I have several items I want to start with but first off I am so impressed with the car I thought I may just swap out the stereo and call it good.

Ideas and comments on the following.

1. Front strut tower brace.
2. Lower mid brace.
3. Rear tie bar.
4. Spring set.

My goal is to to make the car as rugged as possible, I can tell I'm pushing it already and I want to continue to push the car hard. Overall, I hope to maintain or improve structural rigidity and begin to trim weight.

I have decided against doing any intake/exhaust until I have a chance to see more mods on other peoples cars so I can decide on an appropriate course of action. Thanks. FYI I'm double posting onto the the main forum.

 

X-brace is the best for stiffening.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by douge


1. Front strut tower brace.

 

yep. you should have already seen my recommendation about the x-brace in the other thread. i personally don't have much experience with the other mods, but i 've heard mixed opinions on exactly how beneficial they are and how much return you get for your money.

i didn't install many of the above, simply cuz my car is for show, not track. if you don't plan to track your car, you might consider other work.

my suggestion .... gears at this point, and if you plan to go FI, put in a reinforced diff when you do the gears to save on labor. it's some serious low end torque, but you do have to decide whether you want something as extreme as the 4.77's or something more subtle like 4.44's. hell! i know there's some 5.1's out there too.

i don't regret my 4.77 install a bit. i'm doing about 5500 rpm's at 85 mph on the highway, and i see that my gas mileage is down a bit, but let me put it this way. i'm going to have to readjust my shift beeper soon. i don't have the reaction time to shift fast enough w/o hitting the delimiter if i open her up with it set at 8200 rpm's.

and by installing the reinf. diff now, you'll have piece of mind that you won't blow it with a supercharger. i was worried about mine until i changed it out cuz i tend to get a lil ... spirited every now and then.

on top of all that, you know your way to basch acura, and i asked mark if he's interested in doing more. he said sure. he did an outstanding job on mine; i was quite impressed.

price:
4.77 gears: $300-600, depending on what you want from rick's
reinf. diff: $399, rick's
labor: i'm sworn to secrecy on my price cuz he didn't realize how much work it would be, and i was taking a chance as a guinea pig. but i'd guess .... ohhh ... $550?

mmm ... and you'll want the yellow box too cuz my speedo was 18% off after the install. that's another $100 and very easy to install yourself.

 

I agree that the X-brace ought to be first. The Speed unit is $160 on a group buy, sounds good to me.

Don't know about the diff, I drive on the freeway a lot and would be hesitant to put in a (higher)? ratio. But yes, when the S/C comes into play I will upgrade the clutch and diff. and based on recommendations will probably +1 the wheel/tires as well

 

if i were doinig a lot of freeway driving, i would have gone with the 4.57's over the 4.77's. the extra rpm's are very tolerable, esp considering the very substanial amount of extra torque your car will have. i think it comes to about 25-30% with my 4.77's and closer to 20% with the 4.57's.

oh. the stock gears at a 4.10 ratio.

as far as upgrading the clutch, i'd recommend staying stock until that one is dead. i'm still running on my stock clutch with no problems, even with the butt load of mods and extra power i have under the hood now.

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by wortham
if i were doinig a lot of freeway driving, i would have gone with the 4.57's over the 4.77's.

 

lol feel free to question my enthusiasm after a ride with me. all i ask is that you lay down a towel so the urine doesn't soak through to the leather.

 

The WHAT soaks through to WHERE? As long as you don't crash I'll be fine.

 

I'm a firm believer in gears. They are easier on the rest of the drive train and multiply your lowend power for the fun factor. A good setup is most important. They can be tricky but I've been doing then since the eighties. You will loss a little topend but unless you are doing hight speed runs it's no big deal. Like wortham said a yellow box is a must.
It all depends on your driving style but we recomend a clutch when doing the supercharger. It'll save you money in the long run. I like to launch so I need a good clutch. A little shot of nos down low is nice too.