Hi, I am relativly new to these forums, but accidently came across them yesterday night. I spent a good 2 hours reading posts and I'm sure that you guys will be able to give me some advice as to where I should go from here with my CL.

Right now I am pretty much a stock 97 3.0CL besides the 15% tint and 4350k xenon's, and my kickass system.

I am inquiring as to where I should go from here, im not a racer so I would prefer handling\sound over speed. I was thinking about going in this order.

1.) aem cai
2.) exhaust (not sure as to specifications, any suggestions?)
3.) lower it (I'm not aware as to what else needs to be purchased if I lower it ex: springs + chamber? shocks?)

Also I am soon getting my friends 99 3.0cl rims so take that in to consideration.

By the way i am not made of money :P Thanks in advance!

 

if it were me i'd probably lower it before anything....depending on how low u go u might or might not need a camber kit........but to me the cai and exhaust arent really worth it , they dont make that much of a difference, and if u're not worried about speed, go for the looks

 

Yea i'd say lower it first, or get a dvd system in your car. Unless of course, you already have all that. Oh and pics of your HID's?

 

Drop that sucka!

 

Alright thanks for the fast responses! A few quick questions though.

1.) I was going for the cai\exhaust for the sound of the ride
2.) im getting these new rims soon (within the month) if i drop this say 1.75" what kind of springs do I need, also would I need camber and shocks or whatever else.
3.) if i get it lowered before i get the new rims on can i swap out the rims without a problem (size differential on the 1999 and 1997 3.0 cl rims?)

Thanks again!

 

Rims for the '97 and the '99 are the same size.

Any drop over 1.5" WILL need a camber kit (front and rear).

Eibach sportline springs should drop your 1.7" (or more).

 

How much does a camber kit run? Unless its relativly cheap i will more than likely be dropping it 1.5". What kind of Kit would you recommend, and how much would it cost?

 

I don't know the cost of camber kit since I've not needed one.

I have Eibach Pro-Kit springs on my 3.0CL. They advertise the drop at 1.4" front and rear. I'd say my rear ssettled in at 1.5" to 1.6". The fronts are about 1.4" to 1.5". I've seen Pro-Kit springs on eBay for $158.00 + $30.00 shipping: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...tem=2427073072

 

H&R's will drop you 1.75" too. A camber kit MIGHT be needed, you wont know for sure until it settles and you get the tires aligned

 

All drop over 1.5" WILL need a camber kit. There even people are now reporting camber issues with the Pro-Kit at 1.4"

http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...hreadid=110061

 

Can i rightfully assume that installation is going to run me near 200$?

Also what type of exhaust do you have dustbuster, and how much did it cost?

 

It's my opinion, based on my roomie's car and my earlier experience with my cars, and this is just me...

That if you're not doing anything too wild with your car going with a CAI/headers will give you a decent amount of hp and increase the _engine_ sound of the car without giving the car an overly loud exhaust sound.

Now, if you eventually do decide to do something that requires a less restrictive cat-back (or high-flow cat) exhaust system then you can work from there, but if you just want a nice sound...CAI will give you a more aggressive (and dare I say pleasant?) engine sound.

 

Thank you deathlok! That is exactly what I was looking to hear! How much do headers run?

*sorry in advance for asking so many questions, but i am very interested and this seems like the best place to get answers!*

 

I have a 3A Racing "Air Dynamic" exhaust. I'm not sure what the individual price was on the muffler. I bought the muffler already welded to a custom bent axle-back pipe with hangers.

Another board member (NOMAD) bought the muffler and had the pipe work done. He only had it on his car for a short while before his wife kindly suggested that it was too loud for her. I bought it off of him and had it installed for $20.00 at a muffler shop.

I believe NOMAD paid a little over $200 for the whole set-up.

Here is is on my CL:






EDIT: I agree with Deathlok.

 

Alright, this friday I will be cashing me $550 Paycheck, so i will be dishing out 200 for intake, then that leaves me with 350, should I lower, or get headers\ exhaust?

 

The cheapest headers you can get are the OBX headers for the 1998-2002 Accord V6. They're on eBay for $325 plus shipping. You'll need to get a custom bend to the rear down pipe as described in my thread: http://www.acura-cl.com/forums/showt...threadid=82498 . The price may vary on the custom bend. On the 3 installs that I've done, my bend was FREE; dajuice27's bend cost him $10, however, Vegeta1's bend cost him a FULL HOUR'S LABOR = $80. So, you see that there may be some extra costs involved (assuming you're doing the install yourself).

However, even though you can get lowering springs for under $200, shipped, I HIGHLY recommend sawping in new struts at the same time. Since you will be disassembling the strut/spring unit, you might as well put in new struts. Leaving in the OEM struts with shorter springs greatly increases your chances of blowing them. Getting new (quality) struts is going to run you $200-$350, depending on which brand you get (plus shipping).

You can certainly leave the OEM struts on your car, but if your decide down the road to improve your handling, you'll probably go for new struts. This means paying more $$$ or spending more time (doing them yourself) than compared to putting in new struts at the same time you lower your CL.

Good luck with your decision!

 

Thanks a lot all of you! Especially you dustbuster.
Whenever I do any modifications I NEVER go cheap, I always get quality - best stuff.
It looks like I will be just saving money up after the CAI, as I realize I do not have enough $$$ atm to get a quality lowering job done. Thanks again for all your guys answers and suggestions\reccomendations. Keep them coming if you guys have anymore.