1996 Honda Civic Dx

What the heck is a DX doing in Power Pages! Was that your first response? Well, not everybody has the need to swap to a DOHC into a Civic with a SOHC.

People are happy with the gas mileage they get and I don't blame them with the gas prices these days, but every once in a while these people have the need for a little extra pep when the pedal hits the metal.

In any case, fixing up the DX powerplant will at least give the go ahead to pick on stock EXs.

One thing you might remember is this is a Civic, so we can at least look like a champ with the help of HP Racing Motorsports and Nitto tires.

This particular Power Page will address the performance, but also the aesthetics of an under-rated variant of the venerable Civic.

The EngineHere's the big ouch, the engine is a 1.6-liter 16-valve SOHC that pumps out a "staggering" 108 ponies and 103 lb-ft of torque to the wheels. It should be noted these figures are from a previous Power Page test.

Before you belch out in laughter, go a few years back and try to remember the '88 to '91 Civic Si. The SOHC pumped out the same numbers as our '96 yet the early Si engine played a starring role in this Honda trend. The late model DX produces the same power as the early model Honda Civic Si. Lucky for us many of the '96 to '99 Civic EX aftermarket parts will work on the SOHC powerplant with mild modifications.

Performance ComponentsAdvanced Engine Management (AEM) is one of the few companies that is willing to support the DX Civic in the aftermarket field. The AEM intake is a complete bolt-on affair that comes complete with mounting brackets and filter.

A big plus to the intake is its cold air design. The filter mounts in place of the factory resonator box to inhale as much cold air as possible. The unit is also a CARB approved commodity.

The Tanabe exhaust system is designed for the Civic EX, but happens to fit on the DX. In any case, the muffler design and piping size will not only benefit the EX Hondas, but also with the DX.

Piping size comes in 58mm and the muffler is a stainless steel equipped with a three-inch tip. Factory exhaust hangers on the DX meet up perfect to the exhaust system so there was no need for modification to the Tanabe unit.

Our last installation piece is one that causes great concern. The HP Motorsports header is designed as a replacement for a Civic EX. This will bolt to our DX, but the big problem is that the DX catalytic converter bolts directly to the stock exhaust manifold.

We decided to make the modifications necessary to utilize the header. Although this will eliminate the catalytic converter we made the modifications simple so we can always put the car back in OEM trim.

Dyno TestingBecause our car is equipped with HP Motorsport 17x7 Lightening wheels wrapped in Nitto NT450 rubber our baseline power figures checked in at 91.1 ponies and 92.3 lb-ft of torque. So, somewhere down the line we paid the price in horsepower for the aggressive look of the wheels.

With the addition of the AEM air intake we were on the verge of breaking into the triple digits. Our first product produced a 97.1 hp and 95.9 lb-ft of torque.

Most of the power gained was in the top-end above 5000 rpm where we saw as much as 8 hp.

Next in our lineup was the Tanabe exhaust system. Once again the unit was a complete bolt-on deal so installation was very simple. Power output broke into the triple digits both in horsepower and torque, peaking out at 101.8 ponies and 101.7 lb-ft of torque.

There was no need to make an adapter pipe to connect the HP header to the Tanabe exhaust since removing the factory manifold comes built in with the cat. We would now be able to bolt the factory unit back on if we were to drive the vehicle on public highways.

Because this particular car utilizes two O2 sensors we left the first O2 sensor plugged into the wiring harness but not installed in the exhaust. The second O2 plugged into the number four primary pipe. This kept the check engine light from turning on.

The custom modifications were well worth the gain in power as we picked up an 8 hp and 16.6 lb-ft of torque. Oh yeah!

ConclusionOften considered the under dog of the Civic lineage, the DX offers a powerplant that looks kindly on power. In the end we were able to raise the bar to 113.2 hp and 106.5 lb-ft of torque. Any way you put it Hondas can make good power-even if it is powered by the whimpy D16Y7.

More power and still the same gas mileage if not better. The HP Racing Motorsport wheels, coilovers and strut tower braces along with the Nitto tires help out our Civic in the pimp-atrating department and the AEM intake, Tanabe exhaust and HP Racing header gave us the power to challenge the big dogs.

This Civic DX has been converted from zero to hero so do think you need to swap out that D16Y7 just yet because it is capable of producing power.