[28SOMAR]

So I bought an automatic 2005 Accent GT in August. I love it, it's great on gas and was cheap. I have low insurance and car payments, so I have a nice bundle of money sitting around/piling up every month.

I'm looking to get SOMETHING different going with my car. I don't know too much about cars, I've tried to learn a lot, but there is so much information. You guys throw around words and think nothing of it, but I don't understand much of what you're saying.

My brother is a diesel mechanic but he's in Japan, so he can't help me much. I have a lot of friends who know a lot about cars and work in garages too. So getting help from them won't be a problem, but I need to know what to ask. I've seen autocrossing before, and I'd love to get into it, but I know I can't do it with my stock Accent.

I have around 1500 bucks saved up right now, but I don't want to use all of it right away. I get an extra 200 or so a month that isn't spent on girlfriend/gas/bills. I'm really not sure where to start at all.. I was thinking new tires or exhaust first, then with strut bars, but I have no idea. I really just want to have fun with this and have another hobby going for me, I don't expect a monster out of my car, but I want to see some change.

(Yes, I have read the DIY links, the newbie board, and searched around, but I can't find exactly what I'm looking for.)


I'm not looking for you to say, to get a nicer car, do this this and this. I guess I want to hear some options, and explain them a bit, like you were talking to a moron.

Thanks a lot whoever comes through and helps me out.

 

[DynastyAccent]

Hey, I got my '98 back in 2002 and was in just about the same boat as you are. You learn as you go, so just read up around here and anywhere else you can find good, reliable information and get your hands dirty in your garage or driveway.

Getting rid of the stock airbox/resonator and replacing it with a cold air or short ram intake is the first thing many people do. Not a major power gain, but it will help the engine breathe better and rev more freely. You could also look into an aftermarket exhaust or just having a custome exhaust done. Don't go over 2.25" piping, though... It seems that people notice a minor loss in power if they go too big (I went with 2.5 and the loss was pretty noticeable, but just in the lower RPMs).

Since you have a bit more cash than I did when I started out, the next thing I would do in your situation is to check into some strut tower bars, lowering springs, and maybe some better tires. When I last drove my Accent, I only had the strut tower bars installed, and it's a very noticeable change in handling. Makes it much more responsive.

As for autocrossing... Attend any events that you can, talk to people and ask questions. Once you familiarize yourself with it, there really isn't any harm in just trying it out. I mean, even with a near stock car, you could at least get a feel for your car and the for the sport itself.

 

[28SOMAR]

Thanks a lot! That's what I'm looking for.

How do I know what type of exhaust I need on my car? Even if I went to an exhaust place, I wouldn't know what to say. Can you give me a little more information on that?

I've read that I should go with 16 inch rims, I think. Would I have to do anything to the computer or would my mileage stay accurate. Also.. How wide should my tires be? I see a lot of different opinions on it, and some say that a certain with rubs and some say it doesn't. How will I know what I need?


Thanks again.

 

[phantasm]

Welcome to the boards and the Hyundai family man. First off tell us what you want. Are you looking to go for a new look with the car and if so are you wanting something clean and simple or a little more daring and edgy style wise? Do you want to tune up to the best of the engine's ability with n/a mods or do you want to look into going forced induction (ie super or turbo charger)? If you're thinking about autocross the first thing to really look into is going to be your suspension. Let us know a little more what you're going for and we can give you some options. 8D

 

[28SOMAR]

Hey, thanks for the reply. I'm not looking for style right away, I want performance first. I'm also not interested in turbo.. At least not yet, or until I get a better paying job

I don't want to do one thing then go autocrossing, so I'm looking at getting a few done, then just going and watching, then trying it out. So I think I wanna do CAI, strut bars, exhaust, and suspension as soon as I can. I'm trying to learn about exhaust more, I read the exhaust 101 topic here and learned a lot, and I talked to a friend who's helping me out.

So.. I guess that's a guide of what I see happening with the car. I think I'm gonna go with the mitsubishi cai if I can figure out what to do with the radiator pipe. Specifics on that would be great, especially exhaust/suspension/tires.


Thanks,
Matt

 

[DynastyAccent]

Unless you go turbo, you shouldn't need anything bigger than 2.25" piping. Other than that, it's all up to you on what type of exhaust you want run. Just tell them and be sure to stick around to supervise if you take it somewhere to get a custom job.

 

[28SOMAR]

Well, what exactly am I going to say? "lolz I want teh fast car"


I've read about the crush bends, and why I don't want them. I'm thinking about getting it done at school, cause we have the pipe bender and stuff, and the teacher/a friend of mine can do it for free.

I read about the glasspack, and why it wasn't that great and magnaflow made a better insulated piece like that, I just can't find it on their site or know what it's called.

Other than that I don't know too much of what I even want.

Thanks yet again!

 

[DynastyAccent]

Try this link. Might interest you.

http://www.evofusionusa.com/TeamSR/Hyundai/exhausts-accent.html

 

[bvtmattyc]

Rear sway bar - $200
stickier autocross tires - $300
front and rear strut bats - $120

autocross your car. do these three mods....and then re-drive your car at an autocross. you will be GREATLY impressed. the tires make all the difference.

 

[ftwvampftw]

Originally posted by bvtmattyc
[body]
Rear sway bar - $200
stickier autocross tires - $300
front and rear strut bats - $120
[/body]

Than get some coilovers from Kspec and you'll be set. I've ran my 2003 Accent GT Automatic (with the same setup as above w/ Coilovers) in Auto X and took out Turbo Golf.. Non Turbo Golf.. Sentra SER.. Acuras.. and a bunch of other random cars. =) So 2nd place in STS twice when I actually ran. Just take out the back seats(leave those at home) and you can take out the spare tire at the races and leave it in your set up spot and no one will take it.

Auto-X is fun fun fun.:smoking::smoking:

 

[28SOMAR]

Thanks for more input.

How can I tell if a strut bar is "good"? There are so many of them, can you recommend a manufacturer. The same goes for the sway bar.

And Vamp, when you say the kspec coilovers, you mean the 1K ones, right? I had no idea they were that expensive

I'm going to do 16 inch tires, but I still don't know much about them. When I go on tirerack and put in 16" for my car, it comes up with no results. Can I just throw on any 16" tire? Can you recommend some types/brands?

Thanks,
Matt.

ALSO! Vamp, I saw that you did the eclipse CAI and said you had problems with the radiator line. I've been eyeing them on ebay, but not sure if I'll be able to get it to work. Any ideas/suggestions on that?

 

[DynastyAccent]

Pretty much any strut bar you can find for your car will be good. As long as the bracing between your strut towers is rigid, you're set. As far as the sway bar goes, I know that many people here have got theirs from here:

http://www.performancestylingcentre.com.au/

It takes a while to ship, but their stuff is supposed to be top notch.

As for coilovers... I wouldn't spend that much money just yet. While struts and springs aren't as good as the true coilovers, they're still VERY effective and will make your car much more competitive. You can always just sell them when you're ready to upgrade.

Your wheels should have a bolt pattern of 4x100 if I'm not mistaken. Same bolt pattern as the LC Accent. I'm pretty sure there are quite a few Hondas that share this bolt pattern, also. As long as it's the right bolt pattern and the right offset to fit, you should be good. But that's about all I know when it comes to wheels/tires. Still trying to learn more about them myself from the autocrossers around here.

[Edited by DynastyAccent on Feb 22, 2006 3:41 PM]

 

[ryanolson]

you can also get the sway bars at this site
rear - http://www.globalperformanceparts.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=BHr58&x=23&y=16
front - http://www.globalperformanceparts.com/advanced_search_result.php?keywords=BHF27&x=31&y=17

 

[DynastyAccent]

ryan, quick question... How do you know which make or model each part is for? There looks to be TONS of great stuff at that site, but I can't figure out where to look for specific applications?

 

[mrchaotica]

If you want to autocross, DON'T mod your car. Race in stock class, learn to drive, and THEN start making modifications. Not only will you then be able to actually tell whether they have any effect, you'll know much better what kind of modifications you want to make.