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My name is DC, from sunny Miami FL. Picked up a 2015 2.4 ILX last September and have enjoyed it from the time I test drove it. Before I continue on a little of my car history. When i was 17 i bought a 1995 Lexus LS 400 for 4000$. After about a year or so i traded it in for a 2004 NBP TL and ended up modding it with a custom 2.75in mandrel bent exhaust and bolt ons. When my trans and wallet gave out from all the speeding i traded in the TL for a White 2012 TSX base model that would only ever get H&R springs. After the lease was up I took a huge interest in the ILX with the k24 and was lucky enough that the dealership I had used for my previous Acuras had one in the color I wanted. Hope you enjoy.
Day 1
put 10% tint on all windows after a few weeks got tired of the fishbowl and beaming sunlight/heat when I drove.
picked up some H&Rs. Wasn't a fan of the stock ride height. Ride was also a bit bouncy, have experience with this brand so didn't do much shopping around when I bought them.
1.5 front 1.3 rear
Bought and installed PRL SRI. Ran awful car wasn't happy, contacted Vit and was told with out a tune the intake wasn't going to help as much as it would hurt. so i went back to stock for now as a Hondata has decided to ignore this platform for now. Going to look into other options for tuning.
took her to the track when it was bone stock, to get a baseline on how much the mods I do help my time as well as increase power. best time was a 10.056 vs a civic hatch that ran a 10.491 . (⅛ mile drag)
Since tuning is on hold for now, Decided to pick up some 17x8 +35 offset RPF1 wheels that will arrive by wednesday or thursday next week, going to run stock tires for now until they wear out or i can afford a nice set of summer tires.
Full race catless DP should be here tuesday, was told it should run better with this part even with out a tune, even if it won't be at its full potential.
Will post pics as the car comes along. Thanks and hope you enjoy!
A bit confused on the whole intake situation. A few 2.4 owners have an intake with no tune as well as a couple r20 owners. No one else has reported the car performing worse so I'm wondering what the deal was.
I'm wondering if it would have been different if you didn't do the bypass and install that little filter. I can't remember what it's called for the life of me but I remember an on going debate with the integra/civic guys on whether or not that hurt performance.
I guess its a possibility. here is my experience with the PRL SRI untuned. Day one I installed and reset the ecu. at first It felt more or less the same but sounded AWESOME when VTEC kicked in. On the way home from my girlfriends house I jumped on the highway and pushed it. got up to about 100-110 and i put the clutch in and put the car in neutral. The car turned off. when i exited i started the car back up and idle was a little rough. Reset the ecu again, following some instructions I hadn't before, ran the intake for another two days starting to feel a loss in the midrange, car was making noise but I wasn't feeling any acceleration then sudden pull and back to no power in the midrange. cherry on top was the cel light that came on for the second time.
when i put the stock intake back in car felt like it should, didn't sound as great but id rather have the car run well than sound good.
another member posted when he got his car tuned with bolt ons, on the baseline dyno runs the car had a misfire probably caused by one or more bolt ons.
I work at Dorbyworks for a great custom honda ruckus builder. learning a little about AFR and tuning carbs for 170+ cc motors, you come to learn if there is too much air or gas the scooter won't achieve its max potential, although a lot simpler than tuning a fuel injected motor I believe the same principles apply and even though my car ran and sounded cool, it was rough and most likely would cause damage to the motor over time. I could be completely wrong or my car with the newer ecu could be more sensitive than other models, either way that was just my experience I'm sure others have had better/ worse.
thanks for the info OSU, seems to go right in line with what I was feeling after I installed the intake, will be installing the full race DP tomorrow afternoon, will take some pics and post once I do.
If you take a look at the RBC comparison Vit did, the car used was baselined with only Full race DP and Exhaust. if you look at the Dyno chart there is no misfire like the one in the chart OSU posted. ill make a bet that the misfire is caused by the SRI. Ill share my experience with the DP after I run it for a few days.
Loved the RBC vs stock intake manifold blog. Imo it's a terrible upgrade, you lose hp and tq from 3500-5250 all day. I generally do not rev above 5250 on the average shift so top end doesn't help me much. That's why i love the supercharger, sitting at almost 200 TQ at the wheel from 4000-5000 rpms. That's where it shines
OSU i agree, personally even in spirited driving on the street I really won't take it past 5500rpm, once the torque is gone i want to shift to get more back ... There is a local who has a full bolt on si (including rbc swap) and puts down a 9.3 @78.5mph in the ⅛ mile, which doesnt impress me much when I did a 10.05@70mph bone stock. He has a bunch of videos on youtube racing on the street to 140+mph and thats where his car impresses me top end is really nice and it seems to be his cup of tea. but thats all topend and a good way to lose your car if you get caught ill take my car to 80 maybe 100 when I get on the highway so i enjoy the midrange tq you feel from 0-80/100mph. I'm curious to see how lighter wheels and a little more power/tq do on my car when i take it to the track in april, Should break the 9s, i bet with some better tires i could probably get close to that time with out the mods. given the short distance plays in my favor, as well as the set up i want for my car.
update for this week: full race catless dp came in today, spent the better part of the afternoon attempting to install it myself. after almost stripping the heat shield bolt and not even being able to break the bolts loose on the flange to the exhaust, I realized i needed a lift and better tools than i had at home. Headed over to the local exhaust shop that I've had some work done on a few cars of mine and my friends and got quoted 90$ to install it. they told me they would do it in an hour so ill be there hopefully before or on friday to finally get it done. RPF1s should be on the car by then too
Full race DP installed and first impressions are great. It is really a quality part fit and finish looks perfect and performance feels like a definite improvement over stock. it was 90$ installed and apparently I got my moneys worth, the owner of the shop approached me and said he probably won't be charging less than 140$, the guy they had working on my car got a few scrapes on his arm, got a little frusterated towards the end of the install. (left him a tip) he did a great job and i don't think they knew what they were getting into when they quoted me 90$.
Drove from the shop to my house then to school. so far no CEL light fingers crossed it stays that way. feels great all over the power band, really happy with this purchase.
RPF1's still haven't come in. ordered them 8 days ago, they should have been here yesterday, when I called the wheel shop to check in they told me Enkei's warehouse in Texas apparently had some back order blah blah blah so might be here in 2 days so, monday? who knows.. at this point the DP should keep me pretty entertained but i can't wait to get the wheels shipped in and mounted.
Did you keep the stock cat on our did you take that off as well. I'm definitely getting the full race dp but not sure whether to get the catted or catless one
Did you keep the stock cat on our did you take that off as well. I'm definitely getting the full race dp but not sure whether to get the catted or catless one
Catted or catless the full race dp replaces both cats that come stock with the car I went with the catless version and I kept the stock exhaust for now, has a deeper tone, sounds mean at high RPM but there is a bit of a hissing/rasp that I'm not a fan of so probably will pick up the full race exhaust when the money is right.
how do you like the ride of the H&R's? I'm planning on getting RPF1's also but in 18x9's. can't wait to see yours installed.
H&R's ride great for me, over bumps can get a little bouncy but on normal roads it feels as smooth as stock. A lot tighter in the turns and even switching lanes, body roll is almost gone I highly recommend them. I'm anxious to get them already ! Will post up some pics as soon as I do. I almost went 18, they will definetly look nicer than 17 but I got them for their lightweight more than their looks. Hope you get yours soon would like to see the difference on the car !
Finally got the RPF1's on friday, shipped in at around 530 pm so I had to wait until Saturday to get my tires swaped and the wheels mounted.
17x8 with at +35 offset and the stock tires ( baby stretch ) gave the car the look I wanted. IMO looks beefy and the fitment is just right, not too far out not too far in just about flush maybe a few mm tucked in. The car feels noticeably better in every aspect of driving, acceleration, braking and handling. Not going to be something you notice like a significant power mod, best way I can explain it is it does everything it did before, just a little better, OEM+ .
For anyone who was curious about the stock wheel weight, with out the tire it is just over 22.7 lbs. With the RPF1's at 15.5, saved around 7.2 lbs on each wheel for a total of 28.8 lbs. of unsprung-rotating weight off the car.
and for what most of you really want to see pics...
for anyone who wants the looks more than the weight savings, 18's would definitely make the spokes look nicer and probably be more aesthetically pleasing, probably want to go wider than 8 in. aswell to push it a a little farther out / being more flush with the fenders.
Wheels look good, gives the car a sprty taffetta white SI look, if that's what you're going for. Definitely good sporty wheel choice. I think flush on this car is all relative. I mean the dude on 20's (20x8.5 front and 20x10.5 rear)is flush, but he is also on a mild drop. The offset on his rear wheels must be very high or low, forget how that works. When I see it lined up, on paper, i get it, LOL. I believe its low offset that has more lip and/or deeper inset wheel face...
I have a mild spring drop as well, and 25mm wheel spacers (about 1 inch) on stock wheels(17x7), id say I'm flush(makes the wheel closer to a 17x8ish fit). But if I was on coilovers and an inch or 2 lower, the wheels would be more sunken in. I'm probably gonna try 18x9 or 19x8.5 or 19x9, square setup. BUT maybe different offsets for front and rear... probably getting wheels for summer... 19 and up is usually considered more of a luxury wheel, 18's and smaller sporty.
Can I ask where you got the wheel weights from? The stock wheel was listed as 35lbs on a website that sells OEM wheels. Although it did sound like BS, i trusted it. They no longer post this weight. i had previously linked it in some other thread. But I also figured maybe they meant with the tire included. The OEM accessory wheel (diamond cut) is listed at 25 lbs.
I'd like to upgrade to minimum 18, but especially a 19, however I'm all about function and form. I want to get a nice big lux wheel look, but drop the rotational weight regardless. Wider also gives better stance and grip, but too wide isnt doing anything more then looks. Ive seen some 19x8.5 that were 20lbs a wheel, so that type of wheel would fit my build. But maybe an 18x8.5 might be 18 or 19lbs each... a lot to mess with
Last edited by aomechmarine; 03-30-2015 at 03:55 AM.
Wheels look good, gives the car a sprty taffetta white SI look, if that's what you're going for. Definitely good sporty wheel choice. I think flush on this car is all relative. I mean the dude on 20's (20x8.5 front and 20x10.5 rear)is flush, but he is also on a mild drop. The offset on his rear wheels must be very high or low, forget how that works. When I see it lined up, on paper, i get it, LOL. I believe its low offset that has more lip and/or deeper inset wheel face...
I have a mild spring drop as well, and 25mm wheel spacers (about 1 inch) on stock wheels(17x7), id say I'm flush(makes the wheel closer to a 17x8ish fit). But if I was on coilovers and an inch or 2 lower, the wheels would be more sunken in. I'm probably gonna try 18x9 or 19x8.5 or 19x9, square setup. BUT maybe different offsets for front and rear... probably getting wheels for summer... 19 and up is usually considered more of a luxury wheel, 18's and smaller sporty.
Can I ask where you got the wheel weights from? The stock wheel was listed as 35lbs on a website that sells OEM wheels. Although it did sound like BS, i trusted it. They no longer post this weight. i had previously linked it in some other thread. But I also figured maybe they meant with the tire included. The OEM accessory wheel (diamond cut) is listed at 25 lbs.
I'd like to upgrade to minimum 18, but especially a 19, however I'm all about function and form. I want to get a nice big lux wheel look, but drop the rotational weight regardless. Wider also gives better stance and grip, but too wide isnt doing anything more then looks. Ive seen some 19x8.5 that were 20lbs a wheel, so that type of wheel would fit my build. But maybe an 18x8.5 might be 18 or 19lbs each... a lot to mess with
Thanks!
I put them on a scale thats accurate to .01 lbs so its first hand genuine not read off the internet info. Anything above 17in regardless of weight will change the way the car accelerates, same for anything below 17in. I chose the specs of my wheels to be close to OEM size, wider for possibly better grip but that won't really be gained until I upgrade to better/wider tires for grip as well as fitment.
The current drop I have does tuck the wheels a bit hence the smaller offset than stock, could have probably used another half in in wheel width to be what I consider truly "flush" but I favor function over form I guess? If you have taken a look at OSU's set up, it would be what I consider flush, he also has a wheel that is larger and wider than mine, as well as a lot more power to not have to worry about saving 3 or 4 lbs per wheel.
Yes his wheels are 18x8, plus the spacers, brings them closer to something similar to an 18x9ish wheel rear and 18x8.75 front.
Since there isnt to many ILX's tuned up, I also look at similar setups on Civic Si's. 8th and 9th gen, 8th gen has same basic rear frame. 9th gen has same frame.
I like this site because they actually give wheel sizes and you can see what people did to fit those sizes. If you look closely you see approximate fitment/drops, how super wide wheels are usually really cambered and slammed, etc. 18x9 seems to be like a standard great wheel size for a compromise of fitment/ looks/function. If you are focused purely on performance... id actually say 17x9 witha beefy tire. I believe that the ILX racer is actually running those specs. The supercharged show car one offs (about 3 of them) were all on 19x8.5 or 18x8.5.
Last edited by aomechmarine; 03-30-2015 at 04:43 AM.
The widest RPF1's available to me in 17in were 17x8.5 with a 40 offset. Like you said before going to wide is just for looks. I have a few buddy who drives a 2010 civic si on bags/super wide wheels. He told me people in that community won't go less than 8.5 in wide. the set up he is going for in the next month will have a 17x9.5 front 17x10 rear ( might not be exact ) super rare wheels won't even tell me what they are till he mounts them.
personally i don't feel the need to have a 9in wide tire, I would say that is probably right on the line where the wheel would get too wide for what I wanted to accomplish with my car. If you can find the specs for the wheels on the ILX racer I would be curious to see what they chose as they know a lot more than I do about all of this and I'm sure picked the right size wheel for performance.
I took a look at the civics you mentioned in the link, looks like most if not all of the cars there are the "hella flush" / "slammed" which is not really very functional but it also has a lot to do with how low they are. 18x9 on a drop like mine would definitely look great, but that would be form over function even if they wheels are better than stock.
Those are good quality lightweight wheels for sure. 22-23lbs for OEM 17" sounds right. I think my PF01's are 18.2lbs each just an FYI (18x8)
Thanks! I am really happy with them.
Your fitment is awesome I really like the stance your car has, and at that weight/size that sounds like an ideal set up. Got a bigger/wider wheel and still lost weight.
Come to homestead track on friday! Ill be there early and ill be running my car a few times we can race legal!
Hehehe I wish bro, pointless ur car is being built for speed, mines just to look diff and nice (to my eyes) do you know how many miles you are getting per tank? with a moderate driving pattern?
Hehehe I wish bro, pointless ur car is being built for speed, mines just to look diff and nice (to my eyes) do you know how many miles you are getting per tank? with a moderate driving pattern?
This is my other ride (2013 honda ruckus) with more mods than i care to list at this moment lol. This is what I have to be diff and nice to my eyes, everyone is different your car is cool, you pushed the limits to what a lot of people didn't think would fit or ride nice if it works for you thats dope!
my attempt at "moderate driving" lol would probably put me at 280ish? ill get back to you on that but my driving style is probably what most would consider "spirited" and my commute to school/work/home/gf's house are mostly short highway sprints followed by some stop and go, normally averages around 23-25 mpg.. not sure how many miles a tank Ill usually fill up half way never really put a full tank. #becauseRacecar lol
This is my other ride (2013 honda ruckus) with more mods than i care to list at this moment lol. This is what I have to be diff and nice to my eyes, everyone is different your car is cool, you pushed the limits to what a lot of people didn't think would fit or ride nice if it works for you thats dope!
my attempt at "moderate driving" lol would probably put me at 280ish? ill get back to you on that but my driving style is probably what most would consider "spirited" and my commute to school/work/home/gf's house are mostly short highway sprints followed by some stop and go, normally averages around 23-25 mpg.. not sure how many miles a tank Ill usually fill up half way never really put a full tank. #becauseRacecar lol
Hahaha I see, you even think about the extra weight gas adds. LOL and at 285 miles a tank you for sure are a veryyyy spirited driver, I was able to get 330 miles on a full tank with the big wheels driving like a granny, goes down to 300 when i get spirited like you. Have you gotten any warning lights on? engone light or so with you mods? you have an intake right?
I took off the intake and run the stock intake because my car ran poorly with it, if you look at the dyno OSU posted it shows a misfire at low rpm with bolt ons, at the time i installed it, it was my only mod (performance), ill put my money that the misfire the dyno shows come from the intake. A Check engine light also came on as well, probably a code for running too rich/lean or a misfire code.
I have a Full Race catless DP (3in) with the stock exhaust installed and it is my only performance mod at this time. With no way to tune atm, it is probably the best mod i can do to add some sort of power even if its not the maximum potential, the car still runs as it should, although I do have a check engine light, it is probably a "No Cat" code and i can live with that because i know the engine isn't taking more abuse than it really needs to.
should also comment my little ruckus does about 75mpg and hits 80+mph hehehe. if i really need to save gas and want to have fun, ill just jump on that for a week or so.
I like this site because they actually give wheel sizes and you can see what people did to fit those sizes. If you look closely you see approximate fitment/drops, how super wide wheels are usually really cambered and slammed, etc. 18x9 seems to be like a standard great wheel size for a compromise of fitment/ looks/function. If you are focused purely on performance... id actually say 17x9 witha beefy tire. I believe that the ILX racer is actually running those specs. The supercharged show car one offs (about 3 of them) were all on 19x8.5 or 18x8.5.
Another thought on the ILX racer, the rpf1's they are using are in black, assuming ( and i could be 100% wrong) that they got the wheels from enkei and they were not custom made, the manufactured biggest set they sell in the black is 17x8 +35 offset ( same size as my wheels ) i could be wrong and they could have had every option in the world but, food for thought.
Another thought on the ILX racer, the rpf1's they are using are in black, assuming ( and i could be 100% wrong) that they got the wheels from enkei and they were not custom made, the manufactured biggest set they sell in the black is 17x8 +35 offset ( same size as my wheels ) i could be wrong and they could have had every option in the world but, food for thought.
If you're talking about the black ones on the 24hour those are 18in rpf1s
The widest RPF1's available to me in 17in were 17x8.5 with a 40 offset. Like you said before going to wide is just for looks. I have a few buddy who drives a 2010 civic si on bags/super wide wheels. He told me people in that community won't go less than 8.5 in wide. the set up he is going for in the next month will have a 17x9.5 front 17x10 rear ( might not be exact ) super rare wheels won't even tell me what they are till he mounts them.
personally i don't feel the need to have a 9in wide tire, I would say that is probably right on the line where the wheel would get too wide for what I wanted to accomplish with my car. If you can find the specs for the wheels on the ILX racer I would be curious to see what they chose as they know a lot more than I do about all of this and I'm sure picked the right size wheel for performance.
I took a look at the Civics you mentioned in the link, looks like most if not all of the cars there are the "hella flush" / "slammed" which is not really very functional but it also has a lot to do with how low they are. 18x9 on a drop like mine would definitely look great, but that would be form over function even if they wheels are better than stock.
Yea, you have to look at a lot of them, to see the differences. But a lot of them are stanced. Some are just on a mild drop. But, I guess I could get an 18 wheel and get spacers to flush it out... Like I say, that's why I haven't bought wheels yet. Want something that's a combo, mostly find wheels that are too big or too small for what i want.
03-15-2015, 06:39 AM
