I'm new to the board, new to car modifications, and new to a car (and it's repair/maintenance) that's not from the early to mid 80s.. So please bare with me!!!

OK I bought my 03 Accord at the beginning of the year, it had 60k miles and as far as I can tell is in tip top shape. I'm loving the hell out of it!
It does idle a *TAD* rough, but only while holding the brake and with the AC on. In this scenario it idles just under 700rpm, and if i let off the brake or put it in park it seems to feel alright.

With that aside, I'm wanting to make some modifications to the beast, and needed some experienced people to give me some advice.

!!!!! I want a performance increase without spending heavy cash !!!!!

I'm looking at the following pieces:

Intake: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/03-04...spagenameZWDVW

Header:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Stain...spagenameZWDVW

Cat-Back:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Megan...spagenameZWD1V

"Performance Chip":
http://cgi.ebay.com/REAL-Performance...QQcmdZViewItem


For the intake, I know it's not a K&N as everyone loves, but I plan on getting a K&N filter, and read that these should work great. Any comments?

The Header isn't anything to really write home about, but I couldn't justify spending another 150 dollars on an OBX that I read is good, and it looks identical to what I have posted here. In other words, I can't tell a difference, as they seem to have about the same diameter and same bends. Again, any comments?

The Megan Cat-Back looks really comparable to the GReddy SP2 that everyone seems to love on these forums, from pictures I've seen I can't make any distinguishable differences. Anyone have any experience with the two in comparison?

And lastly we have our "Performance Chip".... I know what some of you will think, that it's just garbage... But after reading quite a bit, this one seems pretty realistic; like it could possibly work. The replies from previous purchasers seem to like it ok, but was just curious on what the consensus was on these. I don't have the cash to buy an ECU replacement, that's for sure.


I'm looking to make these purchases within the next 1-2 weeks, so I want to finalize my thoughts quickly before I regret buying these.


ONE last question, in particular to the transmission... I've read and heard (and have seen the Recall page) that the 03 trannies are not the best, should i be concerned or investigate that any further?

 

First of all, there is no way you are gonna get performance gain w/o spending heavy cash...i mean, what kinda performance gain are you talking about, small or big? you can get an ebay intake w/ a K&N or any name brand filter, i would recommend a name brand exhaust (greddy), and a DC header. These would give you a small performance gain for about $1k (installed), maybe more. As for the chip, if you look, they dont even have one for the 2.4L engine on your car. I wouldn't get a chip like that unless you know a personal friend who has one or know someone who has had experience with one. The only way you will get performance gain that is very noticable is a turbo which would cost around $5,500 (not installed). or a nitrous set up, not sure of the cost of that. my $0.02.

 

Thanks for the response, and I understand your points.

I'm not interested in NO2 or Turbo really, I can't justify the costs... I'm not a car rally/racing guy really, just wanted to spruce up the car some.

As for what you said about the intake and filter, that's kind of what I was going for as I stated in my original post, but I'm curious as to what a different header and cat-back would do for me? Looking at the specs and details of what I've posted seem to be almost identical to other name brands at almost half the cost... Do you have anything that would be of more evidence as to what makes them so different? I want to save money if i can, but if there's a serious problem with cutting corners in cost for these materials then I'd like to know specifically what the issues are to avoid future problems.

As for the chip, yeah I understand that one, but no one I know does this kind of thing, especially with newer cars (my mechanic friends all like classic cars, and don't deal with electronic systems) so I don't have any background on them.

 

yeah, if you dont have any experience with electronic area of your car or with a chip then i wouldnt do that. As for the header, an ebay one is OK if you are lookin for a low price, but i would recommend an OBX header cuz that (i heard) is the best ebay header you can get and it is way cheaper than a name brand header like DC sports. I dont think there is much of a difference between a name brand header and an ebay header as long as it is OBX and i think megan racing is ok too. the truth is with an intake/exhaust/header or anything you do to your car, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. its really about the quality of the product and with engine/exhaust parts like these, your gonna want good quality. but like you said, your just tryin to spruce up your ride a little, so i would recommend an ebay intake with name brand filter, OBX header, and for the exhaust, i would not go cheap! i would get a name brand exhaust, but if you really dont have sufficient funds for one, then go with a megan cat back (dont recommend that though).

 

Hey klrspz!!! Welcome to HAF!!! I'm glad that you took the time to look around at posts before posting your own ..... there's not enough of that going on for some reason. [sm=dontgetit.gif] As for your upgrades, here are some ideas.

1) Intake - Short ram is easiest to install, maintain and does not have the risk of hydrolock. This is likely the best type of system for you. $60 shipped is too much to spend on an ebay pipe. Expect more like $30-40. Cheaper here is ok, you are paying for the appearance. 3" is standard. Like you've read, get a cheap pipe and install a name brand filter.
2) Header - Don't waste your money. On the 4-cyl engine, a header will cost you in low-end torque effectively making you lose power. Gains are in high rpms and will make your 0-60 time slower. If you want to improve your passing speed, they will help a little but not worth the low-end loss IMO.
3) Exhaust - The main differences are the sound. A name brand will usually not be as harsh and maybe quieter. I love my Apexi WS2's and a lot of people like the EVO's also. Your best bet is to find something that you like and search for sound clips. For your engine, you should look for 2.25" piping. The pipe size is what will affect actual performance.
4) Chip - I don't like universal chips that trick the car. I've seen them improve performance, but I don't like the principle. If you do get one, look for something better than that one, like a Venom 400 module.
5) Pulleys - I like Unorthodox Racing pulleys. They allow the enging to get to the higher rpm's quicker. The largest gain is by replacing the crank pulley. AEM's setup does not change the crank pulley. That's why I like UR better. I have the SS kit which underdrives the accessories and includes lightened pullies for them. The crank is lightened and underdriven.

6) For the tranny, get a Hayden 403 tranny cooler installed. There are DIY write-ups on how. This will help to keep it cool and lengthen its life. You can also add a filter when installing this.

 

I agree with all that Falkore has said except for the bit about the computer chips. Even the Venom400 is an expensive piece of crap that only fools your car into thinking it is always at wide open throttle, which will surely lead to future problems. There is already a guy onthe forumwho has royally screwed up his ECU (or his brother screwed it up)by putting in one of those crappy ebay "chips" and now his car is stuck in "limp home" mode and he cannot figure out how to get it running right again.
If you really want a header (even though you will lose low end torque) OBX would be the MINIMUM I would go. Those cheap ebay headers are made of low grade steel and have crappy welds. It probably won't last a year. You get what you pay for.

 

Falkore24, thanks for the welcome!

OK, so, before I confuse the hell out of myself, I want to comment more on some of the things said so far.

Intake:
I've been looking and looking for what you're talking about, and the best I can find in terms of price is that particular CAI; when it comes to SRIs, the price skyrockets to $175+. This is primarially the reason I was interested in the CAI. Here's the eBay Search
I found this one, but it mentions it only supports up to an '02. What differences are there between the 02 and the 03?

Header:
So you're saying the stock is decent enough? I haven't looked at it yet, but I was actually thinking that these headers i'm finding aren't really anythign to write home about... The DC Sports look nice, but the diameters of the piping seem to be essentially the same (2.5in, or ~63mm). Now, the DC Sports do have a different bend, but would that really matter that much?

Exhaust:
Ok so I've read what you said before, in particular the sound issue. Here's the deal, I looked on youtube and google for audio clips, and they sound almost identical to me... I'm not sure I'm picky enough to really hear a difference, or the clips were just crap. Also, you mention a 2.25in diameter, but all I can find is a 2.5in diameter. Would this matter much?

Chip:
Ok I'm going to just drop this one altogether.. I'm not really wanting to risk anything here.

Pulleys:
Ok I looked into the UR, seems like the weight difference can attribute to the performance gain as well. As for locating a compatible one, eBay didn't really return anything for my engine size (all I could find was one for a 3.0L engine) or my year model. What/where should I be looking? Google didnt' return much for my car either it seems :S

 

I don't like "chips" at all. I've heard good and bad about all of them, but the more expensive ones usually tap into safety sensors so that they can disable if they cause a problem. The 2 or 4 wire capacitor type tend to be the worst. I'm glad that you dropped that approach.

For the pulleys, your best bet is to look up the part # from the manufacturer and put the mfgr. name and the part # into google.

I looked at UR's site and you're right! They don't list parts fitting your car. I'd email them to ask if the 6th gen version works for your car (98-02).

 

Just a quick question about my car, what generation is it?

I read the "Accord history" at top, but it didn't really indicate generation info on an accurate standpoint..
From what I gathered from the article, I have a 6th. (I've only heard people mentions 7th gen, don't know what actually defines the generations).

For a Recap, i have an 03 Accord LX, 4cyl

 

You have a 7th gen. 6th gen is 98-02.

Look here .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_Accord