bolt-ons
I recommend a smooth-tract tube cold-air intake of 3” diameter. It provides a nice torque hump at low rpm and also offers access to more dense air. An upgraded throttle body is optimum, 62-65mm are popular options. The intake manifold is very important. My favorite is the Skunk2 offering. It is cheap and works well and has a 62mm ID TB bore. There have been issues with quality control with the entire Skunk2 line, however, several Skunk2 intake manifolds (h22, b20, sohc) were manufactured in factories with good QC so the risks are low. I have had no issues with mine nor has AgentJam. Fitment is poor in an EG, and really tight in an EF (but doable). EK fitment is fine, however, some adjustment will have to be done to a few brackets on the firewall. If you have an EG, I might suggest the Edelbrock unit. It is expensive, but is superior to any OE manifold. I do not know about adapting a tube cold air to it, since that manifold has a unique angle for the throttle body. Port-matching is ideal for this manifold to your head, however, I did not see a need for it with my particular setup. Inspect yours to see if the path of runner-gasket-port is smooth.
Header choice is limited to one- SMSP. Contact member SMSP for price info, however, this header is not cheap. It comes in mild-steel, so coating will make it even more expensive. The thing is, it makes the most power of any header available that works with A/C and/or P/S. In fact, I would pit it against the crazy headers that due to their bends don’t allow for these creature comforts. The exhaust is up to you, I just would make sure there are no sudden restrictions or dips in inside diameter. I prefer a 2.25 ID. Not having a cat is ideal, however, SMSP offers some high performance functioning catalysts if you can get away with that in your area. An ignition is not necessary, however, i feel it helps. A multiple spark unit with external coil assures complete combustion and spark survival in the storm of high-compression cylinder conditions. I prefer either NGK wires or Nology Hotwires (if you have the money). Both work fine, however, I have found various small improvements in a few areas with the Hotwires. Dyno sheets with these will be coming soon vs. NGK. Stock rotor is fine with an MSD Cap. MSD now offers performance rotors, this might be something to consider.
tuning
To assure your build doesn’t die from a dying fuel pump, I recommend an upgrade to a 255lph fuel pump from Walbro. Yeah, it’s overkill, but it cost the same as the 190lph and is not any less reliable, so just get it. A new fuel pump is a wonderful thing. Stock injectors are perfect for this build, provided they are not dirty. Most of the smaller displacement 1.6-.8 Honda injectors are 240cc. The lone exception is d16y7 injectors are 190cc, so do not use these. Your best bet is to send the 240’s you choose to RC Engineering to get them balanced and flowed. Fuel pressure regulator upgrade is recommended, even though you will have a tuneable ecu. The reason is optimum atomization occurs @ 55psi with these Honda injectors, which is a significant amount over stock spec. I got this information from SOHC VTEC legend Nathan Tasukon who did extensive testing with his company Motec. I like the on-rail AEM unit as it is perfect. It’s got a reliable diaphragm, and adjustable return orifices, meaning you won’t have issues with the big fuel pump like you would if you used a modified stock FPR (like the Vortech, B&M, Hayame, etc). The spark plugs to use are NGK bkr6e-11 or 7e-11. The heat range depends on a few things. If you are running the lower tier compression levels (<11.5:1), then a 6 should be fine year-round. If you are in the higher compression bracket, then you might want to run a 6 in cold weather and a 7 in hotter weather; that is what I do. To get the target NA power levels, obd1 conversion is necessary due to its extensive tuning capabilities, unless you are using an obd2 adaptable engine management like A’pexi Power FC or AEM EMS. The Power FC is what I use and I feel it is an incredible value for what it offers. On-board parameter monitoring, knock monitor, etc & light adjustments via the in-cabin commander, with deep tuning capability via PC. It also features a very powerful idle stability feature which keeps the wild Crower 3 cam stable in all idle conditions. Some viable tuning options are Neptune, Hondata, Uberdata, etc. Full tuning range is required, both timing, fuel, and various other parameters where stock settings will not suffice.
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