GT3, polished lip) and just go drive with the top down.

    Take care everybody!
  • deryckfmderyckfm Member Posts: 29
    Good to know that only1 and garados are still holding up the fort. Looks like garados has ans IS now? What about you, only1? Get that S2K yet?

    As for me, still have the GSR. Am about to hit the 20k mark. No mods yet. But am about to pull the trigger on some TE37's (15x6.5) in gunmetal gray. Was wondering what your suggestions would be for a 195/55/15 all weather tire. Less weight is a priority. Will keep the stock tire/rims (in case I need them for bad weather/long drives/etc) so should I go with a summer tire on the TE's? Have a Tundra for the winter so summer tires on the GSR won't be a hassle for me during the wintertime.

    Also, can I eventually upgrade my rotors to a Type-R size? was thinking of Spoon Calipers too, but they only fit Type-R or prelude rotors.

    Can you tell I'm trying to shed weight? Thanks in advance...
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Yeah, I have an 03 IS300 and a 93 Miata. I have my 16's up for sale so that I can get a set of 14x7 Team Dynamic wheels for racing ^_^

    I'd go with a higher performance tire on the TE's, because you'll have the stockers for long rides and the truck for the winter. Out of all the tires I've been on, the Kumho Ecsta SPT was one of the best tires. I also had a set of AST's by Kumho, and, of course, Falken Azenis. If I had the choice, I'd run a 205/50/15 instead of the 195/55/15, but either way, these tires are the ones I'd recommend.

    If you're looking for more braking power and fade resistance, a good set of pads and nice fluid will do you well. On my old gsr, I had Hawk HP+ pads and Valvoline synpower dot3/4 fluid and I intentionally faded them once at the track. I never got them faded on the street, and they lost some performance going down the local mountain, but that was because the pads were almost done and the fluid hadn't been replaced in some time :P

    If you want the Type R brakes, the easiest (not the cheapest) way is to do the hub swap. I think the axles are the same, but I'm not 100% on that one.

    If you're looking to get an 11" rotor in there, check this out ...

    Good luck ;)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You should flush every 2 months if you are tracking your vehicle. As for brakes, Hawk HP+ are a great street pad with track qualities. As for fluid we always use Hawk Blue fluid great stuff.

    -mike
  • deryckfmderyckfm Member Posts: 29
    garados, thanks for your insights, once again. just curious, how much did your rota's weigh? kumhos were on my shorlist as well, but may end up being my choice too now, after hearing from you. 205's are also being considered as a replacement for the 195 stockers. i may just go down the pad/fluid route instead of the spoon/11" rotor project. was just curious about how complicated a project it would be (11" upgrade). thanks again for your suggestions.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    The project doesn't seem to be too difficult ... but I have been fooled before :P I did a bigger-brake swap on the miata, but everything bolted up fine. You'll have to do some grinding on the brackets to get them to fit correctly. If you take your time, it'll turn out just fine. Remember, measure ten times, check it twice, check it again, and then grind ;)

    The Rotas ... they probably tip the scales at about 15-17 lbs/wheel. This is for a 16" wheel, though. A not-so-nice feature about this is that although the mass is more, the mass is also farther away. This increases the moment of inertia, or the resistance to movement, and decreases performance, both accelerating and decelerating. This, however, can be a tradeoff for more rubber on the road.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Not quite the 11" rotors with ITR calipers ... but close :P I put my old GSR brakes on my friend's 95 civic cx. It was such a tremendous difference, going from 9.xx inch discs to 10.4 inch discs in front and drums to discs in back. The whole thing wasn't too bad ... Had to replace the knuckles in the front and the entire rear suspension assembly (sans shocks). Rotors were cheapy ones from autozone, with equally cheap pads front and rear. For the amount of time and money spent, it was a tremendous difference. Still need to upgrade the brake master cylinder and the proportioning valve. The BMC needs to be bigger to move more fluid per unit of travel, and the proportioning valve to get correct brake balance for an all-disc setup.

    I'm wondering if the 11" brake setup will feel even remotely close to this upgrade :confuse:
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Nice! I 'm jealous!!

    Yeah that's my 2nd favorite mod after suspension - the brakes. You can carry much more speed and brake late just before a turn. Makes a big difference and your car is "quicker". The Type-R's rotors are about 1" larger in diameter with bigger calipers. When I bought my GSR and it was new I thought it had decent braking. Then a few days later I took my brother's Type-R for a drive which was only about 1yr old, and I when I hit the brakes I almost went through the windshield. I was amazed, big difference.

    I don't have any complains about the Hawk HP+ pads though with cold braking unless it's <50deg. out. During the spring and summer I think they have a pretty good initial cold bite, better than I expected anyway, but they warm up very fast. I took the GSR out for a drive over the weekend. Outside temps were in the low-mid 30's. When I first hit the brakes the car barely slowed down the first 1/2sec. but after that they were ok. Yes you have to be careful in cold weather and keep your distance when braking for the first time after leaving your house. The grab pretty good after that though. Afterall they 're more of a race pad than a street pad.

    So did you get the brace installed too? Was the "new" sub-frame OEM? Did that cost you an arm and a leg or was it from a junk yard?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Paisan: Do you mean ATE Blue brake fluid? I didn't know Hawk made brake fluid but I 've been out of the forums for a year so anything is possible.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Hey Deryck, long time!
    Nah I haven't bought an S2K yet. Things are uncertain at work with all the offshoring going on, so I 've been holding off. I only auto-xed 4-5 times last year because I was working almost every weekend so that car would have been sitting there most of the time. I 'm glad I didn't get it last summer. Maybe this summer if I get the guts to do it :)

    I know a couple of people that installed Type-R brakes on their Integras. They said it wasn't complicated at all.

    I do know this: The control arms and knuckles are identical in GSR and Type-R but I 'm not sure about the axles. I think you would need NEW hubs because of the 5-lug pattern. The Type-R rotor needs to go onto that hub.

    Axles also cost $300-400 each.
    I don't think you would need new axles because they probably wouldn't fit in the GSR tranny. You would need an Type-R tranny.

    I know the steering rack as well as the suspension geometry in the front of the ITR is the same as GSR.

    In any case I wouldn't do it because it would add weight to your car and you said you wanted to reduce weight. With Hawk HP+ pads, SS braided lines, and a good brake flush & refill, your GSR will stop as good as a Type-R with stock pads, etc. You must get the SS brake lines though. They make a noticeable difference. You put those on when you bleed the brakes. Very easy upgrade.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Almost forgot.
    The Volk TE37's bend contrary to what others will tell you. Almost every car I have seen at the auto-x events with TE37's have at least 1 bent wheel. The 10-11 lb TE37's don't hold up as well as the 15.5lb OEM GSR wheel when hitting a pot hole, even a small one. I know they say they 're forged but they 're still aluminum and not as strong as a steel alloy.

    The OEM GSR wheels are almost indistructable. I hit a large deep pothole a few years ago and I thought I 'd see the wheel cracked or very dented when I stepped out to look at it but I saw nothing. It was the loudest bang you can imagine like getting into an accident. I then had the wheel inspected by a couple of shops and they said there was nothing wrong with it. I know people with TE37's that have hit much smaller pot holes and dented them.

    Another very strong and popular light wheel is the 13lb Kosei K1 15x7". I have 2 sets of those. One in 45mm offset and another in 38mm which I use for racing mostly because of the larger (wider) "track" (pushed out further) but the 38mm required rolling the fenders a little. Not an ultra-light wheel but still 2-2.5lbs lighter than OEM. That's 50lbs less unsprung weight just in the front. The Koseis are fairly inexpensive. About 1/2 the price of the TE37's. I don't believe they make it anymore but you should be able to find plenty of used ones out there in good condition. Mine have been through hell and back and still no dents. They hold up extremely well. The Kosei K1 was also used for a number of years by the Spec-Miatas (road racing class). I think it was the official wheel according to the rules. You also see them on many auto-x and road racing, modified Bimmers. Not sure whey they stopped making them (check Tirerack - I heard they were bringing the K1 back) after 7-8yrs, but that was a great all around light alloy wheel.

    I agree with Garados. Try to get a 205-50-15" summer tire and use your other OEM wheel combo for the winter if you get real winters where you live. Makes a big difference over 195-55. Make sure you get one that's good in the rain though if it rains a lot where you are. The Falken Azenis are not good in standing water once they lose 40-50% of their tread.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yeah ATE Superblue. Although I am going to try the Hawk fluid soon. They just came out with it so we'll see how it works.

    Our Hawk Blues + DBA rotors + ATE Superblue did well for us at VIR in Feb.

    -mike
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Yeah, I didn't get the brace on ... my funds didn't allow. The subframe, though, cost me an engine and a head. I have nothing else to report in my life =P
  • deryckfmderyckfm Member Posts: 29
    Good to finally hear from you only1! Might as well get an ITR if a brake upgrade on the GSR requires all that. Came across an unmolested Black 01 with 34k miles. Asking price was still 19,500. Think that's what I paid for my GSR back in 00. Not sure why an ITR has been on my mind lately. Back in 00, I was "sure" about not wanting an R model, since I just came from a 93 RX7 "R1P" (R1 package). "Good" thing about not choosing an ITR back then, is that I'll prolly be too skeered to leave it unattended nowadays. Just can't get my mind off the port and polish, LSD, 11" rotors, special cams/pistons, and all that good stuff from Ma Honda.

    After driving my friend's 05 S2K, it (along with the ITR) too has been tempting me to say bye to the GSR. Narrowed it down to a MY 03, but most are still in the 20's.

    So since the trusty, ole GSR is paid for, was with me since it was only 7mi old, an ITR/S2K will just have to wait. Modding the GSR will get my mind off those two temptresses. Thanks again to you and Garados for your tips and opinions on what mod route I should take.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well if you buy an ITR you will be relieved of it shortly as they are still stolen every 5 minutes.

    -mike
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    A used S2K is still very tempting in the low-mid 20's. If you can get one for the price of a new Si, what more can you ask for? It's twice the car the Si is. I have seen Civic EX with navi, and one or 2 other options in the showroom for almost $21K! You don't get much for $20-25K these days. The S2K is well worth it except it's not practical being a 2 seater. It usually has be your 2nd car and a toy you have fun with. A car like that needs to be exploited to get the most out of it. Autocross or some track weekends will make owning and S2K a awesome experience. I fell in love with it the first time I drove one. I 've auto-xed my friedn's '02 M3 and it didn't impress me except for the straight line acceleration and braking. The 2.2L S2K braked equally well as the M3 (maybe even better), handled better, had more responsive, accurate steering, better turn-in, better feel overall with the road, was fast enough, and in general more fun to drive than the M3. Worth every penny IMO. My friend paid $51K for his M3. I can't see paying that kind of money unless I tracked the car a lot.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Amazingly I actually just fit into an s2K and agree it's a blast to drive. I couldn't get one as a daily or a car for myself as I just barely fit but I'm a big guy though. Great cars.

    -mike
  • deryckfmderyckfm Member Posts: 29
    only1, maybe you'll have time to go to this year's NY Auto Show and get to see the unveiling of the new S2K "type-r". Let us know if you do.

    But since this is really an Integra forum, we should go back to talking about Tegs. Wanted to know if anyone knows what hardware I need to order when installing a OEM ITR front lip. From Acura's parts list (Bumper section), I think item #4 (bracket) and #38 (Clip Nut) are the only ones I need. Anyone have experience with the install? Am hoping since it's OEM, it won't be that hard to do.

    Lastly, I have a Flamenco Black Pearl 00 GS-R. 00 ITR lips are listed as "Starlight Black Pearl". 01 ITR lips are listed as "Nighthawk Black Pearl". Not sure which one will be a closer match to my stock FBP color.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Deryck,
    S2K Type-R? When is it coming out? I can't wait for the stats on that baby. I 'll be all over that if the price is reasonable.

    Just go to www.acuraautomotiveparts.org or call 1-800-Carland and ask for the parts department and tell them you are ordering from the web site. I think the guy's name is Mike that deals with Internet orders. He 's pretty good. He 'll tell you exactly the parts you need for the ITR front lip.

    I know for a fact that the ITR black is a different shade than GSR's. Most people buy the ITR OEM lip unpainted and then take it to a body shop to have it painted with their Integra's color code. If you want it to match your car exactly, that's the only way to do it. Black comes in many different shades and you might not be happy if the pre-painted lip doesn't match the rest of the car. Do it right the first time around. That way you can always take it back to the body shop if they screw up or it doesn't look the same as the rest of your car. The body shop will do their best to match it with your hood and the fenders or sorrounding paint. You can't go wrong that way. I remember the price from older groupbuys being half that of a painted OEM lip. Just make sure to tell the body shop to apply lots of clear coat on it because the front lip is the one that gets hit with all the bugs, dirt, rocks etc. It takes the hardest pounding out of any other body part.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    Hehe, well, not really :P I went from 375 lb/in springs in front to a heftier 450lb/in spring. It was fairly easy to do. My friend and I did the entire swap in 15 minutes ;)

    After unbolting the hat from the shock and the hat from the chassis, he used a persuasion bar to pull the suspension down. I pulled the hat and the misc. mounting hardware off of the shock, then the spring can come off. I was able to pull them out through the hole in the fenderwell where the hat mounts to.

    Initial impressions: the car rides smoother now! It's also much more composed in the turns as well as over undulating surfaces. With the new springs in there, the car doesn't exhibit the crazy oversteer it did before. I can still coax it around, but it's much more controlled now.
  • eldainoeldaino Member Posts: 1,618
    funny! but unfortunately true.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I 'm back again! :-) Sorry it takes me so long to post anything. Too busy.. Glad to see the original & oldest (my oldest creation, hehe) Integra GSR discussion on Edmunds is still here.

    Garados, we had discussed Miata spring rates a while ago. I 'm glad you went with the 450lb/in. in the front. That's what several fast auto-x Miatas use around here, but I would have to say that the excessive oversteer you encountered also involves the rear spring rates as well, not just the front springs. You have to find the right spring rate balance front & rear. Sounds like you got it down now. I think the fastest CSP Miata we have here uses 450F/350R and guess what shocks he is using? The Ground Control Advanced Design double adj. race shocks like the ones I had on my GSR. They are awesome but unfortunately don't last long. His broke after 2 seasons (last year), mine after about 1 1/2 seasons. I need to send them out to GC and have them rebuilt. Don't know why I haven't done it yet. I know have Off-the-shelf (OTS) Konis with only 400F/450R springs. I also went up from 6 and 7" springs to 8". The car rides beautifully, very comfortable as compared to the 600/750 rates I had before with shorter springs & custom valved Konis. I have the SP3 Konis which is the same as Yellows but 20mm shorter in the front. That way I can lower the car a bit more and not have to worry about damaging the internals if I ride the bumpstops (which I 'm not but I 'm almost there). My car is only lowered 1" now as I 'm getting ready to sell it. I want it normalize a little and make it more streetable. It still handles very well. 3-wheels like crazy now but it's still quick in auto-x.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Are they limiting the # of characters now? My post got cut in half..
    Well here 's the other half with a pic of my car racing.

    The car is only about 1/3 - 1/2sec slower on a ~45sec course than before with the custom valved Konis and stiffer springs, but I enjoy driving the car on the street a lot more. No more bracing for a little crack or bump on the road that would send shock waves up my spine. Oh I also got rid of all the LCA polyurethane bushings and put fresh OEM rubber bushings back on. It was about $250 in labor (not too bad actually - they charged me exactly the time it took them to replace them) but well worth it. The guy was honest and worked fast.

    The UCA's and upper shock bushings are still polyurethane. I don't think I'll touch those. I have the lighter GC upper shock mount kit on both front & rear that came with Poly bushings that provide more shock travel. I think I'll leave those in there. The upper control arms are Ingalls that came with poly bushings and I think they 're still fine. The LCA rubber bushings made a big difference. The old Energy Suspension bushings were shot as I suspected. I know it now by the way the car behaves and rides. The LCAs had a lot of movement before which is typical of poly bushings after 3yrs and having gone through 3 winters with no lubrication. They get too hard after a while and start rotating instead of stretching, adversely affecting the handling.

    So have you been auto-xing the Miata? How are you doing with that? Check out this pic from 2 weeks ago. Look how close I got to the pylon :)

    image
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Wow my wheels are so full of brake dust! Dang Hawk HP+ pads! :-)

    Check out this pic. It's right before the one above (I sent them in wrong order). I 'm doing about 35+mph here (otherwise I can't 3-wheel if I go slower) lining up the car to go through the gate, the 2 blue cones. Notice how I 'm coming in and how in the pic above I manage to rotate the car and and point it almost straight through the gate. That's from 8.5yrs of auto-xing and really knowing your car well. I 'm also on the new Hoosier A6 225-45-15's all around with no rubbing! (rear fender lips are rolled). This is another reason I had to raise the car a little. I really wanted this new tire (and size) from Hoosier. Nice and fat and very sticky. Like them better than the Kumho 710 in 205-50-15. Notice the inside rear wheel.. I haven't seen that much body roll in my car since '02 when I had similar spring/shock setup. I had no idea I kept 3-wheeling until the pics were posted on the professional photographer's web site. There are 3 more the guy took within 2secs of each other (it was a big "S") and I 'm 3-wheeling in all 3. I may post them later. Don't want to take up too much space on the Edmunds server ;)

    image">
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    This is from the summer of '02 at Englishtown raceway, NJ. See any similarities? :)

    image
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I see you are from the NY/NJ area, I've probably auto-xed with yah at some point!

    -mike
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I auto-x with about 8 different Motorsports clubs including SCCA, PCA, BMWCCA and private ones in the NY/NJ/CT tri-state area. What's your name?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Mike is my name :)

    I drove a grey XT6 and a red XT6 for a few years in Auto-x and then a primered impreza.

    Ran with SCCA, NASA and M-club.

    Moved on to road racing and hpde with PDA and NASA in the Northeast.

    -mike
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Ok Mike, no need to give out your last name. We don't want to ruin your cover :)

    Well it's been a very long time since I 've seen an XT6 auto-x. Probably 5yrs or more so I have no clue who you are.

    Not sure that you can tell from the pics of my car, but those magnetic signs on the doors are M-Club Class Champion signs awarded by the club. I was the '02-'05 class E champion (the '02 one got stolen at an event) with the M-Club, 4yrs in a row. I attended most of their events religiously from late '99 on, except for last year and this year I only went a couple of times.

    I also auto-xed with NASA a couple of times in '03 & '04. Then NASA merged with the M-Club or did away with their Auto-x events in '05 and concentrated more on track events I believe. I used to auto-x with Matt Dudek before that when he had his Type-R. Perhaps you know him. He was one of NASA's officers when their auto-x series was created. He then took on road racing with his newly acquired Type-R hybrid Civic after he sold his Yellow ITR. He also bought my '97 Civic DX HB with plans to do a Type-R motor swap but he opted for a lighter '92 or '93 Civic HB.

    You may know Zephyr Belski that road races an Impreza RS with a WRX motor. Zephyr and I went head to head in DSP class (SCCA) for a couple of years with the NY Region SCCA when he had the stock 2.5 motor in his RS. That was back in '01 and 02 I believe. He never managed to beat me once so he then did a WRX motor swap and got bumped up to SM where he still wasn't competitive against the Civic hybrids with Type-R motors. He then pretty much gave up auto-x all together I believe because I haven't seen him in a couple of years, and pursued road racing more. I heard he 's doing very well with NASA and SCCA and has won 1 or 2 class championships. Know any of these people I mentioned?

    BTW, whatever happened to Mr.Shiftright (Shifty I used to call him)? He was the host here for many years.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • highonimportshighonimports Member Posts: 3
    Ok i have a integra and i bought it with a JR supercharger already on it. When i test drove it, the car did amazing. But after like 2 months the bottom alternator bolt came out and now none of the holes line up right. I called Revline (the place that put in the supercharger), and they said that it never fit to begin with and the guy just said to make it work. Well now i cant get it to work and have my alternator line up right with all the other pulleys. Im guessing it may be the wrong bracket but they said it was the one that came with the integra supercahrger. So i was wondering if it could be the wrong alternator or my bracket is bent. But also there is so much torque and power going to my alternator it is sheering off bolt i shove through the holes to make the alternator stay so i can at least drive it around town without the belt falling off. Any one have any idea what the problem could be? thanks a lot for the help.
  • integrakidintegrakid Member Posts: 2
    ever sense i bought this car its been hell...but after dropping the jdm motor in it and stage one clutch with a light weight flywheel and other mods on an ls ive been wondering what i should spend my next check on...so far mustang gts and camaros are no match. i hate straight line racing. so im looking for a wider range of power but looking to keep the top end...so far lately ive been thinking about throwing a gsr head on an ls to get the vtech and turning the v tech down to about 4500, and god forbid i still have a jdm front end waiting for a carbon fiber hood to go on alll at once...any advice from anyone would help...
  • integrakidintegrakid Member Posts: 2
    my best guess would be to buy a high grade smaller bolt that would fit or the right way would be to take it of so you can get the braket out and see if its bent and maybe drill a bigger hole in it...ive dealt with similar problems like this on my race integra...
  • scuba2002scuba2002 Member Posts: 1
    I just bought a 96 GSR with 167k on the clock. It has Greddy Headers, a full Magnaflow exhaust, AEM Cold air intake, new Spark plug wires and plugs.... any estimates on what sort of power gains this would have given the car? It's pretty quick.
  • 91gsrintegra91gsrintegra Member Posts: 1
    OK HERE GOES, WE HAVE A 1991 INTEGRA LS AND RECENTLY WE PURCHASED A 1997 GSR FRONT STUB/ENGINE SETUP STRAIGHT FROM JAPAN TO USE FOR A SWAP. THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS THE UNIT FROM JAPAN WAS A RIGHT SIDE STEERING COLUMN CAR. LOOKING FOR ANY KIND OF INFO TO HELP EASE THE PAIN OF TRYING TO FIGURE OUT THIS WIRING NIGHTMARE. WE HAVE THE OBVIOUS PROBLEM OF MAKING A 97 HARNESS WORK IN A 91 BUT NOW ALSO THE FACT THAT THE WIRING IS ALL BACKWARDS. ANY HELP WE CAN GET WOULD BE MUCH APRECIATED. THANKS ALL.
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