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Acura Integra GSR Customizing and Modifying

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Comments

  • chem123chem123 Member Posts: 272
    Tirerack is a reputable place with great prices on wheels and tires. I know countless people that have ordered from them (including me). Their customer service is great. However, I find their prices on suspension and brakes to not be so good. Check out diabloautosports.com and shox.com for good service and prices.
  • teg4melteg4mel Member Posts: 2
    I am looking to buy my first car and have fallen pretty hard for the integra gsr after research and loved it that much more after a couple of test drives. I am still a college student living around campus and concerned about the safety and durability of the car due to random acts of violence. Does anyone have any suggestions on whether I should wait (parents' suggestion) to buy the car of my dreams, or go for it and just hope that I don't catch anyone's attention?
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    1. What year are you looking at?

    2. What is your current/present budget?

    3. What you do expect is your likely budget three years from now (assuming you didn't have or need a car between now and then)?
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    That's a very difficult decision to make. On one hand you love this car and want to buy it, but on the other hand you know it may not be safe in a campus parking lot, especially when it is (Integras) the #1 stolen car in the US!
    The smart thing to do is probably not to buy it, but you only live once and by the time you get out of college there may not be too many GSRs around with less than 100k mi., etc. so what the hek, go for it! Then again, it's not my money or my car :-)
    You seem to have a level head on your shoulders otherwise you would 've bought the car by now..
    What I did was leave my car at home. School was only 2hrs away from home so I 'd usually leave the car there and take the train to school & back home every other weekend. I always looked forward to driving my "baby" which was a V8 hotrod back then :-) Fastest car I 've ever owned and that was my first one.
    If I may make a suggestion: If you can do what I did. Buy the car in the summer (now basically), drive it all summer long (get it out of your system) and then leave it at home and go to school without it. It 'll be there for you on weekends, holidays, recess, spring brakes, etc. Of course another choice is to buy a Civic or something cheaper or more conservative that wouldn't attract too much attention, and have it all year round.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • chem123chem123 Member Posts: 272
    Aftering going back and forth on it, I think I will be leaving my car in my brother's care at home when I go off to college. My college will also be 2 hours away. I will also be getting a lot of driving out of my system this summer (probably several autoxes and two track events). If I play my chips right, I will buy something like an S2000 at the end of undergrad schooling while keeping my hatch as a project car (a project car funded with no money, that is ;) ).

    Personally, I would wait on the GS-R buying. Depending on your campus, financial situation, etc. you should be able to make a sound decision. Also, how long would you be waiting?
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    ride height for the gsr? 1) height from the ground and 2) height from the center of the wheel to the bottom of the fender. Just wanted to know because on my car, it's 13.5-14 inches from the center of the wheel to the fender and 7.5-8 inches from the ground to the side skirts. Thanks guys.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I recall the ground clearance of the Type-R being 6.2". The Type-R is .65" lower than the GSR, so that would make the GSR 6.95" or roughly 7" at the most. It shouldn't be more than 7" from the ground to the sideskirt. Cars with more than 7" ground clearance are usually sedans and family cars or look really bad and high off the ground..
    My ground clearance is exactly 5.4" from the ground to the front spoiler and 5.7" on the side.
    Sounds like your car has totally stock ride height.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    is it possible? I've heard of people using the stock ITR springs on their gsr's, but will this work all of the time? like the eibach prokit for the ITR, will the springs fit on the gsr shocks? Thanks.
  • sphinx99sphinx99 Member Posts: 776
    Would this put added stress on the stock shocks? Don't know about the Integra but I know lots of folks who put aftermarket springs on Preludes only to be forced to replace the shocks 18 months later.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I blew 1 stock shock only 3 mos after I replaced the springs only. I should 've done springs & shocks at the same time. You pay for the labor once and you 're done.
    garados: I 'm not sure if you can mount the ITR springs on the stock shock base/swivel - the big metal plate that the spring sits on, and not sure about the top mounting gear either.
    You definitely cannot mount the ITR shocks or any shocks made for the ITR because you have to replace your Lower Control Arms with ITR ones. That's about $300/per LCA (w/bushings) x 4 = $1200!.
    Even if the ITR springs fit perfectly, that's not the way to go. Without the matching ITR shocks and ITR LCAs & bushings, the springs alone won't benefit you much. The ITR's heavy duty Control Arms and bigger bushings makes a big difference plus the ITRs shocks are a perfect match for those springs. You 'd have to put everything in to get "almost ITR handling" but because we don't have an LSD on our GSR we have to go with higher spring rate springs & better adjustable shocks to be close to the ITR's handling.
    You 're better off getting aftermarket Sport springs or GC custom rates with Konis. It's much cheaper than buying all the ITR suspension components and a 100 times better than just using the ITR springs alone. Don't forget the ITR springs are only 246F/160-246R. Not bad for the street but the factory GSR shocks are made for 212F/117R rates. They 're 20%(F) to 50% softer than ITR shocks. You 'd probably pay more for new ITR springs than you would for GCs. I also wouldn't waste adj. Konis on 246lb springs when you can have much higher rates..
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    The wife & son are at the in-laws and I got nothing better to do but get on line :-)
    Well the Mike Neary-like GSR didn't show up today but we wouldn't have been in the same class. I raced with the M-Club which bumps you up 1 class (they only have 6 car classes and 3 cart ones) if you have coilovers and/or if your wheels/tires stick out of the fenders. If and when I get coilovers I 'll be running with him.
    Anyway I came in first in my class. Very fast course, perfect for M3s, Porsches & RX7s. Basically a mini road course with 1 slalom at the end. I redlined 2nd gear coming down to the slalom before the finish line! The brakes worked overtime today.. This was a course for dialed-up Konis. Had them up to 1 full turn in the front and almost 1.25 turns in the rear. The car felt good and gave me slight oversteer if I let off the gas on a turn, but was corrected quickly with some gas and kept it in check if I just "feathered" the gas. The thing that upset me a little was that I did .8 sec. better in the fun runs again! 2 events in a row now where I blew away my best time in the fun runs by a lot. The funny thing is I got very consistent times in most of my runs. I ran 47.3s 3 times in a row.
    I 'm more relaxed in the fun runs I think because I know they don't count and I drive the p*ss out the car. Got a 46.5 in the fun runs which put me within 1.7 sec. of my friend who drives an '02 M3 (E46-333hp) with gigantic Hoosiers and about 2.5sec behind FTD. He usually runs PRO in SCCA clubs and is doing PRO Solo & National tour events this year. He also had 3d FTD today and is usually 2sec. or more faster then me so 1.7 difference was like a record for me but it wasn't "official". Oh well.. next time :)
    Hey Chem, have you auto-xed yet?

    Another funny thing happened today. I come back from working the course and I see 3 guys in their late teens video taping my car with them in the picture. One kid had his hand on the roof of my car and the other one was on the other side while their buddy was video taping them. As I was walking over to tell them to get their paws off my car they moved on to a Boxter next to mine and did the same thing so I didn't even say anything. A friend whose car was filmed as well and who talked to those kids told me later they thought my car was a Type-R! He didn't tell them it wasn't and was playing with them. He even said to them "geez, I wonder why the owner of that Type-R painted his car red" and none of them got it.. We had a good laugh
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Hey Gang~ Here's a (rather large) pic of me at my last event. I checked the website for the overall results a few days ago, and guess what? Yours truly PAX'ed in first place out of about 50 cars..., believe it or not. :D Gotta love the index for STS. This surprised me probably more than anyone else. Probably more a statement about the level of competition than my "yo mad driving skillZ" :p. Even still, I'll take it. PAXing first is not something that I expect to happen too many times in my lifetime. Hope the pic works... Have a great holiday.


    image

  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Casey! Way to go! Feels good doesn't it?
    I did the same and also had 2nd FTD on our first non-points (test & tune) event in the beginning of the season (out of 47 cars).
    btw, the pic didn't come out. I guess you like your Azenis? :-)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    I forgot the boyz at we-todd-racing only host pics for a few select websites. And Edmunds is not one of them. Check the link below for some pics of me at my last autocross on May 19th. I just ordered some new magnetic #s from Brett and sent these pics to him to show them how they looked. And so he added me to his customer page... Incidentally, I'd highly recommend his business -- Great price and service on the magnets.


    http://www.soloracer.com/cannan.html

  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Good job at your last autocross!!! Sounds like a very fun course, and more like the kind I'm used to here in the Atlanta region. You had your Koni's set to what I typically run them at. Down here, I usually see the top end of second gear at least once per run. Two of the three pics of me at that link above are at the end of a long down hill run where I'm almost at the rev limiter in 2nd gear, and then braking very hard and downshifting to first for a 180 degree right-hand turn to go back up the hill again. That was fun! Also, nice job spanking that M3!! That's quite a piece of machinery to beat by nearly 2 secs. :thumbup:
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I said (or meant to say) he beat me by only 1.7sec when he used to beat me by over 2secs. This guy is a PRO and running at all the PROSOLO and National-Tour Events this year. He came in 3d in Florida a few weeks ago in D Stock driving his friend's stock WRX! ANd I don't think there's any way my GSR the way it is now & w/Kumho V700s, can beat a stock '02 M3 with gigantic Hoosiers! Of course we weren't in the same class but I was just pointing out that I came closer to his times than ever before. That guy owned a '00 ITR before and he was the champ in most clubs around here. Noone could beat him and his totally stock ITR in G Stock, or other NASA & BMW classes he was in. He used to PAX first all the time w/his ITR..
    Anyway I 'll go check out those pics of yours. You make me so proud! :-)

    Hey Casey I have a question. I think you have the Hawk HP+ pads.. I just ordered a pair of those for my '01 Civic with BREMBO rotors from Steve Colletti. I wanted the HPS pads but he talked me out of it saying they 're only slightly better than stock. Do you think the HP+ is overkill for daily driving? How do like yours and would you recommend them? I 've heard good things about them but also that they squeak or are noisy. I 'm sure they dust a lot but I want to make sure I don't sacrifice any of my daily driving comfort (noise factor, etc.) with these high performance pads. I would 've gotten the Axxis Metal Masters but they 're not out for the new Civic yet.. He recommended the Axxis MM over the HPS at first but when he looked in the book, they weren't out. I knew that because I 've contacted other vendors about the MMs.. but I was hoping that maybe they were out now. Oh well, we 'll see what happens with the HP+. I 'm sure I will enjoy the stopping power but I don't know about longevity or anything about these pads.. My MMs still have over 1/2 pad thickness after 30 auto-x events and 7k mi.
    Also about the Konis: In the fun runs, I softened them up again after I got that 46.5 (my fastest of the day - unofficial) and I got a 46.8 which made sense. What happens was, that the car had much better/quicker turn-in when cornering and didn't push as much which made me gain some time. In the sweepers though, it suffered from additional body roll and I couldn't get as much power down as I did when the Konis were firmer, so I lost some time there.. Then towards the finish, the softer Konis helped me fly through the slalom because the car was a lot more neutral and the steering quicker so I gained a tiny bit there, so overall I was almost as quick as with the firmer settings. Well not quite, .3 sec. slower but I could 've probably fixed that. It's weird I know, but overall I liked the firmer settings for that type of not-as-tight faster course. And the .3s I guess proved that I should 've left them dialed up.
    The thing is I see all these 911s and Bimmers take the wrong line, brake when they shouldn't (1 guy went through the whole slalom on the brakes!), overdrive their cars, and they still had faster times than me because they 're so much faster on the straightaways and when launching. Most of these events at the M-Club & NASA have a 0-50 launch, meaning the first turn or transition is not till you hit 45-50mph after launching. That's where I lose a full second to these other faster cars, plus throughout the course.. But I 'm not in the same class as them so I don't know why I worry about it. I guess I 'm looking to be in the top 10 or so and these fast cars on these fast courses are ruining my reputation :)
    Long live small tight courses! heheh
    I actually like both but seem to do better in tighter ones. Look at that 1st gear test&tune course. I had 2nd FTD!! The tighter the better. Hmm.. that sounds dirty :-)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    No, I wouldn't say the HP+ pads are overkill for daily driving. At least I can say that yet, because they've only been on my car since Nov. and I haven't seen how long they last or how much they might eat up rotors. These pads truly do shine for autocrossing. My brakes have never felt better... meaning they've got great initial bite and can slow down my car VERY quickly. They are very confidence inspiring. And yes, I would definitely recommend them to anyone who wants a step up in performance from an OE type pad. As you said, my only complaint would be that they are dusty. I get only minimal squeeking from these pads and, for the most part, don't really notice the noise they produce. I've heard them on one other Integra (an ITR) and they made more noise on that car for some reason. The HP+s get a big thumbs up in my book. I look forward to hearing how well (or not) you like them. Do you really (already?) need front brake pads on your new Civic? Man, you most definitely log the miles! :D

    Thanks for clarifying my miscue on your story about competing against the M3. I must have misread it. Not that I don't believe you could actually beat one, but that would take some doing!
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I 've beaten a couple of novices in '02 M3s but I don't count those. My car is not a true DSP car to stand up to or match a SuperStock car yet like the new M3.
    Well Colleti called me and said he 's shipping me the Axxis Metal Masters which he 's pretty sure are the same ones as the last gen Civic, and thinks Axxis hasn't updated their catalog and part #s yet.. He said he was out of stock on the HP+ for the Civic and got confused thinking I was ordering them for the GSR which he had in stock.. And since I didn't seem very happy about going with the more aggressive HP+ he decided to ship the MMs which he said I 'll be much happier with than the HPS (which I don't mind since I 'm happy with the MMs on the GSR). He said if they don't fit on my '01 Civic, he 'll pay for me to ship them back. He also gave me a pretty good deal - $45 w/no shipping since he 's throwing them in the same box as the rotors.. I had paid $55 for the MMs last year shipped so this is $10 or 22% cheaper.
    The front '01+ Civic Brembo rotors are $28 ea. just like the GSR's but with $10 shipping each. I remember when Colletti Motorsports had started selling these I was one of his first few customers. He wasn't sure of the shipping and had to look into it back then. It ended up being $30 for all 4 (GSR) rotors. I didn't argue about it this time since there was no extra charge for the pads.
    Well I 'm torn again.. The outsourcing deal at my job will be signed next week but we 're guaranteed minimum 6mos of employement which is not too bad and there 's a good possibility I may keep my job after that. I really want to switch to a 22mm sway bar (from my 19mm) and put a darn LSD in the car! but now my brother is saying he might be selling his Type-R in the Fall and I can have it if I want it. So I guess the right thing to do is probably go through the season without spending another dime on the car, sell it in the Fall and buy my brother's '98 ITR. I know I 'll be very competitive in DS with that car. The only problem is the Audi S4 AWD (250hp) is DS this year!! My brother already got his butt kicked by an S4 2 weeks ago at the Westchester club auto-x event which I couldn't make. My brother had street tire Azenis on though and I believe the S4 had R tires. It's hard to beat an S4 with 250hp & AWD, but I think the ITR is capable of kicking its butt with equal drivers. I 've seen it last year at NASA where there were 4-5 ITRs and 2-3 S4s and the top 2 ITR drivers never lost to an S4 (different classes though). The S4 must 've performed very poorly in AS last year against the older M3s (E36) & Boxters so I 'm pretty sure an ITR with a good driver can take it. These ITRs never cease to amaze me. They still PAX 1st even though they 're in DS now and still manage to come in the top 10 out of 100-140 cars. I can't wait till the Fall! His car still only has 13k mi. on it and is in showroom condition. I hope he 'll give me a good deal :) The only problem is trying to keep it from getting stolen.. and staying employed! :)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • teg4melteg4mel Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for replying, my family is not into cars like I am so it is difficult to get advice from them. Figured you all would now more than I do on the subject as I am a newbie to this. I have fallen in love with the integra and everything pales in comparison (at least those that are somewhat close to my price range).
    I am still looking at possible cars. I was thinking about spending somewhere in the neighborhood of 15 to 18 thousand. I have three years left of school, which will give me a bachelors in engineering. So I am still considering the integra. A civic would be ok, except they is a dime a dozen here on campus, I would rather stand out. My goal here is to buy a car that will be fun to play with, engine and appearance. I would also like for it to last through me paying off school loans.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    for $18K you can get a '00-01 Integra with low mileage. That should last you through 3 yrs of College and a few yrs after that while you 're paying your school loan..
    And remember, don't get an auto!! Go for the GSR if you can but keep in mind it's the #1 stolen car in the US because of its most wanted VTEC motor that 'll fit in any '88-'00 Civic. That's 4,000,000 Civics out there and only about 40k GSRs of which more than 10% have been stolen already.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    will they fit on a gsr? I seem to remember something about taking some material off of the caliper so the wheel will fit. Is this true? if so, is this safe? Thanks guys.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    You shouldn't have to do anything. 14" Honda steel rim should fit fine. There are people that put 13" wheels on their GSRs when auto-xing (like the one that kicked my butt 3 weeks ago).
    '94-97 Integra RS & LS came with 14" steel rims (4x100). I 've seen people put 14" Civic steel rims on them as well. Don't remember anything about removing caliper material. If I had to remove anything from my brake caliper I wouldn't do it at all. My brakes a lot more important than some 14" rims..

    PS. Does anyone like the new townhall? I guess it 'll take time to get used to it.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    this new townhall is kinda funky. It will take some time to get used to.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    The Civic 14" steel rims are about 16lbs. One guy told me that he weighed his '95 LS 14" steel rim and it was just under 15lbs, so it might be that Integra 14" rims were lighter than Civic's.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I 'm looking at buying 15x6.5" wheels for my '01 Civic and so far the only 2 wheel manufacturers I can find that make 15x6.5 (most make 15x7" and I don't need them that wide for my daily driver) and relatively light wheels at a reasonable price is Konig & Rota. I know Rota makes decent rims and I can have 12-13lb 15x6.5" Rota wheels for $499/set. Konig on the other hand has 14-15lb 15x6.5" that are $399 a set. That's pretty cheap and considering that my stock Civic 15" (x5 or 5.5"?) steel rims are 17lbs, the Konigs are still 2lbs lighter and on top of my list. The thing is I don't much about Konig, strength and quality wise.. Have you guys heard anything about them, good or bad?
    This is for daily driving so the light Rotas at 12lbs scare me a little because I 'm not sure what will happen to them if I hit a pot hole although I 'm told they 're pretty strong. I would think the 14.5-15lb Konigs should be a little stronger.. I would still like to have <12lb wheels though (Rota's new Attack 15x6.5 is 11.8lbs!) for under $500 so I have not made up my mind yet. $125 for an 11.8lb wheel sounds pretty darn good so I may go with the Rotas once I 'm reassured they can be strong enough for daily driving and can handle small potholes and road anomalies with no problem.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • chem123chem123 Member Posts: 272
    Got back Sun. from The Driver's Edge event at Texas World Speedway. What an amazing weekend! So much learning, so many cool cars, etc. There were 5 sessions of 20-25 min. apiece per day. I got to ride in a 993 911 race car with full cage, Hoosiers, etc. and a Spec Miata. Two wild rides. I did a whole lot better than I thought I would. It was amazing how I could catch up to cars that would blow by me on the front straight. Imagine how long it is if I can hit 105 mph at the end of it going into turn one off the bank. Check out the course at www.texasworldspeedway.com. My brother and I made the trip and he took lots of pics and also rode in a nicely setup Audi A4 and a crazily setup NSX on R tires. To put my progress in perspective: my slalom times on a tight cone slalom off the track went from 35 mph to almost 55 mph in a day, and I was really struggling at the 35 mph. The only setup necessary for the event was an oil change, brake fluid flush (Valvoline Synpower) done the old-school way, and a set of AXXIS Ultimates (not Metal Masters) on the front (drums in the rear). The brakes were unflappable and reliable with no fade experienced all weekend and I was able to brake really late in turns without problems. Limit of adhesion was easy to reach especially after the Kumhos (the street tire) got hot. They were actually an excellent track tire as they grip really well once warm (something that doesn't get to happen on an autox course). I had heard before that they would be good but didn't believe it. It was fun passing up on WRXes, 3 series, Mustangs, older Ferraris, and assorted Hondas (yes, an ITR). A Viper also let me by after I was on his tail through the twisty parts. The funny part was that I had to wave off a lot of passes on the shorter passing zones because there was no way I had enough power to pass them and then get back on my line. My instructor would often say, "Let's go!" when passing other cars as if I wasn't already flooring it. It's amazing how much time I spent on the throttle and that my cleanest, fastest laps were when I stayed in third gear the entire time. The "Honda Group" there was a bunch of great guys (ITRs, GS-R, del Sol vtec, Si) and all of them were pretty good drivers with most with pretty extensive autox experience. I got to drive the Sol (400/400 GCs, Konis, ITR bar, Toyo T1S, ITR calipers, redrilled Prelude rotors in front and Corrado rotors in back, AXXIS Ultimates all around) and it was a sweet, balanced car. My car actually seemed to brake better probably due to the weight of his car and the possibility of air in his lines. The Si was basically stock except for HP pads (which he loved) and Azenis (which he loved). One ITR was completely stock while the GS-R had I/H/E, Apexi N1 coilovers, my tires, and AXXIS Metal Masters which did not last the event as they wore down to the rivet halfway through the second day. He had had the pads since Dec. and had been autoxing a lot and tracked the car now twice. The fluid of choice around the garage was Valvoline Synpower with some people choosing it over ATE on purpose.

    My brother also just bought a 98 GS-R with 23K mi for $14K from a friend. The car now has 400/500 GCs, Bilstein shocks with ITR LCAs, ITR rear sway, OMP pedals, Carbotech Panther Plus, Toyo T1S, and homemade intake. It is a sweet car that kicks the crap out of my car (I mean, it has torque!!) and is truly too much car for an almost-17 yr old to be driving...but he worked for it and drives just like I do on the street: like a Grandma.
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Boy, this place sure has changed. Took me a while to find this place. Glad it didn't disappear in the re-org!
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Great write up. Sounds like you learned tons of good stuff. I must confess to being a little envious b/c I'm still waiting for my first track day... which might come soon. Just in case you haven't already thought about it, you should re-bleed your brakes again. Track/lapping days are incredibly hard on brakes (glad to hear your's held up so well), especially for our street cars. They reach temperatures for sustained periods of time that don't come close to what street driving and auto-x produce. Your brake fluid probably did not boil, but even if it didn't, it's always a good idea to bleed after track days. You might also want to check the front pads. I'd be curious to hear if they're more noticably worn than they were before your big weekend. Nice job!!!
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Sounds like a ton of fun!! The great thing about the g6 Civic is that 3d gear goes up to 100mph and top speed is in 4th gear like the manual says(fastest I went in my HB was 112 on a slight incline in 4th), so it makes sense that you stayed in 3d most of the time. The Ultimates must 've worked phenomenally in your 2300lb car.
    The slalom does not sound like a true auto-x tight slalom because we almost never go through it at 55mph. We 're lucky if we do 35mph through the slalom.
    Tires DO get hot in auto-x. You 'll be surprised because all we do is make a lot of turns, U-turns, sweepers, etc. and drive to the adhesion limits of our tires. Before I auto-xed I thought the same thing even after watching 5 auto-x events without participating. Then when I started auto-xing I was surprised the beating my tires were getting. They were hot and getting worn down very fast. My Kumhos on the last event went from 37 cold to 42psi after my 2nd run. They were hot to the touch and hot air was coming out as I let some out.. The truth is that when I drive 90mph on the highway for a while and get out and check my tire pressures (on my V700), they have only gone up 2psi! That's why I don't mind driving on the R tires once in a while. Regular cruising doesn't warm them up much. A 35-50mph auto-x heats them up much more because it's the turns that warms them up.
    Anyway congrats on your track day!! You 're ahead of us in that respect. I have yet to do 1 track event, probably because the nearest one is over 2hrs away. My racing buddies went last year but I had to work that weekend so maybe I 'll try going this year if I can get some people to go with. I was planning on getting the HP+ or R4S pads anyway for the GSR..
    Wow, your brother is younger than you? That's a nice setup he has. Does he have the regular Bilsteins?
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    alright, in the future, i'm probably going to get some new wheels. probably 15" rota slipstreams, and not because they look like spoon wheels. my question is, what kind of tires should i use? I am looking at the falken azenis(sp?) and the yokohama A032. both are in 205/50/15. are these good tires for the street and track? if there is something better, would you guys please let me know? also, where would i buy the falkens from? I looked on tirerack and discount tire, and i don't think they have them. Thanks.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    look at discounttiredirect.com, only discounttire.com. found the azenis, but i don't know which one is which, actually, which azenis is better? the one with the really aggressive looking tread(sport), or the one with the mild looking tread(st115)? Thanks again.
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    size tire will fit on a 6.5 inch width wheel? I think it's a 205 or 215, but i want to make sure. Thanks again.
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    will definitely handle a 205 width tire, but a 215 might be a pretty tight fit. Also, I don't know too many tires that come in the 215 size -- 205 and 225 are much more common in the 15" wheel size, and 225s will go on a 7" wide wheel.
  • chem123chem123 Member Posts: 272
    My brother is running ITR Bilstein Sports (ITR LCAs) with his Ground Controls. That car is an absolute dream to drive. Way too much car for either of us to be driving.

    Garados, you don't need the A032s for the street. The are definitely overkill unless your car is being driven too and from racing. Some good bets for tires are the RE730s, Azenis, Kumho ECSTA Supras, etc. These are all cheap tires especially in the size you are looking at (205/50/15). If you want to step up, you will probably look at Toyo T1S, S-03s, BFG KD, Kumho MX, Pilot Sports, etc.

    P.S. Harry, I drove almost four hours one way for my event. If you have the time, it is definitely worth your while and you will piss people off how fast your stinkin' import in around the track. ;)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    alright, my current tires are being worn through from too many burnouts =P Anyway, for some replacements, I'm looking at the kuhmo ecsta 712 and yokohama a520. these are both in 215/40/17. My question is, which one would be better?

    also, if I get these tires, i will be able to get some mild lowering springs. I'm eyeing the eibach prokit or the h&r race springs. I know the prokit has a higher spring rate and all, but I just want your opinions on springs that would lower, max, about 1.75 inches. preferably nothing that would require a camber kit. Thanks.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Chem: You 're right. I also would have to get some decent street tires for a track event. Don't want to go through the V700s in a day or 2. If the ITR LCAs were legal in DSP that would be the first thing I 'd do but that would put me in SM, or a Prepared class and I didn't want that.
    Garados: H&R Race springs have much higher rates than the Eibach Prokit!!! About 200lbs stiffer!
    Don't get race ones for the street. You 'll regret the ride plus they 'll lower your car at least 2.5". You 'll be bottoming out a lot too.
    What happened to the custom GCs you were going to get? About the Falkens, you want to get the VR rates Azenis 205-50 if you stay with a 15" rim. I 'm looking at the Rotas now too for my '01 Civic but I haven't decided which model to go with (15x6.5") yet.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • garadosgarados Member Posts: 321
    I was going to get the gc's was because of the packaging restraints that I have now. When I get the 15's with new tires, I will have more room to play with, so, in my mind, I think I won't need to get the gc's. As for the race springs, I meant sport springs. The ones that lower about 1.5 inches.

    As for tires, I want a good street tire that will occaationally see track use. the azenis will wear faster than the yokohama 712's, right? so will I be better off with the 712's instead of the azenis? Thanks.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Well yesterday I was racing with the M-Club and I saw a guy had a big 4 SALE sign. I walked over and among Folk wheels and other stuff he had a brand new Comptech 22mm sway bar in the box! Everything was in the wrappers and sealed. I negotiated the price down to $140 and I 'll be picking it up Tuesday night because I didn't have that much cash on me yesterday. I 'll be ordering some GCs this week and hopefully the following weekend I 'll install both on the car.
    BTW, that guy with the "Mike Neary" setup GSR killed all the Type-Rs the weekend before at a NASA event by over 1.7secs! NASA only has 7 car classes so he was in D with all the ITRs, WRXs, etc. Killed all of them and have a very large lead. Not only that, he was only about 1/2sec. away from class A & B where the modded M3s & 911s are.
    Last Sunday he showed up with Falken Azenis because the weather was vary questionable and it was raining in the morning plus there was a 40% chance of rain & thunderstorms all day. Although I was in E class (he was D) he was only .3s behind me on street tires and his SSR competition 9lb rims (it's the Panasport 13x8.5" that stick out of the fenders that make him superfast).
    My main competition was a modded RS2.5 (2nd place) and an '02 325 (3d) with a PRO behind the wheel (used to own Miata & ITR before it got stolen) and a bunch of MR2s & Miatas on R tires! Probably about 12-15 cars in my class. I managed to get 1st place but I was sweating the whole time :) I was only .2sec & .3s away from the RS2.5 & 325 and I only managed that in the afternoon runs. They were beating me in the morning runs. The course was big and fast like a mini road racing course but with a very tight turn & slalom at the end right before the finish line where people (including me) kept coming in too hot and didn't brake early. Once I managed to find the right braking point and go slow through that I brought my times down by almost 1sec.
    Now when I get the coilovers I 'll be bumped up to the D class (at NASA & Mclub) where I 'll most likely get my butt kicked :) Maybe I should wait and finish the season in E to get the nice end-of-season trophy and free filet mignon meal :-)
    So what's everyone doing? Chem, have you auto-xed yet?
    Casey: Happy Father's day!
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • chem123chem123 Member Posts: 272
    got any? My first autox will be this Sunday. :)

    Also, Happy Father's Day to everyone who deserves it.

    Harry, are you looking at the GCs also? What rates?

    Okay guys, I kinda have a cool dilemma. I figure by the end of the summer I will have close to $2K for me to put into my car. (I am working 40+ hrs per week...in my main job). Lots of things I am looking at, what would you spend it on? Possibilities (not limited at all):

    -August 3-4 TWS, hotel---$400
    -several autoxes---$100
    -hardwire Valentine One---$50
    -rear discs---$400
    -Project Detail---$400
    -junkyard headlights, CTR rear lip, paint---$350
    -4 pt rollbar---$350
    -Craftsman 246 piece set, box--$250
    -Power Bleeder--$60
    -Shop Vac--$70
    -Car Number Magnets--$40
    -Pedals---$35
    -Security (autolock, kill switches, etc.)--$100
    -brake ducting---$25
    -brake compressor tool--$10
    -driving gloves---$25
    -exhaust work (weld smaller tip)---$40
    -aluminum hub rings---$25 (do I need to worry about these??)
    -CTR front grill, paint, amber sidemarkers---$100

    Really only the first firve items are set in stone. The "Project Detail" thing is me buying a buffer and lots of detailing stuff mostly from 3M and P1S. My brother and I will probably split the costs. Also am thinking about getting some stiffer springs as my car feels soft though still fun to drive. Am looking at $130 H&R, Neuspeed on up to custom rate GCs ($350?). Would really like to hear some opinions.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Seems you 're spending almost a grand on cosmetic stuff. I personally don't like those mods. I like to leave my car factory looking as a sleeper and not attract any attention. I 'm even contemplating removing the VTEC badge from my car. I like spending all my money on performance/suspension mods or anything that will get me better times in auto-x. I have a Craftsman mechanics set (80 or 120 piece) that I bought on sale for $39.95 or $49.95 and so far I haven't had a need for anything else except a couple of longer sockets for my torque wrench that I use on the wheel lug nuts. Looks like a well thought out list though!
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • xhawkeyexhawkeye Member Posts: 10
    << hardwire Valentine One---$50 >>

    Why's this costing $50? That's an easy DIY project.

    << brake compressor tool--$10 >>

    If you've got a big enough c-clamp laying around you won't need to buy anything.
  • chem123chem123 Member Posts: 272
    Yup, I realized right after I typed up the list that there is a lot of cosmetic stuff. There is no way I would actually get all of them or maybe even some of them. I do need the headlights as my original ones are crapped up.

    Harry, definitely remove your VTEC badge.

    Hawkeye, with the V1, I was going to get the kit that allows the socket to still be used externally. I couldn't remember the exact price, though, and overestimated like I did on almost all the ideas.

    Thing is, I don't have a big enough c-clamp in my garage...trust me, I know. My tools currently consist of:

    -basic metric/english socket set
    -basic small metric wrench set
    -Craftsman 3 ton floor jack and stands
    -Dewalt electric drill
    -torque wrench
    -assorted pliers, clippers, strippers

    Another incentive for the detailing stuff is that I will detail cars in my neighborhood as a side job. The only cosmetic mod I was actually considering is the rear lip just because it hides some of the shiny muffler, I can paint it myself, and I think it looks neat...that's all.

    More and more, I am thinking of spending as little as possible now and saving for a swap (wouldn't be that far away). I don't think I would actually do the swap until after my undergraduate studies. But then I start thinking, "Why swap when I can save towards my next car (S2000, 350Z, etc.)?" I am so confused. Older, wiser people that know what I should do please insert answer here ___________.
  • xhawkeyexhawkeye Member Posts: 10
    You're going to use the remote display module.

    Forgot about that gismo, since I don't use it. You can always hardwire the V1 now and add the module later.
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    Wow, when I was 18yrs (1983-4) old I was looking at old beat up cars from the early-mid 70's :-) They had power though! The smallest engine you could get was a V6 or a straight 6 and those put out 160+ HP. Had an old Camaro with a straight 6 and that thing moved. Had it up to over 120mph too!
    Anyway, a motor swap will cost a lot less than even a used S2K or 350Z in a couple of years BUT you still have a Civic and you will hardly get any more money than book value for all the mods you 've done. I don't know your financial situation but a 4yr old S2K or used 350Z might be within your reach in a couple of years. The problem is, when you get out of school you 'll probably have school loans to pay like we did (or you may not, if daddy is paying in full) and it may be very difficult for you to pay those back plus a big car payment. Especially if you want to move out of the house and get your own place or whatever. The smartest thing to do is probably to wait till you get a job after school. That way you 'll be working full time and not part-time or summers and you should be able to afford many things you now want. It's very hard going to school and being able to afford the cars you mentioned.
    Also the biggest advise I can give you, is to live at home as long as you can! You save up a lot $$ that way and can buy more expensive toys :) I moved out at 21 and struggled with rent, car payments, student loan payments, electric/phone/cable bills, girlfriends, etc. Took me longer to get the things I want.
    My brother who is a year older stayed home till he was 30! He had $50K in the bank by the time he was 25 and $100K before he was 30 with an average paying HVAC controls engineering job. I always made more than him but managed to save very little or nothing for a while due to all my bills and expenses. He lived at home, ate mom's home cooking and paid next to nothing for rent ($300/mo!). Unfortunately he got into the stock market and lost his shirt a few years ago and continues to do so..
    In other words take advantage of your parents and their home for a couple of yrs after you get out of college :) That is the best advice I can give you. This way you 'll party more, spend a little more but you 'll be saving BIG. I know that 's
    4yrs away but I hope you 'll remember.
    It's very tempting to move out in order to have your privacy and a better social life when you have a good job and a steady pay check but you 'll have a hek of a lot more bills and might tend to go into debt or take more loans out which will set back your financial progress or your goals (like buying a nice sports car). Second biggest advice I can give you, is not to get anyone pregnant and don't marry young :) The right time to marry is when you own a house or can afford to buy a house plus a sports car, plus save money at the same time. Then it should be safe to proceed with a holy sacrement :) But buy that sports car first because after you get married it'll be very difficult to get the things you like!!
    Sorry for the long note. I tend to do that a lot lately :-)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Been meaning to post here for nearly two weeks and haven't been able to find the time until now.

    First, Happy belated Father's Day to you, too, Harry. I had a very pleasant and relaxing day. Hope your's was enjoyable.

    About two weeks ago the ATL region had it's 4th Solo II points event. The course they set up was more technically difficult than I've ever experienced, and not very easy to memorize either. Still, I did OK, and finished third out of 12 cars. Thought I had a lock on second place until one of the STS regulars had a low 66.xxx sec. run on his final run, where he was running high 68.xxx secs. before and I was running mid 68 secs. The 66.xxx run this guy had would have won the class had he not coned on that run. But even with the cone penalty of 2 secs. added he beat me by .2 secs. for second place. :( As soon as I got home I knew exactly what I would have done differntly and wanted to go back down there and try again. I was over driving some of the slow parts, and really should have been trying to slow down more in certain places (you know "go slow to go fast" and "go slow in the slow parts, fast in the fast parts"). This sport can be incredibly damning, can't it? Also, and believe me, I'm really not trying to make excuses here, two different guys rode with me on my third and fourth runs, which were nearly identical timewise(within hundredths of second of the same time), so I feel like I could have been about .5 sec faster had I been by myself. Harry, do you have any thoughts about how much the extra weight of a passenger affects your times? My feeling is that an extra 150-180 lbs. makes a difference in our cars. So, not to lament about what could have been, because I'm really pleased to be in the top three of our STS class. Plus, I've got to keep this whole motorsport competition thing in perspective, otherwise I run the risk of making car stuff more important than the other great things in my life. :D
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    3d out of 12 is not bad at all! I know exactly what you 're talking about! I always go fast in the slow parts/turns of the course at first and get crappy times. Once I realize that, I take a different strategy and slow down more before the turns and I get better times. Sometimes I too think of what I could 've done better while I 'm driving home, when I don't come in 1st. It sucks but I can't help it, especially when I 'm used to coming in 1st.

      

    This past Sunday I came in 1st out of 18 cars at the M-Club (a non-SCCA club in NJ, 1hr away). I 'm shooting for a season trophy this year because I signed up for a membership (it's $10 less if you 're a member) and they give out really nice trophies there. Nice heavy 9" diameter oval ones (for 1st place only) with 2 big checkered flags in the middle and a gold plate that says "M-Club 2002 1st place". Anyway, this club is like our local Nasa Club with only 7 car classes and 1-2 race classes. I was racing against 1/2 dozen Miatas (modded ones too), MR2s, BMWs, etc. I thought I was dead meat but got lucky :) It was a very fast course so about 15 or more Porsches & BMWs in higher classes were a lot faster than me. I was about 3secs away from FTD this time. So far I came in 1st 4 times (I only attended 4 events) and have accumulated some decent points. So it looks like I won't get the coilovers for a while because this would bump me up one class and that's not good. I 'll stick with my almost 3yr old H&R OE Sports (they 're starting to sag I think) for another couple of months so I can accumulate enough points for the season-trophy. Here 's the link if anyone is interested. http://www.themclub.net/mclub_61602AX.htm

    I think this might be the most cars I 've ever beaten in a single event.

    Anyway, I only won by .2sec and these 18 cars got me thinking that maybe I need to do some more stuff to my car so I can help myself maintain my 1st place status, so I picked up a Comptech 22mm sway bar new in the box that someone was selling at the last event. I 'm going to try and put it in before next weekend's event. I don't expect a big difference over the 19mm but hey, every little thing helps.

    I was reading the instructions and it says you have to drill-out the existing holes where the "backing plates" go. The urethane bushings look nice and are red in color. It also comes with Comptech endlinks. I hope it 'll fit fine with my Neuspeed rear lower tie bar. If not I 'll just remove it. It was only $69 and it made little difference.
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Harry, I look forward to hearing how much different your car handles w/ the Comptech sway bar. I'm betting in makes a noticeable difference. But the question is how much of a difference? And good luck with your quest for 1st place in the M-club. I love hearing about how well you're able to do against all the Bimmers and other nice cars out there. hehehehehe
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I want the 22mm to make a big difference over the 19 but I don't have my hopes up, in case it doesn't.
    I have an appointment with a local imports shop to install it tomorrow. They said 1-1.5hrs which is $65-100. $100 is a little high because I paid $70 for my 19mm 2.5yrs ago but that was at a race shop in Queens, NYC and I don't feel like driving 60mi. each way and paying $11 tolls for NYC bridges. It comes out almost the same if I went down there.. I saved at least $70 in the sway bar so it's almost like I 'm paying no labor at all.
    I just came back from the tire shop where I had Rota Attack 15x6.5" wheels installed on my '01 Civic EX with RE950 195-60 tires. The Rotas came in last night and are only 12.7lbs (per Revolution Motorsports - they 're running a groupbuy). I weighed one on my bathroom scale and sure enough the needle was right between 12 and 13lbs. Felt very light when I picked one up. Felt a little lighter than my K1s which we weighed at my friend's digital scale at 12.98lbs. They were $475 shipped. Can't beat that for a decent 12.X lb rim. Tirerack charges over $50 to ship rims.. They 're supposed to be pretty strong according to many people that have Rotas. Craftsmanship overall looks and feels a step above the K1.
    Oh I also had Brembo rotors put on but the Axxis Metal Masters pads didn't fit. Steve Colleti said there was a possibility they might not fit because he shipped me '00 Civic Metal Masters, but said he 'll pay for to ship them back if they don't fit. So now I have to call him and get HPs or something else. I have the old pads on the Brembos now but I want to get rid of them quickly before they ruin my new rotors. The car now stops worse because I don't have the "resin" on the rotors yet so I drove carefully. I also followed the instructions that came with the Metal Masters on how to brake pads in and seat them properly (in general) just in case. That was nice of them to include that. It basically says drive up to 30-35mph and then apply the brakes mildly to moderately and come to a full stop. Do this 10 times they said with 30sec. cooling periods in between. Avoid heavy or panic braking unless you really have to (duh, yeah lets get into an accident because we don't want to mess up our $45 pads) the first 200mi. So I think this would be for used pads too because they need to bed-in with new rotors.
    The offset of the 15x6.5" Rotas is 40mm but they 're pretty close to the outer edge of the fender well. The tires won't rub but you can tell the rims are much farther out than before. I guess I just have to get used to them and the way the car looks now. It almost looks like these rims don't go with the car but it's a matter of getting used to looking at it. They definitely wouldn't look good on the Integra. The K1s look much better on the Teg. The Attacks are 5 spoke and it looks like the wheel needs at least 1 more spoke, like it's missing something. Oh well, I'll get used to it. I mainly needed 2 sets of rims for summer and winter tires.
    What's everyone doing lately? M-Club racing this Sat. for me :) Casey did you see how many 911s and M3s were there? Caution: If you tend to drool a lot this is not the event for you :) (It's in a rich area in North Jersey (near the Lincoln tunnel), that's why..)
    I hear those Minis are doing pretty well in auto-x, especially the base one in H Stock. The S is not doing too bad either in D and are usually right behind the ITRs..
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
  • cjhannancjhannan Member Posts: 201
    Good luck with the swaybar install. Given how well you know your car now, I'm sure you'll be able to sense a good difference w/ the 22mm bar. Remember that formula about swaybars..? The one that says you don't get a straight linear growth/relationship with a 3mm increase, but it's something like raised to the 4th or 5th power? I don't remember the exact formula, but remember being surprised by how even a small increase in diameter can make a big difference, at least from a theoretical perspective. You'll be able to give us the "real world" point of view. :D

    Gotta run now. More later....
  • only1harryonly1harry Member Posts: 1,140
    I went to this local shop and after waiting for about 30min. they bring the car in. The guy takes a look at the instructions, comes back to waiting area and says it will take at least 2hrs maybe 2.5! At $70/hr we 're talking $140 min. and maybe $175. That's more than what I paid for the bar itself. So I left because they made nervous and they were all looking at the instructions for 10-15min. like they couldn't read. So now I made an appt. with this other local shop for 2:30pm that I usually go to for tire installation (on the rims) and wheel alignments. The same one I was at yesterday with my Civic. They had a Corolla there at the time installing coilover springs on it. So I figure what the hey, they 've dealt with aftermarket parts before. On the phone they told me about 1.5hrs but admitted they 've never done one on an Integra before, so we 'll see. This is one time I miss those race shops that are all lined up on Queens Blvd. in Queens, NYC with dozens of modded Civics & Integras parked outside & inside. They can put in a sway bar blind folded because that's all they work on all day long, aftermarket suspensions and exhausts. They put in my Neupseed 19mm in about 40-45min. and never stopped to look at the instructions. It looked like they had done a thousand of these. Too bad they 're so far away.
    I 'm sure I 'll feel the difference with the 22 one. The question is how much difference, but I don't really care. I 'll be happy as long as I notice an improvement. This bar is about 2yrs old so I 'm hoping the urethane bushings haven't aged or anything. Everything is in a sealed bag though. 2hrs till installation and counting.. :)
    '99 Integra GSR
    '06 Civic LX coupe
    '11 BMW 335i coupe xDrive
    '13 Honda Accord sedan (wife's car)
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