Does anyone know how we can get more power from the stock engine...can we order a larger engine?... seems like a good idea. I get my new element in about 2 weeks, EX Red Standard.

Any Ideas???

tim

They all come with the same engine. :lol:

Lemme tell you what, boy. Chrysler is again selling the 426 hemi crate engine. I think you should get one and put it in! Send pics on the install!

You can always swap in the motor from the RSX type S....you would gain 40hp but lose 20 lbs of torque.

The Acura TSX has a 200 hp version of the same engine.

The TSX also has a 5 speed automatic and a 6 speed manual as it's transmissions as well, with a lot less weight to haul around (500 lbs. or so), plus it's lower to the ground.

As far as the hemi engine, the current hemi in the Dodge trucks is a 5.7L variety. The 426 hemi was well over 6 liters.

Summit Racing Products:
DCC-5249667 Crate Motor 426 Hemi 465 HP 486 Ft. Lbs Torque $11,999.95

That'd move your little E right smartly.

Honda will probably offer a SIX in the Element in the future. That's what the competition is doing. I think Nissan just upped the Engine on the X-terra....

A six makes the E much more functional (with a couple other changes).

Ya the Xterra has an optional s/c'd 6 cylinder. Nothing new though really. It's an absolute pig on gas and puts out something like 210hp I think? That's pretty lame considering.
I can't see Honda putting a six in the Element before they put one in the CRV. If they did they'd have a real problem selling CRV's I bet.

They would have an even bigger problem fitting a V6 into a CRV.

I felt the same way about the 2.4. On my initial oil change I went to synthetic and a K & N airfilter and a noticiable power increase. Until someone comes out with a cold air induction system it will do.

K &N? Can you elaborate on what this is?

Bob

[quote:67fbb1e51d="sundance"]I felt the same way about the 2.4. On my initial oil change I went to synthetic and a K & N airfilter and a noticiable power increase. Until someone comes out with a cold air induction system it will do.[/quote:67fbb1e51d]

It might help the "butt dyno" but you won't see any real special increase on a dynamometer.

K &N? Can you elaborate on what this is?


K&N is a brand of air fiter.
It is a high performance air filter that will directly replace the factory air filter. It is also reusable. You just wash it and re-oil it and it is good to go. I think they have like a million mile warranty.

[quote]K &N? Can you elaborate on what this is?


K&N is a brand of air fiter.
It is a high performance air filter that will directly replace the factory air filter. It is also reusable. You just wash it and re-oil it and it is good to go. I think they have like a million mile warranty.[/quote:fec44f8caa]


My question is: Does the K&N filter out the dust and crap as well as the OEM filter? I have to assume that less restriction means a lesser quality of filtration, thus more stuff gets into the engine?

My question is: Does the K&N filter out the dust and crap as well as the OEM filter? I have to assume that less restriction means a lesser quality of filtration, thus more stuff gets into the engine?


Absolutely not. The K&N allows more CLEAN air to pass through. I've used K&N or similar airboxes on every new vehicle I've owned. Stock air intakes are needlessly restrictive in order to reduce "noise". removing those restrictions lets the engine breathe more freely.

You would think so but I can speak from experience that K&N makes some very good filters I had one on my 96 and 98 civic hatch and it made a noticable difference. The special oils used to lubricated the filter attract a lot of the dust and the design of the filter itself while lending itself to allowing more air to enter the design catches more than your oem filter will. I strongly recommend the option it did great things for me in the past. The synthetic oil however Im not sure how this imcreases horsepower I doubt that stongly however it has given me a noticably better gas mileage.

K&N filters use a cotton a folded oiled cotton gauze material that filters and breathes better then the OEM version. They have been big in motorcycle filters for years, plenty of dust testing.

I installed mine with Mobil 1 synthetic and removed the extra "horn" (near the battery) on the stock air intake... get better throttle response and sounds better too. It appears a cold air intake like an Injen or K&N Typhoon is the way to an easy 10-12hp. CAI's have a "power bump" from 3000-4500 which is perfect for the E's low end torque and where the engine likes to run...

[quote:b3bec7b2c0="lizzurd"]You can always swap in the motor from the RSX type S....you would gain 40hp but lose 20 lbs of torque.[/quote:b3bec7b2c0]

Better yet...just buy a RSX-S as a second car..... :P

Nah, pony up for the S2000, another 40 HP on top of that ;)


[quote:60110ba133="HEK"]

Better yet...just buy a RSX-S as a second car..... :P[/quote:60110ba133]

Injen has a CAI for the E. it gives roughly 10 HP max but it gives about 8 in the 3000 to 3800 RPM range and a good boost in torque there also. the graph is on their web site. i thought that since the Auto E goes throug that RPM range in each gear you might see a definite performance gain.

That is what I've seen, a nice fat boost in the 3000-4500 rpm band which is where the E likes to hunt, above 4500 things start to rattle (catalytic guard i think) and waste gas.

K&N has a typhoon coming out 10/1, i'm waiting to compare the two, i like the fit and finish of the K&N, plus it has a weather cover so you don't have to worry about wet weather driving as much. Then exhaust...

Ebay has a bunch of stuff. Mostly chips though. I don't trust that stuff though it will probably void the warranty. Just search under honda elelment.

I've heard the chips on eBay are BS, some are just little resistors, no chip at all. Only one time have I seen an ad where they take your E computer and reprogram it, probably would help and void your warranty.

Seems like a CAI and exhaust pretty much will get you about all you need in an E... above that you start to talk $$$.

I put a K&N filter in a month ago, notice better throttle response and about 1mpg better mileage (if I keep my foot out of it which is hard because now it growls).

K&N claims better filtration then the OEM unit and that the cotton material organizes the air flow for more volume at any given moment. It passes about 30% more air then the motor can take so you know it is not the bottleneck, the air intake plenum is. I removed the extra bend on the stock system (in front of the battery) and noticed more improvement. It was very interesting the other morning I had the hood open right after starting it and the idle was up, it was amazing how much air is pulls through the air intake...

Read this thread and became interested in the K&N air filter.

Found out the K&N part number for any 2003 Element is E-0771.

By the way, this is the ONLY performance product available from K&N at this time for the Element, according to their website.

The E-0771 seems to run $46 or so at various sites. Only problem is, I've never dealt with any of the online sites that offer it so I'm not sure who to buy from...

I've read that, in the long run, the K&N airfilter (and prolly any other similar airfilter) will leave "residues" in the engine that will shorten its life??? Not that the filter won't "filter" out dusts and airborne particles, but that "residues" from the oiled filter itself were getting into the engine somehow. This discussion was in an earlier thread in this forum and I think a couple people agreed on this point.

On the other hand, I also have a friend who mentioned that there are cleaning agents for just this reason?

Anybody care to shed more light on this?

Thanks in advance.

Hi Guys,
I'm a proud daddy of an Element EX. The other day I opened up the hood and just drooled for a while! :shock: I looked into this forum because this is exactly what I was looking for! See this is a 2.4L Vtech I believe so I was surprized to see the biggest comment was to strap on a K&N Air filter! :? Man you can do all kinds of stuff to this engine :twisted: . My standard upgrade on all cars in my family is. Air filter (K&N), Plugs (platinum or Splitfire), Oil (Synth), Cables (Nology Hotwires) and if you want to get dramatic get a MSD DIS IGNITION and MSD Blaster SS Coil set. That will increase proformance easily. All this stuff is simple bolt-on type stuff. As for exhaust systems or Catback systems, The Element is too new. It'll be a little bit before you start seeing that type of stuff for it. Though I must say from what I can see Honda put in pretty big pipes back there. Anyway I want to do all kinds of fun stuff to my E and I have it planned. I am just waiting for a computer upgrade to show up cause that always helps! I hope I helped a little :roll: . Oh before I forget look up http://www.jcwhitney.com/ and http://www.jegs.com/. Those are good sources for parts online. Oh and you won't see stuff for the E in most places I believe the CRV & Accord uses the same engine so you would be able to get parts that way.

At the risk of getting flamed here...

You will not get any significant amount of extra power from fancy ignition systems, new plug wires, CAI's, K/N air filters or exhaust systems. Sorry.

Those types of parts are always one of two things:

1) overhyped marketing BS OR
2) Intended to be just one component of a seriously modified engine.

Just like high octane fuel does not give you any more power unless the engine is designed to take advantage of it.

CAI's do very little by themselves and fiddling with the air intake can cause problems with your MAF sensor among other things. Not worth it IMO.

These are just the facts. If you threw everyone of these things at your Element, I would be amazed if you could demonstrate even 10 more hp on a dyno. Maybe 15 at a high RPM. Most of the performance gains are in the imagination.

They do not pan out under scientific measurement and you are talking about spending $100's here. Think about it and get the facts before you break out your VISA card.

If anyone can show me dyno charts before and after proving me wrong, go for it. I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I know what I'm talking about at least as far as this stuff goes. Getting real power out of small N/A engines isn't easy or cheap, period.

If you are SERIOUS about getting more power. Measurable power out of a naturally aspirated engine like the K24 in the E then you need to look at expensive engine modifications or forced induction.

A turbo or supercharger will give you the most bang for your buck. That will set you back at least $3000 though. But you will get more than 10 times as much performance gain than you will through $300 worth of rice boy mods.

My advice, take it or leave it, is to just enjoy your car as it is, if you are serious about more power, save your money up for the real deal.

BTW:

Ask yourself this.

If you can gain a safe and easy 10 hp with just a cold air intake, why is it that not a single car comes from the factory with one?

Also, skip the chips and computer upgrades. On a non-turbo engine they don't do a whole hell of a lot. Like I said, throw everyone of these types of modifications at your E and you will have spent well over $1000.

Then measure your power on a dyno. If you have anything more than a 10-15 hp gain at the top end then you need to get the dyno recalibrated. :roll:

OK, flame away.

I feel that I have to add my two cents worth.

a) the AEM intake for my buddy's Acura RSX type S is of the cold air type.
It has been independently dyno tested by the guys at Honda Tuning Magazine to add 30 (thirty) horsepower for a whopping total of 230 horse.
I installed it and can assure you that it makes a very noticable difference.
Just for the record there are many similarities between the engine in the RSX and the Element. The I v-tec on the Acura is also applied to the exhaust side of things but is of the same basic design. I have a feeling that some significant gains could be had by adding -same- to the Element.

b) Timnew-the author of this thread probably does not exsist due to his lack of knowledge of his supposed new car:

"mine is red" "does it come with a bigger engine?" Duh, you would know that it does not come in red and of course you would have figured out that there is no V6. Maybe by way of the Brochure or the salesman. Am I the only one who found this to be somewhat fishy? I keep expecting the author to drop a bomb about how gutless this "E" is or how all the paint washed off in the car wash or something.... :? :?

[quote:b427bd37a4="jonathan b"]I feel that I have to add my two cents worth.

a) the AEM intake for my buddy's Acura RSX type S is of the cold air type.
It has been independently dyno tested by the guys at Honda Tuning Magazine to add 30 (thirty) horsepower for a whopping total of 230 horse. :?[/quote:b427bd37a4]

30 hp from a CAI alone?

I'm calling serious bull$hit on that one. Sorry.

I usually try to stay out of these posts since it generally leads nowhere and it's chock full of misinformation. On this rare occasion I find it impossible for me to hold my tongue since I am familiar with the magazine and the aforementioned article. To set the record straight, here is a link to the article http://www.hondatuningmagazine.com/tech/0201ht_rsxintake/.

As for the stated increase in HP with an AEM intake, here is a short blurp from the article. "The resulting averages for peak horsepower and torque were 165.8 hp at 8000 rpm and 124.9 hp at 6000 rpm, respectively. The horsepower spread between the three runs was a paltry 1.4 hp, which is about as consistent as one can get. A quick 15-minute procedure later (yes, it's that easy), and the RSX with the AEM intake got a three-run average horsepower and torque peaks of 172.2 hp at 7750 rpm and 128.2 hp at 6750 rpm.

The improvement from stock at 7750 rpm was 7.3 hp. In addition, the AEM intake began making statistically significant power and torque at 3750 rpm and never looked back. Noticeable on the dyno chart was a significant jump in power when the VTEC system switched to the "power" cam. There's always been a bump at that point on any VTEC-enhanced engine, but it's much more pronounced on the RSX than on previous Honda engines." So as you can see the testers only realized a 7.3 hp increase rather than a WHOPPING 30 hp! Please note that this is 7.3 hp at peak and not throughout the entire range.

If people insists on arguing over this then at least try to stick close to the truth. IMHO, some people like tinkering with everything and don't mind spending money on getting every little bit of power, speed, etc. As for the value of these add-ons, it remains in the eye of the beholder. For my dollar, I rather take my wife to the drive-in in our new Element and ... :).

Ever notice that half the guys posting about HP upgrades don't even own a
E yet? Why buy one if dissatisfied with the power? There are a bizillion other choices out there.........you'd have to be pea brained to spend $17K+ on such an underpowered vehicle. :roll:

[quote="jonathan b"]I feel that I have to add my two cents worth.

a) the AEM intake for my buddy's Acura RSX type S is of the cold air type.
It has been independently dyno tested by the guys at Honda Tuning Magazine to add 30 (thirty) horsepower for a whopping total of 230 horse.
I installed it and can assure you that it makes a very noticable difference.
quote]

A magazine testing the products of one of its largest sources of advertising income is far from "Independant" testing.

The shop where I dyno'd me Conquest and had do some work for me tested several brands of I/H/E packages and found that most lost power over the majority of the powerband but made a small peak on the very top RPM range.

7.3 hp at 8,000 RPM is much more realistic. That is precisely why CAI's are a waste of money IMO. Very little gain and even then, at an a high RPM.

The 30 hp claim is bvll****. :roll:

8)

Honda Tuning. Dec/Jan 2003

"you may wonder why the AEM did'nt make an additional 20hp like it did in our GREAT INTAKE TEST.(refering to the RSX Type S in that test as well)Part of the reason is that law of diminishing returns applies here......."

They are refering to 20hp at the wheels as per the dyno.
According to the Grph on page 95 the RSX loses 1/5 of it hp when measured at the wheels 160.3 vs. 200

this by default makes 20hp measured at the wheels = 24hp. Total 224hp
That is a more accurate figure than my first quote of 30hp but is on par with the point that I was trying to make.

Would anybody else like to tell me that I am Bullsh$tting?

And if there is an accusation that I do not own an Element you would be wrong. I bought mine January 1st 2003.

I don't know how you could have missed it, but apparently the "Type R" decal just doesn't cut it anymore. What you need are some vintage 1970's STP decals. Adds 20-30 horsepower, and at least 10 miles-per-hour to your top speed!

[quote:4057d4d04a="hownowcb"]I don't know how you could have missed it, but apparently the "Type R" decal just doesn't cut it anymore. What you need are some vintage 1970's STP decals. Adds 20-30 horsepower, and at least 10 miles-per-hour to your top speed![/quote:4057d4d04a]

I thought it was 15 miles an hour. Is that per decal or for the whole package. But really guys on a serious note if you want high horse power buy a Subaru WRX. This vehicle is designed to be useful. I can tell you the power it has does more than enough for me. The fastest I have had my 5 speed up to 118 miles an hour. That is pretty fast in my humble opinion

The injen cold air intake gets +13.3 TQ and +9 HP.

http://www.injen.com/webpages/testing/original_files/rd1725.gif

The intake is $209 + s/h.

I had Hondata on my EP and it was very noticeable on the butt dyno. On an actual dyno run the Hondata only did +6.9HP and +4.2TQ on my EP. I personally think that is worth spending $209.00 to get +13.3TQ and +9 HP.

As far as the RSX-S engine, that engine is an anomally. Import Tuner had a CAI (AEM & INJEN) do +20 HP. So if the above post is correct about Honda Tuning, you have two magazines showing phenomenal gains for the RSX-S with CAI. The RSX-S is an anomally.

[quote:d3df76f6c3="hedgeborn"]
If you can gain a safe and easy 10 hp with just a cold air intake, why is it that not a single car comes from the factory with one?[/quote:d3df76f6c3]


AEM Cold Air Intake - Scion Factory Option
http://www.scion.com/scion/pub/drive/accessories/detail.do?model=xb&group=interior&item=xb_cold_air_intake

The fact is that you CAN gain and safe and easy 10hp with a cold air intake. It depends on the engine, and ECU of course, but it's not taboo.

Yeah, it's always the people who have never modded Hondas that say "this and that is a waste of money and is no good, blah blah."

I owned a non-Vtec CRX Si; I first added a short intake that did wonders, about 10 HP gain. Then I added a straight through Ultraflow catback exhuast on my CRX and I actually lost torque on the low end and gained on the high end. A sacrafice I honestly could of done without. Bad mod, perhaps a straight through muffler isn't a good idea on a non-Vtec 4-cylinder engine.

So from my personal experience, CAIs are indeed a great addition. Honda air boxes are notoriously restrictive and this is a mod you can definately notice.

Why doesn't every car come with a CAI from the factory? Well, they require more care than a standard air box. Most CAI's are located away from the engine and closer to the ground so when it rains you have to be very careful not to drive through flooded areas. When the cone filters dirty, they also require that you wash then oil the filter; a lot more work then simply replacing the cloth filter in your standard air box. Also other cars, like Audis, have very good air boxes and provide the engine with as much air as the engine needs. Unlike the restrictive, lower emmissions style air boxes Honda chooses to implement in their cars.

Has anyone in here heard of the new RDX with a 2.3 turbo 4banger, 240hps and 260tq? What do you guys and ladies think of this as a engine upgrade?I was also wondering if any one had found any ways to emprove the suspension system when lowering the E? Or to make it more stable, I'm not trying to go out and race the car or anything, but I've never been owned a car that is as high as the E before and it just doesn't feel the same as a lowered car. Anyone with any ideas? I have tried the ground control coilovers, but I broke them.I'm looking at the Tein complete set next,has anyone tried the Tein setup? Anyways thanks for the help.

I also planned on getting the k20A head and turbocharging the E the has any one done this yet to their E? From what I have found it's going to be lots of $. I'm trying to start form the Engine out with my E, but I just like the feel of riding low. One more question, what is the widest tire size that could fit the E?

someone in SF turbocharged their E, and blew the engine.

the details are over at hondaelement.org, iirc

actually guys i may have the answer if it will work....the acura rdx is coming out soon...it has a 2.3 liter turbocharged 4 cylinder that produces 240 hp and 260 ft/lbs of torque....if you could somehow get the turbo off of that engine and make it work on the e then you'd have significant hp and torque gains...i'm sure honda tuning may try something ....or you could just pay a lot more money and buy a rdx..but it still doesn't look as cool as the element

I'd be a little wary of the oiled-gauze type air filter, like the K&N.

There is some information out there to suggest that they do not capture grit as well as an OEM paper filter.

Also, you run the risk of getting oil residue on your MAF sensor and causing problems there.

I'm just not sure the reward outweighs the risk on this one.

K&N filters use a cotton a folded oiled cotton gauze material that filters and breathes better then the OEM version. They have been big in motorcycle filters for years, plenty of dust testing.

I installed mine with Mobil 1 synthetic and removed the extra "horn" (near the battery) on the stock air intake... get better throttle response and sounds better too. It appears a cold air intake like an Injen or K&N Typhoon is the way to an easy 10-12hp. CAI's have a "power bump" from 3000-4500 which is perfect for the E's low end torque and where the engine likes to run...
10-12?? I was thinking more like 8 hp if you are lucky...Just wondering where you got those numbers from??.....If in fact it does increase 10hp I would like to know if that was from a dyno test? thanks.

[quote:b427bd37a4="jonathan b"]I feel that I have to add my two cents worth.

a) the AEM intake for my buddy's Acura RSX type S is of the cold air type.
It has been independently dyno tested by the guys at Honda Tuning Magazine to add 30 (thirty) horsepower for a whopping total of 230 horse. :?[/quote:b427bd37a4]

30 hp from a CAI alone?

I'm calling serious bull$hit on that one. Sorry.
30hp..hhmmmm maybe 8 if your lucky....

considering I'm new here I should probably keep my mouth shut but...

I'm an oldie at a site that caters to BMW GS owners, and over there K&Ns are verboten. Why? For some reason, the K&Ns that are "designed" for the boxer twins BMW puts out tend to leak around the edges and are just generally build like crap.

Now I have no experience with the K&Ns designed for use on the Element, they might be the bee's knees, but I've seen the damage that occurs on the beemers. It ain't worth it there.

Why the disparity? Is K&N's motorcycle dept kept to a lower LoQ than their car dept? Did their designers just screw the pooch?

The world may never know :cool:

My question is if the base Accord comes with the k24 and top of the Accords come V6, then has anyone tried to put that V6 in the E?
L.

My question is if the base Accord comes with the k24 and top of the Accords come V6, then has anyone tried to put that V6 in the E?
L.
My guess is that alot of people, as I have, have thought about that same question. However, my guess is that because of the different gearing in the V6 Accord (5 Spd AT), we would probably see improvements in the power department but we'll see a negative impact in the mileage department. So if you've got spare money to burn, go right on ahead and tell us the results. :D And I also do believe that the Accord body has extra engine mount areas that are built into the chassis to support both the 4 cyl and 6 cyl unlike the E which comes with mounts only for a 4 cyl.