Hi All!
I'm waiting for a good price here in LA on the EX model (I'm not sure if they are available yet) to use as a daily driver. However, daily driver in my book doesn't mean boring. Planning to go the whole nine yards with new wheels, suspension, intake, exhaust, and either a supercharger or turbo setup. Also planning to put in my old system into the Element consisting of Eclipse, Soundstream amps, JL subs, and ADS speakers.

Question is....have any of you made any serious performance mods to your ride yet? Here in So. Cal., the center of the tuner scene, it will be relatively easy to get all the mods I want done reasonably and professionally. Anyone have any info they'd like to share? Also, if you have made mods...were they worth it? Did they provide the performance boost you were anticipating?

Any feedback is greatly appreciated! Thanks!

:lol:

I usually just surf and not post but this topic interested me ...

I just got my Element back from Sunbelt Performance with my new setup. It has a twin charged setup featuring a modified Vortech Supercharger for a '00 Civic Si and a Garrett T4 turbocharger w/ Delta external racegate and a Greddy 24R intercooler. Compression is lowered to 8.7:1 by a Sunbelt custom ground crank and features JE forged pistond and rods. Also, the engine features a ported RSX Type-S head and Sunbelt custom cams. This is all powered by a '03 Integra Type-R ECU chipped w/ Hondata. The i-VTEC system is disabled due to its interference w/ the forced induction system. Sunbelt also installed a RSX 6-speed transmission and a Werks of Art clutch rated for 800+ hp. It recently Dyno'd @ 418 whp and 350 ft/lbs of torque.

Leave:: All I can say is WOW!!!! Now thas something I NEVER thoght Id see someone do to an E. That is amazing. I bet it took quite some time a fabrication for the supercharger to mount up. What bost are you pushing with the super and the turbo. What point do the two crossover. Im sure that was tricky to figure out. One main concern to me is how you reinfrced the blocK. I didnt thing these would hold up to that amount of pressure. BTW, you have a dyno chart we could see??? Just making sure you arent crancking us or anything

Yeah Turtle, it took a while to finish all the fabrication. I've been w/o my Element for about 2 and a half months. The supercharger is running 12 psi and the turbo is spiking at around 21 psi above 2nd gear. The supercharger disengages @ around 5400 when the turbo builds enough pressure to do some good. The block has a full bore and sleeve job also done by Sunbelt. I'll scan the dyno chart for you in a few moments ... I don't have it on the computer @ the moment.

Here is the Dyno

http://www.psyn.org/dyno.jpg

wow, that must be an awesome shop. They must have been doing this for a while. Was your twincharge the first one that the shop has made, for the E or whatever else. This setup is a pure rarity and when done right is unruley. You cant stop the zero lag at low end casued by turbo and zero parastic draw at top end caused by super. Thats fricken nuts dude. And Im very sure that this WAS NOT CHEAP AT ALL!!!!!!

Yeah, Sunbelt has been building engines for a while. I'm not sure if this was the first twin charger setup that they've performed or not. They seemed extremely knowledgeable about the setup but they also referenced some kits that were built for the earlier Toyota MR-2's. I know a good bit about engines but there's no way I could have pulled this off without their experience and vast performance knowledge. As the dyno shows, the power really doesn't kick in until a little above 4k but then it just throws you back in the seat, it's just amazing! I love it! The worst thing about it is that I did have to ditch the AC compressor, so it is not really the best vehicle for summer cruises ...

Leave_Blank,

Post some engine pics! :shock:

I'd also like to see someone swap out the Element's internals for the TSX's. An extra 40hp would be nice. :)

I'll post some engine pics soon, I don't have a digital camera so I'll have to take them on 35mm.

Sweet, yeah man I cant wait to see some pics of that.

LEAVE_BLANK you have all the respect I can give man(or woman). That is crazy... have you done any cosmetic mods or all engine. Also you said they installed a new tranny is the shifter in the stock position? Once again that is CRAZY!!!!

Thanks for the compliments ... I'm sorry, but I will not be able to get pics for a few days at least, I'm about to leave on a 4 day business trip to St. Louis ... I head out on Monday. I've got to spend the whole easter weekend getting everything in order for the trip so I'm not going to have time to get pics. I will have some by the end of next week though, I promise.

As for the other questions ... yes, the shifter mounted in the same lacation as stock after a bit of modification, it looks stock and I like that. As for cosmetic engine mods, I try to stay away from that and make it look as stock as possible ... but of course there are lots of random turbo and SC piping all around the engine bay so it doesn't look quite stock ... You'll see when I get the pictures up.

Sorry Bri Boy, I read your post wrong. I have done hardly any mods to my Element other than the engine. I guess the only other thing is the suspension ... I have a full Tein suspension w/ EDFC. The ride height is lowered about 2.25" in total and it is very stiff and responsive. Also, being able to adjust the dampening force from inside the vehicle is great. When my wife goes for a ride, she doesn't appreciate the stiffness of the suspension, so I have to soften the ride for her. Luckily ... she doesn't ride w/ me in the Element often.

Leave_Blank, is your Element 2 wheel drive or ALL-Wheel-Drive? Can the RSX 6 speed work in an AWD set-up?

Well, when I bought it, it was an AWD Element ... now, w/ the RSX Transmission, its FWD. The transmission will not work in an AWD setup.

WOAH.... Leave...
Awesome setup man! You're just the type of person I was hoping to hear from! If I may ask....how much $ would I be looking at to duplicate what you've done with your E? And....what are your suggestions since I need to keep the auto slushbox? This is a daily driver and I live in Los Angeles. Doing 100 miles a day in gridlock with a stick just sucks. What are your thoughts on limits to hp gains while getting the auto happy?

Honestly, for a daily driver I would not do anything near to the modification that I've done ... I'm sure that the engine will not last very long, even though it is a blast to drive. My suggestion to you, and anyone else planning on fixing up a daily driver, wait until some major companies come out with products. Yes, I went crazy with mine right after it left the showroom, but I will not recommed it to others. As for price, my setup has cost me just shy of $23,000 so far ... which is about what I paid for the vehicle itself.

Leave_Blank, I am soooooooooooooo Jealous I wish I had that much power on the Element I was wondering How much was all of this ? :evil: :cry: :oops: :D :shock:

OOPS Sorry I didn't read the above posts SORRY

I should remember the common saying on commercials on NBA games


"READ TO ACHIEVE" :wink: :D :shock: :oops: :lol: 8)

It's alright ... it's easy to miss the first few posts on the 2nd page I guess. Well, tomorrow morning I'm heading to good ole St. Louis for 4 days of "EXCITING" :roll: corporate meetings ... how lovely. I'm gonna have my laptop so I'll try to keep answering the questions as they come while I'm gone.

Holy Sheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

Damn Leave....$23K on top of the purchase price of the E??!? Finally good to meet somebody crazier than me! lol....I proclaim you my new personal role model..lol

My budget for total engine mods and new wheels/ suspension will be tops of between $10-$15K. And, since I'll be putting a bunch of already owned stereo gear in, I think I can get away with a $5- $8K stealth ICE install, including alarm, lowjack, and engine shutdown system.

I still have in mind to buy another car as a pure weekend driver that I can seriously mod and keep for a while to come....so far its down to an M3, C32 AMG Mercedes, Subaru STI, or Infiniti G35 Coupe. So that will also run anywhere from $35-$50 in total mods on top of the car price. So.....

I'm definitely going to take your advice and build up the E little by little. Try not to go too extreme so it is still a RELIABLE daily driver while giving me a little kick in the pants. Waiting for the aftermarket parts scene to catch up is a good idea and this weekend the SEMA International Auto Salon is at the Los Angeles Convention Center so I will keep my eyes peeled.

Thanks again for your input Leave. Oh...and, if I may ask, if you would of limited yourself to a budget, say half of what you spent, which route would have you gone? Supercharger or Turbo setup? And what other companion mods would you have made? Intake, exhaust, etc. Seems like you know a lot about engines in general. Take care and good luck on that biz trip.

Hmmm ... half the price? I would probably have gone w/ the turbo, simply because I personally prefer turbos over superchargers. Plus, i believe that a turbo setup has the most potential for a lower cost. As for mods to go along with it, a simple short ram intake system w/ high flow filter (your intake usually only takes responsibility of around 3% of total airflow restriction, so nothing immaculate is needed), FMIC, and 2.75" or 3" turbo back exhaust with either a single resonator or muffler depending on your sound preference. This setup (assuming that the exhaust manifold is readily available) will set you back around $5000 - $8000 depending on engine management choices and such. Also, you could always throw a wet shot of N20 on the top of it all ...

Alright people, I'm about to go drink alot of expensive alcohol ... courtesy of my boss. :P

Don't get me wrong, but the first question that comes to mind for me is "Why?". 400 hp to the wheels in an Element? What good is it? The thing already handles like...well like it should to be honest: crap!
400whp is impressive in its own right and a bit of a novelty too amongst E owners I suppose but my guess is that, at most, only 1/2 of that power is actually usable 99% of the time.
I mean the car's a FWD one (now). The more power you put out the more weight transfer off of your drive wheels you're going to get.
I guess it would be cool to be able to break traction at highway speeds just for the Hell of it and pull on C5's and Vipers but I still don't know. What happens when you have to turn and/or stop? Not to mention long term effects of running this much power, Hondata or not. Your nickel I know and none of my damn business but I just don't see the point.
I may have missed it (just kind of skimmed the thread) but what have you done or plan to do brake and suspension-wise on the vehicle?
What wheel/tire combo?
Any 1/4 mile times yet? That'd be fun to watch!
Maybe you should get some pneumatic wheelie bars a' la T.O.O to help your launches.
If I were to get an E a simple 6lb s/c set-up (JR probably) would probably more than enough for my needs (daily driver).
If I were to get radical like you've done I'd probably go to work on a WRX wagon or the like.

Leave..
Very impressive. I am curious though as to how the supercharger was fabricated to the accessory drive. Seems limited space there. I am interested in some type of power adder though. Also I assume the intercooler is mounted topside for rooms sake?? If so do you have some sort of scoop for it? Thanks for any info!

PS You are the winner so far of the wildest E!!!

Man, I really hate work ...

Okay, for wheels and tires ... I'm still running the stock 16's wrapped in 215/70/16 Pilot LTX's (The best tire I could find that wouldn't throw the speedo off too far). I plan to upgrade to 18" RoJa Formula 5 wheels sometime in the future, but I love it being a sleeper.

Brakes ... The front brakes have been replaced w/ J-Spec Intergra Type-R calipers and slightly larger vented rotors. I do not know what kind of rotors, nor the caliper carriers used, Sunbelt took care of all of this. The front calipers and rotors have been relocated to the rear. All brake lines have been replaced with stainless steel braided lines also. I'm not the best man in the world to ask about brakes, so I just said to give me the best thing possible that would fit within the stock 16's ... so that I could keep it as a sleeper. There is about 1/8" clearance between the caliper and the wheel on the outside and the wheels are spaced 1/4" from the hub to clear the face of the calipers on the front.

Suspension: A Tein full coil over system w/ EDFC. Custom 28mm control arm braces front and rear and a custom 32mm adjustable rear sway. And yes, it still handles like crap ...

IC and the boosty stuff: The SC is shaft driven and has a clutched pulley so that it actually sits on the opposite side of the engine bay. There is no IC for the supercharger and the turbocharger has a Greddy FMIC in line to keep the temps cooler. I plan to add a top mount air/water aftercooler to the supercharging system in the future, but many modifications will be needed in order to accomidate it (space wise).

I haven't taken it to the track yet, nor will I for a while. The only time I've actually pushed it all the way is for the dyno run. I try not to rev it over 6k at any time. The vehicle only has 2400 miles on it at the moment, I'm still waiting to break it in. It'll be at the track @ around 7000 mi or so ... As for why, hell, I don't know! I've got 2 other cars that I can drive whenever I want, so why not have one thats totally built that i can toy with when i want some power?

I'm so glad that I get to go home tomorrow, I'm so tired of these monotonous sales meetings. My wife picked up some film for the camera so I'll be able to take pics when I get home ... Now, off to bed i go, another fun day of work tomorrow for me to sleep through ...

it seems like people have given up on you
that's amazing but have you got any pictures over the past 2 months
or has it blown up or something
if it still has all that stuff on it let us see it

Chimera?

nope this is Chuck I don't even know chimera

on another note
how is your car standing up to that power

I agree, 2 months and no pictures!?! You dropped over $55,000 on a Honda Element but have no digital camera? Sorry if I'm wrong, but sounds fishy. If you take them with a throw-away camera, Wal-Mart will give you your pictures on a cd... :lol:

Even if that is a BS story, what a thought, 400hp in a E! Sounds a little nuts but what the hell... would love to see the pics.