BobSassafrass
09-11-2008, 07:49 PM
I was looking through my bookmarks and came across this list. It's kind of a top 8 mods you should do to your EP.
This was taken directly from http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=682078 and was written when the car first came out so some things may seem out of date. I did make one change by fixing the url for the hondata airbox mod. I've added my personal take on a few things at the bottom.
From my experiences, these mods, IMO, will make the EP3 a lot better than the way it arrives from the showroom. This is from a perspective that is aimed at making the EP3 a well-rounded daily driver.
1) Front Brake Pads. ~$50. For those of you who say that the brakes on the EP3 are horrible, you are right if you're talking about them bone stock. However, add a set of good front brake pads, and stopping is like night and day. I used Axxis Ultimates and they are a fantastic street and autox pad. If you are doing an HPDE, choose a little different pad compound, but your results will still be the same--the EP3 can and will stop great without spending $800 on a overpriced rotor/caliper upgrade. Trust me on this.
BTW--front brake pads = 99-00 Si; rear pads = 97-01 Type R.
2) Air Intakes. These can be had off of ebay for about $40 or you can customize your oem airbox per Hondata (http://www.hondata.com/techkseriesairboxmod.html). However, you're crazy to use the cheapo filter that comes on the ebay intakes. Spend the extra $30 and get a good K&N filter. This will add some top-end HP over the stock box and you'll be able to hear your engine.
3) Exhaust. Replace the oem B-pipe and be done with it. This is the most restrictive part of the exhaust. The oem muffler flows surprisingly well and taking it off adds little to no HP if you did a 2.25" b-pipe. Make the b-pipe without a resonator and the oem muffler will sound pretty nice. Most muffler shops charge around $100, but yours will vary.
4) Springs. ~$200. If you don't have the money for a full-bodied coilover set, or if you just want better looks, add a set of lowering springs on the stock shocks. This is important though--make sure the springs are *specifically* for the EP3. Some companies just re-label their 01+ Civic springs. This will lower your car, but the springrates will be less than what came off the car. Good for ride, bad for handling. But don't think this will make a good competition suspension system, as the new EP3 chassis really needs a good set of true coilovers.
5) Swaybars. Replace the rear swaybar (15mm) with the RSX rear swaybar (19mm) for a cheap upgrade. Makes the car flatter in the corners. ~$60 from the dealer, but don;t quote me on that. You need the bar and the 19mm RSX bushings (2). That's it.
6) Wheels. OEM 15x6" wheels are 20lbs. The many flavors of Rotas and such are a half inch wider (6.5") and they are anywhere from 5-8 lbs less weight. This alone will net you faster acceleration. This may not be cheap, but it is certainly noticable in terms of performance. ~$400
7) Shiftknob. ~$40. Forget about the short shifter until you try another shiftknob on the oem shifter. By just replacing your oem knob with one that is shorter and screws further down on the shaft, you'll get a shorter throw while keeping the original geometry.
8) Hondata flash. ~$600. Ok, while not cheap--this is certainly one of the first "next-level" mods someone should make. This is a great mod for street or track, period. The EP3 benefits greatly from the tweaked cam timing and also the higher redline. It makes the cra so much more fun to drive, either in a stock configuration or slightly modded.
I'm sure a few of you might add some more suggestions, but if I wanted to increase the fun level of the EP3 and keep it a nice and civil daily driver, this is what I would recommend. Note that I didn't include a header, tires, cold air intake, etc because while these make power, I think there are other mods you should do first unless your goal is different (and they don't fall under cheap). And I'm not a believer in NOS as you're only fast if you have a full bottle and it's a drag-only mod. And a kit and bottle fill will be as much or more than a Hondata flash.
1. Along with the Axxis pads alot of people like the Hawk HPS and HP+
2. I used an ebay SRI and it sounded and performed great, but you can't beat free with the airbox mod. Here is a deeper explanation http://www.ephatch.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43458&highlight=airbox+mod
3. Another name for the B-pipe is the mid pipe. Without getting into race headers, shorties and test pipes the easiest thing to do is buy a Megan EP3 specific mid pipe for around $100 used or around $200 new. If you want to delve deeper I would suggest a DC5S (RSX Type-S) specific race header and DC5S OEM mid pipe, this will net huge gains and is much cheaper than a full cat back system plus race header. Megan mid-pipe can be found here among other places http://www.showstoppersusa.com/product_info.php?products_id=1255 .
4. Most of the gurus on the site will agree that if you want to lower on your stock shocks don't drop more than 1.25". Anything more and your shocks will blow pretty quickly. The Eibach Pro-Kit will net ~1" drop and improve handling for around $210. The next level would be some good struts with springs and after that full coilovers. Eibach Pro-Kit can be found here http://www.ephatch.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=185 .
5. The DC5S has a 21mm sway for around the same price as the 19mm from online Honda retailers. You can get a 22mm CTR sway but even in a group buy it will cost $120+ and the 1mm difference isn't noticeable. Stoop can get the best prices when it comes to OEM parts http://www.ephatch.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=185 .
6. Rota slipstreams can be found for around $350-$450 and look great to boot. JLB will price match other websites and if you call you can usually get a better deal http://jlbmotorsports.com/rims/rota-list.html#Slipstream .
7. I got a Skunk2 shift knob from Show Stoppers for $35 during christmas but they normally cost around $50. I absolutely love the way it feels but there are other options such as a base RSX shift knob or Buddy Club. Skunk2 knob can be found here http://www.showstoppersusa.com/product_info.php?products_id=960 .
8. Reflash is always a good idea plus you can get Kpro later and pay the difference. Info here http://hondata.com/reflash_civicsi.html .
Of course theres tons more but these are some of the biggest bang for your buck. For great prices on OEM parts visit Stoop here. (http://www.ephatch.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=185)
This was taken directly from http://www.honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=682078 and was written when the car first came out so some things may seem out of date. I did make one change by fixing the url for the hondata airbox mod. I've added my personal take on a few things at the bottom.
From my experiences, these mods, IMO, will make the EP3 a lot better than the way it arrives from the showroom. This is from a perspective that is aimed at making the EP3 a well-rounded daily driver.
1) Front Brake Pads. ~$50. For those of you who say that the brakes on the EP3 are horrible, you are right if you're talking about them bone stock. However, add a set of good front brake pads, and stopping is like night and day. I used Axxis Ultimates and they are a fantastic street and autox pad. If you are doing an HPDE, choose a little different pad compound, but your results will still be the same--the EP3 can and will stop great without spending $800 on a overpriced rotor/caliper upgrade. Trust me on this.
BTW--front brake pads = 99-00 Si; rear pads = 97-01 Type R.
2) Air Intakes. These can be had off of ebay for about $40 or you can customize your oem airbox per Hondata (http://www.hondata.com/techkseriesairboxmod.html). However, you're crazy to use the cheapo filter that comes on the ebay intakes. Spend the extra $30 and get a good K&N filter. This will add some top-end HP over the stock box and you'll be able to hear your engine.
3) Exhaust. Replace the oem B-pipe and be done with it. This is the most restrictive part of the exhaust. The oem muffler flows surprisingly well and taking it off adds little to no HP if you did a 2.25" b-pipe. Make the b-pipe without a resonator and the oem muffler will sound pretty nice. Most muffler shops charge around $100, but yours will vary.
4) Springs. ~$200. If you don't have the money for a full-bodied coilover set, or if you just want better looks, add a set of lowering springs on the stock shocks. This is important though--make sure the springs are *specifically* for the EP3. Some companies just re-label their 01+ Civic springs. This will lower your car, but the springrates will be less than what came off the car. Good for ride, bad for handling. But don't think this will make a good competition suspension system, as the new EP3 chassis really needs a good set of true coilovers.
5) Swaybars. Replace the rear swaybar (15mm) with the RSX rear swaybar (19mm) for a cheap upgrade. Makes the car flatter in the corners. ~$60 from the dealer, but don;t quote me on that. You need the bar and the 19mm RSX bushings (2). That's it.
6) Wheels. OEM 15x6" wheels are 20lbs. The many flavors of Rotas and such are a half inch wider (6.5") and they are anywhere from 5-8 lbs less weight. This alone will net you faster acceleration. This may not be cheap, but it is certainly noticable in terms of performance. ~$400
7) Shiftknob. ~$40. Forget about the short shifter until you try another shiftknob on the oem shifter. By just replacing your oem knob with one that is shorter and screws further down on the shaft, you'll get a shorter throw while keeping the original geometry.
8) Hondata flash. ~$600. Ok, while not cheap--this is certainly one of the first "next-level" mods someone should make. This is a great mod for street or track, period. The EP3 benefits greatly from the tweaked cam timing and also the higher redline. It makes the cra so much more fun to drive, either in a stock configuration or slightly modded.
I'm sure a few of you might add some more suggestions, but if I wanted to increase the fun level of the EP3 and keep it a nice and civil daily driver, this is what I would recommend. Note that I didn't include a header, tires, cold air intake, etc because while these make power, I think there are other mods you should do first unless your goal is different (and they don't fall under cheap). And I'm not a believer in NOS as you're only fast if you have a full bottle and it's a drag-only mod. And a kit and bottle fill will be as much or more than a Hondata flash.
1. Along with the Axxis pads alot of people like the Hawk HPS and HP+
2. I used an ebay SRI and it sounded and performed great, but you can't beat free with the airbox mod. Here is a deeper explanation http://www.ephatch.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43458&highlight=airbox+mod
3. Another name for the B-pipe is the mid pipe. Without getting into race headers, shorties and test pipes the easiest thing to do is buy a Megan EP3 specific mid pipe for around $100 used or around $200 new. If you want to delve deeper I would suggest a DC5S (RSX Type-S) specific race header and DC5S OEM mid pipe, this will net huge gains and is much cheaper than a full cat back system plus race header. Megan mid-pipe can be found here among other places http://www.showstoppersusa.com/product_info.php?products_id=1255 .
4. Most of the gurus on the site will agree that if you want to lower on your stock shocks don't drop more than 1.25". Anything more and your shocks will blow pretty quickly. The Eibach Pro-Kit will net ~1" drop and improve handling for around $210. The next level would be some good struts with springs and after that full coilovers. Eibach Pro-Kit can be found here http://www.ephatch.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=185 .
5. The DC5S has a 21mm sway for around the same price as the 19mm from online Honda retailers. You can get a 22mm CTR sway but even in a group buy it will cost $120+ and the 1mm difference isn't noticeable. Stoop can get the best prices when it comes to OEM parts http://www.ephatch.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=185 .
6. Rota slipstreams can be found for around $350-$450 and look great to boot. JLB will price match other websites and if you call you can usually get a better deal http://jlbmotorsports.com/rims/rota-list.html#Slipstream .
7. I got a Skunk2 shift knob from Show Stoppers for $35 during christmas but they normally cost around $50. I absolutely love the way it feels but there are other options such as a base RSX shift knob or Buddy Club. Skunk2 knob can be found here http://www.showstoppersusa.com/product_info.php?products_id=960 .
8. Reflash is always a good idea plus you can get Kpro later and pay the difference. Info here http://hondata.com/reflash_civicsi.html .
Of course theres tons more but these are some of the biggest bang for your buck. For great prices on OEM parts visit Stoop here. (http://www.ephatch.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=185)