I've been searching for other CL enthusiasts and finally stumbled across this wesite and registered. I bought my '99 black CL two summers ago and absolutely love it. I've juiced the stereo up by replacing the stock speakers with UBGuards and added a 200W amp. I didn't replace the receiver itself for two reasons: 1) less of a target for thieves and 2) so my wife wouldn't notice.

At any rate, I'm interested in boosting the performance somewhat; not specifically to race but purely for my own enjoyment. My CL is the 5-sp and has 54K on the odometer. I also need to keep any performance improvements "incognito" much like my stereo improvements. But, I don't really know where to start. Any basic suggestions to begin with?...things to avoid?

I'd appreciate any suggestions for a neophyte.

Thanks- KC99CL

 

Engine swap!

swap in a h22 awesome mod...and I doubt she'd notice it

 

either that or headers. I'm sure she'd notice an intake and exhaust.

 

I'm afraid that may be a bit obvious. I'm looking for modifications under the hood to the existing engine that I can do "piece meal" rather than dropping in an whole new engine.

 

read the newbie thread.

if u do most engine mods they will cause noises that are noticable... humming of a Cold air intake, header and exhaust. if u change plugs and wires that won't do u any good but might keep the spark consistant... and ignition upgrade, perhaps a cam gear or a vtec controller after all that. u can get some underdrive pullies too.

that covers it for now. read up on the newb thread and ask other more specific questions if u got some ... welcome to the board hope we can be helpful.

 

If you dont want to do cold air intake, buy a K&N air filter, thats way better than whats in there now. Most everything makes some kind of noise. Headers are usually quiet unless u throttle it wide open. My wife knew instantly when I put mine and floored it. SHe said it never used to growl like that before, then my smirk gave it away. Good luck man and welcome.

 

OK, I'll read the newbie thread and see if I can catch up. Thanks for the suggestions for now and maybe I'll have some more specifics later.

 

CHIHUAHUA Pups, 3 purebred, 2 male, 1 female, $350 209-365-0361

CHIHUAHUA- Male, faun w/white, 03/03, very gentle & nice. $250 Helen, 466-5652

 

wElCoMe roookie!!!!!...u got alota reading to do...

 

heres what u do. u buy an intake and say it will give u better gas milage. which it will. then u buy a muffler because ur "old one" is "rusty". then nitros because it helps the air conditioning. im still working on convincing my old lady i need better a/c. oh yea headers because u wear the pants in the house and if she dont like it then she can take a hike. then when she does......sorry.. u never heard it from me. oh yea and duck when u tell her to hit the bricks.

 

sup! welcome.......

 

hihi!!!

welcome to the board!! and hi from seattle!!! hehe..

first off.. here are a couple of websites where i buy parts from.. pretty good prices for good parts..

adventon.com

autodynamic.com (great colored 164/198 colored bulbs.. last forever!!)

hey.. and if u have the chance post some pics of your ride! and u!

if your a girl.. more pics of u.. hehe..

 

OK, I think the picture is coming into focus now...

1) I should start with a K&N air filter

2) Go with a cold air intake

3) Add some OBX headers

4) Perhaps some hi perf plugs and wires

5) What's the Vtec controller do?

6) What do the underdrive pullies do?

7) Replace the cam

Then, I guess after the engine work, I'll need to improve the brakes to be able to stop after adding the extra hp; perhaps upsize the wheels and tires while I'm at it.

How does this sound for the beginnings of a plan?

 

Welcome

 

This is good but... if u are going to go with a cold air intake... don't get the k&n filter first since they are different models that u will need and no use buying 2 diff filters.

If you are looking into buying a CAI(cold air intake) then look into buying a AEM V2. AEM is Advance Engine Management? and the product is called the V2

You have a 5 speed so you have a 4 cylinder engine so you only need 1 header not headers. OBX are good I have it on my car.

Underdrive pullies replace the existing pulleys u have in your car, but they are lighter than the stock ones. This reduces the energy lost from turning the stock pullies lighter is better.

Vtec controller monitors air to fuel (a/f) ratio and you can get it tuned at a shop and set the point of VTEC engagement of your engine... our 4cyl don't really feel the vtec but it is there.

the cam gear is an adjustable one to advange or retard the speed? not really sure on this.

plugs and wires are maintainance and if u got way more mods may help in higher RPM's for better consistancy.

for rims and tires ... from what happened to me... when I put on the 18"s my braking suffered a lot... I get kinda scared when I break... my rear drivers side rotor is fucked up really.. when install in the suspension the back of the rotor was grooved the pad was really warn down and put grooves in the rotor... luckily I got the brembos and the pads from the group buy.

so I guess when u upgrade ur rims and tires u will want to upgrade ur pads and rotors which would be the best time to do so because they got the wheels of your car... assuming you would get it done at a shop.

hope that helps... check my www for some pics click on my name and should be an option to see my "homepage"

 

That sounds like good advice; that is, just going with the cold air intake. Everybody seems to recommend the AEM CAI so I'll look into the V2.

I'm still out on the jury in terms of the header. As I originally mentioned, I sort of want to keep the car looking "stock" (from the outside) as much as possible.

About these pullies...won't they affect the performance of the other units operating from the stock pulleys, i.e. the AC? Can't deal with that in our hot, humid NC summers. I have a 25 mile commute to work and back daily.

Sounds like the plugs and wires may not be necessary unless I get heavy-duty into the engine.

The cam gear may be a possibility...

I definitely like the idea of upgrading the brakes. Will do that when the current set of tires wear out. I really don't want to go aftermarket with the rims though, again in keeping with trying to keep the car looking stock. Does any body know if some bigger stock Acura wheels will fit the '99 CL? Perhaps the larger wheels from the new type-S???

 

newer acuras use 5 lug pattern.

i think you should get v2/pulleys/headers and maybe some I.C.E -

maybe your wife will appretiate it, then again I dont know your wife.

good luck with everything and of course,

Welcome!

 

welcome to the club


newer acura cl's 2000 and up have 5 lug, all first gens have 4 lug pattern, a 4x114.3 pattern

cold air will get you about 7-9hp
pulley will do some good about 12-15 hp proven on the Unorthodox racing pulleys
dont get a cam for the car cause the ECU will retard the timing back automatically
headers will be nice but try to get some that are better than obx, most obx have been proven to leak at the welds, get some nice DC sport headers, you can look for the accord 4cyl. and findparts for your car

looking parts for the 4cyl CL will not bring up anything

also try using ou search button, there has been a lot of reviews and people on here using most of the products you have asked about and their responses on them

hope this helps

 

the headers will look quite stock u can bolt on your heat shield again I think or maybe it bolts directly into the stock header I forgot.

the AEM CAI might not get u 7-9hp... or at least it doesn't feel like it... but AEM claims them to or something... the V2 should give you even better gas mileage and a bit more hp 1-2 was the claim? I don't know.

did the RL come with a 4x114.3mm 17" rim? not sure. but on the stock rims u can fit a wider tire... at the moment it is 205 I think a 215 fits too.

EDIT: when searching on ebay for parts try acura cl... or try honda accord 94-97, or accord 94, or just honda accord 97 + whatever other thing ur looking for header, cam, cai or whatever.

 

Thanks for the welcome and advice. These suggestions will get me started and I'll learn and research as I go along. I'll keep you posted on what I decide to do and the results.

 

Save your money and get your wife another car so she wont complain when you start modding the CL.

 

Besides the difference in cost, can anybody enlighten me with the differences between the AEM CAI and the K&N perfomance air intake kit for a '97 Accord?

Everyone here has said that most '97 Accord engine parts will fit my '99 CL and that appears true thus far. For example, the K&N air filter shows the same part number for both my car and a '97 Accord but K&N apparently doesn't make a CAI for the '99 CL. So, I looked for the K&N CAI for the '97 Accord and there it was for the V-tec engine. Will it work in my '99 CL? And if so, what are the benefits of the AEM CAI over the K&N CAI?

 

Not sure I don't think anyone has a K&N cai... the K&N kit should fit just fine I would assume... same engine bay and same engine.

AEM has been in the intake business for quite a while they know what they are doing... even have an improvement over CAI as mentioned before the V2. Not sure of what K&N's been up too they are known for their filters and seem to be industry leading. So... I guess at the moment get the best of both worlds the K&N filter for your AEM intake.

 

The reason I was asking was because the parts store photo of each CAI looked similar. Wasn't really asking if I should do the K&N air filter plus the CAI; I guess I just wasn't clear enough. My inquiry was what's the difference, other than price, between the AEM CAI and the K&N CAI?

Another obvious difference is that AEM actually stocks the CAI for the CL while the K&N CAI doesn't; it does, however, stock a CAI for the '97 Accord. So, I'm wondering if there's a fit issue here and if that's a reason most everybody here recommends the AEM CAI. I'd prefer not getting into drastic modifications just to make a part fit; I assume the AEM CAI is just "bolt on," correct?

 

welcome to the boards. IMHO, screw all the bolt on stuff. Doesnt really make a difference. Our cars arent really meant to be fast. I'd go for the looks instead. Or, if u really want speed....go for the H22, and build that up.

 

AEM stocking the CAI for the CL... it is the same part number same CAI for the 94-97 accord and the 97-99 4cyl CL. the K&N one just for the accord will 99% chance of perfect fitment. All I was saying is that I would trust the CAI from AEM then swap the AEM filter for the K&N filter.

 

Oh, OK. I'm with you now. Sorry for the confusion.

How big of deal is it to put the CAI in?

 

not bad at all a screw driver philips and flat head... a 14 mm and 12 mm socket and wrenches... a jack, needle nose plyers for pulling off hose clamps... should cover it basically.

 

hehe... naw.. j/p.. i wouldnt mind some pics though...

 

pics of what kc99cl? is 44.

 

damn.. nm....

i guess i like the older type.. haha..

mybad KC..

 

Cool; sounds easy enuff. Thx for the help, ju5tchi11in.

 

dude, he's married to his wife.. chances are he's not a girl..lol

anyway, welcome

 

am i the only one that doesnt know he's married? and a man? where did i miss this info? i should read back..

damn...

 

Yes, I'm married and not a female. Check my first message where I said I'd like to make a few modifications w/o changing the stock look and sound for two reasons: 1) less of a target for thieves and 2) so the wife doesn't find out about the money being spent...she already thinks I'm having a mid-life crisis just because I bought the CL.

 

BWHAHAHA.



thats really funny.

hope you really aren't having a mid life crisis. and by all means a CL would not suggest that... good luck with the installs let us know if you need any help with anything.

 

OK, will do. Thx-