ask me any question about the sport of rockcrawling or jeeps
and i've got an answer...
i have a 90 model jeep cherokee that gets the crap beat out
of it. it climbs rocks, rubs against trees, and all this body damage actually makes me happy...i know your already thinking i'm in the wrong place!

also, being a toyota dealer service department manager...i can answer just about any toyota question you give me!

however...when it comes to tuning these cars...i have no idea
what
to
do...

working at a dealership, i get really good deals on cars...so i bought my girlfriend a 2002 honda civic SI. other than 17" wheels and rubber...it's bone stock.

what can i say...I'M ADDICTIED TO IT.

this car is awesome! i've been bitten by the "speed bug" and don't know where to start.

also, being a service department manager, i see many tuner cars come in with check engine lights on and all other kinds of trouble (god only knows what these kids did with these cars)....

so the short question...what i do to this car (reasonably)
that will boost the HP and be safe for the engine. of course
i'm talking about bolt on stuff (it'll have to come off if i have a problem cause it's still under powertrain warranty)

please help me guys, i'm clueless
and if you have any toyota ? send'em my way!  

I'd recommend you start with the basic tuning elements: intake, header, and exhaust. None of these will affect the engine in a negative way or trip the engine light. If anything, they'll help the engine breathe better and put out more power. Beyond that, you could either do a turbo kit (which takes a lot of tuning and time, not to mention money) or a supercharger kit. There are lots of turbo kit manufacturers out there as well as supercharger manufacturers. Here are my suggestions:

Turbo:
Apexi, HKS, Greddy, and Edelbrock (yes, of American fame).

S/C:
Jackson Racing, Procharger... can't think of many more..

I would highly recommend you go to Sport Compact Car's website (http://www.sportcompactcarweb.com) and make friends with the many knowledgeable tuners there. Since I'm a Toyota man myself (405WHP MR2 Turbo), I'll not be much help in the realm of Honda. The man to talk to about that would be "Civic King;" he runs a turbocharged Civic and has lots of experience.

Enjoy your new toy.. and welcome to the boards.    

also going with what the person above me said, u should also upgrade ur ECU to have the max. performance  

well to tell u the truth it doesnt void the warrentty ive read in a imort tuner magizine that there is no after market part that can void your warrenty. copy and paste the link below to get your car sponsored just fill out the info.
<a href="http://www.carsponsorships.com/scout/sponsor.php?id=2329">CarSponsorships.com</a>  

Don't believe half of the crap you read in Import Tuner... believe even less if you read Super Street.

Anyway, the part may not necessarily void your warranty, but the dealer may just say "no" to getting it serviced. And, to get it serviced under your warranty, you'd then have to fight with them about it. That'll take time, money, and quite possibly a lawyer.

This is why I said to just wait until it expires if you're planning on doing anything beyond an intake, header(s), or an exhaust.  

go for spoon and mugen parts.  form what i remember, they will not void your warranty.  they are made by honda to be used in the upgrading of engines and sh!t.  love the si hatchback!  what color is it anyway?  

Even if parts are made by Spoon, Mugen, TRD, or any other factory tuner, the parts CAN still void your warranty. Not all of the parts they make are road legal. Additionally, to have the parts warrantied by the manufacturer and ensure that your warranty is not voided in the process, the parts must be installed by the DEALER.. no one else.

I know this to be a fact.  

it the little things that are the big things to me so re place your belts, pulleys, but if you want to go big replace your pistons JE Pistons has some.  

trust me grey...aftermarket parts do void warrantys...
how do i know?
cause when you show up at the dealers service department,i'm who you talk too (service manager).

however, it's not that simple.
inorder to void an individuals warranty for aftermarket parts,i have to prove that the part caused the damage.
ex. extreme suspension kits will change the geometery of the suspension, stress the cv joints and void their replacement...no ifs,ands, or buts. however, if the trans failed due to this mod, it would be hard to prove that it was because of the suspension adjustment...understand?

what it boils down to is the service manager's willingness to help you. if your nice, and sincere...i'll do everything i can to get it covered (even lie about the milage on your car to get it covered) if you come in with your ass on your shoulders acting like a hard-ass...guess what. it's voided buddy...oh yea, and our labor rate just jumped from 76.80 to 140$ an hour!

to answer some of your other questions, the si is white, and has ICW 17" 12 star fans with kumo z-rated shoes. she looks sweet.

my only complaint with the car is it's inability to deliver the power to the ground. like any automobile, when you accelerate under hard throtle, weight shifts to the rear. however, in this little FWD coffin...it breaks traction horibly!
what can alleviate this problem...strap cinder blocks to the front? or is this simply a curse of high performace FWD's

thanks for all of your suggestions! oh yea...i need some exhaust...this thing is real quiet...
now don't laugh too hard...but i'm a big fan of flowmasters!
i own 7 of them on my various vehicles. has anyone heard on on an import. basically i'm looking for that "thrush" sound under hard acceleration...and a barely noticable hum at idle. i do not want the horrible sounding fart tips that resonate like a weedeater inside of a tin storage shed!

thanks again!  

oh yea, in response to the "factory performance parts" statements...this is what i know.

because i work for toyota and ford, i'm quite familiar with TRD and ford motorsports parts.

ford warrantys any of their factory performance parts for 12 months, 12 thousand miles. and, if installed by a dealer or individual, they are covered...including any directly related component. if you buy a ford supercharger, and bolt it on...and it cracks the intake and throws a rod out of the side of the motor...just bring it in and i'll replace the entire drivetrain minus the trans.

now TRD.

TRD is an american performance parts company who sells their parts through toyota dealers. they are not licensed by toyota, but are allowed to use their name in their title.
TRD performance parts are no different that AEM, Greddy, etc. you put them on your car, toyota will not warranty the part or related components...simple as that!
seen it happen, and have dealt with many pissed of people...  

Thats right.  There are some NISMO parts I can put on a 350Z and if I do I can void the warranty.  

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oh yea, in response to the "factory performance parts" statements...this is what i know.

now TRD.

TRD is an american performance parts company who sells their parts through toyota dealers. they are not licensed by toyota, but are allowed to use their name in their title.
TRD performance parts are no different that AEM, Greddy, etc. you put them on your car, toyota will not warranty the part or related components...simple as that!
seen it happen, and have dealt with many pissed of people...

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thanks for all of your suggestions! oh yea...i need some exhaust...this thing is real quiet...
now don't laugh too hard...but i'm a big fan of flowmasters!
i own 7 of them on my various vehicles. has anyone heard on on an import. basically i'm looking for that "thrush" sound under hard acceleration...and a barely noticable hum at idle. i do not want the horrible sounding fart tips that resonate like a weedeater inside of a tin storage shed!

thanks again!

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