03SilverCiv

Hey all this is my first post and my first civic. (second but the first one wasnt mine) anyways. im just wondering what i can do to get the most out of my 1.7 in my 2003 civ LX ive already got iridium plugs and a weapon r air ram. what else can i do to get the most out of it? i am going to get an exhaust but i would like to get as much out before so its not that bad of a rice. hate to say it. i do have a budget and i do have time. also keep reliability in mind because the car has to last all of my payments haha. thanks.

imported_chris_v2

do your research man, this questions has been asked several times.

I wont waste typing out a huge paragraph, but basically you'll learn that you without dumping atleast $2000+ you won't really get anywhere, except in debt. D17s are the worst of the worst. You cannot tune them for cheap (a must to make real power), bolt-ons don't do anything (manifolds, headers, intakes, exhaust) The only thing you can really do is do a tune-up and get your factory hp back. That's about it..

If you wanted a car that had a bit more pep you should of researched these things before purchase.

The only way to make real power is doing an engine swap.. and that would probably be $5-7000 for a full K and management, probably a bit more if done right

03SilverCiv

ok well is there any links here to swapping out my non v-tec head to a vtec one? or is there any place i can take it to in the area to get a swap like that? because after DOING SOME RESEARCH lol i think that if i change over to vtec then that will give me a little bit better of a platform than just the d17a1. like i said reliability is the thing and i read that the swap is pretty reliable. plus a whole engine swap is definitly out of the question. any other thoughts?

and yeah sorry for asking this guys, apperantly trying to soup up these little engines seems like its pretty gay at least compared to some of the other civics out there. but i just wanna give a little pep. I am new to this. and this is what i have to work with. technically with my loan im not even supposed to be doing anything to the car but thats another story :P I hope someone can help me outt! thanks

imported_starboy869

I did some research into the D17a2 and the only aftermarket cam manufacture was crower. I wouldn't even bother swapping D17a2 head on when you can get a whole D17A2 engine for $500 to $600

Mugen Power

swap it. i wouldn't spend a dollar on that motor. unless, u bolt on a small, relatively cheap turbo kit.

rice-01

take off the power steering belt. You'll get more power than adding bolt ons.

the 7th gen is probably the worst civic for modification. Its expensive and difficult to extract horsepower from the D17. The only real way to make power is either turbo or swap.

imported_starboy869

take off the power steering belt. You'll get more power than adding bolt ons

your a joke. IMO it's not worth the hassle for what all 5 hp? Have you ever tired driving around with a power steering rack with no hydraulics? Pain in the ****.

03SilverCiv

what about getting it dyno tuned?

imported_djtrini

Your really not going to gain much hp/tq getting the car dyno tuned either.

If you really wanna get some kind of performance out of it, budget turbo kit is pretty much your best bet!

imported_Midori

Its an LX... just keep it really clean, polished and don t spend a penny more on it then you already have. Unless you are gonna do something serious like chris_v2 said

Do exterior/ interior mods instead

rims, and tint.

rice-01

actually i've been driving without powersteering for over 4 years now.
i admit its not for everyone.

driving without PS on the 7thgen is alot harsher than other civics.
it feels like a prelude without powersteering.

however, the guy was asking how to gain power from the D17 and i was giving the cheapest and most effective way to make HP.

anyways...

turbo is probably the solution for you. There are alot of relatively affordable kits available on the market.

The K swap is expensive more expensive than most people think especially with the 7thgencivic.

03SilverCiv

what swapping for a D16A vtec? i dont want to have like a super fast car but this will be an upgrade from what i have. in the end i want to end up with 200-220hp. nothing too fancy, but will drop the hammer somewhat to smoke other newer civics lol.

03SilverCiv

oops i mean B series. price wise? and everyhtin.

imported_187Chor

turbo it

imported_d16y8

boost that ****

imported_starboy869

I wouldn't waste the $ installing a B series in that line of civic. K Series would be the way to go. Even a K from an 2002-2004 SiR would be better than a B16/B20.

Still 160 hp, but more torque (i think) due the 2.0L displacment vs 1.6L.

With a B16 or a K20 would have to buy an engine, transmission, axles, ecu, custom your wiring harness, get conversion mounts. IMO I would spend the extra few dollars.

imported_Nicotine

boost it

blow it up

give yourself a reason to toss a new engine in

imported_187Chor

i got a cheap solution for u
throw on a DOHC ZC it will work with your stock tranny as well and cost you next to nothing... a couple bolts on's and u should be smiling...
dont expect to race no one though... just enjoy the ride
reliability.... cheap..... and additional power (over what u got now!)

imported_starboy869

a cheaper solution would be getting a D17a2 head, ecu, and wiring in vtec, and a cheap ebay CAI with an K&N filter.

imported_chris_v2

thats a stupid idea.