What's up everyone. Still new to the whole honda world, i'm a nissan fan myself, but i recently purchased an 89 crx si as a project car for a measly 800 dollars. I'll post pics soon in my garage. Anyway, what do you guys think the most affordable way is to get around 250hp and close to the same amount of torque, without NOS. Turbo or supercharger? Different heads? Which engine swaps, h22, b18, or even bigger engines? Any suggestions? Also, how much would it cost?

 

You won't get close to the same amount of torque. :chuckles:

 

With an engine swap and a turbo you can.

 

If you don't want F/I you can go port,polish,cams,cam gears,e/i/h & anything else without going F/I. Forced-Induction etc. Depending on how much $$$ you have. You can go B18C1 GSR motor or B18C5 Type R or you can go with a RSX Type S motor K20A.It comes w/200 hp. Check out these sites for price ideas www.JDmCars.com, Jspecautosports.com. Anything you choose especially for that hp including parts, labor etc you'll be at least spending 5K easy. good luck

 

200wtq in a crx is overkill and really pointless...the crx is way too light and to even get that amount you'd at least need a seriously boosted b18, b20 or h22 platform (say good bye to how well it handles as you add 200+ lbs up front)...200wtq in n/a format will be near impossible to most weekend mechanics unless you have some serious funds to get someone else to build you a race ready motor...then say goodbye to emissions as if you have testing you will fail miserably

really to make a good crx that is quick not much is needed...get the suspension working well and consistent, get your brakes checked out and make sure they are working well - i'd get some hawk street pads and some stock brembo blanks with some dot 4 brake fluid...then play with the car and see how fun it is to drive which explains why it is such a cult car...after that decide what you want to do with it - that's when you spend the big bucks but you are then more knowledgeable

here are the basic ways to improve how fast your car is:
YOU! - the driver is the biggest area of improvement
Brakes - if you aren't confident in your brakes you shouldn't be even driving the car
Suspension - can't handle can't drive fast won't feel confident
Drivetrain - can't go fast if you can't put the power down
You again - still the biggest tweak is the lugnut behind the wheel
Power - now that you can drive that car consitently to 10/10ths...adding power at this stage will really task your new skills

 

True my goal is to show some stuff to some of the muscle cars that bark all across the roads here in vegas. Of course i don't except to be beating every car left and right, just have some good power, reliability, and a fun ride to drive. The previous owner had the front brakes converted to 93 teg gsr, cheap ass coilovers (which i'm gonna remove and replace with some skunk2 springs), no-brand headers, no cat, and unknown exhaust. Still has alot of work, but willing to make this a fun little rice rocket.
On boosting, what's a good amount of boost to run on the streets, to minimize engine wear, yet provide solid power, and what kind of power would that be? You're right, 200lbs+ torque would be crazy, but couldn't one strengthen the chassis a bit to handle that?

 

with only 200wtq the chassis shouldn't be a problem (unless it is weakened for some reason: accident, rust, etc.)...200wtq in a lightweight fwd car is hard to turn...you'd need an lsd just to put down some power without smoking up the inside tire...axles might not be strong enough for reliable power especially if you want to drag race it...engine mounts would be too squishy leading to wheel hop

on a good running engine 4-6 lbs is all you need for the street...especially if you have street tires as you'd burn them up quickly...you can run 8+ lbs but you have to get into greater cost to make sure it is running right...even to the point where you'd need to build the engine up for boost (cylinder cradle, high strenght headgasket, forged rods & pistons, fuel mgmt computer, etc.)...it all adds up in a direct relationship...more power = more money