whoknows

Without saying to do a turbo swap or an ls1 swap, or going and getting a different car, what can i do to get more power from my 90 gtu? I have acouple friends who have those little mid 90's civics that have both pulled there little 1.6l's and transplanted the 2.2l honda vtecs. They both fed me my lunch yesterday, and honestly, i didnt like it. I knew it would happen but they really did a number on me. The one is running the 2.2l but its running hotter cams and is na, the other 1.8l with a jackson supercharger. I knew the one buddy with the supercharged was gonna beat me but i figured id at least beable to hang with the other. But to my dismiss, not even close on either account, and i didnt like it at all. Im gonna pull my cats and have a piece of straight pipe put in as i believe they are pretty shot anyway. Is it even worth trying to fabricate a cold air intake? I see some guys say no cause it pulls in hotter air. But what if I was to tube it so the filter was further from the engine bay? Im really contemplating on putting a safe shot of nos on it. From my experience a safe shot is half the actual engines stock output. Any ideas, id appreciate it, thanks.
chris

misterstyx69

iTrader: (142)

Ok..DO the NOS..as BIG as you can.
then DO NOT get a TII engine..you would not like winning at all.
I've seen your previous posts,so if it is important to you to Beat your Buddies.Get OUT of N/A!

Rotank

iTrader: (2)

Forced induction is generally the only way to go in small displacement engines. You could net a few horse with an exhaust. A true cold air intake would also net a small amount of horsepower. Beyond that there is not really much you can do besides increase the way your car handles without going into internals. You could pick up a SAFC-II and pay someone to tune your car.

whoknows

Misterstyx, don't critizize me as im not 16 years old and ive had my share of nitrous use, superchargers, and turbochargers, just not on the rotary. If your scared of nitrious then keep your comments on the matter to yourself until you read on how safe it is on most applications, even a safe shot on a rotary. Its not like back in the 60's and 70's before anyone knew how it would actually work. Nitrous puts no more stress on an engine that your forced air induction through a turbo. And it costs a fraction of a turbo setup but still requires the tuning.
Rotank, thanks for the advice. Exhaust has been on my mind for awhile now. And where can I find one of these tuners that your talking about? I'd like to get me one as it would be nice to have. And would making a cai be worth it or would it just be sucking in warmer air as ive read up in other posts on the subject matter. Thanks for your help.

Kstout24

iTrader: (1)

i have a custom straight pipe HKS exhaust system and a work in progress CAI, they both seem to add a little more juice, i would suggest a ignition modual with some new ignition wires also, id stay around 8mm though. NGK is a nice brand to stick with for wires. im pretty new to the rotory scene myself, but what i have seemed to gathered is there arnt to many "bolt on" performance parts like you would find for a 4banger on a honda. you could also try making it lighter. i put a VIS carbon fiber hood on mine and its nothing noticeable but every pound lost adds up in the end.

Rotank

iTrader: (2)

An ignition module would just be a waste of money unless you are putting down serious numbers over stock.

A real cold air intake is gonna either :

1) Seal the air filter away from the hot air in the engine compartment, with a duct. or ducts delivering fresh cold air from outside. Cold is a relative term here, cold air would be anything colder that rather warm to hot air inside the engine bay.

2) Placing the filter well away from the engine such as in the fender well, or behind the the front bumper. This puts the filter directly in the path of colder air.

Just doing a short ram intake in many cases will not give you any gains, and in some cases were there is a lot warm air trapped in the engine bay it will actually reduce your mileage and economy.

Kstout24

iTrader: (1)

HKS makes a awsome ignition module but it is pricey. performance for a N/A isnt cheap lol but its well worth the cost.

Rotank

iTrader: (2)

Its not gonna be any better than getting and MSD DIS-2, or similar CDI box. And its really not gonna give you anymore power. The stock ignition is fine for anything you could hope to get out of a stock engine with bolts on and a piggy back.

Kstout24

iTrader: (1)

ya MSD makes some good quailty modules too

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

Without going into the engine, you're going to be limited to 200 RWHP on that S5 NA engine, and that's with a perfect tune and everything else as good as it gets.

So, the question is, do you want to put the time and money into an S5 NA engine to make 200 RWHP, or upgrade to forced induction and start the fun at 250 RWHP? A TII engine bolts right in (you'll need the TII ECU, AFM, pressure sensor, upgraded fuel pump) and with basic upgrades (larger secondary injectors, RTek ECU, 12 PSI) will do 250 RWHP without breaking a sweat.

Or just put on a nice catback, upgrade the suspension, and enjoy the car for what it is...

dmackow

^^+1

It's nice when someone knowledgeable actually answers the question truthfully.

RotaryBMW

^^^ i agree with booth the last posts. forced induction is the best way to go with these cars unless yyou put in a 4 rotor but thats pretty pricey.

whoknows

Alright, some real answers, thanks guys, i appreciate it. It is a tough decision honestly. There is a local turbo motor and trans here for sale for 800 bucks. Don't know about its condition other than milege. Obviously i'd like alittle more power, bout 250 would be all i'd want. But im not one of those guys who drive it like i stole it all the time, just the times im getting screwed with, lol. Unless i could possibly pick up that turbo motor for cheaper than what hes asking, i think id have to pass on that one. Would i even need the transmission from the turbo or are they the same? I may beable to do some wheelin and dealin if i didnt need the trans if i did decide to get that wild hair up my keester. Alright then, thanks again. Looks like i have some decision making to do. By the way, is there a write up on the best way to fabricate the cold air intake, or just get in there and go for the gold?

Kstout24

iTrader: (1)

if you can get a turbo motor and trans both for 800 then go for it. keep it in your garage until your N/A dies on you and in the mean time you can beef up the turbo motor. thats the best option you can go with in my thought process. lol

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

$800 is actually a pretty good price if the thing runs. If it doesn't, then I'd offer $400 cash and see what happens. Then tear it apart and see what needs to be replaced. You'll still need the other bits I mentioned but having the engine is a good start.

TII and NA transmissions are different. See the 2nd gen FAQ for more info and turbo swapping details.

Your NA comes stock with a cold air intake, as do the TIIs.

blue 5.8

dam lots of good info here

Rotank

iTrader: (2)

This, I am an FC newb, and one of the Previous owners replaced mine with a short ram, I will be getting the OEM air cleaner system asap. Anything that would possibly be better would take several hours of fab work and be harder to change the filter on.

whoknows

So the stock seu up is a CIA, good to know. Would it benefit at all from an open air filter setup or no. I went back to look at that motor. I don't know if its a scam or what. Theres no contact info on the ad. No number to call and no email contact info, lol.

Kstout24

iTrader: (1)

another thing to consider might be getting a streetport. iv been trying to look into doing that to my 91 N/A, but havnt come across a place by me that does it.

lono96572

yea i would go with a streetport too, but the problem is finding a place to do it lol

Rotank

iTrader: (2)

Based on how the stock intake is designed, you would have to remove the air cleaner box, and replace it with a cone filter, and then seal that cone away from the engine bay (box that goes around it that seals to the hood and body. And feed air to the box some how. It could be done, but the cost benefit thing comes in to play. Just through a K&N in the stock air box and be done with it.

whoknows

Thanks Rotank, i think Ill just do that then, k@n has never dissappointed me in the past. Im gonna have to see how far you are from me. You ever get into any local get togethers?

Rotank

iTrader: (2)

I am a DSM guy. I live about an hour from the state line and about an hour to hour and a half from the Rome GA. I actually got my first DSM from a guy in Rome a few years back. I usually go out to the Steele Dragway a few times a year, try and hit the big import stuff in Atlanta when I can. Usually make it out the Spec clutch meet in b-ham. But there isn't a big Rotary or DSM scene here in north Alabama. Its pretty hondakids and domestic guys.

Its about 224-248 miles according to google. About a 4 hour drive.

here is a thread and basic write up on how to build this for a DSM, same principles apply with the RX-7. You need to seal the filter away from the hot air inside the engine bay, and feed it colder air from outside. The DSM has a big advantage of having a hole Right where the filter goes for the stock intercooler piping to run through. Since most people have a short route system that hole is usually free for some cheap ducting.

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newb...t-results.html

My results with a similar design was 18 degrees farenheit off my intake air temps, and dsm link estimated +6whp. Yeah it was worth about a half hour of work and 15$ worth of material. I am not sure you could duplicate the same results with the FC chassis, especially on a non turbo model.