Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

jc58

Thanks for the info....I will see what it is like after we pick it up. Seems a shame to have a car run worse after spending so much money!!

The reason I did it at an independent garage was because the local Honda dealer wanted $725, while this place quoted $325 plus another hundred or so to replace the water pump at the same time.

I did call them after you posted your reply, they claim they followed factory specs. I am just afraid they may have done it wrong.....

sphinx99

Thanks. That makes sense.

garados

This freakin suspension is killin me. I can't take it anymore. I need to ask questions! Okay, the koni yellows again. The perch settings. In the front, there are 3 settings? The middle being the stock setting, or is that the rear shock? Anyway, Is there any way to counteract the lowering of the spring with the height adjustment of the shock?

Also, I have been browsing on h-t and some people are starting to talk about the kyb agx shocks. They are adjustable as well, right? My question is, how much are a set of 4, and also, will they handle gc's with 350lbs/in and 300 lbs/in f/r? I know that the lowest drop they can handle is like 1.5 inches, but I don't plan on lowering the car at all. Thanks alot guys, and I never took that bet of $20, right? If I did, here it is. $20 to the hand of Casey. I should know not to bet, but I thought I could handle not talking about suspension. *sigh* Anyway, Since names are being told now, my name is Phoy, just incase anybody wanted to know. It's pronounced like boy, except it starts with a p.

only1harry

The KYB AGX are a cheaper adjustable shock that you could buy but I would not recommend them with 350lb GCs. I also recommend lowering the car at least 1". Lowering the car alone improves handling because you have a lower center of gravity. The car also looks a lot better with a smaller wheel well gap
Let me also tell you that you worry too much. The Konis will come with lots of documentation and instructions. It will tell you which perch to use to maintain "stock height" and which ones will lower or raise your car. When you install the GC & Konis (if you go with Konis) you want to use the stock height perches. You can raise or lower the car with the coilover threads.
If Konis are too expensive for you, you can get by with the KYBs. They 're just not as good or heavy duty as the Konis, plus they only have 3 or 4 adjustments as far as firmness goes. Rememeber you get what you pay for..
Casey: I 'll split that $20 with you :-)

chem123

KYB AGXes are actually okay with those rates. A friend of mine who is on the board of a local autocross group drives an LS Integra with KYB/GC. I can't remember his exact rates but I remember them being in the 300s and being the same F/R so I am remembering 350/350. These are the rates that Ground Control recommended for him. He already had the KYBs and called a KYB rep up and he said that the AGXes will handle those rates fine and that they would not void any part of the lifetime warranty. He literally said that they would replace them free for however long necessary if they broke. I personally love Konis as much as the next guy, but I don't know if you really require them for the rates you plan to run. Contact GC and KYB before you make your final decision. Anyone got change for a $20?

cjhannan

...$20 split 3 ways... this is hilarious. Garados (Phoy): I almost opted for the AGX's but Mr. Harry persuaded me to spend the $$$ on the Konis. And I'm very glad he did. I've not ever heard one single complaint about these shocks -- they are absolutely wonderful. They have more adjustability and are much more heavy duty. If their price deters you, save up until you can afford them; they'll make your car handle sooooo much better than the KYB's. And, as Harry said, the documentation that comes with the Koni's explains very well how to set the perch adjustment to maintain the stock ride height, or not. If memory serves, just take them out of the box and put them on the car. The perches (i.e., the "C"-rings) are already installed for the stock ride height. Just mate them up with the right springs or coilovers and you'll be fully dialed. And, see, didn't I tell you that you'd be back with more questions. This stuff never ends. I did my suspension mods last May and have been spending the last 3-4 months trying to figure out how to improve my setup. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the learning process. As I said, it never ends...

jc58

Its me again...we picked up the car and the vibration is still there.

I realized something else we did. I noticed when we first bought it that the temperature gauge acted funny, would barely go up and then drop back down to cold. When doing the timing belt, I had them also replace the thermostat. The car now warms up very quickly.

I noticed that the vibration comes on, only after the car warms up and the rpm's drop down to about 650. When the engine is cold, the rpm's are up and the vibration at a stop is not there. Also at a stop if I bump up the rpm's the vibration goes away. Does anyone else notice this on their cars? What is the normal warm engine rpm for the Integra with an auto trans? Can it be adjusted higher to eliminate this vibration? Would a different thermostat make a difference?

garados

I understand what the vibration is. When my car has a lower-than-normal idle during warm-up, the car shakes like a mofo. When the car warms up and the idle is higher, the shaking goes away. I think it is normal, or there may be something very wrong with our cars =P

Okay, as adjustable shocks go, the koni yellow's are the way to go. So, my next question is, where is the cheapest place online to get the yellows? I think diablo autosport is the cheapest @ 517-520 shipped. Is there any place else? Oh, okay, what are your opinions of the tokiko illuminas? My friend has them on his car, but I think he is biased towards them. So, will they handle the gc's with the spring rates that I want? Thanks alot guys.

chem123

jc58, just a guess, but couldn't old engine mounts have something to do with the vibration?

Diablo is a good place to get the Konis. Also try shox.com. They send you an individual quote for every order so their prices vary. It sounds like you are actually interested in the handling dynamics of your car so I would recommend the Konis. They are a really quality product, you can revalve them down the road if you need to accomodate high spring rates, and they are basically the last shocks you will buy for your car because they can be rebuilt at many places for a reasonable price. I also have the Illuminas (spring/shock set) and think it is a good buy for the money. I still can't outdrive my current suspension setup (K1s, Kumho, ITR sway, F/R upper strut bars, springs, shocks). In a way I wish I got the Konis at first because of their greater potential, but am kind of happy I didn't pay the money because I am a firm believer that you don't need an unbelievable platform to have fun learning to drive your car. Did I mention that I will be autoxing my car this month?

only1harry

Welcome to the club! You 'll definitely "outdrive" your suspension 10-15sec. into your first race Now by saying you can't outdrive your suspension setup, I assume you mean you haven't reached the limits of adhesion? You will do that very easily auto-xing. Don't worry You 'll come out thinking your car sucks and it won't hold the turns for shei*t. The reason you can't "outdrive" your suspension (or can't reach the limits of your tires, is really what you 're saying) is because you haven't gone fast enough on turns and such on the street, and that's normal. Wait till you 're out on an auto-x course. Your tires will be squealing like a pig and you 'll be drifting, pushing, skidding, etc. :-) Good luck and have fun! It takes 3+ events to get used to the whole thing..

chem123

Actually, I've gone well passed the tire adhesion limit (Kumho streets)...I guess I meant to say I don't have enough driver skill to justify spending more money on my car in order to have a decent platform to learn on. My suspension is holding me back...yet . Off-throttle oversteer is cool, eh? Two questions though:

1) Do most have air compressors and loaner helmets?
2) How many HPDE allow "M" helmets?

only1harry

Buy a cheap air compressor. Mine was $20 from Home Depot and believe it or not it wasn't the cheapest. Don't buy the little dinky ones for $14.99. They take forever to pump air in your tires. Get a middle of the line that 's about 12" long or bigger. Mine was only $19.99 and works fast. Every club has loaner helmets, but they usually don't have air compressors to loan.
The minimum requirement for most SCCA clubs and non is Snell or M90 or M95 (Snell95). My HJC is M2000.

jc58

Chem123.....I had them check the engine mounts, according to the mechanic they were fine.
As i mentioned earlier, the car really vibrates after it has warmed up and the rpm's drop. My son bought a mechanics book for Integras, in it it seems to imply you can adjust the idle, I may try and do that, as when I am at a stop and it starts to vibrate, if i bump the rpm's up, it seems to smooth out.

Does anyone else have this problem, other than the 2 or so that have replied? I just wonder if this is normal or not for an Integra with 112,000 miles on it. I just know that when we bought it, it did not idle this way, but i am wondering if the fact the thermostat was not working right and the car never really warmed up, if that is why it never vibrated. When we put the new thermostat in, it began vibrating. I am pretty sure the timing belt change was ok, as it runs fine except for this vibration.

only1harry

Ok now I that I understand the problem better let me ask you this. Is it idling lower than it should be after it's warmed up? What does the owner's manual say the idle RPM should be? If it's lower than it's supposed to be, see if you can adjust/raise the idle speed. Do you have any other vibrations or even hesitations at higher RPM other than idling? If yes, replace/inspect spark plugs, wires, distrib.cap & rotor. Buy NGK plugs, which should be the same as OEM, no cheap stuff.. Your car may 've never had a tune-up..

chem123

Just thought of this as I will be fixing it on my brother's 90 Legend w/ 101K: fuel filter. He was having trouble with the car stalling out right after starting up and slight throttle hesitation when driving out of the driveway. Is the fuel system in good shape? Food for thought, anyway.

only1harry

that's why I asked if the car hesitated at all once he was on the road, and off idle mode.. Usually a fuel filter will give you hesitation intermittendly at any speed or RPM and sometimes it 'll feel like there 's a problem with the tranny (if auto) because you 'll have the gas floored and the car won't respond at all and start slowing down, and then all of a sudden take off again.. I had that happen to me. I looked like I was learning to drive a stick, with my car rocking back & forth, like something out of a movie It was just a clogged fuel filter.

chem123

Would it work if I just ran the car and then pulled the fuel fuse, let the car burn up the rest of the gas and die, change the fuel filter, plug fuse back in, and then drive away? It just made sense in my mind, but I am wondering about the protocol when doing something like this. May 19 is the big day for me. I plan to autocross with a local club of which I am friends with a guy on the board. Should be fun considering I will basically be done with HS by then.

only1harry

I don't see why you couldn't do that.. but that's not how I 've seen mechanics do it ( I 've watched my friend who owns a garage many times). They just disconnect the fuel line (with the car turned off), let it run a little in a bucket or they position it where it doesn't drip any more, or they put a clamp on it if it's rubber.. Then replace the fuel filter (that's dripping all over the place too..) and put the new one in and reconnect the fuel line to it. I don't ever remember them disconnecting a fuel fuse but then again those were older cars (used to hang out in his shop in the 80's). What do you mean you 'll be done with HS? I thought you were going to FSP..

chem123

HS = High School
Hmmm...I need to look into this more. It sounds like the cars you saw in the shop were carbureted.

Tire psi: I keep hearing some people saw different things about higher pressure in rear and front produces either understeer or oversteer. What tire pressures should I start at and what tires should have air let out of them when I encounter handling trait X?

garados

order springs from Ground control? Do I just say what spring rates I want, where to send the box, and my parents credit card number? or do I have to go there and give them the money and they give me the springs. Thanks. Oh, I plan on going with 450 in front and 400 in back with Tokiko Illuminas. If I have too much oversteer, I can probably dial it out with the illuminas, right? Or, should I just keep the same ratio. I mean, the stock spring rates are 212# in front and 117# in back. That means that the rear is .5556 of the front spring rate. 212 * .5556 = 117.8. Does that mean that if I want 450# in front that I need 450 * .5556 = 250.02? The rear would seem a little soft, but that's just me. What do you guys think?

integraguy16

They're trying their best to rip me to shreads over there. I posted a few of my kills (all true, I might add), and they all think I'm lying. And they have the upper hand 'cuz it's harder to say someone's guilty than the prove that they're innocent. Any advice?
P.S. One of them lives by me. Should I meet him?

garados

get you down. Some of them know what they're talking about and some don't. Maybe you should put a camera in your car and video-tape the races. Nobody can argue with the truth, but you might not be able to find a host for you videos. I think you should meet the guy that lives by you. I wish that there were some people on h-t that lived by me. I think it would be a great learning experience to meet this guy. Who knows, he might be a genius, or maybe just a dumb-[non-permissible content removed] =P

garados

for sale for $300, but that's not the point. My question is, will a 205/xx/15 tire fit on them like the gsr wheels? Also, if I do like a 55 or 50 series tire, how much gap between the tire and the wheel well will there be? I'm guessing about 3 inches with the 50 series and about 2.5 inches with the 55 series. Am I right, or am I just a dreamer. Also, what springs should I use with these wheels? I'm looking for something that will give a good stance, but nothing too extreme. Oh, and nothing that will screw up the camber too much. I'm looking at the prokit, but the sportlines look pretty good. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks
-Phoy

only1harry

The higher the pressures you run in the back (or at least the same as the front) will give you better rotation on the turns and induce a little bit of "oversteer". The less pressure you have in the rear will produce "pushing", ie: understeer. I put air in the tires according to the auto-x course. Most of the time though I just about match the fronts to get a little better rotation on the tight turns. If you put too much air in the back though, it might not be too beneficial when going through the slalom where you want a controllable car, and the rear may come around depending how fast you 're going through it. A lot of the Type-R guys run 38-39F/40-42R to get better rotation. This seems to work well for the Type-Rs as far as improving the times (lets not forget they have LSD too). Every car behaves differently. The ITRs cannot adjust their shocks so they have to rely on tire pressures to change handling characteristics. We don't.. My GSR is too loose in the back if I go a couple of PSI higher than the front, so I usually keep almost the same now, about 38-39F/37-38R, but that's the Kumhos. Every tire is different. You have to experiment. My RE730 street tires worked best at 37-38F/35-36R (warm). It also depends on your suspension setup, shock settings, weight, etc. Now this is strictly auto-x I 'm talking about. On the street you won't notice a big difference if you go 2 PSI higher or lower, unless you 're very agressive. The only thing you 'll feel is more or less bounciness. High pressures like the ones I mentioned above are NOT for the street. Your street settings should always be < 35psi, especially on the highway. Over inflated tires are dangerous on the highway and will wear your tires fast, especially in the center. We use high tire pressures in auto-x because we race at low speeds and it's safe. For road racing most drivers set their tires around 34-35. A few PSI higher and if they 're going to fast around a turn they 'll end up on the grass or upside down because they will overheat the tires and loose traction. So basically higher pressures will slow you down on road course but will benefit you in auto-x.

only1harry

Yes, the Si rim will take 205-50-15 because it's the same diameter and width as the GSR rims, 15x6".

The Prokit is a good choice and will give you the looks you want but not too agressive. They lower the car in the rear a little bit more than the front (I 've actually seen a few Integras) but it doesn't look bad. Another option is the H&R OE Sports that lower the car .75-1" which is what I have. After the springs and the Konis settled I got about an overall 1.3" drop. Here's a pic of my car. I 'm braking a little here so the car may be leaning forward a bit.. but not much.

only1harry

garados: If you don't plan on racing, I think these rates are overkill. You ride will be nothing remotely close to your stock ride. About 3 weeks ago I rode in my competitor's (we went to the store to get some food in the middle of the races) GSR that had 525F/425R GC coilovers w/Koni Yellows. The ride was pretty rough! and I 'm not talking about the front as much. The rear wasn't too pleasant.. He had even softened up the Konis before we drove off. It's not bad on smooth roads but as soon as the road becomes uneven and there are tiny cracks and small bumps and stuff, you really feel it. I had recommended to you 350F/300R or the standard GC kit (350f/280r) and I still do.. It's an excellent combo even for auto-xing. Once you hit 400lbs/in. most of your comfort goes out the window. People may say it's not too bad, because they eventually get used to it or their suspension is new, and not settled as much (meaning bushings are newer, alignment is good, etc.) but after a couple of months the suspension settles and the ride gets rougher & rougher as the bushings get compressed and the springs & shocks settle more. If you or me get into their car, we 'll think otherwise but they 're used to it. For purely street use I wouldn't go over 350-375lbs/in.
Oh btw, call up GC and tell them the spring rates you want. They 'll ship them out to you after you give them your CC# and your address. Make sure you tell them what shocks you 'll be using because they have different supporting hardware for different shocks.

only1harry

You have to be careful and think before you post anything, no matter what the subject is, on H-T. Many people will pick on you when posting kills or posting anything. Some do it because they might think it's immature or dangerous to race, others because they know you 're really young, and others because they have nothing better to do and get a kick out of it..
Sometimes they could be right about certain kills though. If you post that you killed a fast car (like a '99+ GT, WRX, etc.) they 'll be all over you. Sometimes people you race may have an auto tranny or may not be all out racing against you. I 've seen many kills posted there that just didn't look right, especially with stock or close to stock GSRs. I haven't read your post either so I 'm not passing any judgement and wouldn't want to. I don't go to the kills forum anymore. About a year ago, a guy posted that he killed a CL Type-S with his Integra LS with I/H/E! Man where they all over that guy. I had an experience with a CL-S where he pulled away from my GSR on the hway really fast. We were on the left lane and I was coming up behind him in 5th gear going about 70-75mph and he was going <70mph. He saw me coming up to him and as I was about 50ft or so behind him he gunned it and was gone! I downshifted to 4th, tried to catch up for a few seconds (went up to like 95-100mph) and then I realized it was useless and that I was outpowered. The guy was almost 1/4mi. ahead of me. Even though he had the head start because he caught me off guard, it was apparent he had the faster car (can't beat 260hp with a GSR & AEM CAI..). Anyway, just be careful what you post. Some people will always find something wrong no matter what you post. When I first joined H-T in '99 (atually it was H/A, then before H-T was created) I posted my 1st kill with my '99 GSR. A mid-90's Probe GT. I got comments like: "so what/big deal..", or "wow, I can keep up with a Probe GT with my LS..", etc. Got some "way to go" too but there will always be jerks out there with their smart comments. That was the last time I posted anything in the kills section. I think the Probe GT is very comparable to the GSR even though the GSR is a little faster. If you 're not careful or not shifting quick or optimally, the Probe can get the upper hand some times or at least keep up with you.. I 've race 3 or 4 of them. I 've driven a co-workers Probe GT many times and it is not a slow car, it's just slightly slower than GSR.
Anyway, you get the picture and I 'm sure you know what I 'm talking about as far as H-T goes.

chem123

Thanks Harry for the help, makes good sense to me now.

Garados, I think you will like the Prokits. If I remember correctly, the Prokits have basically the same rates as the Sportlines and only differ in the drop they give. Most people that care about their car's handling go with the Prokits b/c the Sportlines limit suspension travel. It really depends on what kind of drop you are looking for aesthically and what roads you have to negotiate in the world of daily driving. Check H-T.com for tons of pictures of various cars with either spring.

integraguy16

where against all stock cars: a 5.9 R/T Dakota, a Celica GTS (I think it was a 6spd), a ragged out auto '95 5.0 with three people in it, and a '94 Civic Ex coupe 5spd with I/H/E. I wouldn't think that they'd be that unbelievable. Oh well

only1harry

meaning not unbelievable. 3 out of these 4 kills are hard to make which is why you were challenged but they 're definitely possible. It depends on different circuimstances and whether some of these were auto or manual.
I 've killed 2 GTS's and 3-4 older 5.0s. Only 1 race (GT-S) was from a full stop at the light. The rest were up to speed already or passing, etc. It's hard sometimes to tell if you 're racing an auto or 5-sp. and if the other person is going all out. Most of the time we know they 're racing, but it's hard to convince others that purely go by 0-60 and 1/4 mi. figures from magazines. Most 5.0's from late 80's to '97 average 6.6-6.9s 0-60 which is clearly faster than a stock GSR or even a GSR with I/H/E. Sometimes the other drivers are bad or slow shifting and while they should be beating you slightly, they are not.
I had 1 GT that didn't sound too good, had a little smoke coming out of the exhaust, and had some rust on it. The guy challenged me and kept looking at me, so I figure if his motor is anything like the body (it was like a late 80's, early '90s GT) I could take him, and I did. Normally I don't race GTs at the light because I don't know what shape they 're in, what mods they have, and I haven't observed them on the road to judge driver skill, acceleration, etc. I pick and choose who I 'm going to race and when it comes to GTs I usually pick out the "old and the sick" Another thing is I 'd have to beat the crap out of the car (and clutch) just to keep up with most GTs (or lose) and it's not worth it to me anymore as the car sees enough abuse on the weekends auto-x racing. I actually have not drag raced anyone in over a year in my GSR. Dang, now I know I 'm getting old!! Speaking of old, where is our buddy Casey? :-)

cjhannan

Last week was spring break for the kids so I was out of town for a good while, trying to soak up rays at the beach but got rained on instead... Looks like y'all have been busy here.

I must say, I can't ever remember a time here at Edmunds when we got into a conversation about "kills" before. IntegraGuy, if I were you I would ex-nay on the street racing so you can come back here next year as a 17 year old. Honestly, I never even venture into the Kills forum anymore at H-T.com. I used to read the threads there from time to time when I first joined over a year ago, but quickly grew tired of the smack-talking, overly hormonal, testosterone-induced chest thumping about people and their alleged "kills." All I can say is "so what? Really, who fuggin' cares?" And I really hate reading about all the carnage and mayhem that results when street racing goes bad. IMO, I think H-T should close down the kills forum because it offers no value, and it's existence basically condones an illegal activity. People can go hang out on Superhonda or ClubSi if they want that kind of thing.

There, I've said my piece. As you can tell, I've got strong opinions about this subject.

gsr94

im about to drop my teg soon. i already have the prokits and im shopping around for the best prices on shocks. i decided on either the KYB AGX or the Bilstein HD's. the best price i've seen for KYB's is $340 shipped, and HD's $400 shipped. my cousin is trying to work out a deal w/ his friend that owns a shop.

Harry what size are those kosie's. im debating if i should get some 16in rota C8's, cuz i'll be needing some tires by the end of the summer.

chem123

Whew! Thanks for your words on street racing, Casey. I thought it was going to be up to me to be the voice of reason. Street racing is a dumb, unsafe activity. Learn to drive where you were meant to. By street racing you are just asking for a huge ticket while endangering your life and those around you. Please take care and drive carefully and defensively on the street...and let it hang out on the track.

garados

a guy on h-t by the user name of SMSP? I'm interested in buying some stuff from him and he looks legit. I just want to know if I can trust him. Have any of you done business with him or know someone who has? Thanks. Oh, chem, what do YOU let hang out on the track?

chem123

SMSP is a legit dealer of very sweet, very custom exhaust manifolds and exhaust systems. He is known around as the "small-guy" making it in a world of big corporate manufacturing. His customer service is supposed to be second to none.

I am not sure what you mean by what I "let hang out on the track." Do you mean what kind of car do I drive? I drive a 98 DX hatch (rollerskate). Do you mean where do I take my car for a good time? As of now I am only a grandma-driving car owner on the streets with infrequent twisty road excursions. By the end of the month, I hope to have participated in an autox. By the end of the summer, I hope to have run in two track events. Please restate your question so that I can give you a correct answer.

only1harry

I have the Kosei K1 15x7". They cost $139 ea. from Tirerack.com and they weigh about 13lbs which is 2.5lbs lighter than stock GSR rims. You want to make sure you don't go over what the stock rims weigh (15.5lbs). So when shopping around for 16" rims be sure to ask about the weight or weigh them yourself somehow before buying if you 're in a shop.. The lighter the rims, the better your car will handle, the quicker the steering response, the faster it will accelerate, and gas mileage will not be affected and may even be improved as compared to going with heavier rims that will affect your gas mileage. Lighter rims are also easier on your suspension because for every 1lb the rims are heavier, you 're adding 10lbs (on each corner) of unsprung weight.. not good. So be ware of inexpensive wheels or "good deals". Most likely those rims weight more than your 15x6" stockers. You get what you pay for, and that is weight (less) and craftsmanship. The K1 costs $139 because it is an average wheel that is not machined, (like my '99 GSR wheels), nor does it have a machined lip, and the silver coating on the outside seems to be average with some very slight imperfections (roughness, etc.) on the non-coated inside of the wheel. Nevertheless the K1 is relatively light and that's what you pay for. It was designed to be a cheap race tire with avg. craftsmanship but with the weight advantage. Although the K1 is classified as a "light" rim, it is not ultralight. SSR & others make 15" rims that weigh < 10lbs and 16" ones that weigh 10-11lbs. These are $299-399 a piece because of their superb craftsmaship & light weight materials.
Nevertheless the K1 is a nice relatively inexpensive wheel and most of all 2.5lbs lighter than stock which is its strong selling point. I 've purchased 2 different similarly priced Borbet wheels (heavier - TypeH & Type-T) for other cars of mine in the past and honestly the K1 is very comparable in quality & craftsmaship and the finish (clear coating, color, etc.) looks identical to the Borbet's finish. Borbet (German company) makes most BMW OEM wheels so they believe in sturdy indestructable wheels that last which explains their average weight but that is their strong selling point, but on the other hand not an attractive choice for a light car like an Integra unless you go with their higher end ones. Wow, I 'm babbling again.. gotta get back to work

cjhannan

I purchased the SMSP stainless steel cat back exhaust for my car last August, and I am extremely pleased with the service I got from Dave (truly a nice guy) and the quality and fitment of his exhaust system. I can recommend him without any reservation. Did the exhaust exhaust system make my car bling-bling fast? Maybe a little, and I love the new note at my tail pipe Between the I/H/E, I added about 11% more whp to my car, and I'll take that any day of the week. Other folks have been able to get a bit more increases with the same mods. Every car is different...

Also, the SMSP ITR header (one that he design and built) did very well several months ago when some folks at H-T.com conducted "The Great Header Test" -- one of the top two for peak horsepower gains, if memory serves.

only1harry

How is it going Casey? At least you got away for a week or so.. sorry it rained though.
How has the auto-x season been for you so far? I 've had 3 events and so far so good. I actually had 3d FTD 2 weeks ago in a test & tune non-points event (1st event of my club). Only 45 drivers though, but still not bad.. Last Sunday we had the 1st points event and I came in 10th or so out of 80+ drivers and I was in DSP all by myself, which is ok because my 1st place points count towards a season trophy whether I 'm the only one in the class or with 10 others.
I keep dreaming of an LSD every night but in a month I 'll be reporting to new bosses (or be laid off) so I 'm still holding off as it is way over a grand with labor. Then the other side of my brain says DO IT because in the worst case scenario I have enough money to pay the mortgage and all the bills for 9-10mos if I 'm out of work that long.. then I can go into my 401K.. :-) so I don't have to sell the GSR and keep racing it

cjhannan

I've been good thanks, but my ability to make the last two autocross points events in Atlanta has been seriously hampered by my wife's business travel schedule. She's had two trips in the last 4 to 6 weeks, both of which she's had to leave early Sunday a.m. and I don't have any good options for kid care -- it's not easy pawning off 3 boyz for 6 to 8 hours on a Sunday Needless to say, I'm going through withdrawls... But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. I just happened to find out that the local area BMW car club of America is having an autocross on Friday evening. Truly bizarre IMO that it's not on the weekend, but hey, it's an autocross and I could really use the seat time. Having to miss the event this past Sunday really hurt b/c I had just got my Azenis mounted on my new/loaner set of wheels. I was literally frothing at the mouth to try them out! Man, I've become addicted to this stuff bad, haven't I? I was on the verge of tears when I thought I was going to have to wait until early June until the next Atlanta event. To sum up, I've been to two events this season -- the first was a "warm up" event and placed first in STS at that one (not all of the usual suspects were there) and place 4th at the first points event out of about 16 cars. So, I've still got plenty of events ahead of me to get my best six finishes for points and a standing in STS. It seems that this year's STS class has grown by about 40-50% and a couple of the newer guys are pretty good. I'll definitely have my work cut out for me. But I welcome the challenge -- hopefully it'll help me improve more quickly.

Anywho, wise move to wait on the LSD given your work situation. I can understand how badly you want it, but it doesn't seem to be hurting right now not to have it (i.e., you're still winning your class w/ great regularity!). Being a family man, you'll probably feel a whole lot better if you finally do it when things become more stable at work.

garados

What I was getting at by my question was, letting your driving skills hang out, or a specific body part. I think you mean driving skills, but maybe I misinterpreted your statement

only1harry

You have 3 young kids and your wife works full time? I give her a lot of credit. My wife has a part time job and that's seasonal 7 mos out of the year working at a nursery (plants, flowers, etc.) just to keep busy plus she likes doing it. And we only have 1 child! I need to send her out to get a real job and make some decent money so I can stay home and race more often :-)
A good friend of mine has 6 children but owns a realestate appraisal business (averages $500k/yr) and has a nice big house. When one or both of them go away or out to dinner, they hire 2 babysitters at the same time! Sometimes they take 1 babysitter with them when they go on vacation with 3 kids, while another babysitter stays behind with the other 3! It's nice to have money
Sounds like you have your work cut out for you. Get 1/4sec. faster with each event and eventually you 'll be at the top of the group Just kidding. 4th out of 16 is very respectable and you didn't even have the Azenis then. Also be aware of cheaters. We caught a couple of cars last weekend that were not legal in STS. One guy had some kind of chip or ECU (so I heard) and the other guy had head mods (aftermarket valves & cam & other stuff) which his buddy was openly talking about with others and one of the club officers overheard the conversation. I think they bumped that guy up to EP! So if someone seems really fast, you should be a little suspicious and keep your ears open. Most of the clubs here just do a safety inspection and rely on the people to tell them what mods they have. They don't have time to "really" tech each car and go through them with a fine tooth comb..

chem123

haha...no body parts hanging out. Made me think that it would be really interesting if there was an event where you had to have your left leg out of the window. I need to sleep.

garados

I just got my tax return back, hehe. Alright, my brakes are crap. I can't stop even half as quickly as my mom can. She drives an 89 bronco II with 11 inch discs in front and 8 inch drums in back. So, what should I do to stop better? I have a few options. The AEM big brake kit for $560 which has bigger front brakes, new vented and cross drilled rotors for all corners with new axis carbon/kevlar pads for $550 (<$750 with ss brake lines), or just new pads for all of the brakes for <$200. Which would you do? I know you guys aren't fans of the xdrilled rotors because they are prone to cracking and eat through pads like none other, but most of the time, I'm not driving aggressively, so I dont use the brakes very much. I downshift to slow down. I know the big brake kit, with factory calipers, will throw off the braking balance and will probably cause more bad than good. Just buying pads would probably be the best option because they are cheap and easy to put in. Anyway, I want your opinions on what I should do. Thanks alot.

Oh yeah, I forgot. When I get on the brakes, sometimes light and always during medium-full force on the brake pedal, the steering wheel shakes. Mind you, this only happens occasionaly. Is it because my rotors are warped or something else? Before I bought the car in November, the brake pads had just been replaced and the rotors were smooth. I've been checking the surface of the disks every weekend and they are as smooth as when I drove the car off the lot. Oh, I did one panic stop from 80 mph on the freeway and got down to about 20 without the tires locking up. Could this have warped the rotors? Thanks again.

swinga7

the same thing happend to me. the wheel only shook once in a while when I hit the brakes. I was told that the rotors weren't warped but I had a small bulge caused by quicking cooling of hot brakes. like hitting a puddle or something like that. I needed new rotors. you probably do to.

xhawkeye

You don't need a big brake kit. Braided brake lines, brake pads (like Porterfield R4S) and brake fluid (like Valvoline Synpower DOT 3/4 or Motul 600) will do more to improve braking then any cross drilled rotor can. Stick with solid rotors and replace as they warp.
Add some Speed Bleeders and you'll be able to do all brake maintenance by yourself.

Use the brakes to slow down, it's easier/cheaper to replace brake pads then clutches.

Spend the left over $$ on tools, tires and/or Koni shocks.

Cross Drilled rotor thread

cjhannan

... is VERY favorable. Took my new (loaner) wheels and the freshly mounted Azenis to my first autocross with this setup on Friday evening. And I was extremely pleased. The local area BMW CCA had an autocross event about 25 miles from my house, and it was just the thing I needed, given that I have not been able to attend the last two points events here in the Atlanta region SCCA. I was going through widthdrawls since I hadn't autocrossed in nearly eight weeks. The Azenis will take some getting used to... because I still need to figure out what kind of tire pressures I need to run on these babies. The sidewall is so stiff on these things that I'll need to run much lower tire pressure up front than I use to. I started at 37psi and felt the fronts skidding so much that I went down to 35psi and had much better results. Anywho, I'll confirm my suspicions on Monday (or whenever they post the results), but I believe I had FTD out of about 35 cars!!!!!! No kidding... I don't think too many of these guys had serious autocross experience. Even still, it's fun to think that I bested these bimmer boyz...

chem123

Casey, sounds like with a little more time to get used to them you will really be cookin'. How many miles have you put on them so far? And what are the loaner wheels you are driving on? Just curious

cjhannan

I've only got about 60-70 miles on the Azenis so far. I drove them around for just one weekend right after I had them mounted. Man, for their indicated size (205-50-15), these tires are huge. Probably have more like a 215 contact patch, and when you put them side by side with my RE730s, the Bridgestones almost look like 14" tires. Seriously, these tires are big!

The loaner wheels I got are very sweet. They are SSR Type-X's in silver -- 15x7, +42 offset, and weigh a scant 10.5 lbs. each! SSR doesn't make these anymore (discontinued in the early '90's) and were about $275/each at that time. A friend of mine here in town who currently owns an ITR bought these wheels and used them when he owned a Prelude and then a GSR. Currently, he's got no use for them, and he just offered them up to me. I said, "Are you kidding? Of course I'll be more than happy to use those babies!" Per the terms of our "loaner" agreement, I'll use these wheels/tires as a dedicated set for autocross and track days only. These wheels are such a rare breed that could be an easy target for theft if I left them on the car all the time. And I truly do not want that to happen while in my possession. Needless to say, I am totally jazzed that I get to use these wheels. At their price and weight, these are the kind of wheels that I would only be able to dream about -- far too expensive for what I would have been able to afford. The Kosei K1s is the direction I had been headed until this happened.

chem123

Sweet! You definitely have a nice wheel/tire combo on your hands. Those wheels are very rare. If they still made them now, I'm sure they would be pretty popular. My friend runs a set of them on his EG hatch. Here it is:

only1harry

yep, forget about the AEM big brake rotors, especially with the stock calipers. If you 're going to do it, you have to get bigger calipers and that 's almost $2K. You don't want to stop better that bad do you? I can think of a lot of mods for $2K.. Like I 've said before, the AEMs are heavier than OE rotors and will slow you down acceleration wise and handling wise. You really shouldn't add extra weight. Like hawkeye said, get some decent pads (R4S are really good and probably will be my next pad if the Axxis MM ever die), bleed the brakes and get some SS braided lines. You really don't need Motul 600 or the Valvoline synthetic since you don't use the car to race. Fresh Honda brake fluid will do wonders. I use it and you know how much I like to auto-x race I 've read a lot about how you have to replace the Motul 600 like every 6mos and stuff so I wouldn't want to be doing that all the time.
I don't know your Integra's mileage. That could give us an indication of how much your rotors are worn down. If you have low mileage then I 'd say stick with the rotors you have on now and get some decent pads. If anything, you can get the Brembo solid OE rotors like I have that I paid $28ea. Don't know if the price has gone up since 1yr ago.. They 're better than OEM rotors and can take much abuse from lots of different aftermarket pads. This guy was saying on h-t that he uses Porterfield R4 pads for road racing and they haven't affected his Brembo blanks (solid rotors) yet. Of course you don't need the R4, that's purely for racing and I doubt you want to pay $179 for a pair. The R4S is what you want if you were to go with Porterfield. Other comparable and cheaper pads are the Hawk HP+ (about $80, Porterfield resells them) and the Panter pads. The HP+ is supposed to be between the R4S and the R4. All these pads dust. You won't find one that works well that doesn't dust.