Joined
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1,631 Posts
Hello all,
I bought a used 2003 Blue Insight with only 4,800 miles driven back
in April of this year. (The previous driver could not afford the lease
payments) I had been looking for awhile before that but I found
one on the internet in North Carolina that I could not pass up. I
flew from New Hampshire to pick it up. Anyway, I have been reading
this forum for sometime before that and would like to thank many of
you for inspiration to perform many modifications and enhancements.
Here is what I have done so far:
Automatic warm air intake - controlled by thermal vacuum valve gate
Ram air intake - used in conjunction with the warm air intake
Rear speaker installation - repalced all four OEM speakers
Panasonic CQ-HR1003U CD Receiver - Flat panel LCD 4 x 50 watts
Husco Armrest - seems like a must for driving comfort
Raised drivers seat - about 1 inch higher now
Solar Panel and fans - panel placed in non-viewable portion of hatch
Enkei 13 inch rims - my old Honda CRX rims (tires makeup for sizing)
Sumitomo HTR T4 P185/70R13 tires - Specs go up to 51 PSI (I have 48)
Honda Floor and Cargo Matts - the carpet matt help with sound as well
Rear storage sound insulation - used carpet padding in spare tire area
Modified Cakley exhaust - a modification upon a modification (version 3)
I had to tighten a few nuts and bolts along the way because of the
rattles (the worst one was the rear winshield wiper - all three bolts
came loose and fell to the bottom knocking against the rear window
trim piece) Plus, I found that anoying rattle near the fuel filler when
going over bumps. Mine was the filler door cable inside the car. It is
taped to the chassis with foam tape near a hole for the rear cargo
area vent. The cable broke through the tape and was tapping against
the chassis when going over bumps. The sound of plastic cable sleeving
hitting the metal frame echos in the back so that was the hardest noise
to find and was driving me crazy. Hopefully this info helps someone else
find the problem. Now the cars goes over bumps well. My LMPG is 58.
something and my highest single tank is 64.5 This is with the different
rims and tires (Not too bad for a CVT) It's amazing that the Insight has
been out since 2000 but people will still stop and talk about the hybrid
and the shape. It reminds me of when I bought my CRX in 1984 (the
first year they came out) and how people reacted back then.
I will put more detail in the modification area of the forum if anyone
wants more info - just name the mod in a reply.
Thanks for the ideas - JoeCVT
I bought a used 2003 Blue Insight with only 4,800 miles driven back
in April of this year. (The previous driver could not afford the lease
payments) I had been looking for awhile before that but I found
one on the internet in North Carolina that I could not pass up. I
flew from New Hampshire to pick it up. Anyway, I have been reading
this forum for sometime before that and would like to thank many of
you for inspiration to perform many modifications and enhancements.
Here is what I have done so far:
Automatic warm air intake - controlled by thermal vacuum valve gate
Ram air intake - used in conjunction with the warm air intake
Rear speaker installation - repalced all four OEM speakers
Panasonic CQ-HR1003U CD Receiver - Flat panel LCD 4 x 50 watts
Husco Armrest - seems like a must for driving comfort
Raised drivers seat - about 1 inch higher now
Solar Panel and fans - panel placed in non-viewable portion of hatch
Enkei 13 inch rims - my old Honda CRX rims (tires makeup for sizing)
Sumitomo HTR T4 P185/70R13 tires - Specs go up to 51 PSI (I have 48)
Honda Floor and Cargo Matts - the carpet matt help with sound as well
Rear storage sound insulation - used carpet padding in spare tire area
Modified Cakley exhaust - a modification upon a modification (version 3)
I had to tighten a few nuts and bolts along the way because of the
rattles (the worst one was the rear winshield wiper - all three bolts
came loose and fell to the bottom knocking against the rear window
trim piece) Plus, I found that anoying rattle near the fuel filler when
going over bumps. Mine was the filler door cable inside the car. It is
taped to the chassis with foam tape near a hole for the rear cargo
area vent. The cable broke through the tape and was tapping against
the chassis when going over bumps. The sound of plastic cable sleeving
hitting the metal frame echos in the back so that was the hardest noise
to find and was driving me crazy. Hopefully this info helps someone else
find the problem. Now the cars goes over bumps well. My LMPG is 58.
something and my highest single tank is 64.5 This is with the different
rims and tires (Not too bad for a CVT) It's amazing that the Insight has
been out since 2000 but people will still stop and talk about the hybrid
and the shape. It reminds me of when I bought my CRX in 1984 (the
first year they came out) and how people reacted back then.
I will put more detail in the modification area of the forum if anyone
wants more info - just name the mod in a reply.
Thanks for the ideas - JoeCVT