/o/ - Auto

boost is one of the easiest things to put in a car to add horsepower
I would also recommend a better starting point, late model foreign cars are not the easiest things to work on, and have very little aftermarket some exceptions, such as BMW
buy a old cheep American car and wrench on it when you have the money and keep the accord how it is so you can get to work
you'd be surprised how cheep old Ford model Ts still are, trucks are another good thing to look at, along with the less popular muscle cars Plymouth Fury, Lincoln suicide sedans, and 1980s landbarges if you don't live in California
if you really want to mod your accord you shouldn't, a stiffer suspension kit, a stiffer anti-sway bar and a new set of summer tires for use in the summer, or in California should both be easy enough to do.

tl;dr:buy an American car you person who loves men

>>2787
Well, I am not able to sell or get another car so I am stuck with this as my base. Also this car was a gift from my parents before I go off into the "real world". To quote them "This is the last thing we will ever get for you" Which means if you fuck up from here on out you are fucked and we will not support you in any monetary way.
Tl;dr - cant get a new platform to build on.

>>2789
as I said before, the aftermarket for foreign sedans does not exist, you'll ether need to dump a bunch of money into custom made exhaust systems, or make it yourself. and you probably wouldn't notice the performance increase

again
if you really want to mod your accord you shouldn't, a stiffer suspension kit, a stiffer anti-sway bar and a new set of summer tires will be the best places to start

>>2790
Why do you say that I should not mod the accord? Sorry for prying I am just curious to your thought process. Is it because of the money aspect?

>>2791
its just a massive challenge to do so, and also will be fuckin expensive if you want to get any real power
you're better off saving money for a project car that you can wrench on during the weekend, while driving your late model to work I hope you have a job

>>2792
I have a shit job on campus. I'm a college fag and instead of drinking/smoking I am trying to get into a (somewhat) productive hobby.

>>2793
start here, buy the next part each month until you have a car
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ford-Model-T-frame-running-board-brackets-Speedster-Depot-Hack-Coupe-Roadster-/370642275440
this'll be way more cost effective and probably more fun than modding your accord

I'm not going to be on for much longer as I have to get up in the morning

>>2794
damn thats actually a cool idea. Thanks for all your help man.

>>2796
aight sounds good man. I may ask for kind of a list of which steps to take when to build it tomorrow.

If you don't know shit about cars, the last thing you're going to want to do is fuck up your DD while trying to mod something.

If you can't afford it right now, wait until you graduate and have a place to work on a second car. Besides, you're in all likelihood not going to be racing it anyway. Legal racing is expensive.

My point is leave your accord stock. I don't know what you're into as far as cars go, but figure that out, and go from there. Like the other anon said, something like an older pickup truck (maybe a ford or chevy from the 80s; older if you want and can find one that isn't rusted to death and reasonably price).

If you want to go the sleeper route, you could get something like an older crown vic or caprice and mod one of those. I've seen some of those go pretty quick. It's really all up to you, but don't mod your daily. You'll regret it.

realistically speaking, the most you can do to your car without compromising it would be getting better shocks and springs, stickier tires, sway bars, an aftermarket air filter, iridium spark plugs, thicker spark cables and MAYBE an ECU re-flash.

Accords don't have a big aftermarket like its smaller cousin, the Civic. Sport compacts usually a big aftermarket compared with most mid-size sedans.

I forgot to mention that if you have any warrantee you're fucked if you mod it.

1) There should be a resonator in front of the airbox. Remove this. If you don't know what a resonator is, think of it as a pinch point in terms of flow. You'll get a very slight increase in power over the entire rpm range, but the main modification will be in making the engine sound louder.

2) Perform a complete maintenance overhaul on the engine and brakes. This includes everything from oil to timing belt replacement. Keep records and follow the manufacturer's guidelines very closely. If you have explicit records as to what was done when, you may skip this step at your own discretion.

3) Put high performance brake pads on your car, immediately. Hawk HPS pads are good for everything, but do your research and examine cost/benefits. You will see improved stopping distances, but will mostly notice improved pedal travel and feel. I live in CO, and they reside on my Accord and on my track/sports car (E36 M3). They work fine in the winter, summer, wet, or on the track.

4) Invest in a good set of high-performance summer tires. This will improve your acceleration, braking, handling, and confidence in your vehicle. Your second set (all-season/winter) will be selected depending on where you live.

5) Go to local autocrosses and associated schools. SCCA, BMWCCA, and PCA run good programs. With a good instructor, you will learn more about how your car reacts and handles at reasonable speeds. This will make you a better and safer Josh.

The above steps should not void your warranty. If you cannot perform an maintenance overhaul, you probably shouldn't mod your car imo.

6) Intake is more cost-effective vs. exhaust. It should be focused on first. In short, short-ram intakes improve lower-end torque while cold-air intakes improve top end power. I would be wary of a CAI anywhere where there is a lot of snow (e.g. where I live). I would personally take a SRI for my daily-Josh as I'm typically driving in the part of the powerband.

7) The exhaust is divided into three main parts: headers/downpipe, catalytic converter, and the muffler.
7a. Headers are expensive, but vastly improve mid-range torque and mildly improve top-end power. Replacing the headers is a pain in the ass unless you already have the rest of the exhaust taken out.
7b. The cat is what helps keep your car emissions-legal. Only do a high-flow cat if you've done both 7a and 7c.
7c. Muffler/cat-back systems. They "improve" the sound of your car, but doing a cat-back alone will sacrifice some low-end power for high-end power. This modification is more time and cost-efficient than the other two as it provides the most benefits without having to rip the exhaust system apart.
In short, do everything at once if you can. If not, do 7c, then 7a, then 7b.
8) Camshafts will get you the most overall power and torque as they simply allow more air and fuel into the cylinders, thus increasing the power output. If you do both steps 6 and 7, the power increase will be more than camshafts alone. Some cams are oriented for low-end torque, while other cut everything in the search for high-end power. Choose wisely.
9) For most NA cars, an ECU tune only gives major results when everything else has already been done. Some flashing techniques will be profitable when
10) An electronic system revamp (plugs, coils, etc) is only necessary when everything else have been done.
11) Blueprinting and balancing the internals is extremely expensive and will only get you noticeable increases if you have done all of the previous engine modifications.

There's more concerning suspension, weight reduction, and transmission work, but should not be undertaken unless you a) really know what you're doing and b) are willing to eliminate some of the DD aspects of your car. In short, getting major power increases out of an NA engine is directly proportional to the amount of $$$ you're willing to spend.

I would personally focus on making yourself and the car more effective and constant while driving (maintenance, brakes, tires, learning).

>>2809
>Go to local autocrosses and associated schools

Not bad advice, but that shit is expensive. If OP can't afford a second car, he's probably not going to be able to afford to drop a few hundred on performance driving school. It's not a bad investment, but it's still going to cost a good chunk of change.

>>2809
everything after step 4 requires mad dosh
and he would still be better off with a second car, especially one from before 1971 when the death of the American v8 started

>>2810
Performance driving school =/= autocross school. I would never, ever track an Accord. A full season of autocross with the club was about $500 (7 events @ ~$70 apiece). I'd trade an exhaust for the experience gained with that.
>>2811
An intake is less than the tires, perhaps and the brake mods. It would be a better economic decision for OP to invest in his own abilities and maintaining the car he currently has as opposed to purchasing a completely "new" car. His increased knowledge will carry into any car. He is also more likely to recoup money from a well-mainetined DD (if and when he sells it) than a quasi-maintained older car.

>>2812
a drivable car from the 70s or earlier will maintain its value much better than a new car.
compared to buying a newish car where you can see the price drop by hundreds a year
KBB puts V6 2011 accord with 50,000 miles at ~13,000
2010 at ~12,500 same mileage
a 2011 at 150,000 miles tanks to 7,500

NADA is shit so take this part with a grain silo of salt
1970 Ford F-100 value ~9k-20k
1995 Ford F-150 value ~4k-9k

1965 Lincoln continental sedan value ~5,000-23,000
1994 Lincoln continental sedan 2k-9k

>>2813
Soooo…now he has to drop more money into purchasing a completely different car, plus purchase parts for said "new" car? Plus, your statistics imply that there is a massive range to the value of an older car, thereby placing a greater value of the vehicle upon the condition that the vehicle is currently in.

You're also forgetting something extremely important: he already has the Accord. In order to keep the Accord in very good condition, he simply has to do basic maintenance. Tack on the cost of purchasing performance parts, and you're dealing with a manageable sum.

However, if he wishes to purchase an older car (say, pre-1971 American sports sedan), he's got a whole bunch more shit to deal with. If he purchases one that is already in good shape, it'll be a very large upfront cost. If not, he'll be looking at a similar total cost in purchasing parts simply to keep this thing going.

Sure, he'll have to deal with the deprecation of the Accord, but that is menial compared to the initial cost of purchasing another car even with its appreciation.

>>2814
>implying implications
he wants to get 'into cars', I'm saying that he's better off with an older car to work on, while using the accord for DD use.
modding your DD is a great way to find yourself with a car that wont start one morning, and no backup to get to where you need to go.
but I drive a car with 300,000 miles on its engine to work every morning, and the only other car at my house needs to have its distributor put back in if I want to drive it anywhere

>>2812
> A full season of autocross with the club was about $500 (7 events @ ~$70 apiece)

Did you have to bring your own car, or was one supplied for you? If it was supplied, what did they give you? I'm not saying you're full of shit, but that seems ridiculously cheap.

I've actually been looking into SCCA racing lately, but I'm probably going to have to put it off for a few years because lolbroke. If I could find something like this it might sate my urge for a little while.

Somewhat off topic, but I've got a shitbox 98 civic I picked up which I was going to DD, but I'm kind of thinking of letting it sit for a year or two while I rack up the funds to fix it up to race.

The biggest downside is that it's an auto, but I could probably do a 5 speed swap pretty cheap, and the body has already taken some hits, so I don't need to worry about any bumps on the race track. It might be a great car for some track racing.

>>2815
>modding your DD is a great way to find yourself with a car that wont start one morning, and no backup to get to where you need to go.
this is true, and all of my cars are modified/projects to some degree

>>2816
atleast get something RWD, especially if you plan to learn to race with it

otherwise you will pick up bad habits from being used to driving FWD

>>2817
> get something RWD

I own a few cars that are RWD but I don't want to turn them into track cars. The civic was a $500 shitbox, and I'd have no problem beating the piss out of it on the racetrack. I know how to drive reasonably well, both FWD and RWD cars, but I've never been on a track other than drag racing my fox body. I don't care about "bad habits." I drive like a civilized human on the street.

Aside from the fact that I'm not going to turn my 5.0 vert into a track car, and my Mercury Capri sure as fuck isn't going to get gutted for track use, and my diesel mk2 golf is too fucking slow (but it handles reasonably well) to do anything on a track, the civic is pretty much what I've got to go with.

Also, I'm not going to spend 5k plus on a beat up miata. An S2K isn't in the budget for a track car, and a 240SX is fucking unobtainable here in stock (or reasonably stock) form. Aside from the fact those ricer fucks want like 8 grand for a shitbox 240 with no interior and 300k miles.

I'm going to stick with the civic. I won't be on the track for a few years anyway, but I'm out to have fun. I don't need to be the big dick swinging motherfucker out there with a Porsche or a Corvette.

>>2818
>8 grand for a 240
>not even a 262
where the fuck do you live?

>>2819
Maryland.

What is a 262?

>>2818
>>2818
>Also, I'm not going to spend 5k plus on a beat up miata. An S2K isn't in the budget for a track car, and a 240SX is fucking unobtainable here in stock (or reasonably stock) form. Aside from the fact those ricer fucks want like 8 grand for a shitbox 240 with no interior and 300k miles.
so get a C4 corvette, 300ZX, 944, or turd gen F-body

> I don't need to be the big dick swinging motherfucker out there with a Porsche or a Corvette.
no reason to limit yourself if you dont have to

>>2821
>C4 corvette
Maybe. Good luck finding a hardtop (i.e. not a targa top)

>300ZX
see my earlier comment about the 240SX. You won't find one in my area for a reasonable sum of money, unless it's an N/A auto. Neither neither of which are desirable for track racing.

>944
Possibly. I don't know what class they'd be in, and if I ever do end up track racing, I'd want to be competitive. I know the 944 handles relatively well, but I don't know shit else about them besides the fact that I like them. Also, would probably be expensive to find one in any kind of decent shape.

>turd gen F-body
nope. would likely put me in a class I wouldn't want to race in. I don't want to start off going balls to the walls, which is why I'd probably use my civic.

>>2822
>Maybe. Good luck finding a hardtop (i.e. not a targa top)
nigger there is no such thing as a non-targa hardtop C4, some just have painted (body color) fiberglass panels while others have acrylic
i have one of both

there really is no flex issues with the top on

>see my earlier comment about the 240SX. You won't find one in my area for a reasonable sum of money, unless it's an N/A auto. Neither neither of which are desirable for track racing.
link me to your local craigslist, theyre all over atlanta for $2000-5000

>>2824
>there really is no flex issues with the top on

Put that motherfucker on a lift or jack it up with the glass top on and see how well that works out for you. My dad had a few C4s and had that shit happen a few times. I'm not about to make a race car out of a C4. Plus I fucking hate that digital dash.

I wouldn't be overly interested in a Z32 mostly because they weigh so much. I assumed that's what you were talking about. The Z31s aren't outrageously priced.

>>2825
>Put that motherfucker on a lift or jack it up with the glass top on and see how well that works out for you. My dad had a few C4s and had that shit happen a few times. I'm not about to make a race car out of a C4. Plus I fucking hate that digital dash.

i actually have one of mine on jackstands currently due to replacing the kickdown cable, never had any flex issues with either of my C4s, although both are Z51s

compared to other cars such i have lifted such as as a spyder eclipse, convertible foxbody, and a s10 all of which have noticeably flexed more, and in the case of the foxbody so much that the doors would bind

i agree about the digital dash, although theyre actually pretty easy to fix and just use a standard VSS output for speedo information and 1 wire for the tach, so its very easy to just mount analog tach/speedo gauges to the steering column and most of the other digital dash gauges (oil temp, water temp, oil press, volts, etc…) are actually pretty useful

>I wouldn't be overly interested in a Z32 mostly because they weigh so much. I assumed that's what you were talking about. The Z31s aren't outrageously priced.
i am actually a fan of the Z31 also

>>2818
Any thoughts on KE70 Corollas or A60 Celicas?

>>2791
Why not? because its a bad platform that isnt really going anywhere but to the shops and back.

>>2827
i can speak on the corolla
Shit. Engine.

If you can do it in your country drop in a nice 4age (or whatever is a good local well supported 4 banger)(BEAMS swap?)

On the other hand, a 199X Corolla FXGT would do you nicely. 4age goes well, is well documented and the engine mounts between generations stayed the same so you could drop a Gen5 without breaking a sweat.