Honda doesn't have a reputation for producing first class engines for nothing. Back in 1990,when the Mustang was still using push rods and two valves per cylinder, Honda was making the little B16A, which was pushing out 100 hp per litre, using 16 valves and VTEC variable valve timing.

With Honda engines pushing out so much power in stock form you would be excused for thinking that there would be nothing more you could do to get more power. We, have already seen what can be done just by adding a good quality intake and exhaust though and there is still some more simple stuff left that can be done to get more power.

Power Pulleys

While the primary use of your cars engine is moving the car (as quickly as possible!) it is also used for some other things that most of us don't think about. The engine power is also used to drive the oil, water and power steering pumps, the alternator and the air conditioner. All of these things use up some of the power that should be used to accelerate the car instead. The power used by these components is termed parasitic drag. You have seen it yourself - when you run the a/c your car ever feels quite so fast, because the a/c is sucking some of the power. This is the main reason why true drag cars ditch the power steering, a/c and alternator. Unfortunately, you need these things for daily driving.

This is where the power pulleys (or underdrive pulleys) come in. The power pulleys are a set of pulleys that are larger in diameter than the stock pulleys for the accessories they replace. The larger diameter of the pulleys allows the accessories to turn more slowly so that they use up less power, meaning your car will put more power to the ground. Alternatively, a smaller crankshaft pulley can be implemented to achieve the same effect. These pulleys are not recommend however, because they are too small to incorporate the harmonic dampener that the stock pulley uses to isolate vibration.

AEM are the premier manufacturer of power pulleys for import cars. Their pulleys go the safer route of the larger accessory pulley instead of the smaller crankshaft pulley. They also replace only the alternator pulley and the power steering pulley, as slowing down the oil and water pumps could be detrimental to the operation of the engine.

AEM's pulleys are precisely CNC machined from T-6 6061 aluminum for great strength and lighter than stock weight.

A great thing about these pulleys is that they also look great, giving your engine compartment a custom look. They are available in red, blue and silver to match the rest of the custom stuff under your hood.

Import Tuner Magazine tested the AEM Pulleys on a Honda Accord and got some positive results. They measured horsepower and torque increases throughout the power band, with peak power increases of 5.5 horsepower. Look here to read the entire Import Tuner article on GR8Ride.com. You can check AEM's website here to see their dyno chart and read what they have to say about their pulleys.

Carparts.com have these pulley kits for all Civic models, starting at $157.51. At this price they are a great horsepower per dollar investment and add to it the coupons that discount the price even more and they just can't be beat.

Adjustable Cam Gears

Although Honda engines are designed and built to exacting tolerances, like with every other area of the car, we can gain improvements on our Civic by doing some engine tweaking. Using adjustable cam gears, we can tweak the timing of the opening and closing of the valves to optimize the engine that last bit. This is especially important on cars if you have done a lot of other mods like intake, header and exhaust, as these change the breathing characteristics of the engine. However, they can make power on an otherwise completely stock engine.

If your car is a single cam Civic the cam gear will really only be able to shift the power band up or down as you cannot vary the intake timing separately from the exhaust timing. You are not likely to see any real power increases, but it is not a bad idea to bring the power in a little earlier on those single cam cars. The gears will be much more beneficial on the DOHC Civic Si.

Some years ago(March 1997) Sport Compact Car put some cam gears (AEM) on their project Integra GSR, which was otherwise modified with DC Sports intake, header and exhaust only. They were able to achieve power increases throughout the power band, with a peak power gain of 17 hp at 6000 rpm.

To get the most out of your Cam Gears you will need to book some dyno time with your Civic and make several runs, adjusting the gears methodically each time until you find the setting that gives you the best power.

Although people will start to think we are biased towards AEM, AEM's Tru-Time adjustable cam gears are hard to beat at the price of $123.64 offered on the Carparts Homepage . The 17 hp that Sport Compact Car is not typical, but this is definitely another great horsepower/dollar part that you should get.

Like their power pulleys, AEM's cam gears are CNC machined from aluminum and feature true laser-etched markings and precision cut gear teeth that are guaranteed to match the Original Equipment (O.E.) drive tooth profile. Each kit includes comprehensive installation instructions, and have recommended cam gear settings, which are great if you don't have access to a dyno. Look at the close up photos on their website here to see the quality and precision with which they are made. The pulleys look so good that you should leave off your cam cover so everyone can see them.

 

Check this page often, as this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to engine modifications. We plan to cover camshafts, throttle bodies, thinner head gaskets and more in the near future.

 

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