Somebody school me on adding some HP

[TheDan]

 

[Das Jared]

Don't take anything seriously on a honda forum. Those people have the mentality of their cars actually being fast when they do stuff to them. They are of the mentality that a cold air intake gives them more hp and shit, when it really does nothing

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[Vaquero]

I had one. '06 2 door.
Yep, awesome fuel mileage.
It couldn't get out of its own way, and was a devil too see out of. Peripheral vison was real bad.
Just learn to drive it. I had to. If you're merging on a freeway, as soon as it looks clear, floor it, keep it in your acceleration lane and make sure you're clear.
It'll stop on a dime.

 

[Kyle]

Lol

Don't take anything seriously on a honda forum. Those people have the mentality of their cars actually being fast when they do stuff to them. They are of the mentality that a cold air intake gives them more hp and shit, when it really does nothing

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Ive noticed... They are like children over there just on the few pages I have read. I have always felt like CAI may increase throttle response, but that is about it. A lot of these guys are talking about MPG increases of 10-20%.. who knows. Everyone on that specific forum says a cam upgrade is about the only REAL thing you can do for added power---outside of a turbo... Which like I said.. I don't want this car to sound or look some something that drove out of a cracker jack box.

I had one. '06 2 door.
Yep, awesome fuel mileage.
It couldn't get out of its own way, and was a devil too see out of. Peripheral vison was real bad.
Just learn to drive it. I had to. If you're merging on a freeway, as soon as it looks clear, floor it, keep it in your acceleration lane and make sure you're clear.
It'll stop on a dime.

lol, those are the issues I am running into. I am having to alter my driving habits big time to accommodate the lack of power. I do LOVE how quick this thing stops. I have been having fun with the E-brake too... If it were rear wheel drive, I would be having MORE fun... but it'll do.

 

[TheDan]

I don't want this car to sound or look some something that drove out of a cracker jack box.

A turbo doesn't have to be obnoxious. Most of the Honda queers just want them obnoxious

If it were rear wheel drive, I would be having MORE fun... but it'll do.

yeah, FWD... whats the point of doing anything to it... Better to just enjoy the increased MPG and save pennies for something more fun.

 

[rsayloriii]

I run high octane in this car...

Without it being high compression (especially forced induction, ie turbo/super charger), then you are actually losing power if the vehicle is designed to run on regular 87 octane pump gas. The higher the octane, the less energetic the fuel is (which is the reason it resists pre-detination). While it probably would only be noticed on a dyno, it's still a loss. The only way it doesn't is if you can advance timing far enough to take advantage of the higher octane, which the stock computer won't go far enough.

 

[Kyle]

A turbo doesn't have to be obnoxious. Most of the Honda queers just want them obnoxious



yeah, FWD... whats the point of doing anything to it... Better to just enjoy the increased MPG and save pennies for something more fun.

Mainly "just because" but a little bit of it is because I don't want to be a stain on the grill of a Semi. haha

Without it being high compression (especially forced induction, ie turbo/super charger), then you are actually losing power if the vehicle is designed to run on regular 87 octane pump gas. The higher the octane, the less energetic the fuel is (which is the reason it resists pre-detination). While it probably would only be noticed on a dyno, it's still a loss. The only way it doesn't is if you can advance timing far enough to take advantage of the higher octane, which the stock computer won't go far enough.

Hmm, Ill look into that. I had never considered the compression variable with the type of gas I am using. It made a noticeable different in my 4.6L, but with the civic, the engine "feels" better with the higher octane, which is a plus. It seems like I have a BIT more power on the hwy... but that may all be in my head, or I could just be going slightly down hill when I notice it.

 

[rsayloriii]

"feels"... but that may all be in my head...

Usually is when talking about such minimal differences.

 

[Das Jared]

If you have the injectors for e85, you can get a custom tune for e85 and see a bit more hp. E85 is the equivalent of 106 octane. Your economy will decrease a tad bit though as a result

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[Ole Cowboy]

Being an old racer from the 60's and still enjoying the go pedal there are a few things you can do to help. Not much unless you want to shell out serious bucks.

1) Start with the intake: Get a good free breathing filter or even for a few bucks more a more effective air cleaner assembly. This is all cheap. If they do a cold air induction you grab some ponies there, but note they can sometimes get pricey. You can build your own. In fact I built one called 'Trash Aire". I used a cheap small plastic trash can from Wal mart and had seat of the pants improvement. So did a lot of folks that tried my build. Also got a 1 mpg out of it. I contacted one of the major mags and told them I would pay my way anywhere anytime and do a heads up dyno test to compare my system against anything out there. They turned me down...

2) Dig around and find a guy who tunes these things and tell him you want some improved performance and want to keep your good mpg but are willing to take a small hit on it, very small. He will most likely want to bump up the advance. A couple of degrees can give some good extra boost. Fresh HiPerf plugs, properly gapped are also good for a few extra ponies.

3) Exhaust. You can pick up a cheap muffler that breathes a bit better for a few bucks. Spend the extra and get the alum or SS one if you plan on keeping the rig

You can tweak and do some add onsl, spend a couple of hundred and gain somewhere around <10% of the advertised HP rating. May not sound like much, but a few extra HP and also lead to to some improved mpg at the same time.

 

[Kyle]

If you have the injectors for e85, you can get a custom tune for e85 and see a bit more hp. E85 is the equivalent of 106 octane. Your economy will decrease a tad bit though as a result

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Hmm, I dont think I have injectors for e85, but that is an interesting bit of info.

Being an old racer from the 60's and still enjoying the go pedal there are a few things you can do to help. Not much unless you want to shell out serious bucks.

1) Start with the intake: Get a good free breathing filter or even for a few bucks more a more effective air cleaner assembly. This is all cheap. If they do a cold air induction you grab some ponies there, but note they can sometimes get pricey. You can build your own. In fact I built one called 'Trash Aire". I used a cheap small plastic trash can from Wal mart and had seat of the pants improvement. So did a lot of folks that tried my build. Also got a 1 mpg out of it. I contacted one of the major mags and told them I would pay my way anywhere anytime and do a heads up dyno test to compare my system against anything out there. They turned me down...

2) Dig around and find a guy who tunes these things and tell him you want some improved performance and want to keep your good mpg but are willing to take a small hit on it, very small. He will most likely want to bump up the advance. A couple of degrees can give some good extra boost. Fresh HiPerf plugs, properly gapped are also good for a few extra ponies.

3) Exhaust. You can pick up a cheap muffler that breathes a bit better for a few bucks. Spend the extra and get the alum or SS one if you plan on keeping the rig

You can tweak and do some add onsl, spend a couple of hundred and gain somewhere around <10% of the advertised HP rating. May not sound like much, but a few extra HP and also lead to to some improved mpg at the same time.

The CAI is what throws me.. Some people praise it, others say it is useless. One consideration is that my cousins use them in colorado and they say they help tremendously for running through the thin air of the mountains... Still not sure who to believe. I suppose I could run my OBD-2 scanner on it and do a comparison--Before/after CAI--.

I would bet there has to be a few guys in the area that mess with these things. Might be worth some checking.

Im good with swapping out the muffler.. So long as it is SILENT :P lol

 

[rsayloriii]

The CAI is what throws me.. Some people praise it, others say it is useless.

TRUE cold air intake can have gains. Problem is that most CAI are NOT real. They're simply an open filter, which, while providing less restricted air flow, it draws hot air from under the hood. Hot air is less dense than cold air. The denser the air, the more oxygen content, which provides for a more complete burn, and that means better power. So, even though the air flow is less restricted, the hot air negates that and can even worsen it.

 

[35Remington]

If you want to modify your car, that's cool, go ahead. But please do not sit here and tell us that your 2001 model Honda Civic can only get up to 40 mph on the entrance ramp. That's just a load of crap.

 

[rsayloriii]

Another idea, which I plan on doing on my truck, is a "poor man's ram air". Run a hose to down from the air box to just under the bumper or the air opening for the radiator and put a collector to "focus" the air intake. I know somebody that has done this, among other mods, and has brought their mileage up ~5mpg ... which is HUGE in a v8 truck. This is all due to a more efficient burn = more power, less load on the engine. Another one that they did was to line the air box and intake tube with insulation to keep the air intake as cool as possible.

 

[Kyle]

TRUE cold air intake can have gains. Problem is that most CAI are NOT real. They're simply an open filter, which, while providing less restricted air flow, it draws hot air from under the hood. Hot air is less dense than cold air. The denser the air, the more oxygen content, which provides for a more complete burn, and that means better power. So, even though the air flow is less restricted, the hot air negates that and can even worsen it.

My google foo has been turning up just a bunch of dudes wrapping their intake pipes in tinfoil to keep them from heating ... So the difference is where the intake is pulling from basically (for "true" CAI). The air density thing is pretty evident, by that I mean my car back home was a beast in the snowy winter and slowed down a bit in the summer heat.

I promise I am not as dumb as I probably sound here.. Im just trying to gather what does and does not work... There is SOOO much back and forth on everything that it makes it frustrating to decipher for someone who hasn't had much HANDS ON experience with this stuff.

 

[Kyle]

If you want to modify your car, that's cool, go ahead. But please do not sit here and tell us that your 2001 model Honda Civic can only get up to 40 mph on the entrance ramp. That's just a load of crap.

I was making a comparison by exaggerating the points, you clearly didn't catch onto that. No shit my car is can run faster than 40 on a ramp, its the fact that it struggles to get up to highway speeds to match other drivers is what I am getting at. My other car cant reach 90 on an entrance ramp either. If you are going to chime and be a prick about it, please piss off.

 

[Kyle]

Another idea, which I plan on doing on my truck, is a "poor man's ram air". Run a hose to down from the air box to just under the bumper or the air opening for the radiator and put a collector to "focus" the air intake. I know somebody that has done this, among other mods, and has brought their mileage up ~5mpg ... which is HUGE in a v8 truck. This is all due to a more efficient burn = more power, less load on the engine. Another one that they did was to line the air box and intake tube with insulation to keep the air intake as cool as possible.

that makes perfect sense. I may look into that. I believe I was reading elsewhere online about someone doing a poor mans ram air. I was curious though.. is the air in the tube long enough to be truly affected by the heat the tube has collected from the engine? I know the cones themselves are drawing air from the engine bay, so it makes sense to redirect the cone to a more cool area. Like the Grand Ams do with the "ram air" right at the front of the car, above the bumper (I think that is where it was located anyways.)

 

[rsayloriii]

Take a look at this thread:
Ram Air Intake Scoop In Bumper

Specifically, the guy "HighwayLizard". He's done a LOT of stuff over the years about making more better fuel economy (more power which means less load on the engine).

 

[rsayloriii]

Just had a thought ... I'm relatively sure your car had electric fans from the factory, but if it does NOT, then getting rid of the clutch fan will free up horsepower and give MPG a boost.

 

[vmax]

you lost me at "Honda"