When upgrading your Honda Civic, there are three basic things most people would like to do to gain performance, style, and looks. The first is a body kit. Next, most people want to add personalization to the interior. Last, we want to talk about engine modifications. These upgrades you may want to do in any particular order, depending on your personality. I started with my engine. I want my car to be a “sleeper”. When I add a body kit, then I’ll have the muscle to back it up. But it all depends on you. Let’s start with the body kit for your Honda Civic.
If you have a pre-1988 Honda Civic, body kits were made, but they are hard to find. There really wasn’t much of an internet, so the market was limited to larger cities or Japan. Today, you could search for a used Mugen kit and probably find one on the internet. For later Civics, there are a couple of good choices. Stillen and Greddy offer quality components. When purchasing bargain components, remember you may have to modify the kit for proper alignment. For example, the exhaust may not be exactly in the right spot. Rework time to your Civic may end up costing you as much as a higher quality kit. I’ve looked at the kits you can buy a piece at a time due to my budget. Adding the front air dam to keep the car on the ground, side skirts and a rear valance all at once can be a little imposing on the pocketbook.
Interior modifications may not impress anyone as you drive down the street, but if the car looks good on the outside, you’ll want that Civic sharp on the inside. A torn seat or other imperfections are a good place to start. Most people start with the radio. But if you have a newer Civic or Accord and the radio is already pretty good, what can you do to add your own style? Add some gauges. You can add a pillar mount gauges the A-frame that supports the roof. A company called Lotek makes nice gauge pods.
When you add the gauges, now you have interior style and you can keep better check on your motor instead of relying on a red warning light. The first thing to do is get a free flowing intake. Not only do these look good in the engine compartment, but also they help the car breath better. There are several to choose from, but I’m biased towards K & N Products. They fit perfectly and are completely washable. Be warned, you can here the engine breathing when you hit the gas! It’s so cool!
I hope these gave you a good starting point on what you can do with your Honda Civic, Accord, or Prelude. Personalizing your car makes it your car, not just another Honda.
The 2005 Honda Civic sets the benchmark for reliability and resale value. Everyone seems to know this, but what’s new and what can you expect out of the new Civic Coupe?
The Honda Civic Coupe models range from the DX – Value Package, the HX – Lean burn machine, to the LX and the top of the line EX model. The DX model is the base Civic Coupe. It has the 115 hp engine and limited creature comforts. The HX is your high mileage lean burn car. The lean burn means you can get 36 MPG city and 44 MPG highway as opposed to the LX and DX 32 MPG and 38 MPG. The EX suffers a 37 MPG highway drop probably due to the more powerful 127 hp engine.
The EX gives you some little things like body colored mirrors, sunroof, memory seats, height adjustable seats, too, along with an illuminated ignition switch. Wheels are upgraded to 15” alloys and the EX also has a six-speaker system with a CD that can read MP3 files. While all these features are nice, most of the extra goes into getting the 16-valve SOHC V-tech engine.
Handling characteristics are based upon the double wishbone rear suspension and the 4 wheel independent suspension. This allows for better handling with the MacPherson struts in the front tied to a high steering ratio. Get ready to have some fun driving again. But don’t worry all models have front airbags. Most models are offered with front side air bags, too. ABS is standard on the EX, keeping the braking to a minimum, especially in wet or slippery conditions. Transmission is your choice of 5-speed manual, 4-speed automatic, or the continuously variable on the HX model.
The interior is ergonomically designed with wide seats and easily located controls. The front seats have deep side bolsters to hold the driver in place during aggressive cornering. But, they are comfortable for daily driving and hauling around 4 of your friends. The rear seats fold down to haul long cargo. A sunroof is available only with the EX model.
The air conditioning has a filtration system. But AC is an option on the HX model.
Honda offers nice factory options to customize your new car. They include a rear deck lid spoiler, wing spoiler, aero kit, splashguards, trunk mat, and my favorite, a trunk apron. It covers the bumper and open area when you are loading and unloading things from your trunk.
The new Honda Civic is one of the new classics or our age. Relentless reliability coupled with amazing resale value gives a good-looking care even more appeal to new buyers.
Stuart Simpson collects information and pictures on Honda cars at hondalinks.com.
