'05 Accord hop up goodies?

Hey

With 50K+ on my '05 Accord, and still running well,
I'd like to take the next step in hopping up the 4 cylinder.
I've had the car a while now, without a single problem.

It's stock to the bone, right now.

Is there any kind of way to 'bolt-on' a dual exhaust on it? Regardless
if this would add performance or not, I doubt it would harm it, if
there is a set up that starts from the rear of the muffler and goes
back. I saw a neighbor's 90? Civic set up with duals, but looks odd
as there is one cut-out on the rear valance of the car.

The '05 4cyl. Accords don't have anything like that, and the extra
pipe would 'look as cool' (and subtle) as the V6 exhaust for that
year.

How about in the air cleaner dept? Would a K&N add any horses, if
they even make a bolt-in for the car?

Can anyone here verify if there's a performance chip that 'piggybacks'
on an existing one? Is that true? If so
does it perform? How bout injectors?

If I wanted to go yet a step further and go inside the cyl. head, do I
have any valve train options?

It's been a couple years now, and think somebody's come out with some
extras. It's a stick tranny.

The Chimp

 

So Chimp, you'd like to monkey around with it and see if you can solve
the problem of it 'still' running well?

 

there's a reason for that!

all it does is add weight [-you want to keep weight down if you want to
perform] and it adds nothing to performance - it's fed by a single pipe.
two outlets fed by a single inlet is utterly pointless.

it's only worth it if you bear in mind two things:

i. the #1 objective is cold air, and 99% of kits suck warm air from
inside the engine compartment.

ii. you don't mind sacrificing engine longevity. that brand doesn't
filter very well, so the engine is sucking fine grit all the time. that
reduces engine life.

forget it. with obdII, it's a complex system and optimally tuned.
simply putting your foot down switches the engine into "max power" mode.

yes, install the ex head. the cam/valve arrangement improves
performance significantly. you'll need the ex engine computer as well.
be aware, this involves some re-wiring, and this is a non-trivial
project. worth it though.

your best bet is the head/cam. all the rest of the aftermarket stuff is
just lipstick on a pig. you may be able to get an aftermarket cam for
your head as-is, and that will improve performance, bolt-in, no other
worries. it probably won't run as well at lower revs, [mine doesn't],
so if this is a daily driver, or you share the car with the wife, i'd
forget any mods.

another thing to consider - hondas need high revs to perform. i've been
out with people who criticize honda performance, when they're flooring
it at 3krpm, then shifting to the next gear. at those rpm's, you're
well below peak power and the motor will just plod. get the motor
bouncing off the red line and it's a completely different animal. make
sure that you have this technique down before you spend money on things
that will affect normal driveability, seriously deplete the value of
your car and reduce its life.

finally, make sure that what you already have is performing as well as
possible. things like iridium plugs make a small difference, but every
little helps.

 

I'd suggest the following:

1) Go to the supermarket and buy a can of your favorite coffee. Drink
said coffee. Take the can, replace the stock muffler and tailpipe.
That
will get you 5 - 10 hp.

2) Purchase an aftermarket 'cold air intake'. Remove stock intake
which actually pulls in air from outside the car, and replace with
'cold
air intake' that pulls in nice hot underhood air. Another 7 hp.

3) Find an old metal sign at a scrap yard. Get several lengths of
steel rod and bolt the entire thing to the trunk as a wing. No
additional
hp but serious downforce in the rear and mad props from your
friends.

4) Slam the car to within about 2 inches of the ground. The ride will
be shit, but, again, mad props.

;-)

Dan D
'07 Ody EX
Central NJ USA

 

The info you provided has been most insightful, though I had thought
that in '05 the EX and LX hp/torque numbers were the same and in fact
had heard a factory tech say so. anyway . . .

But, I am inclined to trust your first hand experience with that.

What about making my car "posi". As it is now, it has no problem
smoking the left tire. Is it possible to modify the tranny to lock in
the right side, or is it not possible by the nature of front wheel
drive?

Thanks for your help,

The Chimp

 

The info you provided has been most insightful, though I had thought
that in '05 the EX and LX hp/torque numbers were the same and in fact
had heard a factory tech say so. anyway . . .

But, I am inclined to trust your first hand experience with that.

What about making my car "posi". As it is now, it has no problem
smoking the left tire. Is it possible to modify the tranny to lock in
the right side, or is it not possible by the nature of front wheel
drive?

Thanks for your help,

The Chimp



For this model year, the engine on the LX and EX are the same unless you
compare the I4 and V6. The '08 Accords are a different story.

I agree with Jim on the K&N. If you want the car to last, keep the stock
air filter. I used to have a K&N on an '86 Celica years ago. Looking back,
it's really not worth it.

-Dave