I don't want to sound like a rice-boy, but I just got myselft a '92 Civic VX and was wondering where to start in the tuning. I already know I DO NOT want to start on the body, adding ground effects and wings, nor do I want to put on some nasal exhaust tip. I would like to start on the engine which (should go without saying) is stock. I want a fast running car, not some showy Fast & the Furious wannabe looking eyesore.

It is obvious that I am new in this hobby, but I would like to know how to find out what engine I have (size, displacemnt, hp, etc...)

Any suggestions, pointers, etc... would be greaty appreciated.

Thank you.

 

im not quiet sure but i think you have the d15b8 n you'll find the engine code stamped onto the front left of the block i think its rated around 80-90 hores correct me if im wrong! n its a 1.5 litre .Youre best bet if your not gonna spend on the body then look into a B or H series motor swap or you could look into a 1.6 liter d series swap if you search on this site you'll find ALOT of stuff on any of these and im sure everyone would agree it would be useless to do anything to the motor u have in there. If you wanna know where to start id say lower it! its some thing every one does but it never gets old and when it comes to buying parts DO NOT cheapout you'll regret it. And welcome

 

I would start on suspention (springs,struts,sway bars, strut bar). That is something you will be able to feel the mods. that you have done. Simple bolt-ons will only net small HP gains. You will have to go FI (turbo) or do a swap to make the car quick. h:

 

How much money do you want to invest in the car, before anything.... ?

 

well...to start off....



i agree with going on suspension modifications. a good spring and shock combo along with a sway bars will go a long way and add a good appearance to the car also.



the VX motor...is basically a commuter motor. not much you can do to it. it does one thing...save gas. build up the suspension...and save for a motor swap if you want to do engine mods. suspension can do a lot on a car that doesnt go fast

 

You have a 1.5L D15Z6. i-VTEC. It's an 8 valve engine with the early experimental VTEC setup. You have an anemic throttle body and a tiny exhaust that resembles the CX setup. Your car is wired differently than the other 3 hatchback models. The cooling system is different, too.

Getting a cold air intake would be an improvement, but you will have to be creative with making a 2 1/2" pipe fit a 44mm throttle body. It can be done. People do it.

Replacing your factory exhaust WILL help. Don't go bigger than 2" on the mid-pipe. Replacing your header may give you some headaches with your o2 sensor because of its location. Most headers will require an o2 senor in the bottom of the pipe. Yours is up high near the head, and it needs to be there.

A cam gear is a nearly worthless upgrade on a SOHC. So is just about everything else, but don't take any of what I'm saying as though I'm bashing your car or any other civic... I too have a 1.5L that used to be 8 valves. I've been completely through it, and although I built another 1.5L for my car, I came to the conclusion that the only way to make decent power with a CX/VX/DX is to swap them. Save your money. Don't buy mods, look around for an engine (that easily fits your car) and swap it.

Don't fall for the Vornado, Split-Fire, Knology type snake oil hype. Making power doesn't depend on a brighter hotter spark or swirling air in your intake pipe. It's about flowing more air and fuel through your engine, and i-VTEC or not, there's not a lot of that going on in a 8-valve 1.5L. There are a lot of VX owners on this board that will tell you this same thing.

What's most important is to do what you like and have fun doing it. If you want to go fast and look slow, that's great! You're already leaps and bounds farther ahead of most newbies on this board even though you're new to the hobby.

Welcome to HAN.

 

Hope this helps ! This is what you have !



D15Z1
.
Displacement (cc): 1493
Power (bhp@rpm): 92@5500
Torque (ft/lbs@rpm): 97@4500
Compression Ratio: 9.3:1
Bore (mm): 75
Stroke (mm): 84.5
Cam Design: sohc
VTEC?: yes
OBD: 1
Year(s) Produced: 1992-1995
In the following car(s): Honda Civic VX

 

It's 92 hores. The D15Z1 is a VX motor. I said Z6 mistakenly, I was wrong. Oops. Sorry. It's a D15Z1

The D15B8 is a CX motor. It has 70 hores
The D15B7 is the DX motor. It has 104 hores.
The D16Z6 is the Si Motor @ 125 hp.

Don't let all these numbers fool you. These lightweight hatches benefit more from torque than they do from horepower. That's why everyone will tell you that you need a DOHC swap instead of a SOHC. A few guys in this forum have some fast 1.6L SOHC turbos, though. I don't know of ANY fast cars that have a normally aspirated SOHC.

 

BOOOOOOOOOST! :chuckles:

 

i totaly agree that swapping should be the first step.... if you want something inexpensive that is worth modding you can get a z6 or y8... both 1.6l singla cams.. or if you want something more potent just about any of the twin cam motors are better than whats in there....

but i firmly believe that a swap should be the first step