[com3]

hehe. so, as the thread title says... what are some good ways to get power outta the little E? bang for the buck? DIY mods? tips and tricks?

hopefully this thread can be a good compendium of easy and/or cheap ways to suck a few more ponies outta the little E motor.

thanks guys!

 

[scorsone]

I just installed the RBB intake manifold and think that was worth the $190 for parts and shipping! Nice little extra boost of power.

CAI would be another little boost and if you do the DIY route it would save some cash.

I like the idea of this thread. Power on the cheap, too bad it will be very limited on what you can do for cheap.

 

[com3]

I just installed the RBB intake manifold and think that was worth the $190 for parts and shipping! Nice little extra boost of power.

CAI would be another little boost and if you do the DIY route it would save some cash.

I like the idea of this thread. Power on the cheap, too bad it will be very limited on what you can do for cheap.

i've been reading about the RBB thingo... i've got an '05 skrelement that has RAA stock or something... what's CAI?

what kinda hp/torques increase you get from the intake?

 

[scorsone]

CAI= cold air intake, piping the air filter to a cooler air temperature area.

I don't know any real numbers on the RBB but I have heard anything from 5-10 hp. I don't think a real dyno run has ever been done on just this part.

 

[84b18]

1. Best easy power on a budget will be the exhaust system however you will also increase the amount of volume. I personally like it quiet for long trips. If you want the best of both worlds you can consider an exhaust cutout, so you can select quiet or a louder more powerful setting instantaneously.

2. CAI or a more efficient intake. The least expensive way to do this is bu using black plastic drain tubing from Home Depot and a K&N style filter.

After that it depends on many things. A 6 speed would be good or an IM intake manifold but it all depends on what you have to play with, skills, money, requirements.

 

[hotrodder]

This one is easy. In one word---------nitrous :grin:

The newer automobile head designs love it. It's like having "mild manner" and "gorilla mode" all in one. With the new computer controls, it's safer than ever for your engine.

I even have a hidden system on my daily driver-----you just never know when that urge is going to hit you. :razz:

 

[Serj22]

Fast / Cheap / Reliable

Pick 2.

 

[richie rich]

OK- Can we talk?

I recently had the MUFFLER taken off and had dual 2.5 in pipes run to rectangular Camaro type ends. I didn't touch the cat or the resonator. NOT GOOD! My E LOST power (bottom end) and was sooo loud it would set off car alarms in parking structures. I then had my valves adjusted hoping it would help-not much. I then had a flowmaster muffler put on to cut down on the noise and give me some back pressure. It helped a bit. To those of you expecting to mod the exhaust and gain big power-FORGET IT! Save your money! My mileage is NO better, my power is NO better, and I get a drone at about 2600 RPM.

 

[Dom.five]

I recently had the MUFFLER taken off and had dual 2.5 in pipes run to rectangular Camaro type ends. I didn't touch the cat or the resonator. NOT GOOD! My E LOST power (bottom end) and was sooo loud it would set off car alarms in parking structures. I then had my valves adjusted hoping it would help-not much. I then had a flowmaster muffler put on to cut down on the noise and give me some back pressure. It helped a bit. To those of you expecting to mod the exhaust and gain big power-FORGET IT! Save your money! My mileage is NO better, my power is NO better, and I get a drone at about 2600 RPM.

It has been proven on the Dyno several times. The gains from CAI or SRI and Exhaust changes are minimal. The best you can hope to gain is 5%, If done in combination and then tuned for the parts.

So if your engine is producing 155 Hp before, about the best you can expect is a 7.75 Hp. gain after.

The parts company's that produce the parts will tell you that it's higher. It just aint so.

Dom

 

[com3]

So if your engine is producing 155 Hp before, about the best you can expect is a 7.75 Hp. gain after.

The parts company's that produce the parts will tell you that it's higher. It just aint so.

the full K&N cold air intake claims 7 hp/torques gain...seems about right then, eh?

 

[capt]

Hotrodder is absolutely spot on, nitrous is cheapest and most effective way to boost power(short term). Now mpg is another story, as there are many ways to spend big bucks and accomplish nothing!!

 

[Dom.five]

the full K&N cold air intake claims 7 hp/torques gain...seems about right then, eh?

That's only one side of the equation. You need the Exhaust side also to get that figure.

Keep in mind, That our cars engine came off the drawing board to maximize horsepower, and fuel efficiency. It was designed and tested by Honda with that specific set of criteria in mind. They also like to include longevity, and dependability. They did extensive testing to that end. The resulting product of these efforts is what you find under the hood of your Element.

We can't expect to extract blood from a stone. It is producing it's maxim dependable horse power now. Adding forced induction will alter the equation drastically. However it also effects longevity and dependability.

So if you have some extra money you want to spend, or just like the extra sound ( read noise ), then have at it.

Dom

 

[com3]

i tow stuff. heavy stuff. that was my reason for posting this thread. i'm not looking for a squirt of nos to make me look like a ricer-boi...i'm looking for dependable, usable power. if it's only 5 ponies, well, that's fine, cause that's an extra 35lbs of weight that the little E can pull more efficiently. ya know?

 

[Dom.five]

i tow stuff. heavy stuff. that was my reason for posting this thread. i'm not looking for a squirt of nos to make me look like a ricer-boi...i'm looking for dependable, usable power. if it's only 5 ponies, well, that's fine, cause that's an extra 35lbs of weight that the little E can pull more efficiently. ya know?

Talk to Tim Vance. He is towing about 2,000 lbs with an 03, that's unmodified. Several of us tow with stock Elements.

How much weight are you planning on pulling ?

Dom

 

[com3]

Talk to Tim Vance. He is towing about 2,000 lbs with an 03, that's unmodified. Several of us tow with stock Elements.

How much weight are you planning on pulling ?

Dom

i already tow with my stock E. in fact, i just checked trailer weight...says 2990. plus another 1000 lbs of cargo (sportbikes and gear). plus ~650lbs in passengers. :-D

it does alright towing...i usually draft semi trucks doing about 59-61mph (CA speed limit when towing is 55). if i got a burly headwind, i slow to about 53 and turn off OD. average mpg is about 14.5 when towing like this.

 

[scorsone]

Are you saying the trailer weighs 2900lbs empty or is that gross? If that is empty/dry weight of the trailer and then you add 1000lbs of gear, that might be over doing it a bit. Even I wouldn't tow that much on a regular basis or for any distance.

I will let you know how my boat towing goes since I did the RBB swap on my '05.

 

[com3]

Are you saying the trailer weighs 2900lbs empty or is that gross? If that is empty/dry weight of the trailer and then you add 1000lbs of gear, that might be over doing it a bit. Even I wouldn't tow that much on a regular basis or for any distance.

I will let you know how my boat towing goes since I did the RBB swap on my '05.

gross, my bad. dunno actual weight of trailer after looking at it.

this is the trailer

 

[NmyELMT]

I've rocked VW's for years, and mocked the Honda owners and their V-TEC engines.

Well, now that I own an Element, how is this high class V-TEC engine completely gutless with no tuning options? Maybe I'm just behind the power curve here.

 

[Dom.five]

I've rocked VW's for years, and mocked the Honda owners and their V-TEC engines.

Well, now that I own an Element, how is this high class V-TEC engine completely gutless with no tuning options? Maybe I'm just behind the power curve here.

Gutless ??? Tuning options ?

We have had members that have built this engine to 500+ horsepower. Proven on a dyno.

What are you talking about?

The OP (com3) was looking for cheep ways to boost his horsepower.

In short, there are no viable methods that have been proven to do that.

We are not talking about a V-8 here. Some 8's can have power bolted on for short money. That's just not the case with our engine.

Dom

 

[NmyELMT]

LOL.. I did say I was behind the power curve here. So where can one find this 500 hp beast?