This was taken from
http://d-series.org/forums/naturally-as ... sting.html
It was a great help to me so i hope it helps others here on tuner..
Im starting this thread because we just get way to many of the same threads about this part or that part. Im going to lay out basic info on what you want to start with in building your basic N/A D motor and what parts work and what dont.
Headers- Unless you go with a high end like HyTech, Bisimoto or
SMSP your going to basically going to see the same gains no matter what brand. Ebay/DC headers are fine for a basic bolt on motor but once you get in depth with your build with headwork, high compression and a big cam you will want to modify your DC style header or go with one of the high end pieces.
Exhaust- This is where alot of people screw up they use the wrong exhaust for their setup.
For low end usable power for driving around town you will want to stick with a 2in. setup. This will help your low end power and make it more usable around town and such.
For a little more mid to upper power you want to use a 2 1/4in, or if you have raised your compression or upgraded your cam you also want to use something like this size
For top end power 2.5 is the next. If you have an automatic car or want to keep any kind of mid or low range power DO NOT get an exhaust this size.
As for brands, any name brand company is a good choice. Ebay exhausts you may have fitment issues with and also the quality is usually not the same as a reputable company, really they are hit or miss. If you want something louder than an n1 style is what you want. This will give you the loudest sound and also probably the most rasp. Next would be a system that has the canister type muffler but also has a resonator that will quiet it down and take the edge off. Than comes your turbo muffler systems, they tend to be the quietest while still offering improved flow. Another option is custom made and than you can pick and choose your setup. This tends to be the most cost efficient
Air Intakes There is plenty of debate over this as to which is better. ill lay out the options and the benefits/downfalls of each
Cold Air- This is going to make the most usable power of the different air intakes. 2.5 is all that you need to do. There are no gains from anything over that. I can personally attest that it has a very decent advantage over a short ram. I gained .3 in the quarter mile switching to a Cold Air from a short ram. The downfall is the chance of hydro lock and it may take longer to heat the engine up on cold days.
Short Ram- This intake will show the most power on the dyno however as soon as the under hood temps rise, you will see a drop in power. The advantage to this intake is its price, ease of install and the fact there is no chance of hurting your engine. The "whale penis" intakes are classified as short ram also but they have a power level/curve more along the lines of the true cold air.
Ice Box style- This intake is a little different than the two above. It looks like a stock intake but almost is like a ram air. There also is the Mugen intake which is baller status but you gotta pay for it too. You also can do a DIY which ill be doing a write up on shortly
Brand wise any will do just fine really alls you pay for is the name. Bent tubing is bent tubing
Intake Manifolds- Honda makes a pretty stout intake manifold and they rarely need to be upgraded. However if you do choose to upgrade these are the options.
Stock-This is your standard option as the factory piece can support alot of power both in N/A form and boosted form. Now if you hae a non-vtec motor the best thing to do is to upgrade to a Vtec manifold from either the Z6 or the Y8 motors.
Skunk 2- This is probably the best aftermarket manifold for the money. How ever there isn't much R&D into this piece. its basically a b-series plenum with D series runners. This manifold can actually loose power over a stock one on a bolt on/stock engine, as with any aftermarket piece. Now im sure i'll get opinions on this but this is mine based on research i've done.
Edelbrock- This manifold is probably the best manifold on the market. But for N/A motors its not the best choice unless you have the engine built for it. This is more of a boosted manifold.
Blox- This basically is a Skunk2 copy. While its a decent starting place for starting, the best thing to do is to cut open the plenum and blend the runners together much like you would do on a stock modified one. A decent manifold for the money
OBX- This is a junk manifold plain and simple. Your going to have fitment issues with things and the design is very poor. The only thing this manifold is good for is making ITB's.
Modded Stock- For the money this option can't be beat. What you need to do is cut open the plenum and do some work there. Here is a link to me doing a Z6
Porting a Stock manifold
Cams This thread is for basic N/A setups so im only going to cover basic cams.
Non-VtecIf your running a B7, your first choice is the D16A6 cam obv with a D16Y7/Y8 cam gear. Next would be your re-grinds from either Exospeed SR909 or Bisi Level 1&2 to name a few. As of now the only new core cams are old Crane cams if you can find them. For the D16Y7 you are only limited to re-grinds.
VtecAgain you can go with a re-grind from exospeed SV909 or bisimoto level 1&2. However bisi is now doing fresh billet cores. There also is the Zex/Comp 59100/59300 for the z6 and 105100/105300 for the Y8 and the crower stg.1&2. All of these are good choices to use but you must build your engine around them.
Throttle Boddies For our little D motor you dont need any more than your stock TB with basic bolt ons. Now if you don wanna upgrade, only go to a B-Series 60mm, you dont need anymore than that. If you go bigger you can kill your low end power and hurt overall performance
Misc. This is for any other little things.
Msd igniton- Not wroth it. Honda OE ignition is proven to over 400hp so there is no need to waste your money on it.
*TB spacers dont work, dont bother
*NGK/OEM plug wires are really the only wires worth using, not the Knology Hotwires or crap like that
*Stock injectors are fine unless its a fully built motor with high compression and such
Cam gears dont add HP. They allow you to adjust your cam timing to get teh most power. Only get one if your dyno tuning
The most important thing you can do is a GOOD Tune, not some VAFC/Piggy back thing unless thats all you are able to do.
Any thing anyone would like added, please let me know and ill add it. Thanks for read. This basically is spoon feeding basic info that is always asked