How to Make the CR-Z Awesome (It's a K24!)
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Published 2024-04-12
By Aaron Gaghagen and Brian Gillespie
The CR-Z was supposed to be the modern version of the beloved CR-X. Did it look cool? Yep. Was it innovative? You betcha. Was it faster than the CR-X? Not really. Actually it was pretty much the same performance. But being as quick as a car from the 80s stock wasn't the hot ticket. Most enthusiasts were turned off by the higher curb weight and mystical hybrid system. We think the only thing stopping the CR-Z from being the true spiritual successor to the CR-X is the lack of a K series. We're going to fix that.
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DISCLAIMER:
VTEC Academy videos are for educational and entertainment purposes. We can not guarantee the modifications performed in the video are legal in your locality. Do not do any modifications to your vehicle that will void your warranty or in any way violate your local laws. We assume no liability for property damage or injury as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use the information provided at your own risk. It's on you, dog.
All Comments (21)
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This exact CRZ was my mom’s daily driver for a very long time. It’s great seeing the current owner take care of it and turn it into an even better vehicle 🙌🏻 great video guys!
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As a guy who had a CRX as his first car, thank you for finally bringing honor to the CRX's successor.
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I'm ancient. I remember 1st gen Civics. ❤️ But a CRX with a B18A was a phenomenal swap. Now, a CR-Z with a K24 is a phenomenal swap. 😊
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Got my CR-Z last summer. Been waiting for ANYONE to drop a video like this that isn't 10 years old by now. Thank god
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Used prices on CRZs just shot up after the release of this video!
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Never gets old seeing a hasport motor mount, its like im a teenager again.
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AWESOME! I’m currently looking for a CR-Z and always had the idea of a K swap for it in the future.
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You guys finally made another CR-Z video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! @VTECAcademy My job is done. It may not be a J-series but i'm going to do the K-swap to one of my CR-Zs so this information from you guys is incredibly valuable and important to me. Thank you so much. I will have you guys listed when i reveal my K-swap at Honda day here in Cape Town.
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As a CRZ owner, it’s the perfect car, minus the low power. Thankfully, mines supercharged. I've got Tein suspension on mine as well and like you said - drives beautifully. Amazing around the corners. About the battery packs: 2011-2012 have NiMH batteries which are still doing great these days. Hell, Peter Perkins came up with a rejuvination procedure to restore the batteries a bit. He's also hacking the IMA system in order to manipulate the regen + assist for some very nice extra power. 2013+ uses Lithium batteries which many owners have been having battery life issues. Fun fact: some guy in Ohio has ~50 cr-z's. Sad fact: the factory option HPD supercharger has halted production as of very recently :( If only they made more CR-Z's. 35000 ever sold in the US.
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I've been a CRX fan, and what you're doing to the CRZ is a dream of mine! I've subscribed for sure!!!😊
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Been waiting for this for a long time thank you!! Would love more info about what trans and shifter cables you used as well as how you got the AC compressor to fit.
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Great video guys! Ever since the CRZ was introduced I’ve dreamed of owning a K swapped version. Keep the content coming!!
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You should add 06 tsx front calipers and rotors. Plug and play. Requires 1/4 trimming on the dust sheild to clear caliper bracket.
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Exactly what I was hoping to find! Been eyeballing these for a while.
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This is a great video. Can’t wait to see more of this car / build. Very very good video.
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Concentric A/C tubes like that actually act as a counter-flow heat exchanger, boosting performance. Any cooling capacity left over after leaving the cabin is used to further cool the incoming refrigerant. The outgoing refrigerant ends up hotter, resulting in a hotter condenser (the part in the front grille) which passes more heat away into the air going through it.
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Keep up the great videos and info, greatly appreciate all the knowledge!
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Look into the CRV and Element front sway bars. I have an 07 Element front sway bar on my awd ep3. It's basically flat and I wanna say it's about 30mm. I think some of the CRV bars are the same shape, just smaller diameter. A quick trip to the scrap yard and you'll be able to find something that works.
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Always thought the crz had allot of potential left on the table. Could've been great.. actually it is now approaching greatness😂. Sounds almost identical to my son's 05 Sentra ser spec v. ❤
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thanks for showing us these swaps. this knowledge isn't common and glad to see it's getting passed on to the next generation.
