January 23rd, 2008 the Mad Scientist
Well, that certainly didn’t go according to plan.
First off, I didn’t trust the CRX to get me across country 100%. There’s always the off chance that a vehicle will die when you’re going 3k miles in less than a week. Second, it’s worth more on the East Coast (they’re more rare, and a CRX with any kind of rust at all is worth a whole lot less on the West Coast) . I decided to sell her, the car which has brought me so much joy over the past few years.
I bought a cross-country one-way plane ticket for $125, acquired a ride to the airport, and left from Albany, NY. After a surprisingly quick and thorough security check, I found myself in what seemed like a demolition derby to get down the ramp into the plane. Why do people rush so much to get to their seats when getting on planes? Are we afraid the seat won’t be there if we take too long? Maybe I’ll never understand that one…
Anyway, my seat on this rather small jet was next to a spine surgeon on his way to some sort of conference that would allow little robots to hack at your spine instead of shaky old-men hands (let’s face it, after you’ve gone to school long enough to become a spine surgeon and written all the papers they’d have you write in said school, your hands would be shaky too) . He was simply a nice, interesting guy who made the flight go by that much more quickly. We landed without incident in Atlanta, GA. It was snowing in Atlanta, and I gave no thought to it (I had just left 2 feet of snow in NY).
In Atlanta, I had a few hours to hang out and play ‘musical gates’ (it’s a game in which Delta Airlines constantly changes the gate you’re boarding on while you wait… the loser really gets screwed). Most of the people playing this new game with me were heading BACK to CA, not heading there for the first time. I got some very useful advice about the city, what to eat, when to eat, and which bars will get you the most drunk for the least amount of money.
Ah, finally. 6:45, boarding time. We all did our shuffling race to our seats and sat there, feeling quite accomplished until the “check seat belt” sign came on, and the stewardess showed us how to breathe and read pamphlets. Then the captain came on, and said we’d have to clean the ice and slush out of the wings before leaving, and that we were 2nd in line to meet the cleaners. No big deal.
Ten minutes later, we were informed that there was a mistake, and we weren’t actually 2nd in line to be cleaned, but 2nd in line for Delta planes to be added into the overall mix to be cleaned. We had merged with a much bigger line, and were now 18th in line. Oh well, an hour of waiting won’t hurt. We sat on the runway for that hour, when we were greeted by the cheery voice of the captain. He said that we were still waiting, and it was taking longer than expected. They were cleaning the planes off at approximately 20 minutes per plane, and we were 50th in line. If we left that line, we’d get to go back to the gate and grab some foodstuffs, but we’d have to start over in line when we came back. That wasn’t really an option.
We waited, and waited, and waited, and talked, and watched the in-flight movie they were going to show… twice. They served us food (and charged us for it, it was certainly not complimentary), and after six and a half hours of waiting on the runway (and one refuel because we were at idle too long) we were informed that we would be taking off in approximately one half hour. We were headed to the wing-cleaners. Apparantly, a wing cleaner is just a little garden hose that shoots a mist of antifreeze onto the wings. I had always seen them as a big hose, akin to a firehose, that drenched a wing in a matter of minutes.
Finally, the plane took off, and I hit “play” on my mp3 player, and woke up in Oakland, Int’l. I met up with my friend Josh, and we went out for coffee and went to sleep the next night (it was a 48-hour day, apparantly). So here I am, waiting for my money order to come in so I can move into the new apartment.
For now, I only have my 1983 Yamaha XJ650, which I’ll be getting running and using to commute until I find a new project car. Unfortunately, it’ll probably be a Datsun 240z, and I’ll put a Chevy LS1 into it; not another CRX (that’ll come later… for now I want a car that can do wheelies) . I’ll continue to maintain the site for as long as people are interested in it, and if there are any requests for articles they will be considered first.
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January 6th, 2008 the Mad Scientist
I regularly get feedback on this site (though still not enough comments, come on people!) and a lot of the same questions come up all the time. This article is meant to answer a few of the most common.
Question #1: What parts are the best?
Boy, is that a loaded question. Assuming the question refers to brands, it’s a tough question. You’ll often hear the terms “quality” and “reliability” and almost always “performance” in part reviews. The old adage, “Choose two: reliability, performance, and price” holds true always, but here’s a twist: all three are relative. Let’s take pistons as an example. Sure, there are different types like concave or convex, but high-horsepower pistons are generally lighter than OEM (which is built for reliability). They may last 50k miles and hand-grenade. They’re built for racing: short bursts of high output. Therefore, what’s great for your racecar isn’t designed for your daily driver. In many cases, you’ll see people bash one manufacturer or another, but nobody bashes OEM. OEM is the least likely to fail, and in some cases OEM can be an upgrade. One example would be installing Integra brakes on your CRX. They’re just as reliable and easy to get parts for, but they’re significantly meatier. Picking one brand or a set of brands is silly. Go with what suits your needs, and always do your research.
… yes, this is actually an answer to the question. It’s just not the answer you wanted.
Question #2: What do I do first?
Every time a bell rings, a tuner is born. You buy a new econobox, watch Fast and the Furious, and start getting some ideas as to what you should do to your car. Sometimes your ideas are good and effective, other times they’re just silly. Either way, you’ve begun a long road that’s very rewarding in the long run. My advice is to slow down. Figure out what you want this car to become, and why. Decide if you’re doing it for show (and who you’re showing off for), what your budget realistically is, and what you hope to get out of this hobby.
Slow down and just drive your car for a bit. Many times, the best upgrade you can do is bringing your car up to stock. Change out all your fluids, do a brake job, tune-up your engine, replace your plugs, get new tires, clean up the rust spots, etc. There are so many performance mods you can do that are just normal maintenance, it’s a wonder so many people miss it. So, instead of that noisy fartcan exhaust, focus on the basics or you’ll just look like another wannabe who didn’t do their homework before starting on a huge project.
If you’re really looking for a modification to do, start with something you’ll be able to easily undo. I highly recommend a retune of your ECU (in many cases ebay ecu chips are a good idea, the maps have been figured out for a long time now) ; you can gain significant amounts of horsepower, and it’s easy to undo if you’re not happy.
Question #3: Where do I go for help?
Every active tuner community is willing to help you out in whatever ways they can, provided that you ask the right questions intelligently. Understand that the most knowledgable people around have heard all the usual questions too many times to count, and they sure as hell aren’t going to answer you if you ask something dumb. Put down as much information as possible about what you’re asking. Don’t ask “What suspension stuff is the best?”, instead say something along the lines of, “I’m trying to decide what suspension components to use. I read an article on suspension here but it went over my head. How do spring rates work, and what should I be looking for to put on my daily driver?”
Essentially it makes little difference where you go for help, helpful people are everywhere. I have a few links on the side of this blog to get you started, but the list is by no means conclusive.
Question #4: How fast will this be?
“Almost as fast as another sticker will make you”
Another impossible question to answer, this depends on the engine’s power, the car’s ability to handle that power, and the driver’s ability to handle the car. Upgrading pieces of your car is unlikely to actually make it faster. It’s mostly in your head, and as long as you’re ok with that, toss that shiny new stainless exhaust on there! It’ll sound way faster, and of course you’ll be able to justify having “v8eatr” as your license plate after that.
Seriously, though. If you really want to know what driving fast is all about, watch some motorcycle races. There’s no magic to going fast, it breaks down to accelerating as quickly as your car allows for as long as you can, braking as late as you can, and turning as little as you can while staying on the track. Abrupt turns destroy your speed. If you set your car up with those simple facts in mind, your car will be “faster”. Please note that another 5hp is not going to make much of a difference at all. If you do decide to go and race somewhere, please keep it on the track. At least then if something terrible happens, it doesn’t happen to anybody else and people are prepared to pull you, kicking and screaming and on fire, from your car.
Question #5: What does CRX stand for?
Honestly, nobody seems to know for certain.
Civic Renaissance X, Civic Renaissance eXperimental, and civic racing experiment are all reasonable propositions, but I just don’t know.
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January 4th, 2008 the Mad Scientist
If you’re here, you’re a CRX enthusiast. You’ve probably changed some parts on your car, which could be anything from mud flaps to engine swaps. You’re excited to do something… anything, really. You want instant satisfaction when the job is done, and you want to be able to show it off. Most tuners start with i/h/e (intake/header/exhaust) as the first mods because they’re often the best bang for the buck, horsepower-wise. I’d like to take a moment to explain why this is an incorrect approach.
The little engine that could (and still does)
When driving a car, the engine has surprisingly little to do with the experience. The difference between driving an HF and an Si has very little to do with the engine difference, as anyone who swaps a d16a6 into an HF will confirm. Going from a 18-second quarter mile to a 16-second quarter mile is admittedly unimpressive. You feel accomplished, and believe that it’s a completely new experience. If someone who has never driven a CRX gets into the car, they’ll say that it feels peppy and handles well, but really won’t say it’s powerful. Tuning your motor is a great hobby, but the CRX isn’t known for its engine and never will be, no matter what engine you use.
If you are set on tuning your engine, i/h/e followed by a cam and a pgmfi tuning is the best financial way to create NA power (because of smog restrictions in many states, NA power is preferred).
(edit: this changes considerably with my CRX2.0 project)
Teaching an old dog old tricks
Instead, focus on improving the strengths you already have. Going from “decent handling” to “rides on rails” is a relatively cheap upgrade. It’s also the difference between a stock CRX and a race-prepped CRX. Racecar drivers focus on suspension, not engine power. Even on the drag strip, a powerful motor is nothing without a well-tuned (stiff is not necessarily tuned) suspension to back it up. Take my word for it, a d16a6 is a perfectly fine engine for a CRX, especially with light tuning.
How to enjoy the twisties
Starting from square one, you really should update to a d16a6, and get some decent tires under you. Personally, I’m a fan of BfGoodrich G-force sports. They’re inexpensive and last a decent number of miles, and the traction is excellent for the price. Depending on your tastes, 14″ to 16″ rims are the only reasonable rim diameters. Larger rims are useful because they have clearance for larger brake rotors (which aren’t always an upgrade in performance) and your tires can be lower profile (better road contact) without changing your final gear ratio. To offer my personal preference again, I use 16″ diameter by 7.5″ width rims with 205-45/16 tires.
How to survive enjoying the twisties
After you have contact with the road, you’ll want to maximize it. A full coilover suspension kit is often the best choice, but if you’re working on a budget a well matched set of springs and shocks are an excellent substitute. Do research on what is the most effective, bumpy roads won’t allow for severe lowering (over 2″ is severe). I’m a fan of H&R Sport springs and KYB AGX shocks, as they’re well-matched and inexpensive. There are several other combinations that will work wonderfully as well, so don’t just take my word for it. My choices are just examples, do research for yourself. Whatever you end up doing, don’t install springs without struts and a camber kit (when necessary). Always get your car aligned after suspension modifications, and don’t over-lower your car!
Exiting the twisties (and slowing yourself down)
Brakes are the next logical step, but there are a few myths that I should mention. Bigger rotors are a negligible increase in braking power. They decrease your acceleration and are more expensive to replace. Larger rotors (such as Integra ~10″ rotors for the front) simply increase heat dissipation. A much more worthwhile upgrade is stainless steel line ends, high-performance (NOT RACE) brake pads, and if you’re feeling especially adventurous, a larger master cylinder. These will increase your brake response, and make a very noticable improvement. Rear drums are perfectly fine (if not preferred) for a CRX because they’re lighter and require maintenance much less often. Disc brakes are easier to maintain but require work much more often. Check out Drilled, Slotted or Blanked? for more stopping info.
Coulda, Shoulda, Woulda
Lastly, to maximize the power that your engine is putting out, a light port and polish combined with a performance clutch and an intake/header/exhaust (stay TASTEFUL, please!) will give you the satisfaction you’re looking for and give a good feeling as to what you’re doing. At this point, you’ll have a good idea as to what you want to doing for serious modifications and your options are vast. I highly suggest visiting the great community over at d-series.org for more info and suggestions. Suspension can be stiffened with bushings and strut/stabilizer bars, brakes can be upgraded with lightweight rotors and multiple-piston calipers, the engine can be upgraded with a swap, turbocharger, or ecu tuning (this is the most essential part, don’t forget it!), you can add a body kit or JDM body panels for visual appeal, or you can continue to drive your quick and efficient car around as a commuter or weekend warrior racecar.
Theories to draw from
In closing, let me point out that the most competitive races on the planet are 600cc motorcycle races. The most powerful motorcycles are seldom the winners, and the best riders depend on bikes that “feel” the best. That’s exactly where your focus should be. Always assume that you (as the driver) are the weakest link in the car’s performance, and improving your connection to the car will yield the greatest results. 700hp is useless if you can’t utilize all of it.
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