2.0L Civic LX 2017 2.0L CVT - Should I tune/mod considering warranty?

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Something worth mentioning, the front pipe is a huge bottleneck in the exhaust. Even if you have a downpipe, the motor is still choked by the front pipe, which tapers down to 44mm (1.75”) at the narrowest point. Upgrading the front pipe to 60mm+ gives a significant performance increase, almost comparable to the downpipe.

You can see where the pipe tapers down from 50mm (1.9 in.) down to 44mm.

After installing my own custom front pipe, the difference is night and day. The car is much faster after replacing the restrictive stock pipe.

 

[socal818]

Something worth mentioning, the front pipe is a huge bottleneck in the exhaust. Even if you have a downpipe, the motor is still choked by the front pipe, which tapers down to 44mm (1.75”) at the narrowest point. Upgrading the front pipe to 60mm+ gives a significant performance increase, almost comparable to the downpipe.

You can see where the pipe tapers down from 50mm (1.9 in.) down to 44mm.

After installing my own custom front pipe, the difference is night and day. The car is much faster after replacing the restrictive stock pipe.

Was this done at a shop? What size pipe did you use/recommend ? My custom exhaust from front pipe back is 2.5”. Do you have any pictures of the final front pipe fab?

 

[DarkLight]

Was this done at a shop? What size pipe did you use/recommend ? My custom exhaust from front pipe back is 2.5”. Do you have any pictures of the final front pipe fab?

I cut and fitted the pipe myself. I bought the 1.5t Invidia 60mm front pipe and cut it just before the flex section and clamped the OEM flex section in its place and then took it to a shop to get it welded.

The remnants should give you an idea of what was done:

One thing I noticed was how heavy and substantial the OE pipe was compared to the Invidia, which is why I chose to use that flex section instead.

If you want more flow, then you can do the opposite of what I did and cut the pipes in front of the flex section, to use the larger aftermarket section, rather than OE.

The reason I chose Invidia was because I got all the pipes for less than $600. A 2.5” front pipe would be best, but I couldn’t justify the additional cost. But that would be best for you since you mentioned a 2.5” custom exhaust.

FYI if you decide to do this, you will need to bend the hanger on the front pipe because the angle on the 1.5 is a little different than on the 2.0. It’s not hard, but it’s difficult to measure, since every car is a little different. It took me about 5 hours to measure, fit, cut, and refit everything.

 

[socal818]

I cut and fitted the pipe myself. I bought the 1.5t Invidia 60mm front pipe and cut it just before the flex section and clamped the OEM flex section in its place and then took it to a shop to get it welded.

The remnants should give you an idea of what was done:

One thing I noticed was how heavy and substantial the OE pipe was compared to the Invidia, which is why I chose to use that flex section instead.

If you want more flow, then you can do the opposite of what I did and cut the pipes in front of the flex section, to use the larger aftermarket section, rather than OE.

The reason I chose Invidia was because I got all the pipes for less than $600. A 2.5” front pipe would be best, but I couldn’t justify the additional cost. But that would be best for you since you mentioned a 2.5” custom exhaust.

FYI if you decide to do this, you will need to bend the hanger on the front pipe because the angle on the 1.5 is a little different than on the 2.0. It’s not hard, but it’s difficult to measure, since every car is a little different. It took me about 5 hours to measure, fit, cut, and refit everything.

I wonder if an exhaust shop could just fab up the piece using mandrel bend....?

 

[DarkLight]

I wonder if an exhaust shop could just fab up the piece using mandrel bend....?

Not just any shop could do the job correctly. The bends in the pipe are not just straight forward-back. There are lateral bends as well that would be hard to duplicate with the equipment most exhaust shops have available. It would probably be expensive too.

 

[socal818]

Not just any shop could do the job correctly. The bends in the pipe are not just straight forward-back. There are lateral bends as well that would be hard to duplicate with the equipment most exhaust shops have available. It would probably be expensive too.

What was ur total cost to make the front pipe?

 

[DarkLight]

What was ur total cost to make the front pipe?

I paid $170 shipped for the front pipe and spent $40 at the shop. Though I had other work done as well.

If you just brought the pipe to the shop and told them what you wanted done, I’d imagine it would cost about $50-70.

 

[socal818]

I paid $170 shipped for the front pipe and spent $40 at the shop. Though I had other work done as well.

If you just brought the pipe to the shop and told them what you wanted done, I’d imagine it would cost about $50-70.

https://meganracing.com/exhaust/exhaust-component/mr-ssdp-hc16t-up.html

Would this one work? It’s 2.5”.....

 

[DarkLight]

That link looks like the downpipe, but yes, the Megan front pipe should work. I considered buying it, but I wanted to keep everything 60mm. Megan isn’t the best quality-wise but for that price it’s worth a try.

I found a good price for it here:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MEGAN-RACI...123383557939?_trksid=p2385738.m4383.l4275.c10

If you take it to a shop, having them cut the inlet flange off of the OE front pipe and then welding a 2.5” mandrel bend between it and the flex section of the Megan pipe should do the trick.

 

[DarkLight]

I was able to get some pics of the front pipe. Hope this helps.

 

[socal818]

I was able to get some pics of the front pipe. Hope this helps.

Looks good! And it bolts right up after switching out the part after the flex section? The only part that is original is the flex section correct?

 

[DarkLight]

Looks good! And it bolts right up after switching out the part after the flex section? The only part that is original is the flex section correct?

Before the clamp, towards the engine, is OEM piping. After it is Invidia. And yes, it fits like stock.

It also made the exhaust a little bit louder, so you might need more muffler after install. I know I did.

 

[socal818]

Before the clamp, towards the engine, is OEM piping. After it is Invidia. And yes, it fits like stock.

It also made the exhaust a little bit louder, so you might need more muffler after install. I know I did.

Got it...my exhaust is Flowmaster DBX then a 18” resonator, which leads to a dual exhaust with a small resonator on each tip. I think I’ll be ok...did you check afr’s after doing these mods? I remember seeing the stock ktuner base tune ran rich so it should be within range.

 

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It’s actually running a little leaner than before at WOT. It stays low-mid 12’s when it was high 11’s before. K control is at .49 no matter what.

 

[DarkLight]

Well I wasn’t pleased with how the clamp was fitting, and suspected a minor leak at higher rpms, so I removed it and had the spot weld reinforced. I also sprayed on header paint and wrapped it.

Fits perfect: