Honda Car Forum

First, sorry if this topic has been covered already. To be perfectly
honest, I didn't feel like spending a lot of time searching the
archives in the off-chance it had been discussed previously when it's
equally possible it hadn't. So, if it has indeed been covered, please
feel free to tell me to sod off. If it hasn't, I'd appreciate any
feedback any of you could provide.

I recently acquired a '97 Civic DX Coupe (has about 125,000 miles on it
now--I use it to commute) and I was considering turning it into your
standard-issue ricer. But, I was wondering where I should start and
what upgrades I should consider to get the best performance out of this
particular car.

My first priority when I got this car was putting a decent sound system
in it. As I commute 45 minutes to work each morning, it was vitally
important to me to get a respectable system operational in my little
heap. So, I put in a Pioneer DEH-P8500MP head unit, two Alpine Type-S
6.5s, two Alpine Type-S 6x9s, a 1200 watt Rockford-Fosgate 2-channel
amp and two 12" Rockford subs. (The system's kind of a mish-mash of
things because I got most of it for really cheap from a friend.)

Now, my concerns regarding the mechanical performance of the car really
kicked in after the install of the amp and subs, since that added about
120lbs of dead weight to the ass-end of the vehicle. I immediately
noticed a difference in the way the car handled and response times. The
Heap (as I call it) was already dragging-ass going up sizeable hills
before I even thought about putting the subs in, but now it's a battle
to get it to maintain a reasonable speed uphill.

So, obviously, something needs to be done. Originally, I had planned to
just install a cold-air intake and call it square. But, I really don't
think that's going to satisfy me. I was already frustrated by the
performance of the vehicle before I installed the system, so just doing
a band-aid fix just isn't going to cut it. I want a car I can be proud
of, but until I can afford one, I'd like to at least fix up the one I
have so that I'm not left huffing my friends' exhaust fumes.

I realize this is becomming a much longer story than necessary, so I'll
try to get to the point here. I wanted to put a turbo in the car, but
from what I was told, this would also mean putting in re-enforced rods
and pistons (which would amount to another $500 worth of parts, in
addition to the turbo itself) which doesn't sound too appealing. Now,
was this accurate? Would adding a turbo really require that much extra
work/parts to keep the engine intact? Would a supercharger be a better
alternative? If so, why? Also, what other options do I have in addition
to the turbo/supercharger that would help improve the vehicle's
performance, in terms of engine tuning? Also, what would be the best
way to get better handling out of the vehicle with the added weight in
the trunk? What sort of suspension system would be ideal? I've heard
many complaints that Civics don't handle as well as they could going
through corners at higher speeds (think going through S curves at 60+
mph), and that the ass-end tends to spin out. (My ex-husband actually
cut an '01 Civic EX Coupe in half going around an S curve at about 40
mph when the ass-end gave out and he slid right into a small tree...)
How could I compensate for that, if at all?

I realize I have a lot of questions, and I'd appreciate any suggestions
anyone could provide. I'm not terribly mechanically inclined, which is
probably why I haven't a clue as to the best way to go about getting
the best possible performance out of my car. Also, I'm on a bit of a
budget, so if you could suggest which upgrades would be best to do
first (i.e., prioritize) that would be a great help, too.

Thanks in advance for any help you could provide! I appreciate the help
a lot.

~BlackValentine