New member. Tuning advice needed. 1.6 Vti

[Nick DW]

Hi I have a 1996 Civic 1.6 Vti. So far I have added a full Magnaflow 2.25" exhaust, DC Sports 4-2-1 exhaust manifold and K&N panel air filter. These mods have made significant gains but it is still not enough. I have bought Integra Type R cams which are to be fitted next.

My trusted local garage say they can't fit the cams, so where do I go? I can't seem to find any info on Honda tuners in or near to Liverpool, any ideas?

Also what's the best way to get more from 2nd gear? 1st gear is really strong, but 2nd gear just isn't good enough, it takes too long to rev up. By the way i'm on a pretty tight budget.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated...

 

[turbonutter69]

Welcome to the forum mate.
We have a few resident Honda nuts so i'm sure one of them will be along soon to answer your question buddy.

 

[Nick DW]

Hi, thanks for the warm welcome.

 

[Prince]

I've heard good things about TDi North (http://www.tdi-north.com/) in Warrington but have never used them. I used Hond-R in Oxford and they are brilliant.

I would swap the 4-2-1 for a 4-1 manifold as well. It will suit the car more as the power band is so high. Have you considered a VTEC controller. It will mean that VTEC kicks in at a lower RPM.

 

[Nick DW]

Thanks, I will give TDi North a call.

Wouldn't I lose low down power with a 4-1 manifold? It's really the rev band before vtec kicks in that I want to improve.

I've read about vtec controllers and people say they aren't that good and it's better to go with a remap. Any idea how much it would cost to get my integra type r cams installed and get a remap at the same time? and would TDi North do this?

Cheers

 

[Prince]

TDi North will do that. The 4-1 manifold would mean better power output at higher revs so yeah it wouldn't help pre-vtec at all. The main problem with Hondas is they don't have much torque. Which is why you don't get much out of them before VTEC.

You could always lighten the car. It's free as well.

 

[treeCUTTERman]

hi nick, i also have a civic vti and want more low end torque, which dc manifold did you get? ceramic or stainless? any good? i just been looking at dc ceramic 4-2-1, do i buy or wait and save for somthing better?

 

[Nick DW]

Hi TreeCUTTERman,

I got the dc ceramic manifold. It made a big difference on acceleration and definitely improved torque-probably more mid range than low. (but i also have larger 2.25" exhaust piping aswell) The ceramic coating has started to flake off a little in some places. If you are concerned about looks the stainless will look better and is a little lighter in weight i think-but too me the extra cost is not worth it.
Civics will never have good torque unless turbo or supercharged.

Hope this helps
Nick

 

[treeCUTTERman]

cheers for the info Nick, i'll proberly go for the ceramic, even if they do flake, can allways wrap them in that heat tape stuff. i'm not to bothered about looks under the bonnet for now. just gonna get a few bit for engine before even thinking about super/turbo.