Did Honda really get it right from the factory?


D'janiero

D'janiero

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Joined
Jul 17, 2007
Messages
1,095
Hey guys,

I was speaking to a couple of my mechanics earlier about buying an ek9. Both of them were well into the idea of buying one, after having owned vtecs in the past.
However, one of them insisted that I should not mod the 9 once I get it, as honda spent alot of time/effort making them morealess to perfection.
For example, hes seen many hondas in his time with bolt ons such as exhaust, intake etc, and the gains were pretty minimal, and in most circumstances, the owners put the cars back to stock.
On the other hand, the second mechanic was 50/50 and sugguested that I went ahead and did the bolt on mods as planned.

I'm planning to do exhaust, intake and ecu. Nothing major really.

What do guys think? Should the ek9 be left in its standard form, or is modding one the way forward?
 
D'janiero said:
Hey guys,

I was speaking to a couple of my mechanics earlier about buying an ek9. Both of them were well into the idea of buying one, after having owned vtecs in the past.
However, one of them insisted that I should not mod the 9 once I get it, as honda spent alot of time/effort making them morealess to perfection.
For example, hes seen many hondas in his time with bolt ons such as exhaust, intake etc, and the gains were pretty minimal, and in most circumstances, the owners put the cars back to stock.
On the other hand, the second mechanic was 50/50 and sugguested that I went ahead and did the bolt on mods as planned.

I'm planning to do exhaust, intake and ecu. Nothing major really.

What do guys think? Should the ek9 be left in its standard form, or is modding one the way forward?
Click to expand...
The title "Did Honda really get it right from the factory?" and your document reveal a major contradiction!! You doubt if Honda did a good job concerning the EK9 but at the same time your mechanic tells you that people put stock parts back because of negligible gains. Also, the fact that your second mechanic likes aftermarket parts and mods, that doesn't mean that Honda did a poor job man :angry: Perhaps your title should be like "Why the hell Honda did such a nice job?" instead of.............:D
I would say go for mods if you have access to a capable tuner and don't worry about reliability at all! :woot:
 
it is well known that the EK9 is well tuned, but i guess modding is part of individualism. everyone to their own taste.

like exhaust maybe they like it louder or the sound of it.

and also some of the parts which honda uses is maybe part of a regulation or restriction. easily example is catalyst converter.

which is why my first mod is to decat....:D
 
"Why the hell Honda did such a nice job?" Ye that does seem a little more appropriate man lol.
I don't doubt that honda did a good job dude, its just a subject Ive always wondered about, as its not the first time Ive heard that ek9s should be kept as they left the factory. However I guess theres always room for improvment.
Tuning/modding is one of the many joys of owning a jap car in my opinion. Keep the opinions coming:nice:
 
So what sort of gains would I roughly get from a mani, decatted exhaust,intake and ecu upgrade jugbugz?
I know it won't be a major increase but would it be still noticeable dude?
 
D'janiero said:
So what sort of gains would I roughly get from a mani, decatted exhaust,intake and ecu upgrade jugbugz?
I know it won't be a major increase but would it be still noticeable dude?
Click to expand...

Depends what ecu but i would be guesstimating at around 10-15bhp?
 
around 5hp peak, but more throughout rev range especially if you change your headers. People think you can make 30 hp increase with basic mods from a 1.6L 4cyl which is silly...that gain is more realistic on a big displacement V8 and Honda would've done that ages ago. Don't look down on the B16B, there isn't any other modern 1.6L engine that comes close to it.

Honda released the B16B 7 years after the B16A which was already a world hit with it's 100hp per litre. Remember that your B16B is already making 116hp per litre, which is more than a BMW M3 motor and is up there with the latest ferrari engines.
If you can make 200hp from your B16B then you should be very happy already because thats 125hp per litre.
 
@ Brents*EK9 - I was thinking something along the lines of an apexi pfc or hondata s200 or s300.

@ Jugbugz - Thanks for the info:nice:
 
i reackon bit more than 5hp+ is certain. as removing the cat (big restrictor) + good exh sys would do around that, using the ecu to gain the max out of these mods.
 
No Probs! :nice:

don't forget that there will be more gains on a B16A then a B16B because of it's base configurations, and more on a B18C because of bigger displacement. (If you make 5hp more with a mod on a B16A doesn't mean you'll make the same on a B16B, because B16B has a better base to start with...) :D
 
jugbugz said:
No Probs! :nice:

don't forget that there will be more gains on a B16A then a B16B because of it's base configurations, and more on a B18C because of bigger displacement. (If you make 5hp more with a mod on a B16A doesn't mean you'll make the same on a B16B, because B16B has a better base to start with...) :D
Click to expand...

true. . .:)

reinforcing this threads title! cos LOTS of little upgrades used to make 15bhp gain frm B16A :bow:
 
its all down to personal preference really i think

id say get aftermarket header,decat,and full exhaust system,uprated clutch and flywheel,intake and ecu,you will get some gains,ive seen a ek9 with those mods make 208bhp at the fly rolling roaded...of course all rr results differ from conditions,208 is a decent figure,that was also on 99-100ron fuel
 
You shouldn't be too worried about modding the motor itself at first, as the b16b is very powerful for its size.
As for being perfect from the factory, no. In the 10 years since the car was introduced, the aftermarket has surpassed the performance of almost every part on the EK chassis and b-series motor. The catch is you have to do these mods in a systematic, intelligent, and balanced order if you want to improve on the ek9. The ek9 came from the factory in a very good balance, if you change 1 thing too much without modifying other parts to match the whole system is thrown off.
For example, if you were to add the highest lift and overlap cams you can buy and leave everything else unchanged, the car is going to run like ****.
As for suspension, the stock ek9 is great but there are obvious improvements to be made- such as stiffer, lower, damper adjustable coilovers, grippier tires, and stiffer suspension bushings (in the right places).
Then there comes lightening of parts, where you can replace one part with a lighter one on MANY parts on the car, such as body panels, wheels, seats, and even removing things like the spare tire and power steering.
Oh, and any car is only as fast as the driver. Learn the absolute limits of a stock ek9.
 
absolutlysideways said:
its all down to personal preference really i think

id say get aftermarket header,decat,and full exhaust system,uprated clutch and flywheel,intake and ecu,you will get some gains,ive seen a ek9 with those mods make 208bhp at the fly rolling roaded...of course all rr results differ from conditions,208 is a decent figure,that was also on 99-100ron fuel
Click to expand...

but what was the increase from stock figure on the dyno? All dynos are different and 208hp could be any figure.
MOST times people misunderstand the difference between making more power at the engine and freeing up power from the drivetrain. This is a very critical point to power readings and assumptions.

I've got all those mods you listed plus more and don't think i've got 208hp. :shocked:
 
what grade fuel are you using,as i said every rr result is different

its exact mods were: mugen 4-2-1 header,5zigen decat,full exhaust system,mugen ecu,and mugen carbon intake,98 spec ek9.....was dynoed at 188 with just panel filter...
 
my friend had his old ek9 dyno'd at 170bhp at the fly, that was running on standard 95 ron fuel with the following mods
-cat back exhaust system
-aem cai

he was a bit dissapointed with this so he did the following
-started running on 99 ron fuel
-added sports cat and 4-1 header

he then had a unichip and vtec module fitted and had the car RR tuned. after this he was then producing 196bhp at the fly :woot:

he said that the unichip and vtec module really made the car alot better to drive! more driveable before vtec, he also had the vtec point dropped to 5800rpm which meant that the car wouldn't drop out of vtec between gear changes too!


to be honest i wouldn't think of doing any internal mods to my ek9, i really like the way that it performs and it already has full exhaust/header/panel filter and i think that's enough. i just think it's great fun to enjoy the car and master driving it :D
 
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