Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

Whassup everybody!

Well, most likely I'll be purchasing a CL-S next week and i have a few questions regarding modding the car...

1) I have noticed that this car doesnt have projectors and was wondering if there is ANY possible way of upgrading to get projectors?

2) I am kind of oblivious to HID systems and need some information regarding them. I have noticed the CL-S has a HID system and i have seen them at night, and they are quite similar to IS300's...bright white. However, i'm in love with the blue/purplish HIDs like Audis/bmw/benz's have (or even aftermarket kits). My question is, if i were to upgrade my HID kit, what would I have to change (and please be specific). I have seen terms like ballasts and bulbs and waht not and have no clue. Plus, what are the best HID kit companys? Cuz I want to buy the best shit hehe. Also, what are the temperatures, like 7000k 9000k and 12000k etc etc. What do they mean?

3) As for performance goes, I have chosen to keep it as close to stock as possible, if anything just a few mods. However, i don't want the cars's tone to be changed all that much. So, what mods would be best to add with the least amount of noise added? For example, CAI, pulleys, axle-back exhaust, etc. In addition, if you could name best brands as well that'd be great!

4) Do strut bars and sway bars help this car alot? If so, what brands are the best?

5) My car i currently own is lowered on springs only, and let me tell ya, the ride can get bouncy here and there. My question is, what suspension set ups are the best for this car (springs/shocks or full coil-over) and what brands are the best as well. I want my suspension to be as stock as possible. By the way, waht does a soft or stiff suspension mean too?

6) I want to get rims, either 18s or 19s. What offset would i have to get, and what width of the rims would be most efficient? Would i have to get a camber kit? Also, i've heard that you can adjust your setup to get like a negative camber or something for better handling and still have a pretty good tread wear? Another question is if i get 18s or 19s will I rub if i lower it? How can i get rid of the rubbing?


That's pretty much it for now, im kind of stumped on questions cuz im studying for 3 midterms at the moment. If i have any more questions, ill make sure to post them on here. Thanks so much for your time for helping me out, it is greatly appreciated! And please dont flame me for my lack of knowledge in these particular areas. Thanks alot!

Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

Oh also another question, does the M5 spoiler fit directly onto the car or will there be modifications needed?? Thanks

RaleighNC

http://www.geocities.com/gamesmgr/chod/acura/

Red Rider

I'll be happy to answer #4, YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS !!

The Comptech sways are fantastic and may be the best bang for the buck of any mod. I got the Koni adjustable struts ( Yellows ) and they made a HUGE difference in handling, the Toyo T1S - 18s didn't hurt either. Good luck

Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

Thanks Red Rider.....

Is there really nobody else on this forum that could help me out?? Please I'm planning on purchasing one this weekend and need some things answered. Thanks

`John

Chopsie

Read this man, VERY insightful, tells you about mods, and general stuff about the car.

Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

Thanks man...I did, however i need the HID's question answered still etc (thats kinda importante to me, hehe). Thanks for lookin out tho, very helpful website!

Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

wow, I'm getting no feedback?? So nobody out there knows any of this??

DRM600

you just need to change the bulbs. the higher the kelvins, the bluer or purpler the light output color. why anyone would make their lights purpler is beyond me.

amir was here

1)

?? i dont konw how to answer #1

2)

To get the light you are looking for, there are 2 options. Stock I believe the CL-S has 35watt ballasts, it is mated with 4200k stock. 4200k is the temperature that it burns at to make the light you see. You can purchase 6000k lights (under $300) and put them in, Phillips and another company make them. Just type in 6000k in the search to find out what brands are best, and which to order. Make sure you order the correct size of bulb. You should konw that since you are going with a higher temperature being burnt, your 35watts will not be sufficient, therefore you will actually LOSE brightness, although you WILL get the color that you are looking for. 99% of the people that have 6000k lights dont care about losing the brightness of their lights, but if you are REALLY anal about visibility and stuff, you can always get 50watt ballasts, i dont know of anyone that has them on a CL, but i know people that have them on other cars, one being an RSX. If you go with a 50 watt ballast, your not going to want to go with 6000k, because with 50 watt ballasts 6000k looks YELLOW, to get the look you want, you will have to go with 10 000 or 12000k bulbs..this is very important. Personally I would recommend you stick with the stock ballasts, and throw in some 6000k bulbs, it will look awsome.

3)

The greatest gains on the car are seen with :

a)Supercharger - by Comptech aprox $4500-5000

b)Headers - OBX makes decent inexpensive ones, Comptech makes quality expensive ones. I cant remember how much OBX headers cost, i think less than 500 dollars, Comptech headers cost around $1050
Both headers add roughly 18-26 hp which is quite impressive, and i believe its also dyno proven. It is probably the most popular mod.

c)Intake - AEM or Injen both i think priced the same around 200? I think this is a MUST HAVE mod, its cheap, and the gains are cool too....around 7-11hp. I think there was a dyno that showed around 10hp@wheels ?

d) Exhaust - on the cl-s its pretty free flowing, you can get systems like the comptech one, but its kinda loud without the silencer. Gains are minimal, i doubt you would see over 4hp...i think the exhaust is not really worth it for YOU since you dont want the car to be too loud, and since the gains are low, but its an awsome mod for the seriuos enthuisiast. Comptech exhaust i think is like 800dollars?? not sure

e) Pulleys - i really dont know much about them, but i know they add a few hp, try throwing it in the search engine..

f) lighter rims + better/lighter tires..this is probably the best mod if you dont want the car louder, stock rims weigh 25/26 pounds, you can find 17" rims that weigh 20 pounds that are priced pretty good, and since your taking LBS off unsprung weight, your definetly going to feel a positive difference in acceleration, handling, and braking, without ANY noise or extra stress on the transmission or engine. This is not a cheap mod though. Expect to pay around 1900-4000 for lighter rims and tires.

thats pretty much all i know of, there are some threads about Chips, i havent had time to read them yet, so i have no info on them.

An intake will only make the car louder in Vtec range, and a little hissing when you start the car, but its really not that obviuos untill you hit vtec. headers are the same, only louder at higher RPM's....from what you are saying, i would go with headers and CAI..

4)

YES, they make a huge difference. I believe Comptech and Nuespeed and a couple other companies make them. I've read and heard from friends with a CL-S that they make a WORLD of a difference, and that they are worth every penny spent. Although I think the tires would be the first thing i would change.

5)

It really depends on your budget. I wouldnt go with cheap coilovers myself, do a search on coilovers, but be prepared to spend some $$. For most people, springs and shocks are fine. Since you mention you want to keep the car stock looking, i wouldnt go with coilovers. Koni red and yellow shocks seem to be popular here mated with H&R springs, or comptech, eibach.. I would recomend comptech for you since its not that low, or H&R OE or sport springs. A search would be benificla so you could see what springs have what drop. You can change the springs, but be prepared to get a "bouncy" ride in about 15k miles. Koni shocks are always good, Koni yellows are adjustable in terms of stiffness, while the Reds are height adjustable as well as stiffness. A soft suspension would basically give you a "softer ride" while a stiff suspension will give you a stiff ride. On a soft suspension, you wont feel that great about pushing your car into turns, it will feel boaty...while on a stiff suspension, you feel like the car is more on rails, rather than a cloud. This is mainly determined with the shocks, and the settings you choose.

6)

you can get 18's or 19's. for 18's your looking at 225/40/18 or 235/40/18 while with 19's you are looking at 235/35/19. Take into consideration your driving habits before buying, if your careless, stay away from 19's as you can bend them easily without caution. I've seen people with sizes 7" wide up to 8.5" wide. A good size would be 8" wide in my opinion for a 19" rim and 7.5 for a 18" rim, but either way you will only be mounting the tire sizes i listed above, so it really makes no difference as long as you stay within those sizes. Stock offset on the CL-S is 55 on a 7" wide rim. Rubbing has to do with offset, rim width, tire size as well as lowering. the most aggressive offset you should go with would be a 7.5" with 42 offset, that may even require rubbing. 7.5" with 48 offset is best. Due to the MANY types of offsets etc, it would be better if you just found a rim you like, posted the specs on this forum, and people will tell you if its good or not. Few people that do rub, have fixed it by rolling the fenders. here is an offset calculator to try best to avoid rubbing, http://toy4two.home.mindspring.com/offset.html

I believe a camber kit does exist, but i dont think you will need one, unless you go with a very aggressive drop. For the most part, just remember to get an alignment 1 week after installing new springs, and rotate tires often.


quite a few people have m5 lip spoilers they go right on i believe order from here http://www.c-c-c.net/New_ProductsCLTL.html

congrats on your decisions, you will love the car.

In the future, try use the search button....also, the reason why your not getting too many responses is because you are asking ALOT of questions in 1 post....try to break it up a bit...meaning ask maybe two questions per thread...

Good luck.

amir was here

are you telling me you dont love the purple from the 7-series from far away?

and 6000k with a 30/35 watt ballast is imo more blue than purple..

once you get to 8000k on a 30/35 ballast, thats when it starts to look too purple.

quikcls

the purplish hid's are because they are projection hid's. bm's and audi's use projection headlights, whereas acura,mercedes, lexus use regular hid's thats why they look white. ever drive in front of a car with projection beams that aren't hid's like a s2000, etc. at certain angles they have a purplish tint too.

amir was here

ohh ok

i just fucking realized i typed all that stuff, dude, you better fucking by a cl-s after that

Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

LOL!! thank you so much amirsafdari. And yes, I am no matter what getting a CL-S. Thx quickcls as well ...thats very informative. So, what exactly do i have to purchase for the HID upgrade? Just bulbs? or ballasts (btw, what is this?). So i would need to get 30/35w with around 8000k for more purplish? And if i want to keep my visibility, go to 50w but to like 10-12k kelvins?? Is that correct? Once again, thank u so much!

twhitted

John, Have you found a CL yet? Mine is still for sale and I'd be willing to drop the price to $18,000 if you are interested. It is in absolute MINT condition and you can see it on the web. you can find the link in the black market section.
Travis

Dem1K

iTrader: (1)

Another question: I've seen the Icebox intake system or something? Whats the difference from that or a CAI in terms of power or what not?

twhitted, I just got your PM. The only problem is that you're wayyyy up by San Francisco and I dont want to drive that far. Plus there are quite a few at dealerships locally that are in my price range. PM me back if you got any solutions