My First Honda

Today, I bring home a 2002 RSX Type-S.  Desert Silver exterior color with a tan leather interior.  162K miles.  All original, accident free, one owner, and dealer serviced. A few items of concern; the original clutch engagement point is rather high and there is a minor exhaust leak under load between the manifold and cat mid-pipe.

Twelve years old and this car is solid and well built with quality materials and good fit and finish.  Drives beautifully and everything works.  Dare I say it is too nice to hack up for autox.

Here is another tire gearing calculator that I found.  This one does not have a 'fudge factor' so use the data wisely.  MFactoryCalculator

Wish List

Civic SI Bilstein front struts reportedly  have the same steering arm geometry but the taper may need to be modified to fit the oem tie rod end.  http://www.shockwarehouse.com  Knock off the oem spring perch and install some coilovers. Non-adjustable re-valve for stiffer Hyperco or Swift race springs.

Rear shocks choice is similar; choose a brand, remove perch and install coilover and race spring.  Koni Sports and Bilsteins are inexpensive but would need re-valving for the higher spring rates.  Potentially a lot of shaft sideload with the odd rear suspension geometry so adding some hydraulic perches and/or torrington bearings should help.  http://www.hypercoils.com/spring-perches

There is no question that Todd's Camber Plates are the best for this chassis.
http://dvrace.com/caster/  Production is limited so long waits or limited supply.  Static camber (with maximum caster) may be an issue because the tie-rods run out of adjustment.  Alternate solution is to slot the strut housings or use camber bolts.  Rear camber adjusters (threaded arms) are available from multiple sources and all seem to function the same.  http://www.kseriesparts.com/ingalls

Swaybar options are everywhere including smaller EM2 civic front swaybar and custom speedway rear bars.  Will probably wait to see how the car reacts to the springs before making a big purchase.  May ditch the front bar completely.  OTS adjustable 25mm rear bar is an economical start.
http://www.asrparts.com/integra-rsx/#

Rota sells a flat black Slipstream that is strong and priced well.  Maybe a few pounds heavier that a similar SSR or Volk, but readily available new.  15x7.5 +40, 5x114.3.  May need to use 5mm spacers or grind the brake caliper face for clearance.

The Password JDM PowerChamber and the AEM V2 are my top two picks for intake replacement.  http://www.kseriesparts.com/cr/AEM-24-6106.html  Most other popular CAI kits require changes to the car structure not authorized within the STF rules.  https://passwordjdm.com/PasswordJDM-Dry-Carbon-Fiber-PowerChamber-Intake

The Hondata reflash is relatively cheap yet very effective, even in the default OTS settings. The K-Pro offers easier user adjustability and is more powerfull albeit at a much higher cost.  Church Automotive Testing is a Hondata dealer and offers full dyno-tuning for both versions.  http://www.hondata.com/reflash_rsx.html

Race headers for the K20A2 engine are everywhere and range from $200 ebay to $1000+ name brand stuff.  Very few if any retain the catalytic converter.  The 4-2-1 OBX knockoff is reported to be very good.  http://www.sparktecmotorsports.com/OBXV1  I would purchase an aftermarket race cat from CiroDesign and have that welded into the collector area.

PLM and BuddyClub sell identical race seat rails for the RSX. Planted also has good stuff. https://www.privatelabelmfg.com/product_p/plm-lowdownrails.htm  I would pair this with a Momo Start or similar fixed-back bucket seat.  http://www.momousa.com/store/index.php/racing/seats/start.html

Catback exhaust needs to be < 93 db@50 ft to meet our local sound regulations.  Tanabe and Invidia both have large volume mufflers which should sound decent and keep it legal, but retail prices are near $700.  http://www.amazon.com/Tanabe-T70046-Medalion-Cat-Back  Popular custom setups I have seen use the Vibrant brand ultra-quiet resonators. Burns Stainless 2 Stage mufflers are also very effective and lightweight.

Lightweight battery.  The P-JDM intake requires battery relocation.  Odyssey PC680 and 545 are fine, but not necessarily 'light'.

Control arms.  Not in the front if camber plates are installed.  Not for the rear if upper camber arms are installed, however with a bigger budget much weight could be saved with custom aluminum rear lower control arms.  Even custom lower steel arms should be lighter and simpler.

Motor mounts.  Poly ES inserts or HASport?  Vibratechnics?
http://www.vibra-technics.co.uk/honda/

Suspension bushings?  Mugen?  I do not want poly suspension bushings.

Pulleys ?

Shifter ?

Brakes:  ducting, BBK, pads, etc...

Oil pan...

Oil catch can...

Bench Racing

Six months later and I am getting more serious about purchasing a car and I am shopping for a 2002-2004 Type-S.  As mentioned last year, the early cars have a taller 4.39 final drive versus the 4.77 gear in the 2005+ models.  Usually the shorter gearing is preferred, but maximum speed in second gear is important and most consider 60 mph to be appropriate for lower powered cars.

Wearing the 23" tall 225/45-15 tire, the early RSX has the same mph@rpm as the later models using a 25" tall 225/45-17 tire, and both top out second gear at 61 mph at 8600 rpm (fudge factor included).

Combine the 15" tire with the newer cars 4.77 final drive and you limit second gear to 55 mph which means using third gear on most courses.  Put the 17" tires on the early tall-geared cars and second gear zings up to nearly 66 mph but the engine may not be in it's happy spot.  Best or both worlds would be a risky 9100+ rpm limiter combined with the 4.77 gearbox and 15" tires for a calculated solid 60 mph second gear.

Other tire sizes are available, most notably the 24" tall 225/16 Dunlop Z2 and some similar sized 205 and 215 widths across most brands, but I think it is wise to keep as much rubber as allowed by the rules and stay with the 225.  The 24" size could be the hot ticket with nearly 58 mph in the 05+ car but limited availability and brand choices kill this idea.  

Benefits to using the smaller 15" setup is reduced COG and less weight and rolling mass, however the 17" tire would have a larger contact patch.  Cost is also a consideration and the smaller wheels and tires are usually less expensive.

http://precisionsite.com/auto-x/tools/

But wait, will the 15" wheels fit over the Type-S brakes?  From what I have read, some wheels will fit, but offset and spoke design is critical to clear the face of the caliper.  The Rota Slipstream 15x8 +40 has been verified to fit. A 7.5" wide wheel in the same offset may require some caliper grinding or wheel spacers, possibly both.