The Tuned CivicX Experience & Reliability Thread (for all models)

OP
OP
gtman

gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,661
Reaction score
24,352
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
I have mentioned that knock control with the Phearable tune is a bit more jumpy. Good gas required. My guess is John is running a bit more timing up top because it definitely pulls harder.

A WOT pull that might give me .59 with TSP, is more like .65 on Phearable. Normal driving I'm seeing .49 -.52 ...

But the driveability and fuel trim numbers, plus the better boost spacing of the different maps, has me liking it better.

Anyway, back to tuning reliability discussions...
Sponsored

 

CWIIIFK7

Senior Member
First Name
Charles
Joined
Nov 29, 2019
Threads
11
Messages
202
Reaction score
368
Location
Atlanta, GA
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic Sport Hatchback 6MT
Country flag
I have mentioned that knock control with the Phearable tune is a bit more jumpy. Good gas required. My guess is John is running a bit more timing up top because it definitely pulls harder.

A WOT pull that might give me .59 with TSP, is more like .65 on Phearable. Normal driving I'm seeing .49 -.52 ...

But the driveability and fuel trim numbers, plus the better boost spacing of the different maps, has me liking it better.

Anyway, back to tuning reliability discussions...
Sorry to come back but you mention "good gas required". I strictly use top tier 93 religiously. Knock isn't just about "good gas". Air to fuel mixture is also a big determining factor on knock. Just want to keep things honest.
 
OP
OP
gtman

gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,661
Reaction score
24,352
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
Sorry to come back but you mention "good gas required". I strictly use top tier 93 religiously. Knock isn't just about "good gas". Air to fuel mixture is also a big determining factor on knock. Just want to keep things honest.
All the top dogs like Derek and KTuner have said knock control on this platform is a reflection of gas quality.

D-Rob's explanation:
"Knock Control" = This parameter is the ECU's determination of fuel quality. Movement here indicates the knock sensor hears what it thinks is knock activity, and reports to the ECU to apply a steeper ignition retard to avoid continued knock activity. This value is dynamic, and WILL move from time to time. On Civic Si models, there doesn't seem to be a forced rise at play at WOT like the non-Si 1.5T ECU's (which naturally rise above 5,200-5,400rpm regardless of sensor input). Movement that goes up and up and up and never comes down is more concerning than movement alone. Knock control can typically be manipulated down by driving the car in a higher gear at lower engine speeds and targeting atmospheric pressure on the MAP sensor reading."
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
gtman

gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,661
Reaction score
24,352
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
Important note about updates.

It's been a year and a half since I started this thread. And in that time we've gotten a pretty good response from many tuned owners. But one thing we're lacking is new updated posts. Don't get me wrong, we have quite a few regulars that post updates but most owners are one post and done, unfortunately.

As much as the community appreciates anyone who adds their car here, without updates we may not be getting an accurate picture of tuning reliability. For example, I guarantee there are literally millions of additional tuned miles driven that haven't been reported since this thread started in October 2019. And there may very well be failures that haven't been reported too.

If people would make a new post twice or even just once a year, it would make a huge difference. Not trying to force anyone to do extra "work" but updates will make this thread better and more helpful to the CivicX community
 

Narumi

Senior Member
First Name
Narumi
Joined
Nov 8, 2018
Threads
2
Messages
117
Reaction score
91
Location
Hawaii Kai, HI
Vehicle(s)
2018 Civic Sport, 2015 BRZ Premium, 1990 300ZX 2+2
Country flag
*UPDATED FOR 2021*

Vehicle: 2018 Civic Sport 6MT

Total tuned time: 3 years

Tuned miles driven: 30,000+

Tuning device(s) used: Ktuner V1.2

Tunes used: Stage 1

Fuel used: 92

Additional related mods: HPS CAI, FKX High Flow Cat and front pipe

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: Keep it under 3,500rpm (daily), rarely hit 19psi.

Tuning experience notes: P0420 checked off on Ktuner software. On the rare WOT occasion, I have noted a higher than average boost on my TunerView app (24psi). In the future I intend on re-flashing to dual stage end user map with some of @gtman settings (will update accordingly). KCont. averages .49-.52 (high .62). Still on stock clutch.

*For 2021 I swapped out my catless down pipe for a high flow unit and no longer see high boost spikes at WOT. Overall psi numbers have significantly dropped and now commonly see 17psi at 70-80% throttle. Garaged the Civic temporarily to keep mileage low. Currently, my primary daily driver is my Nissan.
 
Last edited:


OP
OP
gtman

gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,661
Reaction score
24,352
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
Tuning experience notes: In the future I intend on re-flashing to dual stage end user map with some of @gtman settings (will update accordingly). KCont. averages .49-.52 (high .62).
Definitely take advantage of the new artificial knock rise removal feature on the KTuner starter maps.

Here's a link to a setup I came up with recently. I have map 3 at 22 psi but you certainly could set it lower for reliability:

https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/my-ktuner-experience-an-ongoing-journal.29033/post-975503

Thanks for adding your car.
 

88_manzo

Senior Member
First Name
Jorge
Joined
Aug 24, 2019
Threads
15
Messages
61
Reaction score
12
Location
Los Angeles ca
Vehicle(s)
2018 Honda Civic sport 6mt
Country flag
VEHICLE: 2018 Honda Civic Hatchback Sport 6mt

TOTAL TUNED TIME: 3 years

TOTAL TIME TUNED MILEAGE: 60k+

TUNING DEVICE: KTUNER V1.2 BASEMAP

ADDITIONAL MODS: PRL CAI, FP/DP, Power agency Intercooler “stock charge pipes”,Greddy sp exhaust, Ultra racing tower bar, eibach sportline springs, eibach rear sway bar. Enkie NT03 “powder coated mag blue 18x9.5 +40

Problems/Issues: no issues just need to clear srs light due to swapping over Si seats

DRIVING STYLE: Slightly aggressive but most of the Time taking it slow because of cops in SoCal

Honda Civic 10th gen The Tuned CivicX Experience & Reliability Thread (for all models) B8C7A5D6-233E-4D46-B77E-37EA7CCE8D49
 

Forkx

New Member
First Name
Daniel
Joined
Mar 22, 2021
Threads
1
Messages
2
Reaction score
12
Location
Los Angeles, CA
Vehicle(s)
2020 Civic Hatch EX-L
Country flag
Vehicle: 2020 Civic Hatchback EX-L CVT

Total tuned time: 3 weeks

Tuned miles driven: Under 1000. Just tuned for the first time.

Tuning device(s) used: Ktuner V1.2

Tunes used: Phearable 1.5

Fuel used: 91 Shell

Additional related mods:
PRL Cobra CAI Street, PRL Intercooler (stock charge pipes), PRL FP/DP combo catted
Civic Si Rear Sway Bar, CTR RMM, DC Sports Front Strut Bar, CTR Subframe Brace, BF-Goodrich Comp 2 A/S Plus tires
Unity Performance Steering wheel

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: Can be relaxed or spirited depending on how I feel that day, but generally disciplined and not overly aggressive.

Tuning experience notes: Had to disable P0420 and P0138/139 even with catted downpipe or I got CEL. Wrote separate thread regarding tune experience.
https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/phearable-1-5-non-si-impressions.61796/

Also accidentally failed my first Ktuner flash because the laptop went to sleep midway but the recovery features let me restore stock and re-flash.
 

kultofkek

Banned
Banned
First Name
Dan
Joined
Jun 19, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
61
Reaction score
30
Location
Honolulu, Hawaii
Vehicle(s)
2017 Honda Civic SI, 2003 Honda CRV
Country flag
Vehicle: 2017 Civic SI (FC1)

Total tuned time: 6 months

Tuned miles driven: 10,000+

Tuning device(s) used: KTuner V2

Tunes used: Phearable 1.5

Fuel used: Costco 91, or MCX 91 (military instillation) w/ a gallon of E85 from chevron to make 93 equivalent

Additional related mods: PRL Intercooler w/charge pipes, PRL CAI w/ street maf, megan racing dp

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: full send bro

Tuning experience notes: I am hungry for more. I have a race maf, PRL flex fuel kit on me and i'm not going to install them until my garrett turbocharger arrived. Will tune immediately after installing.
 

ALIAFZAL95

Member
First Name
Ali
Joined
Feb 9, 2020
Threads
3
Messages
12
Reaction score
16
Location
Karachi
Vehicle(s)
Civic Rs
Country flag
Vehicle: 2019 CIVIC 1.5t CVT

Total tuned time: 10 months

Tuned miles driven: 10,000+

Tuning device(s) used: KTuner V2

Tunes used: Drob custom tune

Fuel used: Shell v power plus ethanol

Additional related mods:
FBO

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: aggressive

Tuning experience notes: My experience has been stellar, car has been driven daily since tuned. No problems what so ever
 


OP
OP
gtman

gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,661
Reaction score
24,352
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
Current thread stats and info

Total tuned cars submitted: 574

Total tuned miles driven: 8,028,860 (reported)
Car with most tuned miles: choo (101,000+)

Cars with major failures: 15 (2.6%)
Failures by model: Si: 3; non-Si: 12; CTR: 0; 2.0 NA: 0
Percentage of cars running reliably: 97.4%

Transmission type: CVT (182); Manual (392)

Hondata used for tuning: 121; Race (105) Carb (16)
KTuner used for tuning: 480; V1.2 (271) V2 (209)

JB4 used as tuning device: 3
RaceChip used as tuning device: 4
Motec used as tuning device: 3

Pro custom tuned cars: 109
Base tuned only cars: 170

Most popular OTS tune: TSP Stage 1 (254)
Other popular OTS tune: Phearable Stage 1.5 (95)
Newest OTS tunes: TSP 1+ (11); Phearable 1.5R (5)

Top rated pro tuners: Derek Robinson, John Vega

Submissions by model: Si (261); 1.5T Non-Si (254); Type R (41); 2.0 NA (18)

Most popular fuel: 93 octane (300)
Flex fuel users: 60

Cars with no added bolt ons: 185
Cars with at least one bolt on: 272
Cars running full bolt on setups: 117

Upgraded turbos installed: 40

Notes: The most installed bolt ons are intakes, intercoolers, downpipes and exhaust systems. Full bolts ons (for purposes of this thread) consist of downpipe, frontpipe, intercooler and intake at a minimum. "Base tuned only" means an out of the box KTuner or Hondata tune was used exclusively; no canned tune from Phearable, TSP or other vendors was ever used.

Major Failures: 2 of the cars had failed CVT's (both replaced under warranty). 1 car had faulty injectors and a blown head gasket. 1 car blew an engine running an E35/meth setup. 1 car blew an engine on the racetrack. 1 car blew an engine when the owner mistakenly used non-race gas with a tune designed specifically for race gas. 1 owner had a major failure on a used car he purchased. 1 owner admitted he abused his car and destroyed his engine. 1 CVT turbo owner used a high power stage 2 Powermetric flex fuel tune w/full bolt ons and blew his motor. 1 owner had his CVT replaced under warranty (damaged by high power ethanol tune); the new CVT has been trouble free for 70,000+ tuned miles. 1 car threw a rod under "iffy" circumstances according to it's owner (possible abuse/user error). 1 owner destroyed his CVT after some track time in 100° weather. 1 car had a bent connecting rod but there were many factors (neglect) beyond the tune. 1 car bent a rod while doing WOT datalogging for a custom remote tune (had run meth for a short time as well). 1 car blew a CVT after serious neglect/abuse with numerous brake launches and burnouts.

Lesser Issues: There's been some issues reported here and there with the stock clutch, the CVT, a couple injector replacements and some fuel trim and knock control funkiness (depending on intake and gas used). None of these issues were catastrophic.

Observations: From the cars added so far, base and canned tunes (on a more or less stock 10th gen) appear to be fairly safe. Properly tuned, adding bolt-ons can be reliable, too. The issues seem to happen most often when power output is pushed too high, owners attempt to self-tune too aggressively, or there is some abuse or neglect involved.

Summary: There is no doubt that a tune is the single best power-based performance mod. Having said that, tuning does add additional stress. Long term reliability can be compromised if you tune for ultimate power (on stock internals) and push your car to the limit often. Use common sense and your tuning experience should go well.

Important info regarding updates: Since this is an ongoing thread, please add a new post from time to time. Use that new post to show additional tuned miles driven, changes to your tune setup, changed mods, issues that occur and new tuning experience notes. That way, we can keep the thread as accurate and up to date as possible. - gtman
 

turbociv910

Senior Member
First Name
taylor
Joined
Jun 24, 2019
Threads
22
Messages
1,010
Reaction score
993
Location
wilmington nc
Vehicle(s)
2020 SGP Civic Type R, Audi Q5
Build Thread
Link
Country flag
Vehicle: 2020 Civic Type R

Total tuned time: Since 200 miles, 7 months

Total tuned mileage: 1400miles 2300 miles

Tuning device(s) used: Motec M142

Tunes used: Ben from Salasko Racing

Fuel used: 93 and E85 blends from e30 to e85

Additional engine mods: Full Race EFR 7163 turbo, G30-770 Turbo, Port Injection, 3" exhaust, custom intake, stock efr wastegate Turbosmart Electric Gate. Custom 3" downpipe, V Band

Problems/issues: full race wastegate bracket bends. Switched back to canister style gate. Found out it was not the wastegate system but instead the turbo was surging. This is the reason the power kind of lays over during spool up. EFR turbo kits NEEED the SXE cover option and you will spool 30 psi by 3700 rpm. (if you wanted)

Driving style: Has fun. Plenty of boosting and spirited driving.

Tuning experience notes: All is well 27 psi e85 The g30-770 spools at 4100 rpm on gasoline, about 150 rpm sooner on ethanol. 21 psi maxes out the pump pretty much the whole time in testing with just direct injection. I have to add port injection the whole rpm range on just 21 psi. She is moving some air. Traction control is pissed in all gears 1-3 with stock tires.
Car made 452 on pump gas 24 psi, 573 whp on 32-33 psi peak with E85R Sunoco fuel. To keep a rod friendly flat torque curve of 440tq, we implemented artificial boost creep
 
OP
OP
gtman

gtman

Senior Member
First Name
Mitch
Joined
Oct 27, 2015
Threads
328
Messages
16,661
Reaction score
24,352
Location
USA
Website
www.civicx.com
Vehicle(s)
2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
Vehicle Showcase
2
573 whp on 32-33 psi peak with E85R Sunoco fuel. To keep a rod friendly flat torque curve of 440tq, we implemented artificial boost creep
That is some incredible power. Jaw dropping really. And your tuner is saying that type of peak boost is safe long term?
 

turbociv910

Senior Member
First Name
taylor
Joined
Jun 24, 2019
Threads
22
Messages
1,010
Reaction score
993
Location
wilmington nc
Vehicle(s)
2020 SGP Civic Type R, Audi Q5
Build Thread
Link
Country flag
That is some incredible power. Jaw dropping really. And your tuner is saying that type of peak boost is safe long term?
290whp over stock surly cant be good long term, i wont be surprised it it let go during a pull. I plan on building it before it happends so it doesn't take the block/crank and maybe the head out with it.
 

FaceNachos

Member
First Name
Matt
Joined
Jun 17, 2020
Threads
2
Messages
40
Reaction score
100
Location
Hudson Valley, New York
Vehicle(s)
2020 Civic SI sedan
Country flag
Vehicle: 2020 Civic SI (FC1)

Total tuned time: 3 months

Tuned miles driven: ~5,000 tuned (~17,000 total)

Tuning device(s) used: KTuner V2

Tunes used: Phearable 1.5

Fuel used: Shell 93 only

Additional related mods: PRL Cobra CAI w/ street maf

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: Fairly tame when commuting with spirited spurts.

Tuning experience notes: The only thing that can be considered an issue is the 2020 K-Tuner throttle response delay. It makes me feel like I don't know how to drive. I rev match a perfect downshift into 2nd gear and then my car bucks from the delay. So you put on rev hang but that's just as annoying. Still WAY better than stock. Really feels great and adds to driving experience.
Sponsored

 


 


Top