FK8 Tuned reliability as a daily

[ebatr24]

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.

Realistically you will be fine I think, just plan for the worst and be on top of your maintenance. You might never blow an engine but if it happens by being prepared you might not sweat it as much.

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[Neciovato]

A couple of questions for you:
1. Have you ever owned a tuned vehicle - I had a VW MK6 GTI with a stage 2 tune - LOVED that car and it put smiles for miles - but it was my daily as well so I understand your hesitation.
2. Are you already bored with the current power levels and that is why you are looking to tune it?

In the end, only you can make the decision if tuning a vehicle is right for you - will your car become less reliable than stock - sure - but will it blow your engine - probably not (like others have said) if you have the right tuner and a good shop who is working with you. Best thing to do is do your research on the shops you are going to take it to or the shops that you are going to be working with remotely. I would check Google Reviews, Yelp and not to be negative - but check out what type of negative reviews are they getting - are they consistant on the type of negative reviews and just go from there.

Everyone can tell you that it’s a great idea and you have nothing to worry about - but yours could be that ‘exception’ - just do your research on the shops and the types of tune you are going with - and I’m sure you’ll be fine. I believe these cars have been out long enough so most ‘kinks’ have been worked out. Good luck with your decision.

 

[gva2984]

A couple of questions for you:
1. Have you ever owned a tuned vehicle - I had a VW MK6 GTI with a stage 2 tune - LOVED that car and it put smiles for miles - but it was my daily as well so I understand your hesitation.
2. Are you already bored with the current power levels and that is why you are looking to tune it?

In the end, only you can make the decision if tuning a vehicle is right for you - will your car become less reliable than stock - sure - but will it blow your engine - probably not (like others have said) if you have the right tuner and a good shop who is working with you. Best thing to do is do your research on the shops you are going to take it to or the shops that you are going to be working with remotely. I would check Google Reviews, Yelp and not to be negative - but check out what type of negative reviews are they getting - are they consistant on the type of negative reviews and just go from there.

Everyone can tell you that it’s a great idea and you have nothing to worry about - but yours could be that ‘exception’ - just do your research on the shops and the types of tune you are going with - and I’m sure you’ll be fine. I believe these cars have been out long enough so most ‘kinks’ have been worked out. Good luck with your decision.

I really do appreciate your insight. To answer your questions; NO to both. This is something that I want to do, cause I like that feeling when you race and you just pull and pull away. I don’t know... it’s more than that, just that I don’t know how to explain it. Perhaps you know what I mean. So you say that when I get it tune, it is better (safer) to get a custom tune than any of the base maps from hondata?

 

[ebatr24]

The car is excellent stock, but it's missing the good turbo sounds and the exhaust is weak. Naturally people get an exhaust and intake for that. Then you might want a tune to get the most out of your mods, an intercooler to avoid heatsoak and loss of power. Before you know it your full bolt ons and tuned. I don't think it's always necessarily about not being satisfied with stock power because the car feels great stock.

 

[tinyman392]

The car is excellent stock, but it's missing the good turbo sounds and the exhaust is weak. Naturally people get an exhaust and intake for that. Then you might want a tune to get the most out of your mods, an intercooler to avoid heatsoak and loss of power. Before you know it your full bolt ons and tuned. I don't think it's always necessarily about not being satisfied with stock power because the car feels great stock.

Don't forget the front pipe and downpipe Gets you noise, drone, and power! The good thing about an exhaust and intercooler is that you don't need a tune for those. The intake you might (and probably should) though.

 

[Neciovato]

If it were me - I would check out shops via this forum to see what shops they recommend. Also would use this forum for those who have done a remote tune to see how it works as well as who they recommend (who provides great service, communication being a big key in something like that). From there - reach out to a couple of shops to get a feel/ask questions to see how it would work etc.
I totally get where you’re coming from; the GTI was ‘quick‘ and had a great low end torque for what it was - but after it got tuned - it felt like that was how it was supposed to be from the factory. The funny thing is about power - it gets addictive - you think ’oh this much HP and torque and I’m good’ - fast forward to 6mo later and you’re wondering - ‘maybe 50 more HP will make this even better’ - so with that in mind - do you have ideas of what and where you want the car to be?

 

[gva2984]

If it were me - I would check out shops via this forum to see what shops they recommend. Also would use this forum for those who have done a remote tune to see how it works as well as who they recommend (who provides great service, communication being a big key in something like that). From there - reach out to a couple of shops to get a feel/ask questions to see how it would work etc.
I totally get where you’re coming from; the GTI was ‘quick‘ and had a great low end torque for what it was - but after it got tuned - it felt like that was how it was supposed to be from the factory. The funny thing is about power - it gets addictive - you think ’oh this much HP and torque and I’m good’ - fast forward to 6mo later and you’re wondering - ‘maybe 50 more HP will make this even better’ - so with that in mind - do you have ideas of what and where you want the car to be?

Currently, I have the invidia r400 with front pipe. Getting soon catless downpipe and probably an intake. Not sure if I will get the prl stage 1 or the hvi, since apparently oem intake is the best for this cars. Finally but not least Inter cooler, and that will be it. Not planning on doing flex fuel or methanol. I think with those mods the car should be easily around 320whp, that’s my guess. Depending on what will be my options as far as finding a good tuner, I might get the mods that don’t require tune first.

 

[tinyman392]

Currently, I have the invidia r400 with front pipe. Getting soon catless downpipe and probably an intake. Not sure if I will get the prl stage 1 or the hvi, since apparently oem intake is the best for this cars. Finally but not least Inter cooler, and that will be it. Not planning on doing flex fuel or methanol. I think with those mods the car should be easily around 320whp, that’s my guess. Depending on what will be my options as far as finding a good tuner, I might get the mods that don’t require tune first.

The most recent base tunes that Hondata has done for the FK8 have hit 320. That being said, the HVI will more likely than not require a tune, as will the downpipe. We do have a pretty good thread about how much power to expect.

 

[ManEatingPenguin]

Don't forget the front pipe and downpipe Gets you noise, drone, and power! The good thing about an exhaust and intercooler is that you don't need a tune for those. The intake you might (and probably should) though.

Just curious as to why it is recommended to get a tune for an aftermarket intake. I understand that aftermarket intakes can change how much air is getting in and can cause engines to run lean (or rich if the intake is worse than stock). But since the Type R has a MAF sensor at the intake and another one at the intake manifold, the stock ECU should be able to accommodate accordingly unless the stock maps are horrible. Also it is less of a concern for turbo engines since it is more about boost pressure versus straight air flow like in a NA engine. Please correct me if I am wrong though, I am still trying to learn.

 

[HookemNC]

https://www.imwtuned.com/store/p4/etune.html

Let Derek E-tune your ride. He has turned mine and many others on this forum and it's safe to say the results have fantastic. He knows his stuff and is super easy to work with. The beauty is you can send him logs from anywhere and he will go over them for ya to ensure all is well, etc. Great guy and great tuner.

 

[Harlaquin]

So, on my R I had. Prl intercooler, mishimoto intake, Hondata tune, front pipe ....exhaust....rmm...throttle controller.... ran it very spirited for a year and never had a problem. not a single hiccup. as for warranty... eh. find the right dealer. I went to a dealer that basically said they didnt care they wanted the warranty work and what honda did not know didnt hurt them. Also I know of two type Rs that were blown in my area one from a hondata tune cause the guy used the anti lag ( never use anti lag its a sure way to f an engine in these) without supporting components and another had bolt ons including downpipe ( thats all I was told Im sure had to be more than that) and guess what... both got new engines under warranty. Just depends on the dealer and how they handle it.

People need to stop being scared to enjoy their cars because of warranties. You may need to go to several dealer and maybe even one out of town but one will fix it I promise. Same thing with Fords I know two dealers who dont give a crap if you have mods.

Not to mention the drive train has a 5 year 60k mile warranty. you'll be bored of the car and ready for something new by time warranty is up. and yes yes i know everyone plans on keeping this car forever.... well all 8 people I know who bought one and said same thing have all traded thiers in so... LOL

Just enjoy it. get a tune. drive and love it. Hondata is safe and reliable. I mean go back through the 3 years of posts on this forum since the R went on sale. How many I blown my R up posts do you see? none?

 

[Harlaquin]

Just curious as to why it is recommended to get a tune for an aftermarket intake. I understand that aftermarket intakes can change how much air is getting in and can cause engines to run lean (or rich if the intake is worse than stock). But since the Type R has a MAF sensor at the intake and another one at the intake manifold, the stock ECU should be able to accommodate accordingly unless the stock maps are horrible. Also it is less of a concern for turbo engines since it is more about boost pressure versus straight air flow like in a NA engine. Please correct me if I am wrong though, I am still trying to learn.

you dont need a tune for an after market intake. matter of fact other then the eventuri Hondata specifically says tune makes no difference with any intake on the check boxes in the tune tables.

 

[BoostedDreams]

The car is excellent stock, but it's missing the good turbo sounds and the exhaust is weak. Naturally people get an exhaust and intake for that. Then you might want a tune to get the most out of your mods, an intercooler to avoid heatsoak and loss of power. Before you know it your full bolt ons and tuned. I don't think it's always necessarily about not being satisfied with stock power because the car feels great stock.

I recently folded my rear seats down and went for some driving. The exhaust sound is noticeably louder and sounds awesome when WOT. The sound of air rushing out the back so aggressively is such a cool sound. My 18 si didn’t have this “unique” sound. I friggin love this car even in stock form

 

[CanadianFK8]

I recently folded my rear seats down and went for some driving. The exhaust sound is noticeably louder and sounds awesome when WOT. The sound of air rushing out the back so aggressively is such a cool sound. My 18 si didn’t have this “unique” sound. I friggin love this car even in stock form

Haha I do the same thing. Sounds much better with the rear seats down.

 

[BoostedDreams]

Haha I do the same thing. Sounds much better with the rear seats down.

Best kept secret ! Lol

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