The best tuning modifications for the Integra.

"Maintaining your 'integraity'"

The original Integra was actually a joint project between Rover and Honda, who wanted to create a new model which would appeal to europe. The Rover 200 and Integra DC2 share many similarities as far as body styling goes. The engines and suspension choices are perfected in the Type R.

Honda took the Integra platform on through 3 generations adding many refinements and improvements along the way.

This page is only a general introduction to tuning the Integra models and only touches on the many options, for more detail we suggest you join our friendly and active forums for specific tips.

The Type R Integra was a perfect example of a track day car you can use as a reliable daily transport. It features a stunning engine which has been carefully balanced, flowed and set up from the factory. The chassis has also been carefully tweaked to provide driver feedback and stunning levels of grip and handling.

Internally the Type R looks a little sparse. Every effort was made to save weight so many standard gadgets were removed. There was for example, no radio or air conditioning, although many owners have added these options. Also the sound deadening was removed which does save weight but makes the car a sheer driver's delight. The engine positively sings when the VTEC kicks in.

The high revving nature of all of Honda's petrol engines make for some positive gains when adding tuning mods. Getting air into the engine and the exhaust gases out again are priorities. Exhaust, intake and air filters can all give you the edge but for serious power gains you have to start looking at doing internal engine modifications such as balancing, gas flowing, porting and polishing. 

Please note it is not a matter of bigger is better when it comes to airflow, if you read our articles on exhaust and induction kits you will gain further insights into the world of professional power tuning.

Stroker kits can increase the displacement of the engine and give a bigger base for a power gain.

The early DC2 was hailed as the ultimate front drive car, a testimony to the R&D boys at Honda who tweaked and set this car up to be the best driver's car around. They have avoided the modern school of tuning with superchargers and turbos and shown everyone what can be done with a highly tuned, high revving NASP engine.

The newer DC5 is a stunning car, and shows up pretty much every other contemporary FWD car around but there are many fans of the original who feel it does not match up to the DC2.

So how do you improve on perfection? It is fair to say that most of the cheaper aftermarket performance parts rarely improve on the standard Honda set up.

If you have a basic non performance Integra, then the obvious options are to look at the Type R parts bin for suitable upgrades. Brakes and suspension should rate pretty high up but engine swaps and gearbox changes make a massive difference on base models.

It is possible to source performance enhancing parts. One of the most popular modifications on the DC2 and DC5 are high flow exhaust headers. These allow the exhaust gases to flow out of the exhaust efficiently.

Your selection of a lighter flywheel and fast road cam is probably one of the biggest power adding mods you can do on most of the Integra engines. Our forums are a great place to discuss these options in detail so you can get the right set up for your particular engine.

Don't dismiss weight reduction either, this is something Honda did in the Type R models and this strategy improves handling and performance.

Some enthusiastic owners have started fitting superchargers. Although the engines are high compression you can get away with a low boost supercharger and it really changes the character of the engine. We have also seen a fantastic turbo conversion on an early DC2 but this required a full engine rebuild and some clever mapping but the owner was very pleased with his near 400bhp power figure.

Putting all that power down through the front wheels is just asking for trouble. But with a good limited slip differential and suspension set up it is possible to channel upwards of 250bhp through the front wheels in a usable manner.

Many owners note that the powerful Integras can struggle in wet conditions. This makes your choice of tyre of paramount importance. A good directional tread pattern on some wider alloys will make quite a difference.

As far as lowering the car goes we would recommend that you try and resist the urge. The standard suspension setup is actually superb on the type R models. Standard models will benefit from a drop of around 40 mm.  

Uprated bushings can make a big difference to handling and should be considered on all older models where they have become brittle.

As the shocks get older you may suffer a little extra roll and wallow so this would be a good time to get some good quality coil overs. TorqueCars always recommend you get adjustable shocks as this allows you to keep tweaking your car's setup until you get it right.

Induction kits can also help raise power as long as you have a cold air feed (at least in the upper RPM band). Under bonnet temperatures can rob you of significant power so you would be wasting your time adding an induction kit without the cold air feed. A bonnet vent near the filter will also help keep the intake temperature down.

Join us in our forum to chat and swap tuning ideas with our resident Integra enthusiasts.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Honda. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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