[dynomite]

Hey - everyone - some of you may have seen the first couple of upgrades I did (primarily, 17-inch wheels and tyres, Type R spoiler) - here's a link to that post if anyone's interested - http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/tyre-a...ml#post2733369


But now, I thought I'd create a thread with all the mods I've just done, list out the accessories, ICE etc - rather than posting piece-meal to various different threads


First up - DIY automatic shift knob replacement.

I picked up one of these from ebay US


UNIVERSAL AUTOMATIC PUSH BUTTON GEAR SHIFT KNOB BLUE | eBay

Cost me a total of Rs 920 (including shipping charges) - reached me fine, no customs, in good packaging.

This is a universal shift knob - fits most if not all automatic cars.

Here's how I installed it:
Step 1 - remove the silver sheath from the gear knob - this take a bit of work. I pried it off using a couple of screwdrivers

Step 2 - With the sheath removed, you'll see the two philips screws (shown by the red arrow, one on either side). Remove the screws and the gearknob will easily slide off.

Step 3 - The shift stick now looks like this. The white stuff is grease, easily comes off with a dry cloth. The white plastic bit on top is what the button presses down on - to shift in/out of Park or into S mode.

Step 4 - The replacement shift knob slides on and has three tiny allen bolts - an allen key is also supplied.

Step 5 - Place the knob and tighten the bolts, each one a little bit at a time to ensure that the knob stays straight. Test that it works.

Step 6 - Place the screws and sheath back on the original knob - this way, nothing gets lost and you can use it again if you want.



Next up - replaced the Civic's stock license plate lights with single SMD LEDs

Quite simple to do - just remove the screw-on tacks holding the lining in place.
You will see the holders for the bulbs - which is a standard T10 (wedge type) bulb.
Bought a pair of SMD LED T10 lights from ebay India for a ridiculously low sum.
Replace the bulbs with the LEDs, check that they work, replace lining and tacks - that's it.

Next - bought a pair of 25 LED (again T10, wedge type) bulbs for the parking light.

Cost me about Rs 400 from ebay India. The Civic parking bulbs are in the high beam reflector,
and there is enough space to allow these long bulbs to stick out, hence the choice.
Just twist out the holder for the old bulbs, replace with the new LEDs - and voila - super bright parking/DRL.


here's a close up shot of the LED parking bulb lit up at night. In case anyone is wondering, those are MTEC bulbs - 4750K.


Attachments are limited, so Kiwi and ICE details follow.

[dynomite]

Now, about the PLX Kiwi Wifi OBD interface

Picked this one up from the US - Kiwi Wifi - PLX Devices Inc - USA - for $150. Basically, it plugs into the ODB port on any vehicle (except German cars) manufactured after 1996. Then it pulls data from all of the car's sensors & computers - to display on your iPad, iPhone or iPod, using one of the supported apps like Rev and DashCommand.


This is the location of the OBD port in the Civic - it's closer to central console.

Here's a close up of the device. It's small, really simple to use - plug it in, slide the power switch on and it creates its own WiFi network. From your iOS device, connect to the Wi-Fi and start the app - that's it.

Following are some photographs of the DashCommand app on my iPad.


I can get all sorts of data on it as you can see


With DashCommand, you can change skins - from within the app, you can download various skins - this is one that mimics the Nissan GT-R.


Note that as I press down on the accelerator pedal, the 'Accel Pedal' reading increases from 7 to 9% and the RPMs increase accordingly.

It's all happening real-time - with very little lag. I thought this was amazing, since there is no physical connection between the iPad and the OBD tool.

And of course, since Dash Command is compatible with 'select' Pioneer head units with Advanced App Mode, I can have the same interface on my new Pioneer AVH-P8490BT head unit (more follows in the next reply, where I detail the ICE upgrade.)

[dynomite]

Now, on to the ICE Upgrade

This is a shot of the stock speakers in the Civic. The car came with the same speakers on the rear deck and front door.

Quite a sad set - even the speaker cage is plastic, the cones feel like paper plates, magnets are the size of a stack of 10 rupee coins.


I got a pair of Pioneer Component speakers (6.5-inch, A-Series, cost Rs 5600) - placed it into the stock front door location, but after some damping on the doors. The tweeters from the set went into the stock tweeter location in the corner of the dashboard

Another couple of shots of the damping material - brand is Melly Mat. Costs Rs 1200 per roll, I used three rolls for the front doors and rear deck.


I got 6.5-inch, 4-way Pioneer coaxials in the rear (60W RMS, cost about Rs 3800 for the pair). Here you can see the speakers placed after the damping has been done. I wanted a completely stock look, so the installation was done accordingly.


Here's the 4-channel amp - to send power to the four speakers - It's the Focal Solid 4, great amp. Looks good, compact, Rs 12,000.

The head unit - from Pioneer's 2012 lineup, the latest AVH-P8490BT - high-res display, detachable face, DVD/CD, dual USB, SD slot, iPod/iPhone support, Bluetooth, camera input, Advanced App Mode (apps from your iOS device on the display). Rs 29,000.

Here's a shot of the rear speakers and amp installed in the boot. Clean install, note the size difference compared to the stock speakers, even though the diameter stays the same.

Here's what it looks like when it's all put back together. The sound is about 400% of what it used to be. Much louder, cleaner, punchier bass. I really don't feel the need for a subwoofer right now. I also got a Pioneer steering wheel remote since my Civic doesn't have steering mounted controls. Note the Plx Kiwi Wifi OBD II interface near the gearshift. It is currently plugged into the OBD port - but I intend to hide the cable away.

Here's what the head unit looks - the blue colour of the theme nicely matches the Civic's default blue. Apart from the background image, the button colours on the head unit can be changed to any of hundreds of colours too.

Final pic - a quick shot of the Honda Logo, modified into a TBhp logo. A quick DIY again - the Red Honda logo that I bought got damaged, so I took it apart, stuck the black base back on the car, cut out one of the TBhp stickers and voila! Also note the tiny dome camera right under the Tbhp logo, above the license plate


Next up - Brembo style caliper covers (already procured)
Mugen Badges for the bootlid (already procured)
K&N 69 Series Typhoon air intake kit
FFE (Fellow BHPians - am looking for recommendations here - options, prices, where to go etc)
Mugen style rain guards (again, need advice on price, where to buy)

Cheers

[shuvc]

Wonderful. Thank you for the details.

What is the price of the dash kit/adaptor for the HU ?

[scorpian]

Nice mods!
However i would strongly urge to reconsider your FFE,maybe a end can is all you need if your looking for the sound.
A close friend of mine had his civic FFe'd and had to go through hell of a time.Vibrations to the car which could not be sorted,and even a fall in power,the only thing he gained was noise which eventually he detested coz his civic was no longer smooth and refined.
Many would say that this was a one off case,nope the exhaust was removed and another complete assembly installed from another guy,same issues,finally we got the answer that FFE will have vibration and that stock exhaust is good enough for the car as its a honda.

In the end we ended up having two FFE which were just scrapped,the orignal exhaust refitted and now its bak to what it was.

Am not discouraging you just that want you to have that extra bit of info before you venture ahead.

All the best.

[dynomite]

Originally Posted by scorpian

Nice mods!
However i would strongly urge to reconsider your FFE,maybe a end can is all you need if your looking for the sound.
A close friend of mine had his civic FFe'd and had to go through hell of a time.Vibrations to the car which could not be sorted,and even a fall in power,the only thing he gained was noise which eventually he detested coz his civic was no longer smooth and refined.
Many would say that this was a one off case,nope the exhaust was removed and another complete assembly installed from another guy,same issues,finally we got the answer that FFE will have vibration and that stock exhaust is good enough for the car as its a honda.

In the end we ended up having two FFE which were just scrapped,the orignal exhaust refitted and now its bak to what it was.

Am not discouraging you just that want you to have that extra bit of info before you venture ahead.

All the best.

Hmm - ok, thanks for the input. Haven't heard that before. I was essentially looking at the FFE as a stage 1 mod - improving performance in conjunction with the Typhoon. Will look into it, and as you said, an end can might be more appropriate. Any suggestions for an end can? I would prefer a dual exhaust type, one that sort of matches the stock one.

Originally Posted by shuvc

Wonderful. Thank you for the details.

What is the price of the dash kit/adaptor for the HU ?

Sure thing - whole Civic dash kit with all adapters set me back Rs 4000, I inspected it before it was place in, noticed the brand name Baolong Car Audio Company inside. It's obviously not OEM quality, but it's decent, looks good, matches the colour. If needed (and if it fades, cracks after a year or so, can be easily replaced).

[vinair]

To be honest, the gearshift stick looks rather out of place mate, doesn't really gel with the overall interior color scheme.. try something in black/dark brown and chrome (just a little bit of it), that should complement to the rest of the interiors.

Also the engine and speed info gizmo, that really robs the thrill out of pure driving in my opinion!

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by scorpian

Nice mods!
However i would strongly urge to reconsider your FFE,maybe a end can is all you need if your looking for the sound.
A close friend of mine had his civic FFe'd and had to go through hell of a time.Vibrations to the car which could not be sorted,and even a fall in power,the only thing he gained was noise which eventually he detested coz his civic was no longer smooth and refined.
Many would say that this was a one off case,nope the exhaust was removed and another complete assembly installed from another guy,same issues,finally we got the answer that FFE will have vibration and that stock exhaust is good enough for the car as its a honda.

In the end we ended up having two FFE which were just scrapped,the orignal exhaust refitted and now its bak to what it was.

Am not discouraging you just that want you to have that extra bit of info before you venture ahead.

All the best.

Originally Posted by dynomite

Hmm - ok, thanks for the input. Haven't heard that before. I was essentially looking at the FFE as a stage 1 mod - improving performance in conjunction with the Typhoon. Will look into it, and as you said, an end can might be more appropriate. Any suggestions for an end can? I would prefer a dual exhaust type, one that sort of matches the stock one.

A free-flow exhaust, if fabricated by a reputed tuner, can actually improve the cars performance. Don't expect massive gains though. But as a stage-1 mod, it's a good way to start.

However, do ensure that the FFE is done well and installed correctly. A badly fabricated FFE can do more harm than good to your car's engine.

I had heard that the Civic's manifold/header cannot be replaced. Is this true?

Anyway, if it's sound you are after, an end-can should suffice. But if you want quality, you will have to spend a little more than you thought.

Remus makes good end-cans for the Civic in particular. You could also try Magnaflo exhausts. Read up about Automech, I've heard that they're pretty good too.

Buy I urge you to do as much research as you can before touching the internals of your car. Be as meticulous as you can. You should know what you're subjecting your car to. slap-on modifications may not give you the desired effect. Go about it meticulously.

Why don't you contact reputed tuners like Red-Rooster-Performance or Racetech. They are quite professional and should help you with your car and ensure that they get the best out of it too.

All the best!

[mayankjha1806]

RRP does have good stuff for Civic, i paid them a visit to do something about the Baleno but they recommended modding the Civic instead. I am currently in no mood to do anything to Civic, until first four years. Once the warranty is over might thing about giving them a try.

There are a host of things that can be done, depending on budget and what is it that you are looking for from the mods. Paying them a visit is the best thing so as you get to understand the whole set of options and then choose ones that fit your need/budget.

Liked the set of mods that you did, especially the iPad app, looks lovely.

[Vid6639]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

I had heard that the Civic's manifold/header cannot be replaced. Is this true?

You can get a good exhaust made but not headers. The R18 engine has it's exhaust headers integrated into the block itself. There's only a single outlet of the block instead of 4 since the headers are integrated into the block.

[m4ugr8]

SpeedSport did the FFE on my car before I got the car turbo charged. SpeedSport prepared my car for the Redline drags with a custom FFE and NOS shot and the car ran beautifully, no vibrations or anything. The exhaust mounts are important when fabricating a new FFE, SpeedSport does a lot of full systems on daily basis, so I am sure they are well experienced.

SpeedSport are authorized dealers for RRP in Delhi so they source RRP products for you as well.

Where did you get this Head unit from ?? I have been searching the market for this model but can't find it. All of the mods are HOT, loved the iPad and OBDII integration.

[dynomite]

Originally Posted by mayankjha1806

RRP does have good stuff for Civic, i paid them a visit to do something about the Baleno but they recommended modding the Civic instead. I am currently in no mood to do anything to Civic, until first four years. Once the warranty is over might thing about giving them a try.

There are a host of things that can be done, depending on budget and what is it that you are looking for from the mods. Paying them a visit is the best thing so as you get to understand the whole set of options and then choose ones that fit your need/budget.

Liked the set of mods that you did, especially the iPad app, looks lovely.

Thanks Mayank - once you download the app, you can have it on an iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad or on the Pioneer 8490BT head unit. I don't have a warranty to worry about, hence the mods

Originally Posted by suhaas307

A free-flow exhaust, if fabricated by a reputed tuner, can actually improve the cars performance. Don't expect massive gains though. But as a stage-1 mod, it's a good way to start.

However, do ensure that the FFE is done well and installed correctly. A badly fabricated FFE can do more harm than good to your car's engine.

I had heard that the Civic's manifold/header cannot be replaced. Is this true?

Anyway, if it's sound you are after, an end-can should suffice. But if you want quality, you will have to spend a little more than you thought.

Remus makes good end-cans for the Civic in particular. You could also try Magnaflo exhausts. Read up about Automech, I've heard that they're pretty good too.

Buy I urge you to do as much research as you can before touching the internals of your car. Be as meticulous as you can. You should know what you're subjecting your car to. slap-on modifications may not give you the desired effect. Go about it meticulously.

Why don't you contact reputed tuners like Red-Rooster-Performance or Racetech. They are quite professional and should help you with your car and ensure that they get the best out of it too.

All the best!

Thanks for the info Suhaas - I think I'll go with a replacement air intake first, then consider Remus or Magnaflow. I do know about Automech - I had bought a complete FFE (including replacement headers from them) for our Ikon 1.6 (many years back, think it was 2004). Any idea where I can get Remus/Magnaflow in Delhi? RRP and RaceTech are both Bangalore.

And as Vid66339 correctly pointed out, the Civic headers can't be replaced. If you look closely in the engine bay, there's just a single tube on which the oxygen sensor is mounted. Even the catalytic converter is in the engine bay.

Originally Posted by m4ugr8

SpeedSport did the FFE on my car before I got the car turbo charged. SpeedSport prepared my car for the Redline drags with a custom FFE and NOS shot and the car ran beautifully, no vibrations or anything. The exhaust mounts are important when fabricating a new FFE, SpeedSport does a lot of full systems on daily basis, so I am sure they are well experienced.

SpeedSport are authorized dealers for RRP in Delhi so they source RRP products for you as well.

Where did you get this Head unit from ?? I have been searching the market for this model but can't find it. All of the mods are HOT, loved the iPad and OBDII integration.

Aah thanks Manan - was wondering about that. Could you PM me Speedsports location/numbers? Thx for the help.

The Pioneer AVH-P8490BT - yes, I had my eye on it for a long time. Finally picked it up from AutoMarc in Def Col (I stay just 5 mins away from him).

Originally Posted by vinair

To be honest, the gearshift stick looks rather out of place mate, doesn't really gel with the overall interior color scheme.. try something in black/dark brown and chrome (just a little bit of it), that should complement to the rest of the interiors.

Also the engine and speed info gizmo, that really robs the thrill out of pure driving in my opinion!

Well to each his own I guess. In my opinion, the blue shiftknob is far easier to use than the ugly stock one, somewhat matches the colour of the car, and almost exactly matches the colour of all the interior lights (including the head unit). Plus, it's not a permanent change - I can switch back to the stock one if I get bored - or any any other design (from the same US seller - doesn't cost much).

And the iPad app (DashCommand) is not up and running all the time. I mean, it's not like I keep the iPad mounted on the dash while driving. It's an enthusiast accessory, helps you know the car better, diagnose problems (if any) - plus it's great when you want to show off to techie friends

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by Vid6639

You can get a good exhaust made but not headers. The R18 engine has it's exhaust headers integrated into the block itself. There's only a single outlet of the block instead of 4 since the headers are integrated into the block.

Thought as much

Originally Posted by dynomite

Thanks for the info Suhaas - I think I'll go with a replacement air intake first, then consider Remus or Magnaflow. I do know about Automech - I had bought a complete FFE (including replacement headers from them) for our Ikon 1.6 (many years back, think it was 2004). Any idea where I can get Remus/Magnaflow in Delhi? RRP and RaceTech are both Bangalore.

There is a Mitsubishi Lancer Cedia up north that has been tastefully modified by RRP http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modifi...tsu-cedia.html I'm sure a quick contact search will help you

Racetech is also based in a few cities other than Bangalore.

Remus/Magnaflo can be sourced via several dealers. All you need to do is some research. Remus end-cans are supplied by Methods Automotive.

[m4ugr8]

Originally Posted by dynomite

Aah thanks Manan - was wondering about that. Could you PM me Speedsports location/numbers? Thx for the help.

The Pioneer AVH-P8490BT - yes, I had my eye on it for a long time. Finally picked it up from AutoMarc in Def Col (I stay just 5 mins away from him).

They are located in Chattarpur. Details to their google map location below. Contact person Phil @ +91-9818400027

28.485723,77.162089 (Mandi Road, Delhi, India) - Google Maps

[NOTORIOUS]

Thats Awesome Bro

can you shred some more info on parking lights replacement and license light replacement SMD'S ???

looking for these for my verna

Thanx