So being as I have installed and dynoed so many of these cars over the last couple years I wanted to do a writeup on just my personal experience with the cars. No turbo setups in here, but I will comment on a supercharged one just because I have seen it. The easiest way to get to 200hp is by putting all the popular parts on your ride. These cars love intakes, headers and exhausts.
So lets start with the headers. I will rank every part based on performance. Your budget decides what you want, its your money isn't it? They all have pretty solid gains so your options aren't limited by any means.
1. Vibrant Catted Header
2. Vibrant Non Catted Header
3. Buddy Club Header
4. DC Sports Header
5. Strup Header
The headers all pretty much make roundabout the same horsepower to be honest. Overall from all the Dyno's I have done I would say that the Header is probably the most power gaining bolt on for the New Si. Most make about 5-12hp more, but part of that is due to the surrounding parts.
#1 Vibrant Performance Catted Header
I put the Vibrant Catted Header #1 simply because its a good piece and on top of that most of the Cali guys can get away with it since it has the catalytic. To my knowledge, this is still the only catted header on the market for the Si.
#2 and #3 Vibrant Non Catted Header and Buddy Club Header
A Close #2 and #3 are the Vibrant Performance Non Catted Header and the Buddy Club one. These both make the best power, the only reason why I put Buddy Club #3 is because of the hardware you need.
#4 DC Sports Ceramic Race Header
Number 4 is the DC Sports Race header which are hardly ever in stock anymore since DC Sports was sold. This header for the price $330 to $360 was the best one on the market at the time and made good power. The only DOWNSIDE to this header was that for every 5 I installed I was having the welder fabricate a pipe to replace the flex section. They broke with regularity.
$5 Strup Racing Header
#5 on my list is the strup header only because its not to popular yet and I haven't really seen to many to make a good decision on the product.
Now lets jump to the Intake Systems. I honestly think the factory intake box is a good product to have and by replacing the filter element with a K&N one and doing something like the hondata airbox mod you can make equal power for alot less money. However, lets face it, most guys that have a new Si are name brand whores just like I am so lets rank them anyways.
#1 Injen Cold Air Intake
Injens Cold Air Intake System, part # SP1578 is hands down the best power making intake system. I love this system and the power it made repeatedly on the dyno. I never saw it make less than 5-6 more ponies on any of the cars. The only thing I do not like about this system which has nothing to do with the performance is that the installation is a bit tedious since your working in tight spaces and have to remove a couple things to get it done properly. Overall though, for the price tag of $250-$280 this is the intake to get.
#2 AEM Cold Air Intake
AEM's Cold Air Intake I didnt have to much first hand on, but we did about 2 of them with supporting mods and it made similar power to the Injen Cold Air. Same thing as the Injen CAI, the installation is a bit tedious, but overall getting this intake will not make you unhappy in any way. The AEM Intake systems are the originals and it makes about 3-6 hp more from what we have seen.
#3 Injen Short Ram Intake
I really liked this intake system. It made about 4hp, sounded mean and was a breeze to put on. The only downside is that the filter sits a good 8 inches or so away from the header, which creates a little hot air going in. Other than that, I'd say if your on a budget and are worried about sucking in water, buy this intake system. You can pick these up for about $210-$240
#4 Fujita Cold Air Intake
This intake system makes good power too. Its ashame it doesn't get as much popularity as the Injen and AEM's, but it makes power, is priced in the same range as the others and really should be at #3, but not enough of them I have tested so you get the ranking.
#5 ALL the K&N's, AEM's, Ebay's.
You can use all of these intake systems, you know the results
Now the Catback Exhaust Systems. This is where it gets tough. Power, Sound and Price. There are alot of things that will go into picking the right exhaust for you.
#1 Skunk2 Mega Power R 70MM Exhaust
Assuming you have all the other parts, this exhaust makes the most power. Every single dyno we have done shows that this system makes 4-5 more hp than anything else. Its a little on the loud side, but the sound is clean. Skunk2s product's always have good quality and in the occasion something does go wrong, you can count on the guys over there to help you out. Typical Gains are about 5-9 hp. Another advantage is that this system is available for the 4 Door Si and the 2 Door Si. No modifications needed. You can pick up one of these for about $460-$499 Shipped just about anywhere.
#2 Vibrant Performance Street Power Exhaust
This is by far the most popular. At one point, it seemed like I was installing 2 of these a day here at the shop. Whats really not to like about this system? It looks almost factory, has the lowest sound levels of all the catbacks out, is priced very good and always makes 5-8hp on any application using any header, using any intake. Vibrant Performance hit the nail in the coffin on this catback system. There was a downside at one point with the clamp but that was remedied lately when they stated using the heavy duty clamp. Its kinda like the ones used on truck exhaust systems. Another reason why I like this exhaust is that you can purchase it for 4 door and 2 door just like the skunk2 70mm. Overall, for $450-$490 shipped from most vendors this is the top exhaust to get. Your car will sound nice, make more power, look factory and your neighbors wont mind you driving in at 2am.
#3 Skunk2 Mega Power R 2.5"
Just like the Mega Power R 70MM this exhaust is awesome. With at least 10 installs and dynos on this exhaust, there is no reason why you shouldn't have it. It makes great power 5-8hp on most and its a little loud, but it is a clean loud. You can pick this exhaust up for about $430 to $470 from most places now as well.
#4 Greddy Racing Ti 2.5"
The Ti-C from Greddy was honestly my favorite system. It is only a 2 piece product unlike the rest that are 3 pieces. So installation is a little quicker. The quality is always good, its Greddy afterall and the sounds are perfect to what you would want out of a tuner exhaust system. The only downside is that I have not seen it make huge amounts of power even after mix and matching parts. At one point we did back to back pulls with 3 different headers and didnt really see much of a gain. It usually only made about 5hp. Either way, the Greddy TiC is a nice system to have and you can find them for about $475+ now due to the price increase at Greddy.
#5 The rest.. HKS, Invidia etc
Haven't really seen much of these to make any legitimate comments on each, but I would expect the Invidia N1 to make gains like the Skunk2 60mm and the HKS one in the same range.
So now that we have covered the Intake, Header and Exhaust Options that will work, lets move into the parts that really just can't be beat.
#1 Hondata Reflash
While I wouldn't recommend and neither does Hondata for that matter installing a reflash on a factory car, this product for $595 is a steal. I know some of you want to hear your VTEC kick in, but this reflash is essentially making the power and doing it at the power band the car loves most. The reflash doesn't really play with timing at all, so putting Nitrous on the car is a plus!!
#2 Nitrous Kits
What is there to say. The engine can handle a 75 Shot like you put a header on it. Clutch will eventually give out but the car can do it. For $500-$599 for any of the Zex, Nitrous Express or NOS Kits is there really a part that doesn't make more power per $1 than nitrous?
#3 Hondata Intake Manifold Gasket
Quality part that is only about $50 and makes 3-5HP. Nothing much really to write on this.. GET IT
#4 Power Rev Racing ANYTHING.
Ok, so here is my P2R Plug in. Power Rev Racing makes Spacers and Gaskets for the New Si's. I have personally done this 4 times and never been dissappointed. First we took a bone stock Si. They all made about 179-182 on our Dyno. Then we installed the Intake Manifold Gasket, Throttle Body Spacer and 2 Throttle Body Gaskets and made 4-7hp more every single time. For about $149-$159 depending on which P2R dealer you go to (sorry, we have all the leftover Red) this should be the first mod you do if your trying to get a little edge with the least amount of money.
So in short...
With a Intake, Header and Exhaust you will get the higher 190 or very low 200's on your Si. If you take it the extra step and get the P2R Products, Reflash you will see low to mid 200's if not a tad more.
At the track, cars with these mods are running 13.8's to 14.2's (driver is much needed for the 13.8 passes) so you can build a pretty stout daily driver for less than $2000. Save yourself some money by buying all from the same vendor too if you can. We personally discount a little more/are more easy to get suckered if your buying a combo or a couple parts at the same shot.
Hope you enjoyed the quick rundown.
Here are some video's of Dyno Sessions at the dyno here.
DCRH and Skunk2 60MM
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=cbafb88b.flv
Injen SRI, Vib Catted, Vib Exhaust
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=4cd32c44.flv
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=civic2007.flv
Injen CAI, DCRH stock Exhaust
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=hondacivic1.flv
DCRH, Skunk2 Mega Power R, AEM CAI, P2R Combo, Reflash
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=sonydilightdecoco.flv
So lets start with the headers. I will rank every part based on performance. Your budget decides what you want, its your money isn't it? They all have pretty solid gains so your options aren't limited by any means.
1. Vibrant Catted Header
2. Vibrant Non Catted Header
3. Buddy Club Header
4. DC Sports Header
5. Strup Header
The headers all pretty much make roundabout the same horsepower to be honest. Overall from all the Dyno's I have done I would say that the Header is probably the most power gaining bolt on for the New Si. Most make about 5-12hp more, but part of that is due to the surrounding parts.
#1 Vibrant Performance Catted Header
I put the Vibrant Catted Header #1 simply because its a good piece and on top of that most of the Cali guys can get away with it since it has the catalytic. To my knowledge, this is still the only catted header on the market for the Si.
#2 and #3 Vibrant Non Catted Header and Buddy Club Header
A Close #2 and #3 are the Vibrant Performance Non Catted Header and the Buddy Club one. These both make the best power, the only reason why I put Buddy Club #3 is because of the hardware you need.
#4 DC Sports Ceramic Race Header
Number 4 is the DC Sports Race header which are hardly ever in stock anymore since DC Sports was sold. This header for the price $330 to $360 was the best one on the market at the time and made good power. The only DOWNSIDE to this header was that for every 5 I installed I was having the welder fabricate a pipe to replace the flex section. They broke with regularity.
$5 Strup Racing Header
#5 on my list is the strup header only because its not to popular yet and I haven't really seen to many to make a good decision on the product.
Now lets jump to the Intake Systems. I honestly think the factory intake box is a good product to have and by replacing the filter element with a K&N one and doing something like the hondata airbox mod you can make equal power for alot less money. However, lets face it, most guys that have a new Si are name brand whores just like I am so lets rank them anyways.
#1 Injen Cold Air Intake
Injens Cold Air Intake System, part # SP1578 is hands down the best power making intake system. I love this system and the power it made repeatedly on the dyno. I never saw it make less than 5-6 more ponies on any of the cars. The only thing I do not like about this system which has nothing to do with the performance is that the installation is a bit tedious since your working in tight spaces and have to remove a couple things to get it done properly. Overall though, for the price tag of $250-$280 this is the intake to get.
#2 AEM Cold Air Intake
AEM's Cold Air Intake I didnt have to much first hand on, but we did about 2 of them with supporting mods and it made similar power to the Injen Cold Air. Same thing as the Injen CAI, the installation is a bit tedious, but overall getting this intake will not make you unhappy in any way. The AEM Intake systems are the originals and it makes about 3-6 hp more from what we have seen.
#3 Injen Short Ram Intake
I really liked this intake system. It made about 4hp, sounded mean and was a breeze to put on. The only downside is that the filter sits a good 8 inches or so away from the header, which creates a little hot air going in. Other than that, I'd say if your on a budget and are worried about sucking in water, buy this intake system. You can pick these up for about $210-$240
#4 Fujita Cold Air Intake
This intake system makes good power too. Its ashame it doesn't get as much popularity as the Injen and AEM's, but it makes power, is priced in the same range as the others and really should be at #3, but not enough of them I have tested so you get the ranking.
#5 ALL the K&N's, AEM's, Ebay's.
You can use all of these intake systems, you know the results
Now the Catback Exhaust Systems. This is where it gets tough. Power, Sound and Price. There are alot of things that will go into picking the right exhaust for you.
#1 Skunk2 Mega Power R 70MM Exhaust
Assuming you have all the other parts, this exhaust makes the most power. Every single dyno we have done shows that this system makes 4-5 more hp than anything else. Its a little on the loud side, but the sound is clean. Skunk2s product's always have good quality and in the occasion something does go wrong, you can count on the guys over there to help you out. Typical Gains are about 5-9 hp. Another advantage is that this system is available for the 4 Door Si and the 2 Door Si. No modifications needed. You can pick up one of these for about $460-$499 Shipped just about anywhere.
#2 Vibrant Performance Street Power Exhaust
This is by far the most popular. At one point, it seemed like I was installing 2 of these a day here at the shop. Whats really not to like about this system? It looks almost factory, has the lowest sound levels of all the catbacks out, is priced very good and always makes 5-8hp on any application using any header, using any intake. Vibrant Performance hit the nail in the coffin on this catback system. There was a downside at one point with the clamp but that was remedied lately when they stated using the heavy duty clamp. Its kinda like the ones used on truck exhaust systems. Another reason why I like this exhaust is that you can purchase it for 4 door and 2 door just like the skunk2 70mm. Overall, for $450-$490 shipped from most vendors this is the top exhaust to get. Your car will sound nice, make more power, look factory and your neighbors wont mind you driving in at 2am.
#3 Skunk2 Mega Power R 2.5"
Just like the Mega Power R 70MM this exhaust is awesome. With at least 10 installs and dynos on this exhaust, there is no reason why you shouldn't have it. It makes great power 5-8hp on most and its a little loud, but it is a clean loud. You can pick this exhaust up for about $430 to $470 from most places now as well.
#4 Greddy Racing Ti 2.5"
The Ti-C from Greddy was honestly my favorite system. It is only a 2 piece product unlike the rest that are 3 pieces. So installation is a little quicker. The quality is always good, its Greddy afterall and the sounds are perfect to what you would want out of a tuner exhaust system. The only downside is that I have not seen it make huge amounts of power even after mix and matching parts. At one point we did back to back pulls with 3 different headers and didnt really see much of a gain. It usually only made about 5hp. Either way, the Greddy TiC is a nice system to have and you can find them for about $475+ now due to the price increase at Greddy.
#5 The rest.. HKS, Invidia etc
Haven't really seen much of these to make any legitimate comments on each, but I would expect the Invidia N1 to make gains like the Skunk2 60mm and the HKS one in the same range.
So now that we have covered the Intake, Header and Exhaust Options that will work, lets move into the parts that really just can't be beat.
#1 Hondata Reflash
While I wouldn't recommend and neither does Hondata for that matter installing a reflash on a factory car, this product for $595 is a steal. I know some of you want to hear your VTEC kick in, but this reflash is essentially making the power and doing it at the power band the car loves most. The reflash doesn't really play with timing at all, so putting Nitrous on the car is a plus!!
#2 Nitrous Kits
What is there to say. The engine can handle a 75 Shot like you put a header on it. Clutch will eventually give out but the car can do it. For $500-$599 for any of the Zex, Nitrous Express or NOS Kits is there really a part that doesn't make more power per $1 than nitrous?
#3 Hondata Intake Manifold Gasket
Quality part that is only about $50 and makes 3-5HP. Nothing much really to write on this.. GET IT
#4 Power Rev Racing ANYTHING.
Ok, so here is my P2R Plug in. Power Rev Racing makes Spacers and Gaskets for the New Si's. I have personally done this 4 times and never been dissappointed. First we took a bone stock Si. They all made about 179-182 on our Dyno. Then we installed the Intake Manifold Gasket, Throttle Body Spacer and 2 Throttle Body Gaskets and made 4-7hp more every single time. For about $149-$159 depending on which P2R dealer you go to (sorry, we have all the leftover Red) this should be the first mod you do if your trying to get a little edge with the least amount of money.
So in short...
With a Intake, Header and Exhaust you will get the higher 190 or very low 200's on your Si. If you take it the extra step and get the P2R Products, Reflash you will see low to mid 200's if not a tad more.
At the track, cars with these mods are running 13.8's to 14.2's (driver is much needed for the 13.8 passes) so you can build a pretty stout daily driver for less than $2000. Save yourself some money by buying all from the same vendor too if you can. We personally discount a little more/are more easy to get suckered if your buying a combo or a couple parts at the same shot.
Hope you enjoyed the quick rundown.
Here are some video's of Dyno Sessions at the dyno here.
DCRH and Skunk2 60MM
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=cbafb88b.flv
Injen SRI, Vib Catted, Vib Exhaust
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=4cd32c44.flv
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=civic2007.flv
Injen CAI, DCRH stock Exhaust
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=hondacivic1.flv
DCRH, Skunk2 Mega Power R, AEM CAI, P2R Combo, Reflash
http://s246.photobucket.com/albums/gg112/JRspeed/videos/?action=view¤t=sonydilightdecoco.flv
