'19 Civic Si Coupe Ownership Thread

[Jay19Si]

Making a thread here for me to keep track of my ownership experience with the car and everything that entails. I was thinking over my plans for 2021 the other night and realized I didn't have a good list of things I had been doing/planned to do and wanted to change that so here goes.

To start, I purchased this car in March of 2018 with all of 4 miles on the odometer. As of today (1/3/2021), it sits at 17,044 miles. My reason for buying it at the time was that I wanted a 6MT and something good on gas and reliable as I was driving 50+ miles each way to work at the time. This car split duties with my 2003 Corolla so it wasn't taking all of the brunt of the commuting work at the time and that helped it to not rack up too many miles. Fast forward to COVID and working from home and the miles have stayed pretty low overall.

My plan for this car has been to make it a great driver, must also keep it reliable (i.e., don't blow the motor at 30k). I have and will also do cosmetic mods with the focus on keeping everything OEM+. I like things to be clean and functional, and not excessive for the sake of being different.

Current mods:

Interior

I swapped out the cloth arm rests and center consoles with the replacement leather pieces. This was honestly one of my favorite things to replace as it is so simple to do and for ~$250, it makes a huge difference in the feel of sitting in the car. Really ups the appearance of the interior and I wish this was standard/an option from the factory. (Console sides: 83416-TBA-A11ZA and 83411-TBA-A11ZA; Console: 83441-TBA-A01ZA; Door armrests: 83502-TBG-A51ZA and 83552-TBG-A51ZA)

Next up was the Red Leather Shift Knob from Honda as well. From a functional standpoint, there really isn't much of a difference from the stock Si shift knob, however, the red color scheme fits the interior perfectly and I love looking at it when I get in the car.

One of my first purchases was the Acuity Pedal Relocator, and if you are someone interested in doing some spirited driving that includes heel and toe downshifting, this is an absolute must own. I use mine on Position C as it was the most comfortable for me, but this is something you just test out over a week or so to see what works best for you. This is another cheap mod (sub $100) that makes a huge difference in how you enjoy the car.

Lastly for the interior is the Unity Performance Matte Carbon Steering Wheel. Much like the Red Leather shift knob, I wanted this to help tie together the interior design, and with its red centering line, matte carbon pieces, and red stitching it works great with the Si interior. Another great benefit of this wheel is the increase in thickness and the grip areas around 9 and 3 o'clock on the wheel. It feels great in your hands and you never have to worry about it slipping or sliding when you're driving hard.

I guess I'll include the window tint in the interior section as well, I have the rear window at 18% and 35% on the sides.

Exterior

The Type R Subframe Brace I threw on as a "why not" thing when I did my first oil change. I wasn't expecting much of anything from it but was pleasantly surprised and it is instantly noticeable after you put it on. Another really cheap mod (~$30 for brace and bolts) that makes a nice difference while driving.

I installed the Honda mud flaps to the front and rear. They help in cutting down how much dirt/debris/rocks that gets kicked up the sides of the car so they're nice to have.

I originally had clear side markers however, I couldn't find one that didn't leak and I went through 3 different brands to try to find a good one. So I now have the Unity Performance smoked side markers and love the way they look.

I had the chrome trim around the windows vinyl wrapped. I could've done this myself to save some money but I had a local shop do it for $200 so I let the professionals do their thing.

Bayson R front lip, self explanatory but gives the front end a more aggressive look. I spray painted it in gloss black.

For the intake, I have the PRL Cobra with Street MAF. I didn't get the Race MAF since I wasn't tuned at the time and wasn't comfortable fully pushing the limits of the motor. Even being tuned now, I still think I'll leave this as is as I'm not interested in squeezing every last drop of power of out the car and it operates just how I want it to at the moment. This intake still puts a grin on my face hearing the BOV and turbo spooling, it never gets old.

FKX Racing grill with the Red Honda badge. This gives the front end a much more aggressive look and the red badge is a classic Honda look. Unfortunately, you lose the Si badge up front, but its still worth it in my mind. Speaking of badging, I removed the Civic and Si badging in the rear to clean up the trunk area.

Whiteline 22mm rear sway bar and end links. This is a huge difference in turning abilities of the car and you will definitely feel this one in your day to day driving. If you are adverse to stiffer or more aggressive suspensions I would stay away but if you want the increase cornering abilities this is a great option.

KTuner with TSP Stage 1 Tune. I was hesitant to get this as I had never tuned a car before and if you remember from above, I wanted this car to remain bullet proof reliable. After reading thread after thread after thread and reviewing the Tuner reliability thread I decided to give it a go and I'm so glad I did. The car is a completely different beast with the KTuner and I love having the ability to change the settings on the fly with the TSP setup. This means I can up the power going into a highway on ramp, quickly get up to speed, then drop it back down in power while I'm cruising on the highway. Its awesome and I wish I got this one sooner.

Most recent mod was the 27 WON Front Tower Strut Bar (and soon to include the Brake Booster support when that is released). This one you won't feel as much, especially after the subframe brace and rear sway bar but like those, if you're looking for increased cornering abilities it is a great option that looks fantastic in the engine bay as well.

Pic of exterior as it currently sits minus the old clear markers

Future plans:

Big things planned for 2021, mainly all around the suspension and wheels/tires. I will be installing the Eibach ProKit springs, ordering Garageline spacers for the stock wheels and getting a new set of wheels on Michelin PS4S wheels for a summer setup. Leaning towards Gram Light 57DRs but this can change. Aiming for late Spring for that new setup to happen. Additionally before summer, I want to install the 27 WON intercooler and charge pipe kit. Per the 27 WON site, it won't be available until spring anyway so I'll be sure to be all over that initial offering. AWE Touring exhaust is a possibility for this year but it wouldn't be until late summer/fall if anything.

That wraps up everything for now, appreciate this forum and all of the knowledge I've been able to steal from you guys. I'll keep updating this as I go from now on, one of my New Years goals is to be better with documenting things I do and to be more open to the world and I'm looking forward to the challenge. Hopefully this can help out someone out there, even if its just some reading material for a few minutes. Here's to 2021 and another successful year with the Si.

-JJ

 

[Doc_Mello]

Nice write-up! Thanks for sharing!

I was debating for a while on whether or not to keep my Si, maybe get a CTR, but, at the end of the day, I’m an Si person. ? Years ago, I had a black 2000 Si that I adored, but it was stolen five years into ownership (?). So, pretty much since then, I’ve been keeping a weather eye on the Si line-up. I had been following the 10th gen development for years, and finally found the right deal, so, totally pulled the trigger.

To date, I’ve done a series of mods (https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/tein-flex-z-2020ctr-acuity-stage-2-mishimoto-install.57677/), and look forward to more years with this great ride!

Have you considered the Acuity shifter mods? I show a bit in my thread link above, and I love them!

Anywho, here’s to the Si!

 

[Jay19Si]

Nice write-up! Thanks for sharing!

I was debating for a while on whether or not to keep my Si, maybe get a CTR, but, at the end of the day, I’m an Si person. ? Years ago, I had a black 2000 Si that I adored, but it was stolen five years into ownership (?). So, pretty much since then, I’ve been keeping a weather eye on the Si line-up. I had been following the 10th gen development for years, and finally found the right deal, so, totally pulled the trigger.

To date, I’ve done a series of mods (https://www.civicx.com/forum/threads/tein-flex-z-2020ctr-acuity-stage-2-mishimoto-install.57677/), and look forward to more years with this great ride!

Have you considered the Acuity shifter mods? I show a bit in my thread link above, and I love them!

Anywho, here’s to the Si!

Thanks man, love your ride too!

I have considered the Acuity set up, it just hasn't been high enough on the list to go after yet, the stock shifter is good enough for me at the moment. I'm sure I'll get around to it soon though!

 

[Doc_Mello]

Thanks man, love your ride too!

I have considered the Acuity set up, it just hasn't been high enough on the list to go after yet, the stock shifter is good enough for me at the moment. I'm sure I'll get around to it soon though!

The CTR + Acuity Stage 2 is perfect for the street IMO, because everything is just ‘tighter’. I liked the stock shifter as well, but wanted something a bit more precise. Just my $0.02. ? You have a great mod list!

 

[Unity Performance]

OEM+ Clean! Thank you for including us on your build @Jay19Si! The Matte HydroCarbon is really good, I test all the versions on our Blue Si, and really enjoyed it's subtlety over the Gloss variants which are still great in their own right

Looking forward to seeing more of your updates! In regards to shifting upgrades, Acuity is top tier and once you start adding the components to the stock shifter you really get to appreciate the manual transmission much more. If you can afford to, then the full shifter is certainly the way to go as it's mechanical brilliance! We carry all the Acuity offerings for the 10th Gen after testing their products for a few years!

 

[Sara/AWE]

I instruct with some local track clubs here in the Philly area and I had the opportunity to instruct a new track driver in an Si in 2019. He had a tune and sway bars (plus brake fluid change, pads and stickier tires) and the car was fantastic. It rotated better than my BMW 135i. Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any AWE questions as well as @Unity Performance and @merakiautoworks who are both active on here.

 

[Jay19Si]

I instruct with some local track clubs here in the Philly area and I had the opportunity to instruct a new track driver in an Si in 2019. He had a tune and sway bars (plus brake fluid change, pads and stickier tires) and the car was fantastic. It rotated better than my BMW 135i. Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any AWE questions as well as @Unity Performance and @merakiautoworks who are both active on here.

Thank you, Im planning on bringing it out to the track at some point this year, maybe lll see you out there!

 

[merakiautoworks]

Did you say AWE Tuning!?

Enjoy your car and have fun / be safe at the track!

-Josh

 

[aldo]

blue coupe is nice, I like my 2018 black coupe

 

[Jay19Si]

Minor update for today. I received the 27WON brake booster support for the FSTB and installed it. Took 10 minutes tops

 

[Rnice]

I instruct with some local track clubs here in the Philly area and I had the opportunity to instruct a new track driver in an Si in 2019. He had a tune and sway bars (plus brake fluid change, pads and stickier tires) and the car was fantastic. It rotated better than my BMW 135i. Good luck with everything and let me know if you have any AWE questions as well as @Unity Performance and @merakiautoworks who are both active on here.

Dave. I'm an hour north of Philly up in Limerick. Stock Si coupe. Was googling for local tracks to go and have some fun and all I found is some pricey and very restrictive looking stuff way over in NJ. If you have a hint at a more local track scene I'd super appreciate it.

 

[rhino]

Minor update for today. I received the 27WON brake booster support for the FSTB and installed it. Took 10 minutes tops

dang that stuff just came out and you already got it!

 

[Jay19Si]

dang that stuff just came out and you already got it!

I had been waiting for them, was ready when they launched

 

[rhino]

I had been waiting for them, was ready when they launched

haha nice man ive been wanting it as well buuuut i think ill get lowering springs first lol

 

[Jason Baker]

Making a thread here for me to keep track of my ownership experience with the car and everything that entails. I was thinking over my plans for 2021 the other night and realized I didn't have a good list of things I had been doing/planned to do and wanted to change that so here goes.

To start, I purchased this car in March of 2018 with all of 4 miles on the odometer. As of today (1/3/2021), it sits at 17,044 miles. My reason for buying it at the time was that I wanted a 6MT and something good on gas and reliable as I was driving 50+ miles each way to work at the time. This car split duties with my 2003 Corolla so it wasn't taking all of the brunt of the commuting work at the time and that helped it to not rack up too many miles. Fast forward to COVID and working from home and the miles have stayed pretty low overall.

My plan for this car has been to make it a great driver, must also keep it reliable (i.e., don't blow the motor at 30k). I have and will also do cosmetic mods with the focus on keeping everything OEM+. I like things to be clean and functional, and not excessive for the sake of being different.

Current mods:

Interior

I swapped out the cloth arm rests and center consoles with the replacement leather pieces. This was honestly one of my favorite things to replace as it is so simple to do and for ~$250, it makes a huge difference in the feel of sitting in the car. Really ups the appearance of the interior and I wish this was standard/an option from the factory. (Console sides: 83416-TBA-A11ZA and 83411-TBA-A11ZA; Console: 83441-TBA-A01ZA)

Next up was the Red Leather Shift Knob from Honda as well. From a functional standpoint, there really isn't much of a difference from the stock Si shift knob, however, the red color scheme fits the interior perfectly and I love looking at it when I get in the car.

One of my first purchases was the Acuity Pedal Relocator, and if you are someone interested in doing some spirited driving that includes heel and toe downshifting, this is an absolute must own. I use mine on Position C as it was the most comfortable for me, but this is something you just test out over a week or so to see what works best for you. This is another cheap mod (sub $100) that makes a huge difference in how you enjoy the car.

Lastly for the interior is the Unity Performance Matte Carbon Steering Wheel. Much like the Red Leather shift knob, I wanted this to help tie together the interior design, and with its red centering line, matte carbon pieces, and red stitching it works great with the Si interior. Another great benefit of this wheel is the increase in thickness and the grip areas around 9 and 3 o'clock on the wheel. It feels great in your hands and you never have to worry about it slipping or sliding when you're driving hard.

I guess I'll include the window tint in the interior section as well, I have the rear window at 18% and 35% on the sides.

Exterior

The Type R Subframe Brace I threw on as a "why not" thing when I did my first oil change. I wasn't expecting much of anything from it but was pleasantly surprised and it is instantly noticeable after you put it on. Another really cheap mod (~$30 for brace and bolts) that makes a nice difference while driving.

I installed the Honda mud flaps to the front and rear. They help in cutting down how much dirt/debris/rocks that gets kicked up the sides of the car so they're nice to have.

I originally had clear side markers however, I couldn't find one that didn't leak and I went through 3 different brands to try to find a good one. So I now have the Unity Performance smoked side markers and love the way they look.

I had the chrome trim around the windows vinyl wrapped. I could've done this myself to save some money but I had a local shop do it for $200 so I let the professionals do their thing.

Bayson R front lip, self explanatory but gives the front end a more aggressive look. I spray painted it in gloss black.

For the intake, I have the PRL Cobra with Street MAF. I didn't get the Race MAF since I wasn't tuned at the time and wasn't comfortable fully pushing the limits of the motor. Even being tuned now, I still think I'll leave this as is as I'm not interested in squeezing every last drop of power of out the car and it operates just how I want it to at the moment. This intake still puts a grin on my face hearing the BOV and turbo spooling, it never gets old.

FKX Racing grill with the Red Honda badge. This gives the front end a much more aggressive look and the red badge is a classic Honda look. Unfortunately, you lose the Si badge up front, but its still worth it in my mind. Speaking of badging, I removed the Civic and Si badging in the rear to clean up the trunk area.

Whiteline 22mm rear sway bar and end links. This is a huge difference in turning abilities of the car and you will definitely feel this one in your day to day driving. If you are adverse to stiffer or more aggressive suspensions I would stay away but if you want the increase cornering abilities this is a great option.

KTuner with TSP Stage 1 Tune. I was hesitant to get this as I had never tuned a car before and if you remember from above, I wanted this car to remain bullet proof reliable. After reading thread after thread after thread and reviewing the Tuner reliability thread I decided to give it a go and I'm so glad I did. The car is a completely different beast with the KTuner and I love having the ability to change the settings on the fly with the TSP setup. This means I can up the power going into a highway on ramp, quickly get up to speed, then drop it back down in power while I'm cruising on the highway. Its awesome and I wish I got this one sooner.

Most recent mod was the 27 WON Front Tower Strut Bar (and soon to include the Brake Booster support when that is released). This one you won't feel as much, especially after the subframe brace and rear sway bar but like those, if you're looking for increased cornering abilities it is a great option that looks fantastic in the engine bay as well.

Pic of exterior as it currently sits minus the old clear markers

Future plans:

Big things planned for 2021, mainly all around the suspension and wheels/tires. I will be installing the Eibach ProKit springs, ordering Garageline spacers for the stock wheels and getting a new set of wheels on Michelin PS4S wheels for a summer setup. Leaning towards Gram Light 57DRs but this can change. Aiming for late Spring for that new setup to happen. Additionally before summer, I want to install the 27 WON intercooler and charge pipe kit. Per the 27 WON site, it won't be available until spring anyway so I'll be sure to be all over that initial offering. AWE Touring exhaust is a possibility for this year but it wouldn't be until late summer/fall if anything.

That wraps up everything for now, appreciate this forum and all of the knowledge I've been able to steal from you guys. I'll keep updating this as I go from now on, one of my New Years goals is to be better with documenting things I do and to be more open to the world and I'm looking forward to the challenge. Hopefully this can help out someone out there, even if its just some reading material for a few minutes. Here's to 2021 and another successful year with the Si.

-JJ

Nice build so far! I agree with many of your current mods.

You showed a pic of the door armrest wrapped in leather. I cannot find those anywhere.
Do you have a part number or any insight?
Thanks