Thursday, September 22, 2011

MECHANICS HELP! Regarding my Integra: Questions about my Head Gasket, RPM, and Aftermarket Headers!!!?

Ok, well i got an integra GSR with 118,000 miles. What is the best way to prevent head gasket failure? I use only the recommended coolant from honda and i change the oil every 3,000 miles with conventional oil (the guy who owned it b4 me always used regular oil so i think it would be bad for the motor to switch to synthetic at this point). How much longer should this head gasket last? Is 118,000 miles a lot for a head gasket?



Also, I want to know if I rev the motor around 6-7000 RPM between shifts on a semi-regular basis (only about half the time i drive) will this hurt the motor? It actually redlines at 8,000 RPM, but i rarely ever bring it up to the redline because im afraid ill miss a shift and over revv the motor. So, since it redlines at 8, would it be ok to regularly shift around 6-7000? VTEC kicks in at 4500 and again at i believe 6700 so makes leads me to believe that this motor is SUPPOSE to be shifted at higher RPM.



And finally, would an aftermarket header make any difference in torque or hp? I already have a skunk2 N1 full exhaust on it. I dont plan on changing out the air intake as i think the stock one is sufficient. So, would having just the a/m header and the exhaust make a difference that i could feel in performance?



Serious answers only please and preferably from people who know cars and work on them, thanks!MECHANICS HELP! Regarding my Integra: Questions about my Head Gasket, RPM, and Aftermarket Headers!!!?Ok, ill try to answer all of this. Yes, sick with conventional oil, it is bad to switch to full synthetic after about 75,000 miles. A head gasket should last at least 120,000, but more like 150,000 if the engine is taken care of. The revving the engine that high that often will definitely lower the life of that head gasket, as well as the engine in whole. You need to shift at more like 3000 RPM if you want your car to see high miles. The fuel you will save will also be well worth it. If you shift that high because Hondas have no power and you want to get places fast, well sorry you should have got something with a V-6 or V-8, not a Honda. The Variable valve timing is only for when you really need to get on it, you no passing a truck on the highway, getting onto the short freeway on ramp. You should never see those high of RPM's in regular daily driving. Yes a header will help, and you should at least get a high flow air filter.MECHANICS HELP! Regarding my Integra: Questions about my Head Gasket, RPM, and Aftermarket Headers!!!?driving constantly at 7k rpms will cause damage, your internals will eventually cook them selfs. why even drive that way normally? just because it redlines at 8k doesnt mean you should travel up to 7k to shift out, when your at wot or trying to race i see your point for for daily driving thats being a ricer to the fullest. i for one dont wanna hear your motor 2 miles away.



headers will basically do you no good. on a v8 it will do good, but a lonely 4 cyl or v6 its just a waste of money.



and your head gasket, is untelling. it can blow tonight, tomorrow or a year from now.MECHANICS HELP! Regarding my Integra: Questions about my Head Gasket, RPM, and Aftermarket Headers!!!?the best way to prevent head gasket failure is to baby it. taking it to 7k on a semi regular basis, just so you can hear vtec engage is not going easy on the motor. now it you had internal work to it....then no problem. and no.....vtec does not engage twice. what your hearing at 4500 is the secondary intake runners open up. then vtec engages at like 5700. and sorry to burst your bubble but no motor is SUPPOSE to be shifted at high rpm. you can, but the more you do it...the more your asking for trouble down the road.



aftermarket header time....and no. you might see a gain of like 7hp tops, besides that the best header you can put on it so it flows and gets maximum gain is the type r header, spoon header or a mugen header.... the only three that gets the maximum. the only way your going to feel the performance is by sticking some serious cash into the motor....stroker kit, cams, boost, increases the c/r and one of those.... a couple of things that do work very well on the gsr motors is the following.....

replace the dual stage intake manifold for a type r, or aftermarket intake manifold....

chip the ecu....required if you do the above

motor loves boost

replace the head with a b16 head....