How-to; gain n/a power on a D15 cheap (dynosheet pg3)
Posted: Wed Jun 13, 2007 4:16 pmI've read Lamberts post about a backbox a while ago, and I got carried away a bit.
So I decided to open a new thread, and share quite an easy and cheap way to gain some serious horsepower.
I will go through this step by step, tho if you have the money and time to spare, I'd do it all at once, and do some testing/adjusting on a decent dyno.
1.:
First of all, when you are still driving around a DPFI D15b2, swap to MPFI to gain your first 12hp.
Manifoldwise, a D15b7 i/m and t/b will do just fine, but a D16z6 i/m flows a bit better so if you can get your hands on one of those, do it!
It wil involve a OBD0 to OBD1 conversion wich is good and will come in handy later on.
If you have some spare money, install a Hondata heatshield, and reroute the cooling fluids away from the t/b and i/m.
You prob. won't win any horsepower, but throttle response will improve a lot
2.:
An option would be to install a 60mm t/b from a B16 or something like that, to gain some hi-end power.
Please do some porting on the i/m to make sure it doesn't restrict anymore.
60mm is NO overkill.
3.:
Then install a CAI, or even beter, a WAI with a decent airbox, installing just a WAI will prob. only cost you power.
I prefer an airbox because you will lose of mid-range torque with a longer intakepipe like a CAI has (dyno proven!).
An airbox will suck up cool air from underneath the car, but splashwater will not clog up your filter, also a lot of filth will fall back down the pipe before it reaches the filter.
It also isn't so noisy, something I grew really sick and tired of the past months.
Installing an oilcatchcan (closed, no breather, those are meant for f/i) would keep out some nasty, filthy fumes and a lot of hot air, also a good thing for throttle response.
4.:
Get yourself ANY 4-2-1 header, doesn't matter if it is a ? 50,- knockoff from eBay, the tiny difference in powergain between a cheap header and say, a DC Sports doesn't make up the big difference in price.
Also, get yourself a decat and a catback, be sure it is around 2.25" to 2.5", again, it's NO overkill to get some big piping on a D15.
Just make sure you have the o2 sensor in the collector for proper readings, it's no problem when using OBD1, because it has a heated o2 sensor and only one...
5.:
And the biggest bang;
Buy an adjustable camgear, and a D16a6 or D16z2 camshaft.
These are SOHC non-VTEC engines from a fourth generation Civic, and have quite an agressive cam when compared with a D15 cam.
6.:
Get everything in, and make an apointment (or DIY if you are able to) to adjust the ECU and adj. camgear to it's new needs.
If everything went well, you should run into 130hp now, and still enough room to do some upgrading (for example; Catcams.be sells sportier cams for the D16a6, they have resellers troughout Europe).
In a week or 2 I will have most of this myself, except for the cam and camgear, wich will be an upgrade waiting to happen.
Bouli already has everything in-house, all he has to do is drop in the cam, and have it chipped.
I hope this will help out some guys, saving for a turbokit or B/H/K swap, this will cost you about half the money of a mini-me, save some trouble and still you get more hp then a stock D16z6.
So I decided to open a new thread, and share quite an easy and cheap way to gain some serious horsepower.
I will go through this step by step, tho if you have the money and time to spare, I'd do it all at once, and do some testing/adjusting on a decent dyno.
1.:
First of all, when you are still driving around a DPFI D15b2, swap to MPFI to gain your first 12hp.
Manifoldwise, a D15b7 i/m and t/b will do just fine, but a D16z6 i/m flows a bit better so if you can get your hands on one of those, do it!
It wil involve a OBD0 to OBD1 conversion wich is good and will come in handy later on.
If you have some spare money, install a Hondata heatshield, and reroute the cooling fluids away from the t/b and i/m.
You prob. won't win any horsepower, but throttle response will improve a lot
2.:
An option would be to install a 60mm t/b from a B16 or something like that, to gain some hi-end power.
Please do some porting on the i/m to make sure it doesn't restrict anymore.
60mm is NO overkill.
3.:
Then install a CAI, or even beter, a WAI with a decent airbox, installing just a WAI will prob. only cost you power.
I prefer an airbox because you will lose of mid-range torque with a longer intakepipe like a CAI has (dyno proven!).
An airbox will suck up cool air from underneath the car, but splashwater will not clog up your filter, also a lot of filth will fall back down the pipe before it reaches the filter.
It also isn't so noisy, something I grew really sick and tired of the past months.
Installing an oilcatchcan (closed, no breather, those are meant for f/i) would keep out some nasty, filthy fumes and a lot of hot air, also a good thing for throttle response.
4.:
Get yourself ANY 4-2-1 header, doesn't matter if it is a ? 50,- knockoff from eBay, the tiny difference in powergain between a cheap header and say, a DC Sports doesn't make up the big difference in price.
Also, get yourself a decat and a catback, be sure it is around 2.25" to 2.5", again, it's NO overkill to get some big piping on a D15.
Just make sure you have the o2 sensor in the collector for proper readings, it's no problem when using OBD1, because it has a heated o2 sensor and only one...
5.:
And the biggest bang;
Buy an adjustable camgear, and a D16a6 or D16z2 camshaft.
These are SOHC non-VTEC engines from a fourth generation Civic, and have quite an agressive cam when compared with a D15 cam.
6.:
Get everything in, and make an apointment (or DIY if you are able to) to adjust the ECU and adj. camgear to it's new needs.
If everything went well, you should run into 130hp now, and still enough room to do some upgrading (for example; Catcams.be sells sportier cams for the D16a6, they have resellers troughout Europe).
In a week or 2 I will have most of this myself, except for the cam and camgear, wich will be an upgrade waiting to happen.
Bouli already has everything in-house, all he has to do is drop in the cam, and have it chipped.
I hope this will help out some guys, saving for a turbokit or B/H/K swap, this will cost you about half the money of a mini-me, save some trouble and still you get more hp then a stock D16z6.
