Honda Car Forum

Hi, my names Spencer, I'm 18 and about a year ago got an 1994 accord. When i first got it i wasn't really into customizing my car, but now I'm really interested but don't know anyone who has any clue what there talking about when it comes to customizing cars. so basically I've dropped it, got rims, paint, tinting everywhere, grill, and put on a new hood and front fenders, basically everything you learn from the "Need for Speed" video games.

So now it looks decent on the outside but i really don't know anything under the hood. so my question is, what things should i buy to improve horse power/ make it faster? and what exactly do they do, and how much?

Now the problem is i work a minimum wage job and am going to school, witch means i don't have much money, so I'm looking for things under 300, if that's even possible. if its not let me know what i should save for.

somethings i was wondering about was air intake, and new muffler system.

any ideas or just knowledge about cars would help, or if there's a place to learn this stuff.

thank you
-Spencer

A good start would be to upgrade your intake and your exhaust system. An intake can be purchased for less than $100 usually. IMO--as some may disagree--you can get a cheap intake pipe and put a good filter on it and save yourself some money.

Upgrading the exhaust can help, too. Your best bet to do this on a budget is to find a muffler that will fit on your car and bring it to a muffler shop and have them custom bend piping and weld it all for you. It will cost less than purchasing a complete cat-back system.

If you wanted to get a little more from your car other than bolt-ons, you could always look into replacing the cams or doing some head work.

Thanks
what are cams and head work? haha I really don't know anything.

Cams are short for camshafts. Camshafts open and close the valves that are in the head--they allow the motor to get air coming in and exhaust going out. Without going into too much detail so you don't get confused, duration and lift are often considered when planning to purchase cams.

By head work, I was referring to upgrading your valves and springs.

Your other option is to port and polish your intake manifold and have the head flow tested and ported and polished to match. This option is extremely expensive, and will overshoot your budget of $300 many times over.