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Ready to build my RSX, large budget

9K views 28 replies 8 participants last post by  Tphong 
#1 ·
Hey guys,

So my I've been looking around alot at other cars in the market and I feel like I like my RSX better than most cars out right now. I have about 10k saved up and I wanted to do something to my RSX so I can keep it for a long time without worrying about it as well as being able to keep up with the newer cars in the 300HP range . I'm planning on rebuilding my engine with the money but I'm not sure which direction to go. Im thinking 300-450 WHP or even less depending on price of full build and how much $ I'd save with a bit less HP (at least 260 WHP) so that I can reliably drive my car as a daily.

My current mods are :
CAI
RBC IM, 70mm TB
Vibrant 421 race header
2.5" custom exhaust
Vibrant resonators
Vibrant flat black muffler
Ktuner & tuned
Hasport engine mounts
Mugen SS
Currently at 212 WHP
175,000KM
K20Z1

I have the eibach sway bar kit, Neuspeed xbrace, S2 LCA & BEAKS tie bar for suspension upgrades not sure if they will help much

Tbh I'm a noob. I don't do any of the work myself and will be paying someone to rebuild my engine.
I got a couple quotes for a couple builds and they say I'm looking around 5-7K for a engine rebuild with forged internals including porting job and valve adjustments etc.. depending on if I want to go NA or TURBO in the future.
I'm planning on building for turbo but I feel like NA is more reliable ??

Also looking at possibly buying a used TSX engine and doing a Frank build with the TSX block with upgraded internals so they can work on the block first and then work on the head after ?? I found a TSX engine for pretty cheap (500$) with high km but does it matter because I'm rebuilding it anyways ?
Also thought of just getting a bare block ? Not sure , have never done this before.

Not sure where to start or where to go. Would like some advice from people with experience.

I know there are lots of threads on this

I've just been reading for too many hours on this and I need more specific advice tailored to my needs.

What do you guys think ?

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#5 ·
So should I build my engine to handle the FI first or just put one on and wait till things break before I rebuild ? I have thought of supercharging as well but the reason I want to rebuild is so that I can have a fresh engine to start working with. I'm only at like 110k miles but I feel like my engine is not working fully efficiently. I've been noticing a decreasing fuel economy and burning of oil that is pretty drastic but I think that is all that is the problem for now. I mean I'm getting around 350km per tank. My avg fill is around 42-44 litres. If I can fix that without rebuilding then I would probably go FI without rebuilding because I know these motors hold out pretty well. I've just been fighting this long battle with both these problems and nothing I try to do seems to work.. you guys will probably think I'm stupid that I want to rebuild for this reason but it would just be so nice to get around 700km per tank (what some people on here get).. I'm also tuned to 94 octane so it's expensive to be riding around with such low fuel economy. (Almost half of what some other people are getting ??)

Anyways am still thinking about it, I like the idea of supercharging but I feel like I more so want to turbo. (Looks & sounds better and more fuel efficient) but how reliable is a turbo in Canadian winters? Would it be less reliable because we have such harsh winters up here ? Like some snow can get sucked up or something into the turbine ? Not sure. I'd probably go for either if I find a solid deal. $$ talks .

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#10 · (Edited)
Want to have a better ideal on the current condition of your engine - perform a compression/leak down test. If the test results look good just slap on a supercharger and enjoy the fun. Now if you live in a warmer part of the country and you want to push 10+ psi, your setup will be more reliable with a aftercooler. My ideal engine build would be to rebuild my K20 short block with better rods/pistons (11.5:1), and a ported oil pump. At the same time freshen up the head with a valve job with new springs and seals. Note, I am lucky to be currently running on E85 which does make a difference in fighting heat and also provides more flexibility in the tune to generate an extra 35 hp. My stock E85 aftercooled supercharged K20 engine build with around 186K is easy to drive around town but when needed it can still outperform a lot of newer cars with turbos. After 15 years the darn thing won’t die so I could have a good excuse to tell my wife why I need to rebuild it.
 
#6 ·
The reason for your bad fuel economy can be various things, even things beyond the engine such as a bad brake caliper. The fact that you are tuned could be another reason as well. I get roughly 460 to 520kms per tank depending how much highway kms I do, but my car is stock with 195,000kms.

Have you ever driven or ridden in a 300whp car? The reason why I ask is because I used to have a 245whp 290wtq Subaru Legacy and I thought it was too much power for the street. I was getting in trouble way too often.

Reliability of a build will all depend on how well it has been put together and how well the parts work with one another, It doesn't matter if you are turbocharged, supercharged or N/A. As far as winters go turbo cars are fine as long as you are patient to get the engine warmed up to operating temps before driving.
 
#8 ·
I've driven a Lexus IS350 and it didn't seem that fast LOL but that's like 260WHP and heavy AF.

I just want my car nice, reliable, fuel efficient and able to keep up with newer cars because I feel like the average is hitting the 300hp mark soon. I like my dc5 chassis & rather build this than buy like a ILX or TLX. I'm banking on Acura not dropping a new RSX or integra any time soon. This is my first car and I want to keep it for like.. ever.

When I first tuned my car I was getting around 450-500 per tank as well but that was in the summer. It's winter now and I think I should be getting less economy but not that much less ?? I'm barely hitting the 350 mark I feel that is pretty bad . I want like 30+mpg, 300 HP and reliable. Is that impossible to ask for in a K20Z1?

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Unless you're mashing the gas more there's no reason why a tune would give you less fuel efficiency. Actually quite the opposite as the factory calibration on these cars has them running pretty rich. 350 km per tank is definitely lower than what you should be getting in the city, but I'm quite certain that anyone getting 700 km per tank is doing so with mostly highway miles. I get around 300 miles per tank in the city so that would be about just over 500 km?

What I meant by FI potentially being more reliable than a high compression and big cam rebuild is that it could be a bit more streetable. Take for instance long road trips, if you do those, a turbo on the stock motor with a conservative tune would make me feel more comfortable racking up miles than having 12.5 CR and stage 4 cams. Those big cams put a lot of stress on even an aftermarket valvetrain made for those sized cams. People with those kind of builds tend to be doing more repair and maintenance on their cars than others, just saying.
 
#7 ·
I've driven a Lexus IS350 and it didn't seem that fast LOL but that's like 260WHP and heavy AF.

I just want my car nice, reliable, fuel efficient and able to keep up with newer cars because I feel like the average is hitting the 300hp mark soon. I like my dc5 chassis & rather build this than buy like a ILX or TLX. I'm banking on Acura not dropping a new RSX or integra any time soon. This is my first car and I want to keep it for like.. ever.

When I first tuned my car I was getting around 450-500 per tank as well but that was in the summer. It's winter now and I think I should be getting less economy but not that much less ?? I'm barely hitting the 350 mark I feel that is pretty bad . I want like 30+mpg, 300 HP and reliable. Is that impossible to ask for in a K20Z1?

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#11 ·
Going to seafoam my car and see if that helps with the oil burning and fuel economy problems. If it does, I will probably just strap on a SC or turbo; whatever I can get my hands on in Toronto. There's a used peak boost kit that's on sale for $4000 CAD I'm thinking of grabbing that.

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#17 ·
Tony from Dynamotorsports did my tune not sure if you guys know of him but I think he's pretty well known in Toronto. They did my compression test but I didn't record the numbers and forgot them but they told me it was looking good. I'll probably end up doing it again anyways before I decide to put bigger $$ into the car. Honestly at this point I'm not sure what would be better, to save up for a brand new car or to just boost, build & paint my car .. I have to sit down and do the math one day [emoji14] another thing I worry about is replacement parts on dc5 because I feel like the parts will eventually discontinue and be harder and harder to find if I plan on keeping my car for another 10-20 years.

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#20 ·
Nice, I know Tony through the Toyota community for his redonkulous Camry (for those who don't know his Camry puts down over 1000whp).

I would say it's time to move on. I had the same struggle with my 2000 Honda Civic hatch, and decided to buy a Subaru Legacy GT, which was a blast. It just made a lot more sense to buy a newer faster car out of the box than to invest $5000 into a $1000 car.
 
#19 ·
My recommendation to you is to sell your RSX and move on. If you're worried about the availability of parts, or the return of your investment this is not your car. Save yourself some headaches and just buy yourself a new car that closer fits you needs. Now if you're like me and other car enthusiasts, I hope you can appreciate the efforts that Honda engineers made back in 2002 to make the RSX a true driver’s car. I enjoy that my RSX’s with its 15 year old body lines still draws attention from other drivers - possibly turning into a classic. Most important, like other RSX owners who have added mods, I get a lot of pleasure successfully competing against new cars with twice as many cylinders and costing more. To be fair to newer cars I do have my eye on the new Civic Type R that will be introduced in America. But at the end of the road the RSX will always have a home in my garage.
 
#21 ·
I was first introduced to the RSX when I was a kid , around 14 years old when my cousin bought one back in 2004. It was all black and he modded it and it was just so appealing . Eventually the car was passed down in the family and I got to drive it for a bit before my lil bro destroyed it. I ended up buying my own so the RSX has alot of history for me. I love it for the way it feels and drives. I just recently bought my car back in February 2016 and have put alot of $$ into fixing my baby up already [emoji14] have done suspension , custom exhaust, ktuner and dyno tuned and a lot of TLC. So I do love my Acura and that's why I even consider building it. And I know what you mean by keeping up with more modern cars. Im not really worried about the parts discontinuing so much it was just a thought and I do plan on keeping my car .. unless a new RSX comes out or if I can afford the new Supra [emoji7] [emoji7] . Been reading about the ILX type S @ 300HP but it is apparently just speculation for now haha.

I guess I just need to balance my $$ input with % chance of a new car coming out that will steal my love away.
And it's gotta be a Honda .
Or the Supra. I'll settle with a Supra . [emoji23]

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#29 ·
I would build up the engine right if you want reliability. Make it bullet proof so you don't have to worry about it sleeved blocks, the works. I've heard on stock RSX can handle about 500 hp. If you're also looking at fuel economy you should look into the twinscroll turbo set up.
 
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