[Dustind]

hello i am thinking of buying a new 2002 civic dx and was wondering what upgrade potential the stock engine had, im planning on turboing it, with a small nitrous shot, plus other engine mods, id like to get into the 11-12 second range, can this be done with 10 grand after i purchase the car and still be 100,000+ mile reliable?

what mods have to be done to strengthen the engine to take 20+ psi of boost, and can they be done with skilled help, i know lots of people who can build and rebuild engines, im guessing i would need new pistons and rods, plus valve train work

how does this engine compare after being modded to the ex's vtec version, do i want to spring for the vtec or is it not worth it?

also how is insurance for a civic, compared to the average car, im guessing its really cheap compared to sports cars, i have a lumina now, bought before i got into sporty driveing, and it isnt keeping up to say the least

thanks for the help

 

[HybridJDMHonda]

Scrap the idea of a 2002 Civic. As of now they dont have TOO much potential. But I suppose if you have enough money you can do it.... but with the money you save on purchasing a 2002 Civic you can put into the engine of another Civic.
Heres what you want to do:
Buy a 92-95 Civic. Then buy a H22a(prelude motor) and build the bottom end(stronger rods, lower compression ratio pistons, blockguard, etc) Then buy a greddy or Drag turbo, intercooler, manifold, downpipe, blow-off valve, turbo timer, wastegate, in-tank fuel pump, bigger injectors, new plugs, etc, etc... and boost the hell out of it..... but thats just what i think......

 

[highpsi]

to run the kind of boost you wanna run you would no doubt need new rods and pistons,the problem is that i think your motor has oval pistons,i dont know if there are any aftermarket ones yet,but you might be able to get the rods from another d series,you should also invest in arp head bolts thicker head gasket to lower your compression a bit,an external wastgate,an intercooler,a boost gage,lines,turbo kit,ported and polished head,intake manifold and throttle body extrude honed,larger diameter exhaust and a host of other fuel system things and remapping of your ecu or dfi if its a new car youll void the warranty,and it would no doubt run you 10,000 and NOT BE as reliable as it was or as you stated you wanted it
Dan

 

[Dustind]

ok thanks for the info, what would i run (quater mile) if i tried, 15 psi turbo setup, only boosting that high when raceing, less for daily driveing,
lots of motor mods, all kinds of bolt ons, and lightened the car some,
can that engine get close to 300 reliable hp @ 15psi & a 50 shot of nitrous,

most of this i wont be able to afford for another year, just curious about potential, i wanted a fun project over time, so that someday i would have fun sports car, eventually almost nothing would be left stock, right now im just shopping around, not in a huge rush, thanks for the help

 

[dgrobe2112]

Just get an Integra Type R

Well, first off, on a stock DX motor you dont wanna run more than 6lbs of boost... if your gonna run more.. that means getting new pistons, rings, rods, balaning the crank, you will wanna do head work as well.. ie port polish, performance retainers, springs cam, cam gear.. it get even more expensive with an intake maifold, fuel pump.. and on and on.. and even with that much on your car.. you will probably only add about maybe 75-100 hp.. and that will put you at maybe 200 horses.. if your lucky... Just get a TypeR or an RSX typeS, and be done with it... then you can dump money into it, and have a good sports car....