'17 hatch cvt EX Hi, new to the forums.. looking for mod and warranty advice

DamonPS

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Hello I'm new to the forums here after looking up some cold air intake brands and I got super interested in Injen.. but I was informed by someone about these forums and that many many many people damaged their engine with Injens cai's

So my car is the 1.5l i4 Turbo HatchBack 2017 CVT

I'm basically looking for 'safe' mods and tunes (Hdata/Ktune) which won't void warranty (or if it does it's easily factory replacable) and wont damage the engine in the long run......

Now my car is almost out of the 3 year (x miles) warranty the dealer informed me I'd be driving off the lot basically unprotected. (Car has 30,100k) so they gave me the 'I gotcha speil' about how they aren't selling cars blah blah blah give you a 10year 150k extended plan for cheap.

Being a honda I didn't really think that's necessary seeing how I had an 08 with 250k and no .major mechanical issues ever.

But being on the poor side and having low credit... this was all i could afford. And if a engine defect or something did arrise.. well I'd be screwed and in major debt. My fiance told me to get it and pick up more hours to afford it. To be on the safe side. (3 jobs and still making ends meet barley)

Needles to say this car Flys. And I'm happy with it... been doing some local roll races on the highway with other stock or lightly modified (or chip tuned cars) cars and enjoying it thoroughly being able to finally keep up with alot of them.

Done a ton of googling for after market parts for this specific year since it came out and I wanted one. But the CVT worries me as I know they are newish in cars and still being developed... I dont want to break it. Or my warranty.

So I was thinking once I build up some money.. (from my 2 jobs and Uber on the side)
>first time ever, EVER, tinkering with a car beyond an oil change or stock air filters... so use as much how to's and layman's terms possible please!
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Carbon fiber hood/trunk gut the spare and tools and back seats all for lighter weight.

Short ram or full CAI (that wont damage my engine like i guess Injen will)

A (super easy to do(no experience with cars or hardware AT all)) tune

And maybe the PRL E85 flex gas? And or intercooler
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All over time ofcourse future budget of around 2k to 3k cant afford it all at once
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Seen similar things on youtubes and other forums of people getting lasting results over 2 years no mechanical issues and pushing the cvt to well above 230/250hp and racing and winning vs evo's subis gt35's and somewhat keeping up with type R's with hondata.

I want that... but I dont want to break the car or if I do break the car I need to be able to put all factory parts back on without a clue of mods to get it fixed....

Suggestions? Tips? Safer things I can do? Or easier things? I can do to make same results?

All help or criticism is accepted! Thank you!
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PEPSIFLAME

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For CAI, look into 27WON or PRL. I'm going 27WON, but that's because hydrolocking is a real possibility where I live and *might* be where I'm moving, as well. Both are pretty great.

Bolt-ons shouldn't void your warranty. Flashes will, but your dealer may not look into it. You could also just flash back to stock before taking it in for anything.

Whatever you end up doing, don't race on the highway, man.

CVTs aren't really new in cars and the current gen has been proven to handle mods pretty well.
 
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DamonPS

DamonPS

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For CAI, look into 27WON or PRL. I'm going 27WON, but that's because hydrolocking is a real possibility where I live and *might* be where I'm moving, as well. Both are pretty great.

Bolt-ons shouldn't void your warranty. Flashes will, but your dealer may not look into it. You could also just flash back to stock before taking it in for anything.

Whatever you end up doing, don't race on the highway, man.

CVTs aren't really new in cars and the current gen has been proven to handle mods pretty well.
Well when I say highway... it's more like good condition state roads that go off through the country side.
With certain times of the day you know traffic and or cops are not existant. And theres no weres else to go, really.
Unless we go really far (over 2 hrs from any major city or populated location) theres a place but none of the other guys rarley go that far. I used to only tag along and never participate.
Mainly only with close buds too... the actual car meet groups here roll race and drag race right through town.., highway, big oblong parking lots.. basically where ever they decide to meet becomes a proving ground. And a drag strip.
But I wont do that. Less people the better. And I'm anti social anyway. They all have reeeaaally boosted cars; I dont have the cash to compete with that.
Saw a twin turbo Vet 360 and go through a divider into oncoming traffic and catch fire from the crash... from a green light go race.. minor injuries luckly. That stuff scares me though.
No thanks my tame spirited driving is all I want.


Aaaanywho hydrolock? (Googled)
Flooding in your area? Or just alot of rain? I live in the country side of NYS weather here is terrible year round. Would I be at risk for this? That's new to me.


What about going beyond an CAI and A tune... also hondata or ktune... ? So many for and against each of them

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And okay. I just remember seeing a video on how cvts are made and how hondata worked with programming them. Saying they are still being developed and are the weakest link in the transmission the cvt belt. And if you go beyond Hdatas predefined tunes you risk too much power and or torque destroying the cvt belt/pully
 
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PEPSIFLAME

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Well when I say highway... it's more like good condition state roads that go off through the country side.
With certain times of the day you know traffic and or cops are not existant. And theres no weres else to go, really.
Unless we go really far (over 2 hrs from any major city or populated location) theres a place but none of the other guys rarley go that far. I used to only tag along and never participate.
Mainly only with close buds too... the actual car meet groups here roll race and drag race right through town.. highway where ever they decide to meet becomes a proving ground.
But I wont do that. Less people the better. And I'm anti social anyway. They all have reeeaaally boosted cars anyway I dont have the cash to compete with that.
Saw a twin turbo Vet 360 and go through a divider into oncoming traffic and catch fire... from a green light go race.. minor injuries luckly. That stuff scares me though. No thanks my tame spirited driving is all I want.


Aaaanywho hydrolock? (Googled)
Flooding in your area? Or just alot of rain? I live in the country side of NYS weather here is terrible year round. Would I be at risk for this? That's new to me.


What about going beyond an CAI and A tune... also hondata or ktune... ? So many for and against each of them

-----

And okay. I just remember seeing a video on how cvts are made and how hondata worked with programming them. Saying they are still being developed and are the weakest link in the transmission the cvt belt. And if you go beyond Hdatas predefined tunes you risk too much power and or torque destroying the cvt belt/pully


I'm in South Dallas, where it's either a desert or is pouring. Spring and Fall, we see quite a bit of rain and my area tends to have some pretty bad flooding. I'll be moving to Oregon/Washington area in a year or so. With the consistent rain they get, I'd rather just not risk it.

I'd say you could go wild with bolt-ons, if you want, but they'll offer minimal gains without a tune. When it comes to tuning, be careful. Torque is what'll get you in trouble with the CVT. There are a lot more knowledgeable people here than me when it comes to it though. I only have experience with bolt-ons on other cars. Haven't yet started on my Civic hatch. My plan is go go full bolt-on (intake, turbo, down pipe, front pipe, exhaust, intercooler, and radiator) and then a light tune. Somewhere in there will be better wheels, tires, brakes, chassis stability, and suspension. It'll be a loooong road to have it all done, due to the expense.


I can't remember who's done it on here, but there's a post of a car with full bolt-ons, including hp and torque numbers.


EDIT: Found the thread. https://www.civicx.com/threads/cvt-with-full-bolt-ons-and-turbo-upgrade.44604/
 
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DamonPS

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I'd say you could go wild with bolt-ons, if you want, but they'll offer minimal gains without a tune. When it comes to tuning, be careful. Torque is what'll get you in trouble with the CVT. There are a lot more knowledgeable people here than me when it comes to it though. I only have experience with bolt-ons on other cars. Haven't yet started on my Civic hatch. My plan is go go full bolt-on (intake, turbo, down pipe, front pipe, exhaust, intercooler, and radiator) and then a light tune. Somewhere in there will be better wheels, tires, brakes, chassis stability, and suspension. It'll be a loooong road to have it all done, due to the expense.


I can't remember who's done it on here, but there's a post of a car with full bolt-ons, including hp and torque numbers.


EDIT: Found the thread. https://www.civicx.com/threads/cvt-with-full-bolt-ons-and-turbo-upgrade.44604/
I like what I see... are you using similar products? Well, planning too? Time to do some $ research I guess.
 


PEPSIFLAME

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I'm going 27WONUOTE="DamonPS, post: 755626, member: 36648"]I like what I see... are you using similar products? Well, planning too? Time to do some $ research I guess.[/QUOTE]


I'm going 27WON for as much of my build as possible. Also going a little further with chassis stiffening. 27WON should be releasing a Strut Tower Bar soon. Still shopping rear sway bars too.
 

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I've had the PRL CAI on my Si for almost 5 months now and hydrolock doesn't scare me at all. I live in Nova Scotia Canada where it rains half the year and snows the other half, I've been through alot of rain with no issues. You just gotta be smart is all, don't be WOT through deep puddles or flood water and you'll be fine.
 

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Honestly, if you are working 3 jobs to afford a car. You shouldn’t be modding...

This is my stance, as well. However, people are going to do their own thing, whether it's a wise decision or not. Figured I'd just answer the questions he has and the rest is on him.
 


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If the car is too expensive for you, you shouldn't have gotten in it the first place IMO. If you really like honda's reliability and still want something sporty an 8th gen Si is amazing and it will last forever. But you do you man!

Anyways if you're afraid of voiding warranty you should stay clear of ktuner/hondata. A lot of people will say it doesn't void and others will say it will void because of blah blah blah something act. The dealership can do whatever they want whether it was caused by a tune or not. It's not worth going into court for that so just play it safe and don't flash your ecu. You can probably do simple mods like an exhaust, PRL/27won CAI (do not get short ram pls), coilovers, wheels, and other stuff I can't think right now.

Whatever you choose I hope for the best :headbang:
 
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DamonPS

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Honestly, if you are working 3 jobs to afford a car. You shouldn’t be modding...
Don't mod the car if you can't afford to replace the engine.
This is my stance, as well. However, people are going to do their own thing, whether it's a wise decision or not. Figured I'd just answer the questions he has and the rest is on him.
If the car is too expensive for you, you shouldn't have gotten in it the first place IMO. If you really like honda's reliability and still want something sporty an 8th gen Si is amazing and it will last forever. But you do you man!

Anyways if you're afraid of voiding warranty you should stay clear of ktuner/hondata. A lot of people will say it doesn't void and others will say it will void because of blah blah blah something act. The dealership can do whatever they want whether it was caused by a tune or not. It's not worth going into court for that so just play it safe and don't flash your ecu. You can probably do simple mods like an exhaust, PRL/27won CAI (do not get short ram pls), coilovers, wheels, and other stuff I can't think right now.

Whatever you choose I hope for the best :headbang:
I appreciate the advice, and things I could do suggestions.

Being in debt is kind of a f**k-up on my end...

I was trying to build my credit after my first job.. getting a secure card and working up..
So I could eventually buy bigger things and get loans if I ever needed.
I finally got approved for my first real credit card(s) (hearing the more cards you have help improve your credit by having accounts with history and high available balance with low usage ect...) while only on my first job and sending money on the 3 cards evenly and paying them all off I was doing great.
I grew up as that kid who always came to school in rags. 2nd or 3rd time hand-me downs and always a year too late to popular fads (ex. Pokemon or furbies when they got popular I never was allowed to have e them until no one care about them anymore)
I got sick of used stuff and swore I'd do better for my self..
I wanted 4 things a brand new racing road bicycle
A pure breed dog, car.. and a gaming pc.

I got what I wanted. And bought my first car for 2,5 out of my own pocket a nice low mileage 03 ford Taurus.

Well I met my now fiance and she was divorced from a abusive husband who treated her like crap. Tried to even drown her once. Cheated on her and finally left her.


After a year I went crazy trying to show her life can be better not all men are douches and she deserved better.. anything I bought for her or her kid was name brand.
And new. TV, rings, necklaces... house improvments.. toys / eating out game system for the kid ect... I maxed out those 3 cards after awhile.. could no longer afford anything
she had a very well paying job her self so she didn't notice at first I came clean about it and she got mad at me. Not because I was broke or couldn't buy her things... but because I made such mad Bill's for me self when she didn't ask for anything.
She's been helping me work my self out of debt she pushed me to get a second job and I picked up uber on the side from those jobs...
she's been really supportive. And I managed to barely scrape by and eventually finally today get my self almost clean and clear of debt. We've dated for 3y got engaged and have been engaged for another almost 2years but debating on when is a good time to tie the knot or
whether it's worth it $

Almost free of debt.. all cards paid off but a couple now. Ones down to 2k other is like 2.8 or so..
But then my current car.. Ford Fusion .. was at 100k miles and started to give me a ton of issues tranny problems.. leaks.. power steering died.. alternator ect... so I needed to get it gone. It started going on my cards again getting it fixed...

My fiance had a civic with 230k somthing miles ... 07 or 8 with no major issues at all before she sold it and got an HRV...

Told me to go honda, or Toyota.

And at the same time.. as I said in OP I started becoming a car guy and slowly fell in love with mods and meets track days ect... started to fall in love with civics because of the wild after market. And being cheap to maintain and fix... then I saw the 10th gens...
and thought damn their sexy off the line. And its newer no more old cars like no more used stuff from my past and I didn't want to deal with major issues right after buying a bum car like before.

My credit score with her help was amazing well past 700. Still being In some debt but i needed a car bad so it Didn't matter
(I got approved for 70k) - I could of got a wrx sti... or a type r. But as I said in op.. sports car insurance would be off the able and 400+ payments are a no go too..

So.... I got the hatch. 308m and 160 insure still pushing it but wifey wanted me to get the extra warranty to be on safe side as I mentioned

And as far as not affording the engine.. which is true..
That's why I'm asking for suggestions for safe mods and things that wont break warranty... so I can customize my ride get some slight more power and call it a day. Not trying to drag race. I just wanna make it my own. You know?

And shouldn't mod if working 3 jobs..

Like I said I'm working off my debt I'm almost done and in the clear. (Minus the car loan now) And I certainly dont intend on doing it at once... ex: this year... cai, next year tune, next year get it lowered.. ect. And only out of pocket. No more card.
Uber will help pay for the mods directly.. so the more I drive faster I can afford them...

Once my old loan and the cards are gone(maybe one or two more years) I might even be able to pull those mods off faster being financially stable.

She's okay with it too.. if your wondering but she also wants me to take it easy on it as well.
 
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oberstja

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I was $15,000 in credit card debt when I purchased my Civic. My previous car was turning into a money pit. I understood purchasing a newer car would add on to my existing debt, that is why I budgeted and started a side gig selling shoes online to increase my income. Since then I have paid off 80% of my credit cards and refinanced my car loan. The point i'm trying to make is that you know your financial situation better than anyone. It sounds to me like you have a plan and we shouldn't be the ones to pass any judgement. Continuing your research on these mods is wise if you are invested in protecting your car. Looking forward to your future updates.
 

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Not passing judgement, I have a mortgage, I have 2 civics. But the loans are .9,1.9% or something. I am paying barely over $1or2k interest over the life of financing the car. I have a shit load of debt too but I also don’t have 3 jobs in order to make monthly payments.

If you must...get PayPal, 6 months free financing to pay off mods.

if you must, my advice is don’t go buying volk wheels and bride seats or mugen steering wheels.

Get a mod that your car doesn’t already have a perfectly functioning thing of. Like hondata or ktuner. That will yield the most results and won’t leave you with a giant stock part to store. Like simple easy to install suspension braces. Like led bulbs. Like a rear swaybar. A spoiler isn’t going to improve your performance much. You’ll see better with leds. Your car handles better with suspension mods.
 
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DamonPS

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Not passing judgement, I have a mortgage, I have 2 civics. But the loans are .9,1.9% or something. I am paying barely over $1or2k interest over the life of financing the car. I have a shit load of debt too but I also don’t have 3 jobs in order to make monthly payments
I got the second job and the uber side gig to pay down my massive debts I had faster before I got the car. If I never put my self there I'd still probably only have the one, and uber. I just enjoy uber.

That loan percent is amazing. Mine is.. 7.99% or somthing in that ball park. And my intrest on other debts are above 20%

Took me 2 jobs and 3 years two pay off an old loan and one maxed card. With some minor help with my fiance

But also were I live jobs are next to nill I would say 70% or more of the people in this are self employed and dont hire. I work as a 'part-time' supervisor and a local one stop shop kind of store. 12.80hr And 2 to 3 days with general maintenance at a motel. Minimum wage, and drive about 2 hrs away to do uber on the one or two days off that I get if I get them. Honestly if it wasn't for wear and tear on all my cars I'd uber full time make upwards of 20$ per hr but the tiniest thing with Uber like a customer false reporting me to get me fired. And they don't investigate the reports. They just believe the customer. So it wouldn't be stable.

There's a factory/DC here that she works at for 16 or 17 an hr but due to medical issues they wont hire me. I'm 6'8" and scrawny af. Cant gain weight or muscle if I try my lower back gives out on me at least once or twice every other day... I'd work there or get a more demanding job if I was able.

If you must...get PayPal, 6 months free financing to pay off mods.

if you must, my advice is don’t go buying volk wheels and bride seats or mugen steering wheels.

Get a mod that your car doesn’t already have a perfectly functioning thing of. Like hondata or ktuner. That will yield the most results and won’t leave you with a giant stock part to store. Like simple easy to install suspension braces. Like led bulbs. Like a rear swaybar. A spoiler isn’t going to improve your performance much. You’ll see better with leds. Your car handles better with suspension mods.
Thank you, I probably wont even be able to do my own mod work because of lack of knowledge and physical requirements. So I'll have to figure in more $$ for a garage or hired friend to help.
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