Honda Civic Accessories

The words “Honda Civic” are often used almost universally to describe a compact car with loads of potential. Tapping this potential begins with choosing the right Honda Civic accessories.

There is a lot of cheap power to be made with older second generation Civics, as Honda generally tuned these cars to be the cheapest and most efficient means of transportation they could legally mass produce and sell in the US. This built-cheap strategy left a lot of room on the table, insofar as potential performance was concerned.

One of the first Honda Civic accessories that most owners buy for these cars is a replacement exhaust system. We say “replacement” system in this case, as opposed to the newer “catalytic converter-back” systems used in newer cars, since older cats are generally inferior in design and are best replaced with newer high efficiency units. Old catalytic converters, particularly those made with the ancient lead-pellet technology of the day are restrictive and unreliable, become ever more restrictive as the years pass.

Replacement of the stock catalytic converter and exhaust system in a second generation car with newer units typically result in a net gain of over 10 horsepower, and a 7-8% increase in fuel economy. Not an insignificant amount when one considers these cars already get 40+ miles to the gallon, and certainly one of the best bang-for-the-buck Honda Civic accessories you can buy.

Coming in a close second in terms of importance is the muffler that sits on the cold side of the engine, the air filter assembly. As Honda has continually refined its designs over the cheapie econo-box Civics of yore, newer cars stand to benefit less from this popular accessory than older models, but still remains a necessary upgrade if any further performance work is to be done. Though many know that the air filter itself can be replaced with a freer-flowing high-inefficiency unit to generate more power and fuel economy, most people fail to consider the single biggest cork in the engine: the air cleaner assembly itself.

Engines are noisy things, and just like the sounds of combustion issue from the exhaust pipes, so too do the sounds of induction come from the air cleaner. In order to meet noise restriction goals, many car manufacturers install a series of baffles or “mufflers” in the intake side as well, which helps to quell the noise but winds up being a hindrance to performance.

Replace these restrictive stock units with a better aftermarket Honda Civic accessories is a must for any Civic owner. Many companies, among them Edelbrock, AEM and Spoon make excellent mandrel-bent smooth bore tubing intakes for Honda engines, many of which are also designed to draw cool air in from the outside to further enhance performance. These Honda Civic accessories often pull the air from the driver’s side wheel-well where the area of air pressure is the highest, so some will require a little Sawzall work to fit.

On average, replacement of the antiquated exhaust system and restrictive intake on an older engine with new Honda civic accessories with yield a power increase of 15-20 horsepower on older models, and 5-10 on newer ones. Older models can also expect to see an increase in fuel economy after retrofitting, but exactly how much generally depends upon the particular engine and its state of tune at the time of replacement.