Understanding my Integra DC5

[buttwhacker]

Hi everyone, I currently own a second hand Integra DC5 that already has a cold air intake pod and an aftermarket exhaust system. Currently, the car has this rumbling sound when it is idle and it roars to life when I floor it. A few days ago, I visited an aftermarket workshop specialist and the guys there told me that my car is more powerful than a usual DC5. I suggested that it could be the cold air intake which gives it a bit more horsepower and they agreed, but there was too much horsepower just for an airtake. I have several questions if someone could answer them:

1. Could the previous owner have had tuned the engine without any aftermarket addons to give it that much more power?

2. Why is it when I suddenly floor the gas, I notice the engine roars and the tachometer needle jumps accordingly, yet it comes back down before shooting back up again.

3. My workshop guys recommend that I upgrade my stock suspension to good aftermarket ones so that they can lower my ride height and harden the dampers because when they test drove it, the noticed that my steering is too light and when they launch quickly from the stop line, the front tyres tend to lose grip and spin on the spot.

Thanks in advance for those who help. =)

 

[obi_waynne]

Hi there buttwhacker and welcome to TorqueCars. It sounds like there has been some internal engine work. If it has a slightly lumpy idle then we could be talking fast road cams. It may also have had a light weight flywheel.

Point 2 actually sounds like a slipping clutch to me. As the clutch bites the revs come down and then it picks up again. It could just be the wheel spin though causing this. Does it do it if you floor it in 2nd or 3rd whilst driving along?

Soft front tyres would make a big difference. I would recommend Goodyear Eagle F1's for this.

 

[buttwhacker]

Hi there waynne..thanks for the welcome...the exhaust does indeed sound lumpy and choppy...it could be the aftermarket exhaust system..regarding point 2, I do believe that in gears 2 & 3 it does have the same issue although the revs spiking and returning have a smaller gap as I move on to a higher gear...
Is there a quick way to check the car for any previous mods the owner might have done such as the flywheel?I would like to know what he did so I have a rough idea on where to upgrade next...

 

[obi_waynne]

Why not try and contact the previous owner -his details will show in the cars log book. It might be worth havign a chat with the garages in the service book to see what they know as well.

You really need to compare each part with a standard part. To the untrained eye flywheels can look pretty similar as their external dimensions need to be the same.

 

[buttwhacker]

Thanks so much for your help waynne...I don't want to be a pain in the ass but I just want to make sure I'm doing the right things with my car..I don't want to follow the workshop guys blindly...

By the way, I noticed an air charger for sale there during my last visit. Any thoughts on it?Would it help increase my power further or would I not be able to feel the difference?

 

[obi_waynne]

What do they mean by air charger? What are the principles behind it? It could be a supercharger, turbo, electric supercharger or just a ram air scoop. There is quite a big difference between them.

(And no you are not being a pain, questions are good - we all learn from each other!)

 

[buttwhacker]

I have no idea what they mean by air charger specifically. I was wondering myself...hahaha..anyway, this is the link to their range of air chargers on sale: http://www.silent.com.sg/aircharger.shtml

Apparently there's another name for it: "Micro Compressor". Again no idea what that is.

Here's a couple more questions I've been meaning to ask:

1. Is it necessary to purchase an entire brake kit if I want to improve my braking performance? I've noticed that they sell different parts of kits separately such as brake pads, brake calipers, discs and so on. Could you briefly tell me which part does what and its importance?

2. I have the same question regarding Turbo kits (as if I could afford one). Could I just simply buy a Turbo charger (the one that looks like a snail) without the other gizmo like intercoolers and release valves and such? Would it work or would it just overheat and go boom?hahaha...

3. I'm planning on installing a front strut bar as it would have the most effect with my handling. Should I install any other strut bars other than the front?

4. The other day when my car was up in the air, I noticed that my front right wheel was quite noticeably cambered outwards. Could this cause the car to drift to the right?This is because a month ago the car had been drifting towards the right with the steering tilted to the right. I sent it for wheel realignment and it seemed a little better but now to come to think of it, the car still does lean to the right slightly.

 

[thexav]

I can answer 1. It depends on the sizes you need the bigger calipers to clamp onto bigger disks. Soemtimes if you get slotted, drilled or vented disks the overall size is the same. Pads can make a big difference to your braking.

The pads create heat which is dissipated by the disk so effectively the cars motion is converted into heat. The bigger the surfaces the greater the heat released and the better the stopping if I understand brakes right.