Honda Civic Coupé '97

nick2409

Newbie
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16
Location
England, Hull
Car
Honda Civic Coupé
Hi all I have posted in the 'Hello' forums but most probably don't visit there after your first time!!!

I have a relatively untouched Honda Civic Coupé 1997 model 1.6L and she's running pretty smoothly 14yrs on! Having got my hands on her only last year I would really like to improve performance but with limited engineering knowledge and general knowledge restricted to 'Pimp my Ride' (sad sad sad eh!!!) I could really do with you guys giving me a brief run down of what is worth the money and what isn't!

I am not contemplating changing the engine, I just fancy bringing her into the Teenies rather than the 90's!

Having done a couple of hours searching online about induction kits I am more confused than clued up!!! A friend reccomended a K&N cold feed induction kit but one website reccomended a foam filter to which he said it would clog up over time and they are not as good. K&N also offer a million mile guarantee but for performance based results what are you're reccomendations?

Once the induction kit is fitted what should me next port of call be?

The effect I would like is a bit more speed off the line and a nice healthy noise while hitting the accelerator!

I'm not able to spend great amounts all at once especially as I won't be showing the car at events or anything like that.

Please could you also reccomend any interior websites as I'd like to change the seats but not sure what is a good fit...etc?

Thanks guys :)
 
Hello and welcome mate! I am guilty of not looking in the introductions section!

I believe you have an EJ6 so my advice is as follows...

Don't bother with any induction kit. The D series intake is better than any cheap K&N rubbish. The standard one is actually a good design and can only be bettered by replacing the filter with a performance filter (a 5 minute job you can do with minimal tools).

If you just want a bit more poke then an exhaust system will offer more throttle response. If that's not enough then a new 4 branch manifold is a good idea. Once you're completely happy with everything you've done power wise then get a remap done to take full advantage of the mods.

I would get some coilovers and get the car slammed. Depending on budget get some Skunk2 or Tein coilovers. This will increase the handling for when you want to have a bit of fun of the country lanes.

As for the seats. Get some Recaros from either the Civic EK9 (the Type R of the same generation) or an Integra DC2 Type R. They are an awesome seat (so awesome I have them fitted in my BMW!). You will need EK9 rails/sub frames to make them fit.

Some inspiration for you (my old Civic)...

DSCF0416.jpg


DSCF0423.jpg


SL371069.jpg


Any more questions?
 
Thanks for the response Prince.

Some great tips there, would you be able to at all put up some links to some filters you think would do the job? Also with the 4 branch manifold too? Thanks.
 
Most performance filters would be perfectly fine. Something like K&N or Pipercross (did notice this AEM CAI (cold air intake) here).

Iirc correctly DC Sports do a 4-1 manifold. A 4-1 will increase power high up in the rev range, whilst a 4-2-1 will increase power through the mid-range. Skunk2 do a lot of good stuff as well.
 
Thanks for that shall look in to it all and hopefully get it feeling great!

Got some pagid brake pads from euro car parts and they're about 8mm too big even though they are apparently for this car! So now I am awaiting some EBC brake pads instead.
 
ECP quite often send the wrong stuff. If you want to upgrade the brakes you can use the Integra Type R brakes (it would also convert your 4 stud to 5 stud) on the front and Civic MB6 rears to get rid of the drums.
 
Hi, I'm new here and I can't help but to stumble upon this thread, since it was similar to what I was looking for. rather than starting up a new one - I would just to know if I can apply this to a '97 Civic Ex 4 door.? (Same EJ6 trim and D series engine.)

Unfortunately I do not know much about tuning/performance, but I would like to get a little bit more out of it. Changes I have in mind would be the brakes, rims, suspension, and if I have the pleasure to - an engine swap. Though money is quite limited at the time so an engine swap would be a luxury for me at the moment. But if so what engine would give me a better performance?

Thanks in advance.
 
Hi, I'm new here and I can't help but to stumble upon this thread, since it was similar to what I was looking for. rather than starting up a new one - I would just to know if I can apply this to a '97 Civic Ex 4 door.? (Same EJ6 trim and D series engine.)

Unfortunately I do not know much about tuning/performance, but I would like to get a little bit more out of it. Changes I have in mind would be the brakes, rims, suspension, and if I have the pleasure to - an engine swap. Though money is quite limited at the time so an engine swap would be a luxury for me at the moment. But if so what engine would give me a better performance?

Thanks in advance.


Greetings Cjayy and Welcome To TorqueCars My Friend! :)

It is now Christmas Day here in the UK so an answer to your questions might well arrive much later than you expected. I am sure that somebody knows the answer and will reply to you ASAP! ;)

In the meantime may I wish you a very Merry Christmas! :bigsmile:
 
Hi, I'm new here and I can't help but to stumble upon this thread, since it was similar to what I was looking for. rather than starting up a new one - I would just to know if I can apply this to a '97 Civic Ex 4 door.? (Same EJ6 trim and D series engine.)

Unfortunately I do not know much about tuning/performance, but I would like to get a little bit more out of it. Changes I have in mind would be the brakes, rims, suspension, and if I have the pleasure to - an engine swap. Though money is quite limited at the time so an engine swap would be a luxury for me at the moment. But if so what engine would give me a better performance?

Thanks in advance.

Hello and welcome mate. In short, yes. You can apply everything above to your own Civic. The engine swap would be the last thing to do, but I always planned a DC2 Integra Type R swap. The USDM engine code is B18C5. You could get the newer K20, slightly more power, but also more weight. It really depends on budget tbh.

I would do the suspension first...
- Coilovers (with top mounts)
- Thicker anti-roll bars (ARBs - Also known as sway bars)
- Polyurethene (poly) bushes
- Front and rear strut braces

This will stiffen up the chassis a lot and improve handling no end. The coilovers will allow you to lower the car and if your budget stretches to it (I would make it or wait until it does imo), then you will be able to adjust camber and caster (cheaper coilovers are generally only height adjustable - more expensive ones (mine were £800 which converts to 1280 Canadien dollars) allow more adjustment.

I would then do the brakes...

As above really. DC2 Integra Type R fronts, and MB6 Civic (the 5 door) rears. This will convert your hubs to 5 stud (5 x 114.3 iirc). I would also take this opportunity to get new discs and pads.

however, because of the hub conversion you will also need new wheels as your old 4 stud wheels won't fit anymore. 16s are the ideal size for EJ6/EM1 Civics, although I fitted 17s as I preferred the look. Don't cheap out on the tyres either. They're the only part of the car in contact with the road.

You can also make a start on the exhaust. The same cat-back can be used with a bigger engine so feel free to get yourself a cat-back exhaust. I had a Greddy Evo 2 exhaust and it sounded lovely.
 
Ahh thank you very much. Besides - eBay, Kijiji, and Craiglist. Online-wise, where is the best place to get the parts? I see that you already mentioned both Skunk2 and Tien for coilovers. And engine-wise as well?
Thank very much for the warm welcome.
 
Ahh thank you very much. Besides - eBay, Kijiji, and Craiglist. Online-wise, where is the best place to get the parts? I see that you already mentioned both Skunk2 and Tien for coilovers. And engine-wise as well?
Thank very much for the warm welcome.

Quite alright mate! You'll find this place to be the friendliest forum in the world!

DC, Skunk2, AEM are all brands off the top of my head. I suppose it comes down to budget and availability. The only engine tuning I'd bother with a D16Y7 is an exhaust. Anything you're unsure of just ask mate. ;)
 
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Hi! Sorry for the late response I've been trying to save money and doing some part searching and this is what I've come up with.

Manifold: http://store.skunk2.com/pro-series-intake-manifold-1.html
Rims: http://bit.ly/JB5Hxk
Brake Rotor: http://bit.ly/JVgZez
Brake Pads: http://bit.ly/JAGSnb
Rear Sway bar: https://www.kingmotorsports.com/p-1330-blox-front-sway-bar.aspx
Front Sway bar: https://www.kingmotorsports.com/p-1329-blox-rear-sway-bar.aspx
Suspension Kit: https://www.kingmotorsports.com/p-4...s-full-bodied-adjustable-coilover-system.aspx
Intake: http://www.autocityimports.com//9200-honda-civic-ex-aem-short-ram-intake-p-13699.html
Exhuast: I'm still looking, I don't want one that's too overly loud and annoying when driving. Do you know of any?
Roughly brings me to around 2.5 k in Canadian. So I don't believe I'll be changing the engine and stick to Stock.
Thanks again! :D

*Your post got stuck in the moderation queue because you posted up pictures linked to URL's. New members require 10 posts before being allowed to post any photos or URL's, I have approved the post for you on this occasion.

T9 man
Moderator.
 
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