FK8 Tuned reliability as a daily

[gva2984]

I saw there’s a post about the tune/ reliability, and i would say I went through 5 or 6 pages and the thing is that everything I saw was just Si, CVT, etc... didn’t see any CTR owners posting their experiences and advises. I just bought a flash pro, which I haven’t installed it because I do still have plenty of warranty and only drove 1,900 miles (19 CTR). I’ve seen people saying to wait till 5,000 K’s or so to tune, not sure why is that. This is my daily and I would like to hear from CTR owners, what to expect once a tune has been done and what are odds to have a big pile of s*** coming down hill from doing something wrong. What is the safest way to tune as far as the base maps, if there’s one. I do know a few things about cars for being a Honda owner with aspirated cars, but tunning is a whole new level for me. I would appreciate the help!!!

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[jonnys_honda]

I’ve had @Hondata on my car before they even released it. Two years and no reliability issues. They’ve also had it on their CTR’s for even longer. I’ve tried both custom tuning with all my bolt-ons and base maps.

I believe it’s fair to worry about reliability, but as long as your tuner isgood, or if you use a base map. You’ll be safe. One thing I’ve experienced is worse gas mileage, but I’ll take that trade-off for more power and torque.

 

[ToofHurts]

I'm in the same boat as you. I have a '19 with 8000 miles. Only performance mod so far is PRL stage 1. I'm sooo tempted to tune the car. Such an easy upgrade. Cost of Hondata vs. smiles when driving. However - engine warranty will be completely voided.

The basic warranty is 5 years / 60k miles. I'm not looking to wait for 5 years or 60k to tune the car. But feel so jealous when reading posts about the Hondata. haha.

The odds are sooo low that a Hondata / KTuner will likely cause severe damage to engine. Especially if it's tuned properly and safely. But I can't count for the fact that maybe I have a "lemon" engine from Honda and will really need that warranty down the road. In fact - I'm taking my car into Honda next week for a possible leaking valve cover gasket / cracked valve cover.

 

[tinyman392]

Most of the issues I've seen with the CTR and tuning issues is when the person didn't really know what they were doing. A lot of times antilag was involved as well.

 

[gva2984]

The problem is that I don’t have any known good tuner anywhere near me, so basically I have to relay 100% off the base maps. I’m planning on getting a catless downpipe since I have a 3” catback. I’m also debating about which intake I’m getting since I’ve heard the best one is the oem. I’ve heard a lot about prl hvi, but not sure if is it worth $400, compared with oem just because I won’t be able to get a custom tune and get the best out of it.

 

[gtman]

I can't speak specfically to the Type R tunes, but the base tunes are generally designed on a near stock setup and at those power levels, are actually quite safe. Nothing is 100% risk free of course but the reward is worth it (at least to me).

 

[CivilciviC]

I’m of the opinion that waiting for warranty to end before you decide to tune is silly. The CTR has proven itself to be reliable in terms of the engine, in stock form. Maybe the 5k recommendation before tuning is just to make sure the engine is absolutely fine and has no manufacturing related issues that warranty would cover.

The reason I say waiting for warranty to end prior to tuning is silly is because you’d be in the exact same position before or after warranty if your engine blew up. You’re still not going to get the engine replaced under warranty. You’re still going to have to replace the engine anyway, while paying out of pocket.

Hondata is also considered to be a very reputable company when it comes to tunes. I don’t think I’ve read anywhere of issues related to one of their box tunes.

I dunno. Just my $0.02.

 

[YO_AD2IAN]

I’m of the opinion that waiting for warranty to end before you decide to tune is silly. The CTR has proven itself to be reliable in terms of the engine, in stock form. Maybe the 5k recommendation before tuning is just to make sure the engine is absolutely fine and has no manufacturing related issues that warranty would cover.

The reason I say waiting for warranty to end prior to tuning is silly is because you’d be in the exact same position before or after warranty if your engine blew up. You’re still not going to get the engine replaced under warranty. You’re still going to have to replace the engine anyway, while paying out of pocket.

Hondata is also considered to be a very reputable company when it comes to tunes. I don’t think I’ve read anywhere of issues related to one of their box tunes.

I dunno. Just my $0.02.

I think the mindset is more so around using the car for longer with some sort of peace of mind (warranty), rather than rolling the dice early.

curious, has anyone gone in for service and still had things covered while keeping a tune?

 

[gtman]

curious, has anyone gone in for service and still had things covered while keeping a tune?

I have. If you're going in for routine maintenance, they won't be routing around to see if you're tuned. On the other hand, take it in for drivetrain warranty related work and it's a good idea to revert to stock.

 

[tinyman392]

I have. If you're going in for routine maintenance, they won't be routing around to see if you're tuned. On the other hand, take it in for drivetrain warranty related work and it's a good idea to revert to stock.

Realistically, they'll be able to tell if it's recently been reflashed if you're going in for drivetrain warranty work. I feel like you're better off being honest with them rather than trying to hide it.

 

[gtman]

Realistically, they'll be able to tell if it's recently been reflashed if you're going in for drivetrain warranty work. I feel like you're better off being honest with them rather than trying to hide it.

Maybe I didn't word what I was trying to convey as well as I wanted. I wasn't referring to going in with a major engine or transmission failure and pretending you aren't tuned to get over on the dealer. But, if your car is running and something seems "off" and you want the dealer to look, I don't think it's dishonest at that point to not mention the tune.

 

[gva2984]

So, whenever I decide to tune my car, any of the base maps provided by hondata is safe as long as it match with the mods that I have and the octane that I’m using?

 

[ebatr24]

I would say it is all in your tuner, and how well you take care of the car. I ran the TSP tunes made by Derek Robinson on my Si and the car held up great, so I went with DRob for an eTune on my R and am currently in the process of it. I imagine the Type R is probably built better than the Si so I assume if I do the things I did with my Si it should treat met right. There was an update DRob made to TwoStepPerformances Stg 2 Tune last year for the Si models. It softened the low end torque a bit for longevity and safety. I think the way he put it in his email is best.

"It should go without saying, but the stock engine and turbocharger is a bit stressed out when loaded down hard for long periods. So I urge you all to keep that in mind when driving.... A little mechanical sympathy and common sense goes a long way in ensuring you make the most of the car"

My Si was pretty reliable all the way to 31k when I traded it in and I heard it's still kicking around my area. This was an FBO car, running Ktuner and Flex Fuel. The car was drag raced a lot and saw quite a bit of aggressive driving. I always made sure I was on top of maintenance though, and keeping the aggressive driving to a minimum when it was really hot, as well as cooling the car off in between runs

 

[gva2984]

I mean, I’m not a reckless driver and barelly do pulls, honestly I got the car back in December and since then I raced 2 times ( Mini Cooper JCW, and a Subaru Sti) and that’s it. I don’t beat it up, I just enjoy it every time a drive, and want to feel that extra power tho. When I get it tune it’s not going to be like driving out of hell, just want to have the power on hand in case I need it.

 

[gtman]

I mean, I’m not a reckless driver and barelly do pulls, honestly I got the car back in December and since then I raced 2 times ( Mini Cooper JCW, and a Subaru Sti) and that’s it. I don’t beat it up, I just enjoy it every time a drive, and want to feel that extra power tho. When I get it tune it’s not going to be like driving out of hell, just want to have the power on hand in case I need it.

The thing with a tune and reliability is that if you are light on the throttle, you'll get a near stock, but better driveability experience. Then, those moments you put your foot into it will really put a smile on your face. First time I went full throttle on my Civic after tuning I couldn't stop laughing out loud. And I just have a 1.5T, a tuned R has to be intoxicating.

The challenge is having the will power to use that newfound ooomph in doses and not all the time.

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