Honda Car Forum

I just got a stock 96 Civic Hatchback. I want to seriously improve the engine performance. What should I mod first??keep in mind, i value acceleration the most.I am on a some what of a tight budget.. i live on a tight road... so i would like good handling too... what specific details can you give me on handling upgrades?.. also.. the transmission is automatic.

A new carburetor ,or fuel injection or the best option is a turbo,but with all this a good exhaust system is very important,all that power needs good ventilation.even transmission upgrades can help .Also install a tachometer with a shift light helps you get of the line quick and get near perfect shifts.

I would suggest an engine swap with either a B18 motor from an Acura Integra or the H22 motor from a Honda Prelude... I know the B18 motor fits well, and I've see a couple H22's in Civic's before but I am not sure how hard of a project that is.You can get used JDM motors from Japan with 60K miles or less for a pretty good price, which will give you an instant power gain instead of spending a ton of money for minimal gains on your stock motor. The only way to get a good deal of power from your stock motor is to turbocharge it, but since it's a 96 I am guessing it has high miles which isnt the best starting point for a turbo set-up. So as long as you are willing to put in the time and money I would highly suggest a motor swap, which is very common on Civics.If you are on a tight budget and cannot afford a motor swap or turbo set up, I would suggest the usual, intake, headers, exhuast etc, but keep in mind you will be spending a good deal of money for very minimal performance gains.Another suggestion is to focus more on suspension/handling upgrades. Unless you are just looking for straightline performance, these upgrades will allow you to corner better and ultimately goes faster on non-straight roads, or decrease your lap times if you are going to the track.Good Luck

If you dont plan to do engine swap anytime soon, best mods I would go for is an air intake. Short ram intake will give you a 7+ HP boost or if you want to go with Cold Air Intake that will give you about a 10+ HP boost and will make your car sound really nice. Also, get an exhaust system. That will give you about 25+ HP boost or more depending on the brand you get.Automatic transmission and modding or tuning do not go in well but in this situation, if you want more handling, go with springs. But if you have the money, go with coilover suspension making the car take the turns real tight and give you excellent handling. Other options would be strut and sway bars. They keep the car in place and making it stiff so it wont go crazy. Excellent option for handling also. And last but not least, rims and tires. Rims are lighter than the stock honda rims you have and tires will increase grip on the road for better handling as well.I hope this info helped and godspeed.