***The Hotness™️ Build Thread!***

[Thusee]

Yeah, and that’s the other aspect of it: I might not see the need of adjusting often because I don’t have the ability to adjust OTF. Thanks for your insight! ?? I will continue to consider it.

Good luck with the rest of the build! Feel free to reach out if you ever have any questions about anything!

Sponsored

 

[Doc_Mello]

Newest addition: Dboyz Bride shift boot!

I used Pawinning's shift boot install walk-through, which was fantastic! That said, there were two major aspects that I wanted to highlight:
• The collar has a little hole for the head of a small zip-tie to sit within, but it's tricky to get the zip-tie to sit within in. The trick is to zip in from the backend so the tail of the tie sticks through the boot fabric, into the hole, into the interior of the collar. When the tie is tightened, it pulls the head of the zip-tie in to nestle into the hole.

In these pics, you can see the tail (which was cut off once tightened) sticking into the middle of the collar.

• In Pawinning's video, he removes the small gray trim piece while the boot is still connected. BUT, if you remove the staples for the tabs first, the OEM boot slides right out, leaving much more room to finagle the trim tabs out from being locked in. It's so much easier! Afterward, once the new boot's tabs are taped and secured, the gray trim piece snaps right in. Super-easy.

Also, added new double-sided tape to each peg around which the shift boot tabs wrap.
BEFORE:

AFTER:

All done!

Installed, ready for !

 

[MrJustin81]

Been playing around again ?.

My dream Riza: my rims coming this week + shaved handles + a translucent smoked duckbill spoiler. ?

Shoutout to @PdxJose for the base image!

Shaved handles? info on how to? I love the sleekness

 

[86salmon]

Shaved handles? info on how to? I love the sleekness

Never done one, but seen it in build threads and on tv. There's a door popper kit and some body work over the original handle spot. The doors can be opened electronically with a fob, and I've seen manual/emergency switches placed at the bottom of the door

 

[Doc_Mello]

Shaved handles? info on how to? I love the sleekness

Never done one, but seen it in build threads and on tv. There's a door popper kit and some body work over the original handle spot. The doors can be opened electronically with a fob, and I've seen manual/emergency switches placed at the bottom of the door

So, if I were going to, I would still keep the 'walk up and touch a panel' sleekness that our cars currently have (i.e. I wouldn't need to unlock the car using the key fob). I'd use a capacitive touch system, if one existed.

 

[MrJustin81]

So, if I were going to, I would still keep the 'walk up and touch a panel' sleekness that our cars currently have (i.e. I wouldn't need to unlock the car using the key fob). I'd use a capacitive touch system, if one existed.

ill look it up but sounds pricey to do

 

[Doc_Mello]

ill look it up but sounds pricey to do

I couldn't even find a kit, so, ??.

 

[86salmon]

I couldn't even find a kit, so, ??.

The touch systems that had been around don't seem to be around anymore. I'm guessing there were issues.

I guess there's always flush mount handles

How about Corvette handles?
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/oam-5256a

 

[Doc_Mello]

Next up: 27Won Big Brake Kit Install + Rear Brakes Upgrade

I don't have too many pics because there are a metric ton of them already spread around these forums ?, but I'll supplement with my own findings.

I used 27Won's own install instructions found here. The install was a breeze! First, I used their template to first ensure the BBK would clear my TSW rims.

It may be difficult to see in these pics, but there is more than a finger's width gap between the template outline and the backside of the spoke. So, PLENTY of room (my rims are 18x8.5 +30 offset).

That said, I still wanted to ensure the BBK would fit BEFORE going through the whole install just to find out the calipers won't clear the rims, SO, I removed the OEM front brake caliper from the hub (BUT kept the brake line connected, just in case), and secured it next to the coilover.

Afterward, I removed the OEM pad support (the remaining aluminum bracket in the above pic, and the OEM rotor (DAMN those stupid retaining screws! I ended up drilling out each and every one of them from the four rotors around the car). Once that was completed, I temporarily installed the 27Won Rotor + caliper, then installed the rim. Huzzah! Everything cleared perfectly!

Now, knowing that I was going to paint the rear calipers red to match the 27WOn caliper color I chose, I left that rim attached, and began work on the rear.

I used @Manstink1's great rear caliper disassembly walkthrough to remove the caliper, though I had a hell of a time removing the ebrake electronic connector! I just could NOT get the little tab to budge, so, I ended up removing the ebrake solenoid from the caliper itself via the two Allen bolts, then was able to remove the connector by going in through the frontend with a tiny flathead screwdriver. Once the connector was finally free, I was able to operate the mechanism to see how it worked:

In this pic, the solid line is the connector at rest. The little button circled with the oval needs to be pushed toward the connector body (the arrow) to actuate the lever mechanism (the dashed line). I suspect a flathead screwdriver inserted on the slope of the circled button would be perfect. Nice to know now! ?

Now, I didn't fully disassemble the caliper because I decided to use POR-15 brush-on paint instead of a spray version that needed to be baked. The downside is that I had to wait much longer for the POR-15 to dry, 3-4 hours before I could brush on a second coat, then let that dry for 3-4 hours to dry before I could even install the calipers, which then needed a day to fully cure. Whew! Given the whole time period of waiting I had to do, I started on SAT morning, with plans to test drive on SUN night.

So, I test-fitted the front BBK, then removed the rear calipers for paint, taping off the vulnerable parts and ports. Brake Klean and brush for cleaning, then on to painting!

While the rear calipers were drying, I installed the rear SS Goodridge brake lines. I swear I bought the correct kit, and even double-checked, but I found an issue: the OEM lines have a D-shaped fitting that slots into the OEM bracket that secures the line to the body at the hardline point. However, the SS line had no such D-shape, was completely circular, and thus did not fit into the OEM bracket (one of many small issues I had to overcome while doing this whole install ?). So, I oriented both the OEM line and the SS line as best I could WRT the positioning of the middle bracket, then took a file to one edge of the SS line.

In this pic, you can clearly see the D-shaped OEM fitting, and the slight filing I made on the SS fitting. I removed just enough material to make the fitting tight in the OEM bracket. After that, installed the SS lines (the caliper end raised up high to assuage fluid leakage), installed the new Stoptech slotted rotors to match the front BBK slotted rotors, then mounted the rims temporarily in order to complete work on the front BBK.

Knowing that I was going to be working on the fronts for a while, I figured it was a great time to install the Whiteline RMM! I used this great walkthrough as a guide.

This is the orientation of the OEM Si RMM as it is installed in the vehicle. You can clearly see the word UP on the top of the beam.

I used the included lube to grease up the outside of the Whiteline bushings, then used a dead blow hammer massaged the RMM into place.

All buttoned up with red LocTite!

After the RMM was installed, I finished up the front BBK install. WARNING: ensure you have all the correct tools for disengaging the OEM brake line from the hardline! IIRC, the hardline req's a 10mm open-ended wrench. I used a crescent wrench, but almost fully stripped the hardline connector nut! ? Luckily, vice grips to the rescue! Unlocking that connector nut was wild! I feel like it was on there way too tight, but, damn, at least I got it. Once, free, I could inspect it better. I only rounded one edge of the hexagon; once a mate let me borrow a 10mm, I was able to install 27Won's included SS lines (which means I have to front SS lines from the Goodridge kit available for anyone who wants them!)

Once the rear calipers were dry, they looked stellar! However, the normal bumps of installation marred the paint a bit, so, I guess it wasn't fully cured. ?? Looks good from a distance, but I'll have to get in there soon to do a touch-up. Luckily, my rims are so big that I'm not sure I need to remove them, as I can reach right through the spokes. ?

Now, one major issue I ran into was that the Hawk rear brake pads I bought came with one incorrect pad!

In this pic, you can see that the little buttons of the OEM pad are different than the greased up Hawk pad. ? I did not discover this until I was trying to install the rear caliper! Suffice it to say, I was pretty pissed. Having no other recourse, I reused that one OEM pad until I could contact Hawk for guidance. To Hawk's credit, they were completely understanding, apologetic, and responsive! They warrantied the pad, and sent out a couple of replacements that I should be getting here soon! Now, that's customer service! Everyone makes mistakes, but I have full respect for someone, especially a corporation, that stands up, take responsibility, and helps! ??????

Once everything was done and installed Sunday evening, I bled the brakes from the Front Left around the the Rear Left, using 27Won's instructions for their calipers. I also used the factory manual. Afterward, the brakes seemed to have sharp initial bite, a bit of constant play within the first third of the pedal travel, then the brakes engage. It was a bit weird, not spongy or rubbery, just non-linear. I felt confident in the bleeding process, and the bed-in procedure, but suspected there was still a bit of air in the lines. So, I drive a couple of days, then re-bled them again, and a tiny bit of air bubbles came out only from the rear brakes. After that, they felt fantastic.

BRAKES REVIEW: basically, I have a whole new brake set-up, so, I needed to get used to the new pedal feel. After the second bleed round, the brakes were linear again, but had sharper bite. They feel like race brakes, and they look damn good, to boot. ?

WHITELINE RMM REVIEW: Wow, everything is tighter now, and the NVH skyrocketed. ? The whole vehicle now vibrates, rather than rattles, and you def feel the car with your butt dyno. I actually really like it because it makes the car feel like a racecar, but I can see why some folks might not like it. I call it a 'Stage 2' set up, short of 27Won's 90A, or any higher urethane rating.

Lastly, just a bit of debris from this round of installs. ?

 

[Doc_Mello]

Seibon Carbon Fiber hood install!

So, was able to get my hands on a TS-style hood! ? I won't name the company from where I got it because I don't want to explicitly call them out, but I will say that the process of getting this hood was pretty much the exact opposite of any experience one wants when spending $1,300. This company was barely responsive, apologetic when they were, to their credit, but also seemed very unorganized. I had to check in multiple times on the status of the order, and I even had to contact them to get shipping and tracking info! WTH?! ? Then, the delivery company was equally obfuscating, at one point not even answering my calls for the delivery time.

SRSLY, getting this hood was a horrible process.

Now, a hood like this needs to be inspected before taking delivery, for obvious reasons, and, of course, the hood shows up at my place unannounced when I was away. ?? So, you can imagine my further frustration when I saw the condition of the box, clearly labeled FRAGILE, having boot prints in multiple places. ???

So, I had a roommate record the whole unboxing to cover my a$$, and we went through a detailed step-by-step process through each element, from the box condition, to the packaging tape being intact, any damage to the cardboard and internal packing material, and a very thorough look across the whole hood once unraveled. We got 4K video of every edge, every surface, and I'M STILL IN SHOCK THAT THE HOOD WAS IN FANTASTIC CONDITION!

If there are any blemishes, they are tiny tiny, such that only I would notice if I'm looking at a weird angle, and certainly nothing that would ever necessity sending this specimen back. Overall, I was so stupid relieved to see this piece in such great condition!

Now, with that blood-pressure-raising ordeal finally over, I could get to the the prep and install!

This is my first carbon hood, but I knew about the alleged yellowing of the epoxy that happens on these hoods. My research into this issue revealed that the issue is spotty, and somewhat of a confusing mess, with some folks saying their hoods never yellowed, even after years, some had yellowing and flaking, across multiple brands, both less prestigious and more expensive. That said, there seemed to be some common factors that played into yellowing: a lack of proper UV protection, and a lack of heat-based protection on the underside. With this in mind, I had a plan!

First, I got dome tried-and-tested DEI aluminum heat shielding.

The underside of the TS-style hood shows the support means, and the carbon skin.

There is an air gap between the under-frame and the carbon exterior skin, with epoxy glue to hold the pieces together. So, I figured that the most heat threat would be to the exposed underside of the carbon skin. So, I used some of the thin packing material as a flexible template for the three main underside panels.

The DEI heat shielding comes folded, so, I kept it folded only in half, and lined up the templates with the folds for some sense of symmetry, with the added benefit that, folding it in half, I could cut out both the left and right sides of the undersides of the vents simultaneously! ???‍?

Once cut out and fitted into their respective slots, I had the good fortune of trying to work this stuff around the venting curves without pressing too much on the underside of the carbon skin!

Wow, this stuff was difficult to work with on anything other than a flat surface! You will have wrinkles, and slits to help with fitment. This material is thin, but somewhat stiff, so, you'll be spending some time to get it right. That said, it's somewhat forgiving, like Lamin-x, meaning that you can lay, then lift to remove, and lay it again; it doesn't bond instantly, but rather across time. I've been keeping an eye on it, and seems to be remaining adhered to the underside of the carbon skin.

Now, I watched a variety of DIY hood removal videos on the YouTubes, but I noticed that folks seemed to be trying to always remove the washer nozzles and clips while the hood was still on the car, which seemed more difficult than it needed to be. So, in the spirit of foresight, I disconnected the washer fluid tube from the 90-degree junction near the right fender, removed the hood with the help of a buddy, and worked on removing the nozzles and tube clips while the hood was laid protected upside-down on the ground.?

The washer nozzles themselves are super-easy to remove: simply pull down on the two top tabs near the backend of the nozzle, and tip it up away from the hood; the front end is a passive hold.

PRO TIP: The OEM hood has small circular tube holders that are clipped into the sheet metal. DO NOT WORRY ABOUT REMOVING THESE! They're super difficult to pop out, but it doesn't matter because the Seibon TS-style hood has no such similar holes for those holders; it only has one main hold (see in the pic below) for the tubing itself. So, you should be able to simple remove the OEM fire barrier, then slide out the washer fluid tubing from those little holders.

However, the carbon hood, says Seibon, has opening for the nozzles that are roughly the same shape as the OEM hood, but are purposely left much smaller than OEM in order to allow for proper fitting. I first used files, and a tiny saw close, to begin cutting away the fiberglass material, but this took far too long because there is a considerable amount of material that needs to slowly be removed in order for the nozzles to fit properly. I ended up buying a Dremel (should've bought on years ago!), which, with the included bit kit, made short work of the fab process. Wear proper protection!

After shaving a bit of material away, test fitting, shaving, fitting, etc. until the nozzles fir perfectly, I used some low-shine black to pain around the modified openings in order to protect any exposed fiberglass from the elements.

Then, I slid the OEM washer fluid tubing through the main hole on the hood (the lower left side if looking at the underside of the hood. See the pic.), pulled the ends through the nozzle slots and attached them to the nozzles, then clipped the nozzles into place. At the moment, they seem super sturdy, locked in! (I'm actually pretty proud of this because it's the first time I've done any fab work on a carbon hood. ?). Afterward, I routed the tubing through the OEM holder on the hinge. In the pic, it looks like the tube is pulled tightly, but it's just straight; it's actually not that tight, and I performed all of this while the hood was up in it's highest position.

Near the righthand (passenger side) fender is the connection to the fluid line to the reservoir. Now, the OEM fluid tube from the OEM hood is now too long, having too much tubing near the hinge and fender, which could be pinched when closing the hood. So, this excess had to be trimmed. Use your best judgment, but I removed enough to make the tubing fit closely to the fender, and curl up into the little pocket there when closing the hood. As you might imagine, this took a few attempts, but everything is good to go!

The last thing I did was test the whole system, and HUZZAH! It worked well, like OEM, and sprayed washer fluid on my windshield, and even a bit up over the freshly-washed car. ?

 

[Doc_Mello]

Mishimoto Intercooler install!

So, I was hesitant to upgrade the intercooler because a major theme of my build is to remain smog-legal. I chose the Mishi intake because it's CARB approved, BUT, as of SEP 2021, Mishi's intercooler is also now CARB approved! ??????? So, on with the install!

So, apparently, all Mishi silver intercoolers all come with the black M logo sprayed on them, and I was trying to figure out ways to remove it.

I went to a local powdercoating shop today to see if I could just get it stripped and resprayed an aluminum color, but they said that they wouldn’t work on it because the media blasting might actually damage the fins. I mean, makes sense, best to stay cautious, but it’s a good thing I ordered a special paint that’s supposed to be great for sticking to aluminum about a week ago. ?The paint is supposed to arrive today, so, I’m outside getting the intercooler prepped for painting.

Check this out: the first thing I do is spray the front down with Brake Klean because that stuff will remove any trace of grease or oils, and upon the first spray, BAM! The black M logo washes right off! ??? And, best of all, the matte silver stock powdercoating underneath is undamaged, which means that Mishi must spray the black M logo with a different type of paint; it’s not powdercoated on there! ??????

So, problem solved, I go about hosing down the intercooler with Brake Klean (outside, where it’s windy!), and while the majority of the black paint slides off, wiped up with shop towels, the black spray embedded amongst the fins are much harder to spray away. So, I’m wondering how to clean those off when I realize that the M logo is basically gone when looking at the intercooler head-on, but a ghosted M appears when looking from the side ?. I inadvertently created this cool ghosting effect!

Personally, I think this is dope!

Next, the end cap adaptors on the intercooler to be used with the factory piping need to be swapped to the adaptors for the silicone connectors. Be advised: the adaptors only fit one way, so, be careful:
WRONG:

RIGHT:

Now, for the install, I used Mishimoto's own install instructions here, and Edge Autosport's intercooler install + their piping install videos. So, I won't detail my specific install because it was relatively identical, but I'll state some of my findings:
• The silicone L-connector that connects the throttle body to the upper cold-side inlet pipe was a PAIN to get on to the inlet pipe. Wow! Use lube, and push hard! ?
• The little green zip tie mount that holds some wires stable, mounted to the inlet pipe bracket, snapped pretty easily, leaving only the bracket part itself (the loop strap broke off). BUT, of course, I wanted to keep those wires secure, so, I re-mounted to mount bracket into the Mishimoto inlet pipe, but just slipped a large zip tie into the mount!

Other than that, the install was relatively smooth!

As you can see, the M logo is barely visible, and it's practically invisible when looking at the whole car.

I love the fact that I have this cool hidden detail that NO ONE has! That's right, you heard it here first! ?

Now, upon the first test drive, the engine felt stronger, like, 'tight' with reactivity to the throttle.

Now, potential downsides: unless I botched up the install, which I'm pretty sure I didn't, the Mishi intake box hits the upper cold-side inlet pipe! ?

Straight contact. No bueno!

So, for the moment, I used some of the same thermal barrier I use between the exhaust and the diffuser.

@Mishimoto Did I screw something up here? I swear I followed the instructions! PLMK how to proceed. I feel like this is a wear issue.

Otherwise, I love the intercooler thus far!

 

[Doc_Mello]

Mishimoto Intercooler install!
Now, potential downsides: unless I botched up the install, which I'm pretty sure I didn't, the Mishi intake box hits the upper cold-side inlet pipe! ?

Straight contact. No bueno!

So, for the moment, I used some of the same thermal barrier I use between the exhaust and the diffuser.

@Mishimoto Did I screw something up here? I swear I followed the instructions! PLMK how to proceed. I feel like this is a wear issue.

Otherwise, I love the intercooler thus far!

UPDATE!

So, I was able to take some time to go back through the install of the upper cold-side inlet pipe to see if I went wrong somewhere, and I still contend that I installed everything correctly. That said, there was some adjustability (not much, as you'll see) to be had.

First, I disassembled the Mishi airbox in order to remove it so I could finagle the upper cold-side inlet pipe around. On doing so, I discovered the extent of the wear issue:

No bueno. That slash doesn't breach the pressure barrier, but it's obviously concerning nonetheless.

So, taped around that slash, and covered it with some matte black sealing paint I had to protect the aluminum.

While the paint dried, I adjusted the pipe to sit lower in that lower silicone cold-side tube, which required some adjusting up top with the mounts and throttle body c-clamps. As well, I was able to slightly bend the lower airbox mount toward the frame a bit more. Once everything was assembled, I was able to squeeze out a 1/8" gap. ? Hey, not rubbing = not rubbing. As always, I'll keep an eye on it over time, and I'll know if that inlet pipe and the airbox are colliding if the black paint is worn off. ??‍?

Stay tuned! ?

 

[soxfan]

Whew! OMGosh, what a week! So, my next big batch-install is the Greddy DD-R exhaust, an AeroFlow Dynamics full aero kit, purple Muteki SR48 lug nuts ?,+ some vinyl work that mostly didn’t actually work out.? You‘ll see why below.

The Hotness™️ gets a weight reduction!

? Also, Greddy DD-R installed!

In my personal opinion, this has a perfect exhaust sound. Not raspy at. All., nice and deep, but not overpoweringly loud, but certainly louder than stock, zero drone except a very tiny bit when on throttle passing 2K rpm, but all other cruising is totally fine. In fact, on the freeway last night, it was so quiet at normal cruising speeds that I thought i might’ve messed up the install in some way. ? But, nope, just very well engineered. @ WOT, the exhaust is throaty, but refined, and has zero annoying high-pitched rasp; it’s sounds amazing. Also, noticed my throttle response is just a tad snappier, which is nice side-effect. Off-throttle, between shifts, there’s just a tiny bit of gurgle, which is pretty neat.

Overall fitment is excellent. If I had any concerns, they’d be 1) Greddy supplies all install hardware, which is great. However, the 3 bolts on the downpipe, to which the resonated-portion of the exhaust attaches, seem like they’re part of the downpipe itself. Greddy provides three bolts + nuts to go there, presumably, but it didnt seem like the OEM downpipe bolts could be removed (and no install instructions provided). I ended up reusing the factory nuts. Maybe my 2019 had a small change from prior years? ??‍ I checked all connection points for leaks after install, and everything seemed fine and solid. And 2) when tightening up the midpipe to exhaust connection section, I noticed the midpipe was touching one of the two metal brackets attached to the body at the section. I thought it’d be a rubbing issue, but once everything was all tightened up, the exhaust piping all self-aligned, and there was no more rubbing issue. The long test drive afterward confirmed all was well. So, overall, during the install, always checking things as I went, I thought there’d be some issues, but everything turned out fine. ?

I will recommend, though, that due to the tight clearances of the 3” tubing, you’ll need a 14mm socket that is relatively thin-walled (I used a 3/8” drive socket on the impact wrench), and I highly recommend a universal joint to help reach the nuts correctly.

Took me 3 hrs total, the longest portion of which was trying to remove the hangers from the body. ?? Those were a b****! Lube, lube, lube!

UPDATE: 2 months later, now that the metal is ’broken in’, and the engine has adjusted to the exhaust, whatever little drone was present @ 2K RPM is the same (which is good), but the overall sound is throaty but smooooooth as ever, and I have new pops and gurgles when shifting. ? Such a perfect sound, IMO!


Next, Hottie gets a new skirt!

The Aeroflow Dynamics Full Kit elements I chose are:
• The 2016-2020 Honda Civic Si Rear Diffuser V1 for the coupe
• The 2017-2020 Honda Civic Splitter ([Hatchback, Si Coupe, Si Sedan]) V2
• 2016-2020 Honda Civic Side Skirt Extension V4 for the coupe

? Installed in that order.

I wavered between this kit or the Downforce Solutions, but I ended up liking this one just a tad more. That said, I wondered if the diffuser would be compatible with the Greddy DD-R exhaust. It's not*. See below!

PROS: the quality of the parts is wonderful! The gloss black powdercoat looks great.
CONS:
• ZERO installation instructions! No wonder they say 'professional installation recommended.' ? Their three online install videos are for cars that aren't the CivicX, so... YT it is! I used a combination of videos to create a personalized install regimen.
• The fitment was so-so. The side-strakes of the diffuser don't match up to the underside of the sides of the bumper, and neither did the front splitter fit perfectly on the ends of the underside of the bumper (pics below). I definitely had to use some 'creative freedoms' during the install, which I'll detail next!

Okay, let's get to it! Also, apologies ahead of time for some for the pics looking like they've been rotated 90 degrees. Civicx(dot)com automatically rotated some of my pics. ??‍ You get the idea, though.

DIFFUSER
Center section:
In this pic, the top bolt/spacer set is about 1/2" for the front-most portion of the diffuser. The bottom bolt/spacer set if about 3/8" for the rear-most portion of the diffuser. The washers/spacers should be in this order. There are pairs for both sides.

Here is a top-down of the center section. The smaller bolts on the bottom of the pic are for the side strakes. They show the ordering of the washers.

Here is the front edge of the underside of the rear bumper, right next to the Greddy muffler. The hole indicates a pop-clip removed because that's where the 1/2" bolt/spacer combo will go, and, luckily, attaches to a stabilizer tracker that's already part of the car! I was kinda wondering if the diffuser would cause sag over time if the rear lower part of the bumper was not attached to anything, but, nope, should all good!

This next pic shows that bracket I was talking about, and I mocked up how the bolt is supposed to go. The spacer goes between the diffuser and the bumper plastic.

This next pic shows the center section attached with the front bolts. I'm pressing the rearmost part upward to show it aligning with the bumper plastic.

Remember that * from the comment above? This is it: the diffuser 'doesn't' work with the Greddy DD-R is it's supposed to not touch. In this pic, I highlighted where the diffuser barely touches the exhaust. Later on, I used washers to more space (about 1/2") on top of the front spacers installed in the prior step, but it only made a small difference. I think 1" spacers all around would be best if I want no rubbing at all. I talk more about the potential for rattling & thermal damage down below.

Side Strakes:
Okay, on to the sides! I used a combination of painters tape + a jack (not pictured. Also, I used some of the packaging filler padding as a barrier between the jack contact pad and the underside of the strake. Wanted to keep the finish nice! You'll see in other pics how I creatively used the packaging padding to hold pieces in place during mock up.) so hold the strake in position while I maneuvered it to right where I wanted it (using Aeroflow's product pics as a guide).

Here's the underside of the edge of the rear bumper right behind the rear tire. The bolt got cinched down, but I wanted to show how the fitment was a bit off. See that curved portion of the strake? It's sitting on a small lip of plastic. I could've pushed it out more, toward the outside of the car, but I wanted the strake flush with the bumper. PLUS, as you'll see in the next pic, the hole I had to drill for this bolt at this location was right on an angle on the inside of the bumper. Any more outward, and the mounting would be impossible; any more inward, and the strake wouldn't be flush. Not sure how AD screwed this up (no pun intended), and with no instructions from them, I'm still at a loss. ??‍ Seems like a design flaw.

...and here shows the nut for that front mounting bolt for the strake. See how it's on an angle? It looks loose, but it's actually cinched down was an impact wrench! It's a solid fitment (I wouldn't drive it if it wasn't), but I think I might order some 45-degree spacers just because I like it to be perfectly perfect. ?

Okay, on to the rear mounting point for the strake. So, straight-forward, drill a hole, right? Wrongo! In fact, that becomes a trend throughout the build. Anywho, this next pic shows the rearmost mounting bolt poking up right next to a small plastic mount on the inside of the bumper, a mounting point for an inner shroud. I could've removed it, but I wanted to keep most OEM parts, if I could. Getting the washer and nut onto this bolt was a B****!

However, after all was done, measured, adjusted, and totally tightened down, the result is amazing! ? Take your time, and measure, measure, measure! In this pic, you can see how the strake is flush with the side of the bumper, and the angular cut of the strake flows into the rearmost upper edge of the diffuser. I love that flow-line!

Splitter
Now, onto the front! Knowing that the splitter and the sideskirts watched with the little winglets, I wanted the sideskirts to follow the form-line of the splitter, which means I needed to mount the splitter first.

Splitter and sideskirts!

Here is The Hotness with no front bumper! ? When I got the car, I never thought I would be removing the front bumper, but here we are. ? There are a variety of videos around detailing the removal of the front bumper, and I was a nervous wreck doing it! TAPE THE EDGES OF HEADLIGHTS, THE BUMPER, AND THE FENDER! For the love of the Car Gods, do it. You can see the tape I used in the pic. I'm confident I saved Hottie from a BUNCH of scratches due to the tape. ? While it was off, I took a moment to gently vacuum out any bugs that were stuck in the intercooler and/or around little pockets. I also tried carefully straightening some of the fins, but I didn't have the right tools. ??‍

This next pic shows the clips of the bumper support right underneath the headlight, a pic I WISH I had so I knew where to place the trim tool when gently prying the bumper off. Still, I think I snapped one clip off on this side (third bump from the left), but here's rub: If I snap something, I always try to find the part snapped off. However, I could NOT find the clip! It vanished into thin air! I even removed the headlight unit, and shook it around in case the plastic piece got jammed somewhere, but there are only so many places it could go. Y'all, I looked everywhere, and couldn't find it. ??‍ I almost think it came like this from Honda, but I also highly doubt that. As this part is now discontinued (I checked!), ??‍. Battle scar, I guess.

Okay, this is where the fun begins! You see how the bumper is upside-down? That's not an image error. And remember when I said I used the packaging padding in creative ways during mock-up? Here's one! This was the easiest way I could devise to mock-up the splitter into the underside of the front bumper so I knew where to drill holes. What you're looking at is the padding rolled up into varying thicknesses, and taped together to create a padding columns. The bumper is resting on three units, with one unit each under the eyebrow winglets (didn't want to stress those), and the bumper assembly itself is resting against a chair.

Here is the splitter resting on the underside of the bumper. See the inner rearmost edges of the splitter resting on the rubber airdam (denoted with pink arrows)? That's no bueno. In this pic, the splitter's rearmost edges are flush with the rear edges of the front bumper (as Aeroflow's pics show), and with no instructions yet again ? as to if this is correct or not, the only way I could make this work is to remove that rubber airdam. I also included a close-up.

In these pics, you'll see that I had to drill a hole for the splitter's mounting hole to the bumper (the smaller hole). BUT, that bigger hole is for the bumper to mount to the car's under tray support, and figuring that mount is probably necessary, I had to (yep, you guessed it!) drill a hole in the splitter to be able to use a bolt similar to, but longer than, the OEM bolt.

The splitter will come with seven bolt/washer combos for each of the seven holes, BUT three of those will have 3/4" spacers. I found that those spacers go between the splitter and the bumper in the middle of the bumper. You can see how in the pics below. This new air channel actually flows smoothly into the lower valence underneath the car, and might actually create a Venturi effect. Seems like it, anyway. Anywho, this is to say that creating the air channel does not allow air into the engine bay, and it does not create a choke point.

Once all zipped up, it looks rather good! CAUTION: because you do not over-tighten the screws to the washers! The screw/washer combo is designed to be flush-fit (makes sense), but over-tightening can cause the washer to pop off (ask me how I know. ?). Luckily, I was able to get an identical washer for consistency, and was more careful than I was already trying to be.

And here is a pic of the inside! I was concerned that the bolt length was too great, and interfere with the intercooler, but it's totally fine. There was a small fitment issue on reinstall, but it's simple to fix. See more after the pic.

Okay, those bolts of the splitter were hitting a lower plastic shroud designed to channel air to the intercooler (denoted in pink). All I had to do was use a small flathead screwdriver to lift up that shroud to go over the tops of the bolts, and all was well. Simple fix.

Sideskirts
Once the splitter was done and installed, I shoved some of the padding rolls up under the side of the car, and gently slid the sieskirt into place. These worked perfectly!

This pic shows the rearmost edge of the splitter 1.25" from the outside edge of the front bumper. So, I tried to make the rear fin of the sideskirt match that distance from the body of the car, then zipped in the self-tapping screws. WRT to forward/backward movement, I found aligning the rear of the sideskirt with the inside edge of the rear wheel well, close to the exterior of the car, to provide the best fitment. However that aligned the frontmost edge of the sideskirt with the inside edge of the front wheel well, I simply positioned that front edge of the sideskirt to stick out as far as I wanted it, and duplicated that measurement on the other side. PRO TIP: use one of the screws as a 'tack': zip it into place just a little bit (1/8" should do), then position the opposite end of the sideskirt, and tie everything up.

Okay, thanks for being patient, and reading thus far! Here's what you've been waiting for! Picture time!

She's soooo hot! ??

I would recommend this kit, for sure, but just know what you're getting in to. An official guide would be amazing, but not everyone can be Acuity, or Mishimoto, or 27Won, or PRL, or TEIN, or... Otherwise, my impression of this kit installed is just ?.

Now, RE the Greddy DD-R + the diffuser: there’s a small rattle only on start-up, but no other rattles while driving (which is good). My biggest concern was heat damage, so, I went driving for a bit to let everything heat up, then immediately pulled over to a parking lot, and felt around the diffuser near the exhaust. To my surprise, there was so little heat that I could rest my hand on the underside of the diffuser metal, just opposite the mufflers, and the diffuser metal was barely warm to the touch! ? I did this drive-test routine a couple of times, and it never got behind just a tad warm. So, that’s good! Seems like heat won’t be an issue, but just the vibration over time will cause excessive wear. I might try to find a flexible high-temp insulating barrier to put between the exhaust and diffuser, and will update as I go. For the moment, however, seems like a non-issue, thankfully. ??

How’s the aero kit holding up? I’ve got the full kit on my Si sedan. Install wasn’t so simple for me either. This week however, my front splitter tore off simply from wind resistance. I bought another one but will be chassis mounting it this time.

 

[Doc_Mello]

How’s the aero kit holding up? I’ve got the full kit on my Si sedan. Install wasn’t so simple for me either. This week however, my front splitter tore off simply from wind resistance. I bought another one but will be chassis mounting it this time.

Oh, dang! No, yeah, mine seems fine, and I check it regularly. Sorry to hear yours ripped off!

 

[Doc_Mello]

UPDATE!

So, I was able to take some time to go back through the install of the upper cold-side inlet pipe to see if I went wrong somewhere, and I still contend that I installed everything correctly. That said, there was some adjustability (not much, as you'll see) to be had.

First, I disassembled the Mishi airbox in order to remove it so I could finagle the upper cold-side inlet pipe around. On doing so, I discovered the extent of the wear issue:

No bueno. That slash doesn't breach the pressure barrier, but it's obviously concerning nonetheless.

So, taped around that slash, and covered it with some matte black sealing paint I had to protect the aluminum.

While the paint dried, I adjusted the pipe to sit lower in that lower silicone cold-side tube, which required some adjusting up top with the mounts and throttle body c-clamps. As well, I was able to slightly bend the lower airbox mount toward the frame a bit more. Once everything was assembled, I was able to squeeze out a 1/8" gap. ? Hey, not rubbing = not rubbing. As always, I'll keep an eye on it over time, and I'll know if that inlet pipe and the airbox are colliding if the black paint is worn off. ??‍?

Stay tuned! ?

UPDATE! 11/28/21 ?

So, contacted Mishimoto about the issue, and they graciously understood the issue, and sent me a new pipe warrantied. I appreciate you, @Mishimoto !??

With this install, I found the key was to slide the cold pipe further into the L-shaped throttle body coupler in order to seat the whole pipe lower, but I’ll say that doing so was a pain! I think it was so difficult because of the powder coating, so, this time, I sanded down about 2” from the upper end of the pipe in order for it to slide easier into the coupler (+ lube! ...like, actual water-based lube. ?? No kink-shaming! It did the trick!).
• Install was simple, as usual, but I noticed that being able to re-adjust the airbox was also critical. This time around, I loosened the mounting bracket Allen bolts, positioned the air box, then tightened them. I also bent the upper mounting bracket a bit just to provide a bit more clearance.

So, as of now, there's at least 1/4" of a gap between the cold pipe and air box, and after some test drives, everything seem just fine! ??????