Base Model Blown Engines/Failures Data

[rwk226]

Gtman wound up making his own MORE DETAILED Failure thread, I would check it out over this one for sure. More information on the specifics of the failure. As of 11/27/2021, gtman had 838 cars on his Tuned Experience and Reliability thread, and 21 failures. That's less than a 3% failure rate. The general consensus is: Do ALL required maintenance on time or early (change CVT fluid every 30-40k miles, change oil every 5-7k miles, etc.), don't abuse the car (brake-boosting, doing burnouts, hard launching CVT is big no-no), and to simply respect what you have. A tune and maybe minimal bolt-ons are definitely the safest bet according to @gtman 's extensive research and work. Everyone should check out the above threads if they have questions about tuning their 10th Gen Civics.
Not everyone gets a "Gold ticket" car like Silver Surfer / Red Tornado has, and while he definitely has a killer Civic and has done things right, that doesn't mean everyone else will be as lucky.

Sponsored

 

[rwk226]

So, can someone tell me what the take away is ....I have an 18 EX-T CVT.... JUST PUT IN COBRA C.A.I...... SO NO TUNES??? I'm so fn bummed and passed off at myself. I was literally like a fn kid again when I got this car. I was daydreaming about all shit I was going to do and blah blah blah.... it's over...... just like that, it's game over. They CAN see a tune even if you quickly reflash it so wtf..... ow all those other cars are all d.o.a. now..... fuck it, who wants this fu@%I g thing??? Sell right now.

Takeaway is, enjoy what you have. If you have the EX-T 1.5t motor, you should be fine with just a tune and maybe exhaust or intake. CVT will hold up if you care for the car and do what I said in the post above. Just because you have an EX-T vs a Touring or Si, doesn't mean you are screwed or in danger of just blowing your motor or CVT up. You may not be able to make 300whp on this platform with upgraded turbo (and FBO, in total costing upwards of $10k...), but that does not mean tuning isn't an option. Tuning has been proven to be a viable and rather safe option for those looking for extra power. The only time worrying about the dealership seeing you reflashed your ECU is if you actually do break something, and chances are your warranty period is already over if you didn't buy an extended (more than 3 years) warranty.

 

[rwk226]

You may want to check the time stamps. I actually started my tune reliability thread in 2019. Long before this one. Just saying.

Quick looking showed this one being made June 2020, your FAILURE thread was started August 2020, and of course as you said your Tuning thread was made October 2019. So technically I was right here. But I see your point.

 

[rwk226]

I started the separate failures thread at a later date so that members could find more detailed info on those failures.

Gtman,
This was the point I tried to make. I never mentioned who did what first until you did. I only brought up how you did a better job at listing the important information about failures...

 

[Stoney4life78]

Takeaway is, enjoy what you have. If you have the EX-T 1.5t motor, you should be fine with just a tune and maybe exhaust or intake. CVT will hold up if you care for the car and do what I said in the post above. Just because you have an EX-T vs a Touring or Si, doesn't mean you are screwed or in danger of just blowing your motor or CVT up. You may not be able to make 300whp on this platform with upgraded turbo (and FBO, in total costing upwards of $10k...), but that does not mean tuning isn't an option. Tuning has been proven to be a viable and rather safe option for those looking for extra power. The only time worrying about the dealership seeing you reflashed your ECU is if you actually do break something, and chances are your warranty period is already over if you didn't buy an extended (more than 3 years) warranty.

Thank you, I've gotten hope again since I wrote that post. I see the vast majority of people who tuned their c.v.t. cars, have for the most part, been ok, long term. It's not like I am a race car driver, I'm not going to the track or anything like that, but, you know, I like disappointing guys who've spent twice the money on their car and have them asking questions...Lmao... just for fun on my drive to work. I noticed you said "300" whp,... is that about the maxed out, or do you mean to stay under that??? In your opinion, what's the safest max whp you'd go?? Keeping in mind, I did get the extended warranty. ... it's just what I always do. I didn't ha e plans on upgrading but, ...it just kinda started happening. Also, do you think ktuner or just buy a tune? Sorry for all the newbie questions but

 

[Stoney4life78]

Thank you, I've gotten hope again since I wrote that post. I see the vast majority of people who tuned their c.v.t. cars, have for the most part, been ok, long term. It's not like I am a race car driver, I'm not going to the track or anything like that, but, you know, I like disappointing guys who've spent twice the money on their car and have them asking questions...Lmao... just for fun on my drive to work. I noticed you said "300" whp,... is that about the maxed out, or do you mean to stay under that??? In your opinion, what's the safest max whp you'd go?? Keeping in mind, I did get the extended warranty. ... it's just what I always do. I didn't ha e plans on upgrading but, ...it just kinda started happening. Also, do you think ktuner or just buy a tune? Sorry for all the newbie questions but... should I send the ecu in to get tuned? Or something else.... sorry again.

 

[rwk226]

Thank you, I've gotten hope again since I wrote that post. I see the vast majority of people who tuned their c.v.t. cars, have for the most part, been ok, long term. It's not like I am a race car driver, I'm not going to the track or anything like that, but, you know, I like disappointing guys who've spent twice the money on their car and have them asking questions...Lmao... just for fun on my drive to work. I noticed you said "300" whp,... is that about the maxed out, or do you mean to stay under that??? In your opinion, what's the safest max whp you'd go?? Keeping in mind, I did get the extended warranty. ... it's just what I always do. I didn't ha e plans on upgrading but, ...it just kinda started happening. Also, do you think ktuner or just buy a tune? Sorry for all the newbie questions but

When I say 300hp, in context of the Civic Hatchback w/ CVT (Hatchback has weaker rods than the sedan/coupe), I mean that probably is NOT attainable unless you go with a large turbo, and in which case the car would not be very fun to drive because of the CVT+turbo lag. With the 27Won W1 turbo (recommended for the CVTs) you can expect around 280whp with FBO, good quality gas, and a great tune. Beyond that, you risk bending your rods, you lose a lot in terms of drivability, etc.

Sponsored