Help me fix me ride?!

I

imported_stormsearch

New member
Hey guys, I recently bought a 1994 Honda Accord in nearly pristine condition. I'd like to add a little performance to the car. I have no illusions that it's a sports car, it's not. And I also don't want to rice it out. No wings, body kits or lowering, I just want some simple ideas to increase the performance of the car.
 
Then I have some questions back at you ;): How loud can you stand it, and how much are you willing to spend? What areas do you want to improve? Will you be doing this yourself?



PS: The world thanks you for keeping the rice level down. :D
 
If it is in pristine condition, still make sure it is top running condition, including the oil, tranny fluid, tires, brakes etc. there's no point modding a car unless it's in top shape.

A cold air intake and exhaust will open the engine up to breathe a little better. A note on exhaust; do your homework on piping size, making sure it is not too large (too little backpressure=no scavaging of exhaust from engine) or too small (you just wasted your money entirely). Use only mandrel-bent corners if you're going to bother replacing the piping. Even if the pipe diameter isn't much larger than stock, the stock crush bends at each corner restrict the airflow. Any muffler shop can order mandrel-bent corners. they simply weld them together with stright pipe, like a jigsaw puzzle, custom for your car. This is usually cheaper than an aftermarket bolt-on cat-back system.

Also, make sure to get the larget resonator that will fit your car. this helps cut down on the sound level, without really affecting any gains.

Straight-through mufflers tend to be louder than say, a dual-tip muffler, just FYI.
 
I would put some quality sport springs on it. Although it will be a little lower, the difference in handling will be worth it for a minimal cost. A free flowing exhaust would be next on my list. Definitly get a muffler shop to build you a system. Flowmaster makes some free flowing yet quiet mufflers that would give you the best of both worlds. You can build yourself a cold air intake for a few dollars and a trip to home depot.
 
A performance chip install could also squeeze a few more HP out of your Honda without being ricey. :)
 
I agree with 4DSC, what is it you wish to change? I always remember one car tuner saying to many people upgrade suspension because of worn shoxs or damaged rubber parts, when what they should be doing is to replace the damaged parts. Putting hard springs etc on a car with worn joints is just going to make things worse.



I am not against modifications, but think about what your trying to change. BTW change is not the same as improving.



Steven
 
Audio1der has the right idea!



From cheapest to most expensive:



CAI / Exhaust

Performance chip



Those 3 mods could gain you 30-40 hp. (maybe more!)



Lowering springs will make your car corner like its on rails, but it will ride like a go-cart.



Turbo or blower will cost you an arm and a leg........but big hp gains.
 
I guess I should have been more clear :)



I'm looking for performance mods. Specifically, adding a bit of horsepower, and more torque.



...





Either way, it looks like I won't be adding mods for a while, since the car apparently has 2 significant problems





1. The steering wheel drifts to the right, at any speed

2. The wheels make a "bump" sound above 55mph.



I've been told that it could be

- worn control joints

- bad CV axles

- separated tires

or something else all together



Anyone here have any ideas as to what these problems could be caused by?
 
Get an alignment done. The bumping at speed sounds like a CV joint, although that would also make itself noticed during low-speed turns.

Here's a link for a DIY cold air intake. I used this as a template when building one for my gf's Tiburon, and it turned out beautifully.

http://www.teamdelsol.com/howto/-coldair-/diycoldair.htm

Here is a link on how to fill your motor mounts.

This may not seem like a performance mod, but beleive me- it will help your driveablilty greatly. On a '94, your mounts have to be getting worn. This will eliminate wheel hop on hard acceleration, and help prolong the life of your tranny, as the motor won't torque over nearly as much.

http://www.raktron.com/misc/mt.htm
 
jem7vwh said:
2. The wheels make a "bump" sound above 55mph.
Click to expand...
Could you elaborate on this? Is this a constant vibration or something or just one clunking sound? :confused: AFAIK CV joints usually make noise around corners (clicking) and sometimes on acceleration/deceleration.



If you can't diagnose the problem yourself I would just get a shop to do it for you. Maybe even some places will do this free.



Another mod (but not a power mod) that seems to be really nice are subframe connectors if they are available. People say this is an almost "free" (ie, no negative trade-off) mod that improves ride and handling by stiffening the chassis.
 
when I say they make a "bump" sound, I mean that it sounds much like when you have a flat tire, it's a steady "bump" sound that gets more frequent and less depending on how fast you go.
 
Has your car sat for an extended period of time? How often do you rotate the tires? You could have a flat spot on your tires which could cause the sounds you hear.
 
well- I considered that. I bought this car in January. It apparently sat in a driveway while the owner drove her new car for 2 months before she sold it. So, when I heard the sound, I presumed it was a flat spot on the tire, but the odometer read 88,800. Now it read 89,600. Would a flat spot still be there after 800 miles?
 
jem7vwh said:
well- I considered that. I bought this car in January. It apparently sat in a driveway while the owner drove her new car for 2 months before she sold it. So, when I heard the sound, I presumed it was a flat spot on the tire, but the odometer read 88,800. Now it read 89,600. Would a flat spot still be there after 800 miles?
Click to expand...
I don't think they go away. You might have to replace them.
 
UPDATE:



Thanks for the advice guys.



I had the car looked at. Diagnosis:



Front two tires were seperated, causing the "bump" sound

Out of alignment, causing drifting

CV Axles in bad shape

Due for 90k mile service (timing belts, gaskets etc)



All total, about $1k worth of damage. Ah the joys of car ownership. :sosad
 
Ugh. Sorry to hear it's that bad. :(



Except for the 90k service, you'll have to have that all done at the same time I believe. CVs and alignment because they have to take it all apart anyway, and tires because... well, it's dangerous. :p



Good luck.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top