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Fashionable Businessman

Brother Kam

elemein


So i am also considering an 02-05 acura rsx but im having some concerns.

The regular base model , has a vtech but runs normal gas.

The Type S model same, but has to run 91 octane or premium.

The problem with this is this will be a daily driver , some that i will only mod for looks no performance what so ever ( with the exception maybe a cold air intake and exhaust.) My problem is that paying for premium gas will be costly and something i dont want to deal with. But i heard from a friend ( so it may or may not be true ) that if you have a tech anything you should run 91 octane. He even runs "jet fuel" on his 92 turbo gsr swap pic . Which is fine and all, but he is into racing , i dont want to do none of this. My 240sx is good enough performance wise for me.

Enduring Friend

The Kardinal
Brother Kam

elemein


So i am also considering an 02-05 acura rsx but im having some concerns.

The regular base model , has a vtech but runs normal gas.

The Type S model same, but has to run 91 octane or premium.

The problem with this is this will be a daily driver , some that i will only mod for looks no performance what so ever ( with the exception maybe a cold air intake and exhaust.) My problem is that paying for premium gas will be costly and something i dont want to deal with. But i heard from a friend ( so it may or may not be true ) that if you have a tech anything you should run 91 octane. He even runs "jet fuel" on his 92 turbo gsr swap pic . Which is fine and all, but he is into racing , i dont want to do none of this. My 240sx is good enough performance wise for me.


You're not making much sense. Explain to me as to why you would want to get a Type S with a high compression engine over the regular base model when you have ZERO aspirations of performance at all? If performance isn't important to you, then don't bother with the Type S. My father used to own a 6spd Type S. It really wasn't that fast. In all reality, Honda cars are not performance cars unless they're the S2000, NSX, or have a fatass turbo. No offense to anyone, but it's true; in comparison to what you can get for the same price.

Also, CAI and Exhaust modfications on a 2.0L (or lower) engine will have next to no effect whatsoever. The 500$ you put into those two modifications would likely be better spent on, in your case, aesthetics (as that's what you want the car for, yes?) I wouldn't bother with an exhaust or CAI on a RSX for performance; maybe for sound if I wanted that ricer sound, but otherwise, I wouldn't touch it. 500$ is a good contribution to getting new parts or fixing other parts.

Also, you choose a very good car for aesthetics. Out of all the Honda's, aside from the NSX, the RSX is the most attractive. No doubt. In my opinion.

Also, do NOT run 91 octane in "everything." Some engines are designed for 87, some for 89, some for 91, some for 94, and some for even higher. The higher the compression or induction of oxygen pressure, the higher the octane needed to prevent detonation. Higher octane fuel has a higher resistance to detonation due to it's higher heat range. Also, due to this, it burns SLOWER while having a nearly identical energy content to a lower octane gasoline. What does this mean? Running 94 in a car designed for 87 will cause the car to burn the fuel too slowly and will therefore lose power as some of the gasoline is still igniting at the bottom of the powerstroke (least leverage) or even into the exhaust stroke (big power loss, and big backfire.)

Your friend may be running jet octane due to his turbocharger. He may be running so much boost that the extremely high octane is necessary; if he is not running an extremely high boost figure, then he is indeed LOSING power.

All in all, only put the octane that the engine is designed for when fueling up. There are consequences if you don't do this. Now, when you start modifying an engine is where octane ratings raise or lower.

Also, it is VTEC, NOT vtech. Unless your car comes with a wireless home phone branded vtech... Which... It shouldnt?

Also, if you're hell bent on getting a Type S but the 91 octane rating is scaring you away, you can still get the Type S and either A: engine swap to an engine that runs 87, or B: lower the compression. These are the easiest ways to require less octane; though they are expensive modifications.

Fashionable Businessman

elemein
The Kardinal
Brother Kam

elemein


So i am also considering an 02-05 acura rsx but im having some concerns.

The regular base model , has a vtech but runs normal gas.

The Type S model same, but has to run 91 octane or premium.

The problem with this is this will be a daily driver , some that i will only mod for looks no performance what so ever ( with the exception maybe a cold air intake and exhaust.) My problem is that paying for premium gas will be costly and something i dont want to deal with. But i heard from a friend ( so it may or may not be true ) that if you have a tech anything you should run 91 octane. He even runs "jet fuel" on his 92 turbo gsr swap pic . Which is fine and all, but he is into racing , i dont want to do none of this. My 240sx is good enough performance wise for me.


You're not making much sense. Explain to me as to why you would want to get a Type S with a high compression engine over the regular base model when you have ZERO aspirations of performance at all? If performance isn't important to you, then don't bother with the Type S. My father used to own a 6spd Type S. It really wasn't that fast. In all reality, Honda cars are not performance cars unless they're the S2000, NSX, or have a fatass turbo. No offense to anyone, but it's true; in comparison to what you can get for the same price.

Also, CAI and Exhaust modfications on a 2.0L (or lower) engine will have next to no effect whatsoever. The 500$ you put into those two modifications would likely be better spent on, in your case, aesthetics (as that's what you want the car for, yes?) I wouldn't bother with an exhaust or CAI on a RSX for performance; maybe for sound if I wanted that ricer sound, but otherwise, I wouldn't touch it. 500$ is a good contribution to getting new parts or fixing other parts.

Also, you choose a very good car for aesthetics. Out of all the Honda's, aside from the NSX, the RSX is the most attractive. No doubt. In my opinion.

Also, do NOT run 91 octane in "everything." Some engines are designed for 87, some for 89, some for 91, some for 94, and some for even higher. The higher the compression or induction of oxygen pressure, the higher the octane needed to prevent detonation. Higher octane fuel has a higher resistance to detonation due to it's higher heat range. Also, due to this, it burns SLOWER while having a nearly identical energy content to a lower octane gasoline. What does this mean? Running 94 in a car designed for 87 will cause the car to burn the fuel too slowly and will therefore lose power as some of the gasoline is still igniting at the bottom of the powerstroke (least leverage) or even into the exhaust stroke (big power loss, and big backfire.)

Your friend may be running jet octane due to his turbocharger. He may be running so much boost that the extremely high octane is necessary; if he is not running an extremely high boost figure, then he is indeed LOSING power.

All in all, only put the octane that the engine is designed for when fueling up. There are consequences if you don't do this. Now, when you start modifying an engine is where octane ratings raise or lower.

Also, it is VTEC, NOT vtech. Unless your car comes with a wireless home phone branded vtech... Which... It shouldnt?

Also, if you're hell bent on getting a Type S but the 91 octane rating is scaring you away, you can still get the Type S and either A: engine swap to an engine that runs 87, or B: lower the compression. These are the easiest ways to require less octane; though they are expensive modifications.

Sorry im on my phone ...
But im not hell bent on a type s, i just wanted to know the difference.
I do think the rsx would be great to mod the appearance.

Enduring Friend

The Kardinal
elemein
The Kardinal
Brother Kam

elemein


So i am also considering an 02-05 acura rsx but im having some concerns.

The regular base model , has a vtech but runs normal gas.

The Type S model same, but has to run 91 octane or premium.

The problem with this is this will be a daily driver , some that i will only mod for looks no performance what so ever ( with the exception maybe a cold air intake and exhaust.) My problem is that paying for premium gas will be costly and something i dont want to deal with. But i heard from a friend ( so it may or may not be true ) that if you have a tech anything you should run 91 octane. He even runs "jet fuel" on his 92 turbo gsr swap pic . Which is fine and all, but he is into racing , i dont want to do none of this. My 240sx is good enough performance wise for me.


You're not making much sense. Explain to me as to why you would want to get a Type S with a high compression engine over the regular base model when you have ZERO aspirations of performance at all? If performance isn't important to you, then don't bother with the Type S. My father used to own a 6spd Type S. It really wasn't that fast. In all reality, Honda cars are not performance cars unless they're the S2000, NSX, or have a fatass turbo. No offense to anyone, but it's true; in comparison to what you can get for the same price.

Also, CAI and Exhaust modfications on a 2.0L (or lower) engine will have next to no effect whatsoever. The 500$ you put into those two modifications would likely be better spent on, in your case, aesthetics (as that's what you want the car for, yes?) I wouldn't bother with an exhaust or CAI on a RSX for performance; maybe for sound if I wanted that ricer sound, but otherwise, I wouldn't touch it. 500$ is a good contribution to getting new parts or fixing other parts.

Also, you choose a very good car for aesthetics. Out of all the Honda's, aside from the NSX, the RSX is the most attractive. No doubt. In my opinion.

Also, do NOT run 91 octane in "everything." Some engines are designed for 87, some for 89, some for 91, some for 94, and some for even higher. The higher the compression or induction of oxygen pressure, the higher the octane needed to prevent detonation. Higher octane fuel has a higher resistance to detonation due to it's higher heat range. Also, due to this, it burns SLOWER while having a nearly identical energy content to a lower octane gasoline. What does this mean? Running 94 in a car designed for 87 will cause the car to burn the fuel too slowly and will therefore lose power as some of the gasoline is still igniting at the bottom of the powerstroke (least leverage) or even into the exhaust stroke (big power loss, and big backfire.)

Your friend may be running jet octane due to his turbocharger. He may be running so much boost that the extremely high octane is necessary; if he is not running an extremely high boost figure, then he is indeed LOSING power.

All in all, only put the octane that the engine is designed for when fueling up. There are consequences if you don't do this. Now, when you start modifying an engine is where octane ratings raise or lower.

Also, it is VTEC, NOT vtech. Unless your car comes with a wireless home phone branded vtech... Which... It shouldnt?

Also, if you're hell bent on getting a Type S but the 91 octane rating is scaring you away, you can still get the Type S and either A: engine swap to an engine that runs 87, or B: lower the compression. These are the easiest ways to require less octane; though they are expensive modifications.

Sorry im on my phone ...
But im not hell bent on a type s, i just wanted to know the difference.
I do think the rsx would be great to mod the appearance.


Then just get the base model and call it a day.

Original Regular

The Kardinal
Brother Kam
You have a great amount of knowledge, and all your advice and pointers will come in real handy.


If in particular you're going for mostly show, the hella flush thing is fine. When you do plan on taking it to the drag strip (if that's the car's destination at a later date) just be sure to get camber kits front and rear and have the vehicle realigned so the specs are more correct for better traction. If you want to do the hellaflush thing you're probably going to need the adjusters anyways. As far as a brand, it doesn't really matter. Don't spend 180$ on skunk2 crap. I went with Hardrace because I like the bushings they use and because I got them for a great deal. For a mostly show car you can just the Moog or Chassis brand parts which are relatively inexpensive and high quality compared to most of the crud on egay, those are going to be from places like Napa, Autozone, etc. Be sure to get something with a warranty and ask the salesperson about the quality of the product OR shop around and post back here with questions about brands. I do alignments all day, I've seen my fair share of all them. It also wouldn't be a terrible idea to get the toe adjusters for the rear while you're at it.

All in all, the main point of people's confusion was the references between going show or go for you. I know you do want to do say, weekend track it sometimes but for the most part just have a clean cool looking car. Just make sure your car has all you need to adjust the camber and everything and you should be fine as the parts that they adjust to get that look you're going for are actually designed for performance specifications typically anyways.

Edit: And with the base model and the Type S, elemin has everything basically summed up. Between the two there is a slightly noticeable difference in power but if you really just want one that looks cool and don't care that much about a few horsepower over the twenty cents more a gallon then just get a base. Also it's true about the bolt-on's for most honda/acura vehicles. You can spend the money but you wont really notice much of a difference. I personally would only get the RSX-S but that's because I'd be dumping money into it to make it a weekend warrior for buttonwillow. For you a base would do fine, it's not like it's Prius slow.

The only reason I would really consider an intake is for the minor improvement on fuel economy and well, I love the way CAI's sound on any car. Exhaust is probably just going to drone and make no difference for you other than exhaust tickets and having to turn the radio up on long drives, I'd just stick with the cold air if anything.

elemein


Ferio's are so underrated, nice.

Edit2: Also not a huge fan of the jdm bling thing but this DC5 with Takata green weels is clean, you can pull off something like this.

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Fashionable Businessman

Brother Kam

Yeah i kinda decided to go with something alittle newer thats in my price range.

It was between the RSX or like an 02-06 civic si hatchy.

What are some good sites were i can get good after market parts ( body kits , CAI , Wheels , Coil overs , etc etc . ) I also think skunk2 is REALLY over hyped by the ricer people.

And for the real thing , i want to be able to work on my own car , how easy is doing minor stuff on a rsx ? I generally dont have much knowledge on cars , but there no time like the present to learn.

My first car was a 98 turbo volvo s90 , then i got the 240sx and i didnt really work on it my self which is what i hate most about my car. I want it to be different this time , and im really leaning towards getting a RSX in the next couple of days. Theres a milano red one in my area for sale around 9k with 80k miles and some minor mods.

Edit: That rsx is clean as ********, Teach me about wheel dimensions.
For example im going to want deep rims in the back , and somewhat deep rims in the front.
Im sure youve seen this before , is there a name for this?

Original Regular

The Kardinal
Brother Kam

Yeah i kinda decided to go with something alittle newer thats in my price range.

It was between the RSX or like an 02-06 civic si hatchy.

What are some good sites were i can get good after market parts ( body kits , CAI , Wheels , Coil overs , etc etc . ) I also think skunk2 is REALLY over hyped by the ricer people.

And for the real thing , i want to be able to work on my own car , how easy is doing minor stuff on a rsx ? I generally dont have much knowledge on cars , but there no time like the present to learn.

My first car was a 98 turbo volvo s90 , then i got the 240sx and i didnt really work on it my self which is what i hate most about my car. I want it to be different this time , and im really leaning towards getting a RSX in the next couple of days. Theres a milano red one in my area for sale around 9k with 80k miles and some minor mods.

Edit: That rsx is clean as ********, Teach me about wheel dimensions.
For example im going to want deep rims in the back , and somewhat deep rims in the front.
Im sure youve seen this before , is there a name for this?


There is no one good website to get parts from, shop around. I really like velocityshop.com and JHPUSA. The guys at VS always cut me a deal and are really cool about shipping and everything, also very helpful. The main guy owns a 240 too and if you BS with him a bit about it he might help you out with the price. Don't tell him anyone told you that though.

JHPUSA, Cali based, usually 1-3 day shipped to Cali

Velocity Shop - based out of Florida, tpyically 2-5 days shipped to Cali

Newer cars are somewhat harder to work on, doing a valve job on a K20 is typically going to be harder than one on a D16 because of simplicity in age. You'll still probably be able to do most of the stuff you've done on your other vehicles but as far as tuning, serious engine work, fuel system crap, anything above moderately basic maintenance or modification might be out of your league. For the most part if you understand the basics of cars, you should be ok. Get a helms manual if you're doing anything remotely in depth.

It's kind of a pain in the a** to explain offset and wheel dimension to people so I'll get you a few links to check out.

http://www.tirerack.com/wheels/tech/techpage.jsp?techid=101

http://www.clubintegra.com/board/showthread.php?t=43197




Additionally, you can only run so deep of a wheel without flaring your fenders, so whichever car you get, research the max offsets, spacers, etc on honda tech. The search function there is great. If you're having trouble finding some let me know and I'll see what I can find for you.

Edit: Oh, and the deep dish look is called just that. Deep dish wheels, deep dished wheel offset.

Enduring Friend

Brother Kam has all the bases covered, but... I like this thread, so I'm gonna keep chipping in.

Get the RSX.

Why? RSX's generate more respect from everywhere. Ricers will think you're god for having a K20 and not the D-series they probably have. Muscle car enthusiasts still wont like it, but RSXs are less ricey than Civic's to them. Euro lovers probably will have the same views as the Muscle enthusiasts. All around cars enthusiasts will have mixed views but the K20 is simply a more capable engine, so... Bonus points there.

Also, the RSX is faster and theyre easier to find than a Si hatch (not that either is hard to find, but you get my point.)

As far as getting quality parts goes, I'd go with Kam's advice. Ebay parts could be made in some chinese basement by a 78 yr old man whose blind out of one eye out of metal from an old boat thats half rusted to s**t and painted over. Better just to not bother.

As far as working on the engines go, they're easy. The most complicated thing in the engine is the VTEC assembly which is really just an overglorified oil pressurizer. Learn about them and how they work and you'll be fine; other than that, the bgines are about as basic as a Suzuki G10. So easy it hurts. You're just lucky you're working with a Honda ECM and not a BMW... Eughh.. -shiver- BMW electronics are hell. Anyway, you should be able to do most basic stuff no problem. Seeing as you are only going for aesthetics, you probably wont be touching anything besides intake manifold and exhaust system; which is easy stuff. So, you probably will be able to DIY all your work on the engine. Though, if your views change and you suddenly want to try for the drag strip or auto-x, well, that's a diff story.

Also, the "deep" wheels you speak of are referred to as "deep dish" and have a lot of "negative offset." Offset is the distance between the mounting point of the wheel and the centerline. This affects handling. Other things to consider is camber, caster, toe, aspect ratios, and a bunch of other s**t. They all affect handling. Protip: Do not ******** too much with camber unless you enjoy uneven tire wear.

Invisible Grabber

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If you'll be spending more than $30K ricing up a car, I'd recommend getting a new Golf R instead. I'm not telling you what to do with your money, just giving you some advice.

Fashionable Businessman

THE ULTIMATE DOOM
If you'll be spending more than $30K ricing up a car, I'd recommend getting a new Golf R instead. I'm not telling you what to do with your money, just giving you some advice.
Im buying an 02-06 , they range from 7k-10k , which i plan to lease one.
Also, i plan on upgrading parts, as i go on threw life ( as i get the extra money )

So im trying to get the best bang for my buck.
The Kardinal
THE ULTIMATE DOOM
If you'll be spending more than $30K ricing up a car, I'd recommend getting a new Golf R instead. I'm not telling you what to do with your money, just giving you some advice.
Im buying an 02-06 , they range from 7k-10k , which i plan to lease one.
Also, i plan on upgrading parts, as i go on threw life ( as i get the extra money )

So im trying to get the best bang for my buck.


Are you planning on doing a lease to own? Not sure why you would go as far as upgrading performance parts on a leased car that you'll have to return to stock in a couple years anyway. The most I'd do, personally, is wheels and if I'm dying for some stance, some coilovers as well. But, that's pretty much it. Anything more is kind of overboard for a car that I don't own, especially when you factor in the fact that you have to undo every single mod you do before you return the car.

Fashionable Businessman

Chron0s
The Kardinal
THE ULTIMATE DOOM
If you'll be spending more than $30K ricing up a car, I'd recommend getting a new Golf R instead. I'm not telling you what to do with your money, just giving you some advice.
Im buying an 02-06 , they range from 7k-10k , which i plan to lease one.
Also, i plan on upgrading parts, as i go on threw life ( as i get the extra money )

So im trying to get the best bang for my buck.


Are you planning on doing a lease to own? Not sure why you would go as far as upgrading performance parts on a leased car that you'll have to return to stock in a couple years anyway. The most I'd do, personally, is wheels and if I'm dying for some stance, some coilovers as well. But, that's pretty much it. Anything more is kind of overboard for a car that I don't own, especially when you factor in the fact that you have to undo every single mod you do before you return the car.
lease to own , i used the wrong word, i ment finance
You're better off investing in the 240SX like you already have. It's a much higher performance car and has much more potential. And having it be your all-around car. Why want to move down the ricer food chain, when you're already up past the Civic kids?

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