Flywheel (Fidanza 8.5lb, aluminum: Accord)

The flywheel was such a work of art that I could barely put it on the car. Feeling it in my hands was delightful. I was more than thrilled with the results once the engine went in with this and the clutch attached. It makes driving the vehicle dreamlike in its execution. Down shifting is almost psychic. Stab the clutch, blip the throttle, vooo00M!, the tach jumps lightning fast. Blissful! I was used to slow revving heavy flywheels and restrictive exhausts from my previous cars (all cars really). From now on, if I do any modification to a car, this will be it. Driving any other stick without it is torture. 

Clutch (ACT HDSS street clutch: Accord)

This clutch was perfect. And for the price it had better have been. Crisp and positive engagement without being too harsh like the metal puck disks and very streetable. Not vague like so many factory clutches. It was still in great shape when I sold the car.

 

Short throw shifter kit (Audi: B&M for B5)

This I bought to clean up the play on the inferior A4 shifter linkage. It was expensive but is a very high quality piece. Absolutely night and day difference and worth every penny. This was my (and should be your) first modification to the Audi along with the selector rod universal joint and engine/transmission mounts to complete the effect. The knob also made a huge difference (not pictured). Literally snick snick.

 

Audi A4 front engine mount (034 snub mount and bracket)

This part is a major source of drivetrain slop from the factory so most tuners make their own polyurethane version. 034 goes the extra mile and made an indestructible bracket for their height density mount. You can get their mount separate too if you just want that and its only 20$ to most other tuners 20-50$. I had to really wrestle to get this on my A4 and had to drill out the right side bolt hole for to be able to bolt it on. 034 has since released brackets that fit for all of the different B5 configurations, I'll keep mine though since it's working fine.

 

Ignition (Accord: MSD SCI and Blaster coil, USDM H22 distributor, NGK wires, distributor screw)

An ignition either works or it doesn't. This one works, but only after quite some fiddling on my part. Not PnP at all. The instructions, which are for "average Honda distributors", were vague at best. The exposed terminals on the coil scream old school muscle car as well. I would prefer a closed weather pack terminal like OEMs have been using for decades.

I eventually figured out how to make it work. It was much easier on the new USDM H22 distributor since the wiring harness for the F22 was already set up for an external coil. Running wires out of the JDM internal coil distributor was a nightmare and looked really amateurish.

 

Window weld (Accord: filled stock engine mounts Audi: drivers trans mount and diff mounts, and pretty much any mount like thing with holes through it)

This trick from the DSM guys works great. And it only cost 11$ for all four mounts compared to 15$? for one set of inserts for one mount. So much cheaper than the Audi mounts! Its about 30$ or so in polyurethane casting compound if you really want to make your own engine mounts but I didn't really have time for that. That will also vibrate the hell out of your car potentially weakening things like wire joints and may also loosen nuts and screws. The result of the window welded mounts? Less shifter movement (the transaxle is moving less). It made the throttle much more direct, the engine moved the car, not itself in its mounts. It didn't vibrate that badly either, more than stock obviously but tolerable. Well worth the 11$ and urethane goo fingers! I've since filled half a dozen mount like items with this stuff on various cars.

 

Stainless Steel Brake Lines (Accord: Goodridge for rear disks)

These make all the difference and they're guaranteed FOREVER! They aren't cheap but you get what you pay for, and you don't want cheap brakes! Not coming into a corner at 130! I only put them on the rear of the Accord as my BBK came with its own lines. 

 

Bushings (Prothane total kit for CB7 Accord)

This kit is cheap for what you're getting (200$ summit- i suggest piece mealing it, i didn't use a bunch of stuff). Be prepared for some work though. Especially if things are seized like ball joints or the forward rear lower control arm toe bolts. A ball joint puller or three will speed this job up exponentially. You will need a press to press out the old bushings and to put in the sleeves for the new bushings. Highly recommended for older, high mileage, or race cars.

 

Transaxle fluid (Accord: Redline MTL, Integra GS-R: MTL)

I didn't really like the way the Mobil 1 synthetic transmission fluid that I put in the Accord during the engine swap felt cold, or at all really. Kind of notchy and until it warmed up, really notchy. I replaced it with Redline MTL which is the viscosity that Honda suggests for their transaxles as opposed to the MT90 etc. I immediately noticed an improvement. I drove it in a wide variety of situations and shifting into first + fifth was noticeably easier. Definitely worth the 20$, especially in a cable shifted car.

I also put this in the red GS-R. It had obviously not had a fluid change in a long long time. At first I couldn't notice much of a difference but after driving it a while it was simply amazing. I had thought that the transaxle was over with but it was actually totally fine. If I were to do it again I would have put some 10-30 synthetic in there and driven around the block a few times in all of the gears, then drained it again as a flush before I put the redline in. As it stands both times I've used the MTL in the transmissions that call for that viscosity it has been miraculous. Highly reccomended for Honda/Acura transaxles.  

Transmission fluid (Miata (green bean), A4: Redline MT-90)

I've used this fluid twice now I it didn't work either time. No more, the MTL and the BG/Pennzoil syncroshift works far better in every transmission/transaxle that I've tried them in. The stock Audi fluid works wonderfully as well, very smooth.

 

Stainless brake lines (Road race engineering) on a 95 Talon TSI AWD Turbo w/vented rear disks.

It took me forever to get all the air out of these lines. Like a couple days of bleeding. Getting ahead of myself I think i let the MC go dry for a second. Don't ever ever do that >_<'. Talk about lots of brake fluid lol. But after days of bleeding the brakes felt sooo much better. Firm and easy to modulate, especially at the limit. On that car it really made a huge difference. This is one of those mods, along with flywheels and turbo's that you can really feel. One thing to think about though is if you don't have ABS to be careful in the wet or in the snow. Especially if you don't up the size of your master cylinder. Its much easier to lock up the brakes in these conditions with the lines on.

EBC Greenstuff brake pads (on both the 92 Miatae and the rear disks on the Accord)

These pads worked well on my Miata. After a good stop to heat them up it was like dropping an anchor. Great overall pad. Probably not good for heavier cars/ heavier Accords. They don't last very long though. I'm basically sold on the Porterfields, hawk HP+, and the Ferodo DS2500's so I won't be buying these anymore.

 

AWE Tuning drivetrain stabilizer bar (or DTS chassis bar and + 3rd transmission mount for B5 A4 and S4 and the A6 allroad)

This well known chassis bar connects the two sides of the B5 chassis together underneath the transmission. Bolted to the bar is a GM transmission mount that is in turn bolted to the holes in the bottom of the transmission that the factory transmission jack special service tool uses. A cheap upgrade for this upgrade is to get a polyurethane GM mount from Prothane or Energy Suspension. Why put a cruddy mount on such an awesome bar?

How well does it work?? Pretty well. I could feel a difference in chassis stiffness. I had already installed new, window weld filled, transmission mounts and the 034 snub mount and bracket so the drivetrain movement on my car was already minimal. If you're doing this mod and have gotten the stiffer polyurethane mount for it I suggest you open up the two holes in the middle of the bar just a hair (the inner part of the holes) to fit the new 7/16 - 14 3/4" bolts you need to attach the new mount to the bar. Overall a worth while modification.

Shore 80 Engine mounts (034 for B5 A4s)

These things are serious. The engine does not move an iota with these in place. Shifting is vastly improved by these, more so than the DTS for sure. Driving the A4 is much easier. It sure does transmit a hell of a lot of noise into the cabin though. It's tolerable below 60mph, at 70 it is nearly unbearable to me for a street car. Update: the noise has toned down a bit or i have ceased to notice it as much.

Hawk HP+ pads (front and rear on the A4)

These pads are really nice. The initial bite is good and they stop with authority when you're pushing it. They do squeal, but it's worth it to have the wet braking on the A4. These pads with some front slotted rotors cured the 1-2 second delay that the B5 A4's have in heavy rain on the freeway.

Automatic radiator (NA chassis Miata, has black paint on it)

This is a cheap upgrade to the crappy , minuscule, plastic tanked Mazda radiator. Its all metal and has the radiator brackets built into it. It can be found on the various mass parts suppliers online for about 160$! More cooling capacity and all metal construction! Perfect.

Mazda Motorsports engine mounts (Miata)

These are a nice upgrade for a street driven car. Quiet and firm in their operation. Shifting and throttle application were both improved. Money well spent. They are also offset lower by a ¼ “ so the engine sits lower in the chassis lowering the COG. In retrospect this car is my toy so I probably could have gone with some almost solid mounts. These are perfect for a street driven car.

Southbend OFE stage 3 clutch (for Audi B5 A4)

I drove more than 30k miles on the functional but unpleasant stock A4 clutch. Once it started slipping I knew the fate of this car had been sealed. The OFE clutch is rated for 300ft lbs which, unlike the stock clutch, leaves plenty of room for the easy power that this engine can produce. So far my driving with it in has been functional. It feels almost stock but a little more precise.

Fidanza 10lb aluminum flywheel (for Audi B5 A4)

The stock A4 flywheel is a complex dual mass unit that costs 600$+ new and can only be resurfaced once. Rather than deal with that madness I bought what is likely my favorite engine mod, the LWFW. On the 1.8t this thing makes a huge huge difference. Down shifting and rev matching are amazing. First and second gear feel much faster.