[bhuvan_prasad]

Truth be told, this car was what got me hooked to cars 15 years ago. And, when my dad was buying the city in 2002, it was like a dream come true for me, though I just had my learner's license at that point. This car taught me all about rev-matching, quick shifting, engine braking, racing lines etc. The amount of fun I've had in this cannot be written down in one post. This city, the 1.3Exi was bought in March 2002 - at the showroom itself we got 14" alloys, full stanley leather, spoiler installed.

So, almost 13 years over. Car was still running stock clutch, stock suspension, stock driveshafts, stock lower arms and tie rods - all parts fitted in January 2002 and still running relatively fine after 1.1 Lakh kms and 13 years. Dad did not want to sell it, and neither did I. Do we give it to the authorized Honda service station, and do it up? Hell no, just a year ago they charged a bomb for discs and pads.

My civic was being done up at Raceconcepts, and so I spoke to Joel and we came up with a list of things to do to the city, to make it more fun to drive and ensure she crosses the 2 Lakh km mark with ease.

The car was driven down from Hyd to Bangalore by Dad, and a week later I brought her back to Hyd, with everything done up.

Parts Installed:

1.) Custom 3 way adjustable coilovers
2.) Front and Rear strut bars
3.) Exedy stage 1 clutch
4.) All new tie rods, lower arms, driveshafts
5.) New headlamps
6.) Custom Raceconcepts intake with a K&N air filter
7.) Custom 4*1 Raceconcepts headers + full free flow exhaust

Firs things first, the car is lowered quite a bit, and the stance is just smashing. It looks brilliant in this day and age of ultra high cars (zest etc.). The clutch is just as hard to press as stock and gives a good precise feel of the connection.

Coming to the performance. The intake + FFE have made a world of a difference. The car pulls cleanly from 1500RPM. The stock 1.3 did 0-100 in 12.9s. I did a gtech run on a somewhat slippery road and got 12s flat. Better traction/newer tyres(current Pirelli's are 6 year old) while launching and I would have cracked around 11.5s easily. Plus I drove around for 2 full tanks in Hyd, during christmas break and she consistently gave me 15Km/l.

Which petrol car does 0-100 in 11.5s and gives 15km/l in the city??

Coming to the ride. I will say it first itself, it is stiff and on undulating roads, quite unsettling. Am already in the process of getting 25% less stiffer springs which should sort that out, the dampers have 40 clicks to adjust the hardness or softness, so that I can keep playing with. If it was only me using this car, I would have probably stuck with this setup, but since it is my dad, I am softening it a bit. Also, the roads in Hyd, where we usually drive are quite decent so this is not that much of a bother.

Handling. It corners so flat, that taking corners is a joke People familiar with Hyd, know the 12km PVNR expressway. A 5 series had major problems keeping up with me on the curves. The curvy KBR park road is a heavenly blessing. When traffic is sparse, one can have a blast over there, great surface, elevation changes, nice corners and this car!! Absolutely zero body roll, and this is with the dampers more on the softer side. The combination of lowering the car, stiffer coilovers has made this a total corner carver.

So yes, it was a great new year for the city. Got totally rejuvenated, and so much more fun to drive. Not yet fully perfected the ride, but will soon be.



Alongwith my turbo Civic








New Driveshaft + front coilover


Engine Bay


Boot with the rear strut bar


Independent Rear arm(a rarity now) with the coilover


The coilover - Fully adjustable for damping(40 clicks), pre-load, ride height


Photo Credits : Prashast Pittie

[KaandBaaz]

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

Parts Installed:

1.) Custom 3 way adjustable coilovers
2.) Front and Rear strut bars
3.) Exedy stage 1 clutch
4.) All new tie rods, lower arms, driveshafts
5.) New headlamps
6.) Custom Raceconcepts intake with a K&N air filter
7.) Custom 4*1 Raceconcepts headers + full free flow exhaust

First thing first, a well maintained car you have got there.
Is the paint also stock?
And now if you dont mind telling us the cost of the above upgrades.

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by KaandBaaz

First thing first, a well maintained car you have got there.
Is the paint also stock?
And now if you dont mind telling us the cost of the above upgrades.

Paint is the stock factory paint from 13 years ago, except for the front bumper corners.

Forgot to mention, the brake pads also were upgraded to Mintex pads. Took some time to bed in, but now the bite is very good, need to be careful at times as it is a non ABS car with old tyres.

Please find the costs below.

1.) Custom 3 way adjustable coilovers - 70K
2.) Front and Rear strut bars - 9.5K
3.) Exedy stage 1 clutch - 7.5K
4.) All new tie rods, lower arms, driveshafts - 18K for all 3 pairs
5.) New headlamps - 4.2K
6.) Custom Raceconcepts intake with a K&N air filter - 8K
7.) Custom 4*1 Raceconcepts headers + full free flow exhaust - 20K

[kutlee]

that is really nice setup. since you have done so much, you can as well install an intake manifold. The coilovers are stiff but rewarding at highway speeds.

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by kutlee

that is really nice setup. since you have done so much, you can as well install an intake manifold. The coilovers are stiff but rewarding at highway speeds.

Thanks Mahesh. Current intake manifold seemed quite decent, equal runners etc., so might not go in for for this for a NA setup.

Coilovers are fine, except when there are elevation changes, like a speed breaker, drop in road height where it really doesn't cushion you much. Will be fixing this with the softer springs though.

[GTO]

Bhuvan,

You have some sweet rides. And when you start a new thread on your cars, it's guaranteed to be a good read.

Going by the way that you describe the handling, your suspension upgrade must be good. The one thing I hated about my 1st-gen Vtec was its dynamic nervousness at speed.

Your thread also highlights the fact that Hondas make great project cars. They age slowly and remain super reliable, hence you can have a little fun with them once they're old. Plenty of modification support too. If I retain my Civic beyond the 10 year mark, it's going to get some serious upgrades.

Please also update your Civic thread. Last I read, you were targeting 200 WHP

[thecarguy]

The City looks very well maintained. Can you tell us a bit more about the Civic? If you don't mind could you please post a few pics of that red devil?

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by GTO

Bhuvan,

You have some sweet rides. And when you start a new thread on your cars, it's guaranteed to be a good read.

Going by the way that you describe the handling, your suspension upgrade must be good. The one thing I hated about my 1st-gen Vtec was its dynamic nervousness at speed.

Your thread also highlights the fact that Hondas make great project cars. They age slowly and remain super reliable, hence you can have a little fun with them once they're old. Plenty of modification support too. If I retain my Civic beyond the 10 year mark, it's going to get some serious upgrades.

Please also update your Civic thread. Last I read, you were targeting 200 WHP

Thanks GTO.

The high speed handling was the first culprit I wanted sorted, as even our Ritz was way more stable than this city. So yes, I am glad to report that I hit speeds of 140-150Km/h on the Blr-Hyd highway and she was planted, no nervousness at all. Post that, vibrations start to creep in, and who drives that fast in India anyways.

You have hit the nail on the head about Honda's being excellent project cars. I am not so sure about the current crop, but old Honda's barely age and respond really well to mods. That's why we are not planning on selling either this city or the Civic for a long time.

Civic is back with me, will update the thread in 2-3 days.

Originally Posted by thecarguy

The City looks very well maintained. Can you tell us a bit more about the Civic? If you don't mind could you please post a few pics of that red devil?

Hey. There is whole thread about the Civic with plenty of pics. Though I haven't yet documented the latest mod, will be doing that in 2-3 days time.
Here is the thread link: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-d...nda-civic.html

[rev_rohit]

I must appreciate that your City is really well maintained!

It was way ahead of its competitors when it was launched, soon it became a heartthrob of enthusiasts of those times.
Your car looks great with Alloys and Spoiler! Nice upgrades, and well clicked pics!

Keep us updated with further upgrades!! Wish you tonnes of happy miles with your loved possession!

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by rev_rohit

I must appreciate that your City is really well maintained!

It was way ahead of its competitors when it was launched, soon it became a heartthrob of enthusiasts of those times.
Your car looks great with Alloys and Spoiler! Nice upgrades, and well clicked pics!

Keep us updated with further upgrades!! Wish you tonnes of happy miles with your loved possession!

Thanks for the compliments Rohit.

The city was way ahead of the competition in terms of its engine, overall performance, ride and handling (till 120Km/h), looks (personal opnion) and fuel efficiency.

The engine even now in 2015 is really amazing. We have a similar 1.2 K-series Ritz, and while the K-series is more refined, in terms of driveability, response, rev-friendliness, 0-100 time, fuel efficiency this 1.3 with the intake, headers+free flow just hits it out of the park. 0-100 in 11.5s and a consistent 15km/l in the city is not something many engines can do.

[Contrapunto]

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

Please find the costs below.

Do you mind sharing where (in Hyderabad) did you do your mods and your experience with their service? Have you used them before , and oh yes, would you recommend them to others?

Thanks

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by Contrapunto

Do you mind sharing where (in Hyderabad) did you do your mods and your experience with their service? Have you used them before , and oh yes, would you recommend them to others?

Thanks

Hey, I think I've mentioned it in the opening post that the car was driven down to Raceconcepts, Bangalore for all the mods. The tuning scene in Hyderabad is really poor, I have not heard of anybody with good, solid knowledge and results.

[JoseVijay]

Originally Posted by bhuvan_prasad

The tuning scene in Hyderabad is really poor, I have not heard of anybody with good, solid knowledge and results.

Have you tried contacting Pete's at Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills? If not, may be, you should have visited them once.

If you have visisted them, how was your experience?

[bowser]

Originally Posted by JoseVijay

Have you tried contacting Pete's at Film Nagar, Jubilee Hills? If not, may be, you should have visited them once.

If you have visisted them, how was your experience?

I visited them once to ask about mods for my 1st gen VTEC. The customer experience was really poor. They barely looked at me or my car and basically told me to move along. I guess they will only pay attention if you have a BMW, Audi, etc.

There is also Karr Kraft in Jubilee Hills. Does anyone have experience with them?

[bhuvan_prasad]

Originally Posted by bowser

I visited them once to ask about mods for my 1st gen VTEC. The customer experience was really poor. They barely looked at me or my car and basically told me to move along. I guess they will only pay attention if you have a BMW, Audi, etc.

There is also Karr Kraft in Jubilee Hills. Does anyone have experience with them?

Yes, they aren't very good. Focus more on detailing and accessories, just like all the other places in hyd.

Wouldn't recommend anyone to go there.