Got a Reality Check Today

j_vang

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There will always be a faster car. My C7 Z06 with FBO E85 is relatively quick but still slow compared to the built guys reaching or exceeding 4 digit HP numbers. I've just learned to be content with what I have. You win some, you lose some but have fun in the process. My SI is next to perfect for my daily commute. Good mpg, low maintenance and decent handling.

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vieux georges

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You have to be realistic and see things as they are.
A SI stock is a nice car to drive but it is not a real sport car.
If you want to have fun to challenge other cars, you have
to modify it intelligently and without exaggeration and then,
challenge cars within your reach: WRX, GTI, Mustang Ecoboost...
or some guys with RAM 5.7L Hemi. Grand Cherokee...but
not Porsche, Stinger V6...
That's my opinion, that's what I did and I don't regret it.
 

Jes_si562

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You need some mods bro I can keep up with a GTO easily 5.7 that is haven't raced a 6.0
 

Jes_si562

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Even with better clutch, full bolt ons and a tune, he's still not going to keep up with a GTO. If you want to play with the fast cars, its better to get a car that's already decently quick like the Ecoboost Mustang, Golf R, Focus RS, Type R, etc) and modify it.
Yes he would I keep up to my buddy's gto
 

FC3L15B7

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I had myself convinced that my (stock) Si is a pretty fast car up until today when a GTO put me in my place on my way home from work. Why I thought that? I don’t know lol.

As soon as I got on the highway I jumped in the left lane to pass a slowpoke in front of me, and right as I got in the lane this 5th gen GTO came ripping up behind me. I just assumed he was in a hurry so I moved out of his way for him to pass, but he sped up next to me and rolled at the same speed as me for 5-10 seconds and then took off. He clearly wanted to play around so I obliged.

We played cat and mouse through traffic for about 10-15 minutes before he reached his exit. I was the cat, and I might as well have Garfield for that matter. We weren’t reaching insane speeds (I don’t think I reached 90 mph) but I just couldn’t keep up with this guy. Every time I would catch up to him he would take off again and made my car look like a toy struggling to keep up. I don’t know what kind of mods he had (if any) but it put into perspective how slow my Si is compared to a genuinely fast car.

Today was the first time I was able to compare my car against a car that is actually fast. Today was also the first time I ever felt dissatisfied with my car’s power/performance. Now I’m itching to get a ktuner and throw a tsp stage 1 tune at it to squeeze everything I can out of my humble little 1.5L engine.
That was entertaining - thank you. I don't know what you were thinking either, since the GTO uses an LS engine. They put out anywhere from 350-400hp and just as much torque. The LS2 version is literally 400/400.

I admire your spunk, just not your choices. ;) To put the Si into perspective, it's as fast as a Foxbody 5.0L Mustang from 0 mph (with summer tires). If you're on the highway and you come across a stock Foxbody, by all means, kick its ass. :)
 


Amazon

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No, he used to post his videos of it on this forum, so we saw the cars he smoked. Everything from STI's to BMW M3's. Everything but the most powerful V8's. Tons of people here used to chastise him for racing, I'm sure a few will weigh in. He did everything but install a bigger turbo. He had full bolt-ons including aftermarket airbox, flex-fuel kit (he was running anywhere from E40 to full E85) and a stage 2 clutch as well as a /*-iand puts down around 245-250whp stock and enjoys a 13.8-13.9 1/4 at 103mph. Both the WRX and Camaro are nothing more than 14-14.5 sec cars that under 100mph in the 1/4. As for the Ecoboost Mustang, you'd be lucky to win and any one of those cars is only a mild tune away from you never having a chance.
I looked up his posts, I see stories about him "winning a 40-100 roll before the GTO (which he insinuates is already ahead) pulls farther ahead? That's called losing.The auto GTO only traps around 104 in the 1/4, if he can't keep up with it, he's driving at best, a mid-high 13 sec car which is corroborated by his admission of attaining a 103mph in the 1/4 mile (on flex fuel no less). His M3 "win" would have to be from a E36 or older model, because if a 04 auto GTO beat him, he sure as hell will never hang with an E92 or newer model.

The Si is a ~2800 pound car, you don't need to produce a huge amount of power to make it quick. It produces 250 horses with just a tune. That is already a better power to weight ratio than a whole bunch of cars that people would say "yeah that's a quick car" if they hear the name. Si with a TSP stage 1 tune and no other mods is quicker than a Mustang Eco Boost, quicker than a WRX, quicker than the base Camaro and lHb car isn't going to be playing Challenger, quicker than the Genesis coupe.l
Doing more mods beyond that such as flex fuel can continue to increase power pretty effectively without needing a larger turbo.
The Si weighs 2900 lb's and will not make 250whp with just a tune, try 235ish, flex fuel might get you close to 250, but you'll likely still fall short. Both the WRX and Camaro are nothing more than 14-14.5 sec cars that under 100mph in the 1/4. As for the Ecoboost Mustang, you'd be lucky to win and any one of those cars is only a mild tune away from you never having a chance.
 

amirza786

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I looked up his posts, I see stories about him "winning a 40-100 roll before the GTO (which he insinuates is already ahead) pulls farther ahead? That's called losing.The auto GTO only traps around 104 in the 1/4, if he can't keep up with it, he's driving at best, a mid-high 13 sec car which is corroborated by his admission of attaining a 103mph in the 1/4 mile (on flex fuel no less). His M3 "win" would have to be from a E36 or older model, because if a 04 auto GTO beat him, he sure as hell will never hang with an E92 or newer model.



The Si weighs 2900 lb's and will not make 250whp with just a tune, try 235ish, flex fuel might get you close to 250, but you'll likely still fall short. Both the WRX and Camaro are nothing more than 14-14.5 sec cars that under 100mph in the 1/4. As for the Ecoboost Mustang, you'd be lucky to win and any one of those cars is only a mild tune away from you never having a chance.
You didn't read what I wrote. I never said he beat a GTO, that would be stupid. My exact words were that he beat a lot of fast cars that didn't have high performance V8's. In fact he stopped racing cars that were not tuned because in his words "it's a waste of gas". You can believe it or not believe it, I really don't care...

EDIT

I wrote BMW M3 in error. It was a Mercedes, I don't remember the model. He also beat an IS350 (a newer model, gen 3) which is what I have. I saw the video with my own eyes. I can tell you from my own experience, an IS350 is not slow
 
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si_well

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Responding to what most people have said, you guys are totally right. The Si is a great car for what it is, and it's humble 1.5L engine was never meant to be something that could compete with a true performance purposed vehicle whose engine is 4x its size. The Si is about practicality first and sportiness second to that, which I can appreciate because that's the whole reason I bought it. I just lost focus of that I think. I really do love my Si and have been giddy like a kid about it since I got it mid November, and I think that it had me in somewhat of a honeymoon phase (for lack of a better word) and I had developed false expectations of what it was capable of.

The reason why I thought it would be interesting to share this experience was because I had I allowed my fondness towards the car and it's novelty to blindly convince myself that my Si was something more than it really was, but getting whooped by the GTO is what brought me back down to reality and put into perspective what my Si is all about. In turn, I now appreciate it a whole lot more for what it is rather than getting hung up about what it isn't.

This experience was also educational in deciding how I intend to upgrade the car, so as I will not lose sight of what the car is and dump thousands of dollars trying to turn it into something it's not. My intentions for this car is for it to be a practical daily driver that is still a fun and enjoyable car to drive. So with that said, I can make it more fun by improving how it connects to the road and squeezing a little more power out of it without comprising it's reliability too much. My plan is to get lighter and wider wheels with minimal change in offset first, wrap them better performing tires, and lower it modestly with Eibach pro springs. Once that stuff is taken care of, I will then look to get a tune along with intake and/or intercooler. Much more beyond that (I think) would be overkill and would be crossing the threshold of turning it into something it wasn't meant to be, which is fine if that's your goal, but it's not mine.
 

amirza786

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Responding to what most people have said, you guys are totally right. The Si is a great car for what it is, and it's humble 1.5L engine was never meant to be something that could compete with a true performance purposed vehicle whose engine is 4x its size. The Si is about practicality first and sportiness second to that, which I can appreciate because that's the whole reason I bought it. I just lost focus of that I think. I really do love my Si and have been giddy like a kid about it since I got it mid November, and I think that it had me in somewhat of a honeymoon phase (for lack of a better word) and I had developed false expectations of what it was capable of.

The reason why I thought it would be interesting to share this experience was because I had I allowed my fondness towards the car and it's novelty to blindly convince myself that my Si was something more than it really was, but getting whooped by the GTO is what brought me back down to reality and put into perspective what my Si is all about. In turn, I now appreciate it a whole lot more for what it is rather than getting hung up about what it isn't.

This experience was also educational in deciding how I intend to upgrade the car, so as I will not lose sight of what the car is and dump thousands of dollars trying to turn it into something it's not. My intentions for this car is for it to be a practical daily driver that is still a fun and enjoyable car to drive. So with that said, I can make it more fun by improving how it connects to the road and squeezing a little more power out of it without comprising it's reliability too much. My plan is to get lighter and wider wheels with minimal change in offset first, wrap them better performing tires, and lower it modestly with Eibach pro springs. Once that stuff is taken care of, I will then look to get a tune along with intake and/or intercooler. Much more beyond that (I think) would be overkill and would be crossing the threshold of turning it into something it wasn't meant to be, which is fine if that's your goal, but it's not mine.
Let me tell you a quick story. Yesterday I was coming home from Southern California, and while on the freeway there was an STI in a mean Blue, it looked brand new. Some distance in front of him was a 9th Gen Si, I can't recall the color. I don't know if it was tuned, had bolt-on's etc, but it did have a custom exhaust, and some tasteful exterior styling (which is usually, unfortunately not always the case). As soon as the guy in the STI spotted him, I could see he was in the racing mood. He kept pulling up the Si trying to goad the guy into racing him. The guy in the Si just ignored him and kept driving, and after about 5 minutes of trying the guy in the STI gave up and sped away. So whoever the guy in the Si was (Pasadena/Glendora area on the 210 W), I congratulate you, you did the smart thing
 


saz468

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Let me tell you a quick story. Yesterday I was coming home from Southern California, and while on the freeway there was an STI in a mean Blue, it looked brand new. Some distance in front of him was a 9th Gen Si, I can't recall the color. I don't know if it was tuned, had bolt-on's etc, but it did have a custom exhaust, and some tasteful exterior styling (which is usually, unfortunately not always the case). As soon as the guy in the STI spotted him, I could see he was in the racing mood. He kept pulling up the Si trying to goad the guy into racing him. The guy in the Si just ignored him and kept driving, and after about 5 minutes of trying the guy in the STI gave up and sped away. So whoever the guy in the Si was (Pasadena/Glendora area on the 210 W), I congratulate you, you did the smart thing
Every once in a while I’ll get some kid in a Elantra trying to race me especially the ones with a drill screwed wing on it I don’t bother because I used to own a Elantra so I know the civic will beat it I just want to go home that’s another reason I don’t engage
 

Friction

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You don't realize how nimble and agile the Si is around corners until you get into a heavy POS American car.

I'm currently on business travel and have a base 2019/20 Dodge Charger as a rental. It has 290hp/260tq (probably overrated) and tips the scales at a whopping 4000 lbs. My god this thing is terrible. So much momemtum coming to stops. Feels like a school bus when you take 90° turns. Infotainment is complete horse5hit. It's snowing here in Buffalo, and if you shut the traction control off, this thing won't make it 2 feet before it starts sliding. I can't wait to get back in my Si.

The only American car I'd buy is a Toyota Camry.
What a coincidence. I just got back from travel in PA and had a charger for my rental. It snowed pretty heavily (for an Alabamian) last week and I nearly got stuck in the hotel parking lot. I had to back up and pull forward repeatedly to get enough momentum up to get moving. And when I got back in my Si Friday night it felt like I was in a miata, relatively speaking.
 

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I had myself convinced that my (stock) Si is a pretty fast car up until today when a GTO put me in my place on my way home from work. Why I thought that? I don’t know lol.

As soon as I got on the highway I jumped in the left lane to pass a slowpoke in front of me, and right as I got in the lane this 5th gen GTO came ripping up behind me. I just assumed he was in a hurry so I moved out of his way for him to pass, but he sped up next to me and rolled at the same speed as me for 5-10 seconds and then took off. He clearly wanted to play around so I obliged.

We played cat and mouse through traffic for about 10-15 minutes before he reached his exit. I was the cat, and I might as well have Garfield for that matter. We weren’t reaching insane speeds (I don’t think I reached 90 mph) but I just couldn’t keep up with this guy. Every time I would catch up to him he would take off again and made my car look like a toy struggling to keep up. I don’t know what kind of mods he had (if any) but it put into perspective how slow my Si is compared to a genuinely fast car.

Today was the first time I was able to compare my car against a car that is actually fast. Today was also the first time I ever felt dissatisfied with my car’s power/performance. Now I’m itching to get a ktuner and throw a tsp stage 1 tune at it to squeeze everything I can out of my humble little 1.5L engine.
i mean its a civic man they aint a power house but they are small and agile! i love mine but i love my tacoma way more and that thing is slow af and tips around corners lmao but i love that thing! Dont get me wrong i love my si if i didnt love the car i would have got rid of it or never bought it in the first place.....
 

MediumUnwell

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We weren’t reaching insane speeds (I don’t think I reached 90 mph) but I just couldn’t keep up with this guy. Every time I would catch up to him he would take off again and made my car look like a toy struggling to keep up.
Yeah but you crushed him at the gas pump though. :headbang:

All kidding aside, yes we have to realize this is not a race car. Or even a high-performance sports car. I will say though - This car is an incredible feat of engineering. A car that goes relatively fast with amazing handling and still gets great gas mileage and reliability. It is remarkable. I get in my daughters 2013 civic ex or my wife's Odyssey and they feel gutless in comparison.

As far as the mods you suggested. The K-Tuner and the TSP stage 1 Tune - they make an incredible difference in the car and are worth the price of admission. In addition to those, I also have a PRL Cobra CAI(supposed to add about 10 hp). Those things collectively do make a significant difference in this car. But as has been said previously - there is a point of diminishing returns. I'm about at the limit of what I want to spend on this car for upgrades. Anything further and I might as well just start saving for the Type-R. No sense dropping 3 or 4k to squeeze another 40 or 50 hp out of it - might as well jump up to the Type R. But for the time being I will enjoy what I consider to be a fast, fun, and nimble car that still rocks 32 mpg at the pump! lol
 

TornadoredGen3

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You'll be surprised! There is a guy on this forum that had modded his Civic to the point where he was smoking almost everything. Unfortunately, his engine went Kboom! I guess to your point, it's always best to just buy a high performance car in the first place, because the amount of time and money he put in it, he probably would have been better off going that route
i know who you talking about. And he has not "smoked everything" I seen his youtube shenanigans, VERY inconsistent. i even mentioned to him on his channel. How you beat a stock golf r from 10mph to 80mph by like 2,3 cars and then put like 7 buslengths on a camaro? which he also raced only up to 100mph, on top of the the camaro was pulling him at 100mph. He also jumps the gun many time, and races sometimes unsuspecting half-ass drivers. if you think camaros even their 2.0l or v6(335hp) are slow.. they really arent, certainly not slower then a stock golf R. let me remind you golf r are also heavy (awd). Mind you he only traps 103mph at 1/4m with on Ethanol and spinning tires. when i had the si was ok for a stock car but really not a long term car when you consider you need a built bottom end to push past 300 wheel safely, recently i raced again a 2018 si hondata, catless downpipe prl intake on 93oct and i put 1,2 cars on my (apr stg2)2014 1.8t jetta by 100mph. Driver knowledge matters as two times i let him get the jump and i was off my powerband by 5,10mph i had to reel him in but not with ease! then two times i was right on the money there was no chance. The irony is that he was bragging to me how he had smoked modded mk6 gti/jettas and mk7. all this in a 125kmiles slipping clutch "old vw"
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