1989 Honda Civic Si
Below is a list of modifications that have been done to my daily driver. I did most of the work myself. If you have any questions about any of the performance modifications and upgrades, send me e-mail and I will gladly try to answer them. I am no expert, but I have talked to a lot of people and have done a fair amount of research. I have also made some bad choices in equipment purchase and have made some big mistakes in installation - some due to the lack of money and most due to the lack of patience. I am hoping that this page will help others out by ensuring they don't make the same kinds of mistakes I have made.
I have very limited web space, so I am not going to cram the page with pictures of babes and advertisements. At the bottom of this page, you will find links to many informative sites. You will also find links to pictures of my Civic, descriptions of the modifications and upgrades, and a glossary of terms. How does nitrous oxide work? Check out the nitrous oxide section in the modifications page. Want performance parts for cheap? Check out the group buy in the links section of this page. I am also working on a database of stock 1/4 mile times, and 0-60 numbers for production cars. I don't have much right now, but I will update the database as often as I can.
My Civic is not the fastest or baddest. Not by a long shot. It's a total package thing that I'm after. The stereo system is great, the car handles extremely well, it looks half decent, and most of all, it's fun to drive. I am not affiliated with any manufacturer nor do I receive sponsorship from any business -- this is a banner free, non-commercial web page. I hope you find this web page for 4th generation Honda Civics informative and useful.
UPDATE!!!!! This page will be gone at the end of this month. It has done well for the 16 months of being on the Internet. All things come to an end. I have received literally hundreds of e-mail from all corners of the world. Lots of kind words from genuinely nice people. I did receive a handfull of nasty e-mails, but so little that I couldn't be bothered. I met a lot of people through this webpage and it has been really rewarding. I am switching ISP and don't know what to do with this webpage. Perhaps I will upload it on another server. I just found it time consuming to update it on a regular basis.
Engine Modifications:
Suspension/Brakes:
Accessories:
Miscellaneous:
Sound System:
Very old equipment, I know, but it still produces excellent sound. Great sound stage, imaging, and tonal balance. None of that digitally enhanced, overboosted, bigger than life, silicone implant kind of sound.
Security system:
Double backup power source, internal and external sirens/horn/speakers, carefully placed razor blades on equipment, engine kill, starter kill, strategically placed pain generators, and a few other lethal weapons I shouldn't disclose..... the RCMP wouldn't approve. BTW, nobody rides in my car. Not even my wife or kids - in case they touch the wrong buttons (ouch!).
Performance:
1/4 mile ET...........haven't been to the track yet. Everytime I get ready to go, something stupid happens to the motor. It's almost as if my car is cursed from making a run at the track. Check out the "current state of affairs" section in the modifications page to see what I mean. My last GTech 1/4 mile run yielded 14.68 @ 101.3 mph. This was with the original SOHC 1.6 Si motor. Now that I have a JDM ZC motor installed in the car, with 30 or so more horses under the hood, I should be into the low 14 to high 13 second quarter mile time. Update! See modifications page.
The car handles extremely well (neutral steering) and the ride is firm and controlled. The car is lowered (tastefully, may I add) and not slammed. The Energy Suspension bushings made a helluva difference. My number one advice? Get a camber correction kit and a four wheel alignment done right away after all suspension mods!
Future Upgrades:
I'm saving up money to install a Jackson Racing Supercharger Kit ($3623.00 CDN) and upgrading to Eibach anti-roll bars ($450.00 CDN). Nitto 555R on 16 inch Focals. 13 inch race rims with either Hoosier or Mickey Thompson slicks for the track.
Meanwhile, I purchased a spare engine for the car this winter (only $250). On it, I plan to.........
Hey, when it's all finished, this old fart (over 40) is gonna
kick lots of young punks' butts!
Why grow up when ya don't have to?
Actually, ever since I can remember, I've always wanted to do
the 1/4 mile thing. Couldn't afford it let alone have the knowledge
to put together a real rod in my younger days. One day, not too
long ago, I woke up and realized, HEY! I can croak at any time.Youth
really is wasted on the young! <-------- mid-life crisis
statement
Why not just buy a Porsche, NSX, or S2000, you say? What fun would that be? I'd rather take on the challenge of designing and transforming a regular driver into a high performance street machine that will handle better and out-muscle most stock production cars on the market today at a fraction of the price. I do most, if not all, of the work myself. Talk about being a life long learner, huh???
Personal Opinions on Modifications:
I am dead set against engine swaps. This is where I draw the line with respect to modifications. Not to say it is a bad thing -- more power (no pun intended) to those people for going to all that trouble. I just find it hard to call a Civic a Civic if it has a Prelude engine in it. I guess if you swap out the engine for one that was meant for the JDM (Japanese Domestic Market), it's ok. Why should they get all the goodies? (I know, because they make 'em there). I'll just stick to my little 1.6 Litre SOHC putt putt.
One more........ I have had many a discussion with people on the topic of nitrous use. About half the people out there think nitrous use is cheating. That it is unfair. As far as I am concerned, nitrous is the same as adding a turbo or a supercharger to your engine. All three are bolt on mods that require careful planning and execution. All three require upgrading other parts of the engine to make the car drivable. Besides, when you go racing there's the all-motor cars (gotta admire the ingenuity of those guys) and the forced induction crowd. Nitrous oxide is great, but if you run out of the gas, you're hooped. That's why I installed the performance cam and plan to go with a supercharger in the future. Both nitrous and supercharger? You bet.... after the internal parts are upgraded. Regardless of this or that, the bottom line is after plus 75 horses, you're asking for trouble if you don't upgrade the valve and drive train parts.
Stock 1989 Honda Civic Si Specifications:
Body Style:
Engine:
Miscellaneous:
The Car Audio Days:
Picture was taken sometime back in the fall of 1990.
Just some of the trophies my car won at car audio competitions some 10 years ago (only competed for one full competition year - a promise I made to the wife). Ended up representing BC/Alberta (Canada) in the 1990 IASCA (International Auto Sound Challenge Assn.) World Invitational Finals in Tempe, Arizona (it's a big thang down in the States). How did I do at the finals? I came in 11 th or 12 th place (can't really remember - I'll have to dig up the ol' score sheets). However, I do remember receiving the highest sound quality score in my class and a perfect 40 out of 40 in the absence of noise section. I did poorly in the SPL and install scores (did all the work myself). The judges did like the second alternator and battery setup I had (remember, this was some ten years ago). The sound system was not designed for boom (SPL), but for killer staging and imaging. Come to think of it, I wasn't even planning on going to the event. Five days before the finals, I burst a blood vessel in my upper arm doing yard work (don't ask!). Two days later it got worse and I was told by my doctor to take a few days off work to rest the arm. The finals were to be held during the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend. I called up a couple of friends who desperately wanted to attend the event. I phoned IASCA and told them I was a coming. 30 hours straight we drove, but what an experience. Anyway, we got there at 2 am the morning of the competition. One of my speakers wasn't working, the car was dirty, and I felt like crap, but that didn't matter. I went because I wanted to experience being there with the best of the best. Right after the competition, my friends and I drove back up to Canada just in time to go to work (five days with a total of five hours sleep - goes with the territory). I really, really miss competing, but a promise is a promise.
BTW, the stereo I have now is nowhere as good as the setup I had back then.
The Sermon(s):
Car lovers are car lovers. It doesn't matter what you drive, how old you are, or who you are. I really wish people would resist the I have a faster car than you, Fords suck, imports suck, Hondas suck, Chevys suck, etc. statements. People who are into that kind of stuff are not true car enthusiasts and don't understand what it's all about.
Words to live by.
Another request, if it applies to you. Please refrain from using the word "Jap". Finish it off properly with "anese" if you can. It only takes 5 more keystrokes. It's really not a big deal, but some people are offended by it. If it offends some people, why not just type the extra keys? I know, nobody tells you what to do and all that......... but, it only makes you look lazy and ignorant. It's like oriental and occidental as opposed to Asian, and Caucasian or European. Orientals refer to rugs and such, not people. Calling people Chinks, Japs, Honkies, Niggers, etc. is definitely not cool. It's like having no manners at the dinner table (even at MacDonalds).
The above section is just my little "display o' common sense and decency" on the Internet to, hopefully, help offset some of the craziness you find out there in cyberspace.
References (books, magazines, and other goodies):
Books
Magazines Miscellaneous:
Other Websites:
Performance Specs (1/4 mile and 0-60 times) of production cars.
...........contents of site last updated May 18, 2001.
since January 2, 2000