hey im gettin my mums 1998 accord and i whant to make it faster, ext.
im only 16 so i dont have that much cash so what is some of the cheapest/ best things to do to it first??

 

I/h/e

 

cheap =/= fast.

 

what is i/h/e?

 

intake, header, exhaust.

Start with the intake, as it the cheapest of the three, and is easy enough to do yourself.

 

I'd focus on the suspension, our cars can be made to handle quite well.

 

Just drive it until you are 21 then get a faster car.

If not, try lowering the car mildly (no more than 1.5 inches) and picking up a set of rims with good rubber. Then pick up a TL-S sway bar from an Acura dealership. You'll have more fun with suspension then you will driving around with a fart can.

 

yah thats what i was thinking on doing thx

 

Also, get an Acura TL or TL-S front strut tower brace - an easy to do bolt-on mod replacing the short angled brackets that attach to the top surface of the firewall and to the rear of the fenders on each side. (btw the TL and TL-S parts are identical)

An intake all by itself will just make more induction noise. Combined w/ a decent 4-2-1 header and a catback will add perhaps 5-10% more hp, but w/ all the noise, you (and the cops) will think you're going a lot faster. Speedometers & stop watches do not lie, however. haha

As a suggestion, I'd first concentrate on getting your car to handle better by going up to a 'plus one' wheel/tire combo (don't go cheap on the tires, and buy a name-brand wheel - should be able to get a deal on some used ones), check that your brakes are in good shape, and if necessary, replace worn out rotors (or if they've been turned more than once) w/ Brembo 'blanks - avoid slotted or drilled ones - most are garbage, esp those on eBay. Then add new pads such as Hawk HPS which cost about the same as OEM spec pads. Inspect, & replace as needed, your suspension bushings if the car has lots of miles on it, too. Pay attention to your tire pressures; try adding a lb. at a time and see how it handles, but don't exceed the rating on the tires' sidewall. Get an alignment if needed.

Then do the basic maintenance to the engine - plugs, wires (if needed - OEM Honda are the best for the $ and last for 100,000k miles), flush the coolant system, check the thermostat, and put in new coolant (using only Honda coolant), check, and replace if needed, the radiator and heater-core hoses, change out the timing belt if not done per Honda's maintenance schedule (which is every 105k miles on gen6 Accords). Don't overlook the PCV valve when you inspect the various rubber vacuum lines. . .And change your oil every 3k miles on a high mileage engine, and stick to brands such as Valvoline or Castroil - stay clear of high ash content oils like Pennzoil or Quaker State, unless you're into sludge and valve jobs. Use a Honda OEM oil filter at every oil change. Replace a dirty air filter with any name brand such as Fram, Purolator, or Honda. If your valves are nosiy and/or have neve been adjusted, you might get that done also. (but, not necessarily the best DIY for a beginner, however)

Perhaps the best investment would be to get a service manual for your car. Older gen6 Accord Helms service manuals are fairly inexpensive on eBay, but make sure you get one specific to the year and model (4 or 6 cylinder, and either coupe or 4 door) for your particular car. Also, Haynes makes an inexpensive service manual that covers all years & models of gen6 Accords, and it's reasonably adequate for starters. Invest in a quality set of metric wrenches: open and box end wrenchs, plus a set of metric sockets, too.

Believe me, your Accord will be more than quick enough at first. Take it from a parent who's 17yr old fliipped his mod'd out gen2 Teg onto it's roof the 2nd day he had the keys to it. Yeah, it was fast, and all that, but it was a crumpled pile of twisted metal that could have killed him. Why not learn how to autocross the Accord in a stock class at your local SCCA autocross (also called 'Solo One')? Most SCCA chapters provide very inexpensive autocross lessons during the year. And keep in mind that just as soon as you mod out the intake, exhaust, etc. they'll bump you into a faster (mod'd) class that will be populated by much more capable (and expensive) cars anyway, and gen6 Accords are not competitive in those faster classes, regardless of how much $$ has been spent on them. Hate to sound preachy, but hone your driving skills first, along w/ making your Honda perform like it did when it was new. There are many riced-out Hondas running around that are pigs compared to a well-tuned and properly set-up basically stock Honda. (just my 2 cents worth. . .)

Budget for a few tickets, also. More exerience learned along the way. Afterall, where do you think my kid inherited his bad habits and heavy foot from?

 

is it a stick or auto 4 cyl or 6 that will help to know that info