Auto Racing: springs, b18 motors, honda sir

Question
Hi! I have a Honda SIR and I would like to make it faster but where should I start? My friends told me to start with the Exhaust and air filters. Is this true? And is it safe to cut the springs to make it lower or is it better to buy an original lowering spring? Thanks!

Answer
Tristan-

  Let me start by saying imports are not my strong suit, but I do know a bit about Hondas.  If you've got a CRX or Civic SiR then you should have a B16A motor.  These respond pretty well to normal modifications like exhaust.  An air filter will help a bit, but don't believe the power numbers you read in ads.  You'll see 5-10hp at the very most.  For exhaust, I'm a fan of the Greddy kits.  If you want to put some money into dyno tuning, you can also get some extra power from a set of adjustable cam gears.  This is NOT a good investment without dyno time.  Other than that, all of the other goodies still apply powerwise...turbo kits for B16 and B18 motors are actually pretty cheap compared to some other cars (the kit for my Mustang cost a little over $4,000).  As for cutting the springs...VERY bad idea.  That will destroy the ride quality.  If you're going to go with lowering springs, I'd go a little farther and get a Ground Control coil-over setup or even a Skunk2 setup.  Check out www.styledright.com.  A friend of mine named Stefan runs the site and the guy's a mad genius when it comes to Honda stuff.  If he can't find the right stuff, I don't know who can.  Hope this helps.