New Owner Observations and Question or Two

boosted180sx

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NEW OBSERVATION that I noticed on the SI and repeats on the CTR: The %Throttle reading on the cluster is the peddle position. NOT the throttle. Using KTuner, one could select the actual signal to the gas valve. This can be shown when is cruise control, the %Throttle disappears. Turn cruise off or cancel, and back it comes. This is pointless to me. This reading should be signal to the car. Why? Well, one can be a WOT on the signal, and no where near it on the peddle position. I don't get why they did this.
the throttle pedal and the throttle plate are 2 different things. Like you said, the one in the cluster is showing the throttle pedal position.

That's just the way this ecu works. The computer looks at your torque request table for the set throttle pedal position and then calculates how much aircharge it needs and then figures out how much the throttle plate has to be open to hit that aircharge.
if you have the throttle response very sensitive, it's common to see the throttle plate fully open even if your pedal position is like 30%.
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newskate9

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the throttle pedal and the throttle plate are 2 different things. Like you said, the one in the cluster is showing the throttle pedal position. That's just the way this ecu works. The computer looks at your torque request table for the set throttle pedal position and then calculates how much aircharge it needs and then figures out how much the throttle plate has to be open to hit that aircharge. if you have the throttle response very sensitive, it's common to see the throttle plate fully open even if your pedal position is like 30%.
Makes sense. Hard to manage the WOT without knowing that (when I first started seeing MORE data after tuning). All good though.
 

Deadly Nancy

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Crested 500 miles last night and drove home with "fast" traffic, no racey stuff. Perhaps it is the exhaust, but above 3k it just seems like it wants to fly apart! I know I'm crazy so no correction needed. The SI, again, just seemed very comfortable at higher RPM, the R, not so much. Now that I'm above 500 I'll make some slow pulls and see how it feels / sounds.
I cant understand what you are trying to say. Have you ever driven a performance car before? The Si engine is 3/4 the size of the R, there is a lot more boost on the R, the exhaust is a little angrier, all of these will contribute to the engine making more noise than the Si. Before 3k rpm, the turbo is doing absolutely nothing, so maybe when it starts kicking in thats what you are hearing? If you are trying to go wide open in first or second gear the turbo is going to out torque the friction between your tires and the road. It isnt comfortable with the TC on when that happens, and sounds like the car is going to rip itself apart.

All that said, you need to find a back country road and take the car for a real drive. It isnt built to be a stop light race car, it was built for higher speed, hard pulls in 3rd, 4th, and 5th gears, hard breaking, and tight cornering. Just make sure your tires and breaks have heat in them before testing their limits.
 

boosted180sx

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Makes sense. Hard to manage the WOT without knowing that (when I first started seeing MORE data after tuning). All good though.
thats just the nature of a drive by wire system unfortunately. The pedal is not directly tied to how much the plate opens unlike a cable operated car.

it's also how the car changes your throttle response with drive modes. It basically requests more torque at a lower throttle pedal position, giving you the feeling of a better throttle response.
 

DPE

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As someone noted earlier, this motor has no balance shafts and thus DOES have some vibration. Most modern engines don't vibrate much if at all, so it's a little different. May be why it feels like it wants to fly apart at 3000rpm; I don't get that vibe (see what I did there?), but if you were used to smooth motors you might. It's an odd motor in that it has the beefy midrange torque, but when driving hard you really need to keep rpms up or turbo lag is significant (at high altitude, monumental). But it rewards rpms unlike most DI turbo motors; not an old VTEC, but it's happy to pull to redline and it'll hum along from 4500-7000 or so all day. Pretty special engine really, with more character than any other 2.0L DI Turbo 4 (of which there are many), just not quite what I thought it was going to be.

Also, I liked the OEM exhaust initially too, but after 6 months and 5k miles I think it totally sucks :). There's just nothing sporting about the exhaust note. Planning on an HKS for myself for Christmas.
 


fiend busa

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So many thank you's for the responses and inputs.

1. I've hacked phones for years, no programming, but using xda, etc. I didn't hack the SI and I'm not bummed enough to do the R yet. My impression when I researched Honda Hack about year ago is it was not ready for prime time. Any users offer more data? Reliability? Reversibility?

2. That said, the stereo just sounds better to me for some reason. I did re-balance it some more by moving center ice (my term) the middle of the car, as opposed to the dash board. Maybe that has helped a little.

3. Crested 500 miles last night and drove home with "fast" traffic, no racey stuff. Perhaps it is the exhaust, but above 3k it just seems like it wants to fly apart! I know I'm crazy so no correction needed. The SI, again, just seemed very comfortable at higher RPM, the R, not so much. Now that I'm above 500 I'll make some slow pulls and see how it feels / sounds.

4. My conclusion from the comments above: 3K is not as much as issue on this clutch / engine combo. Never WOT at high gear / low RPM, but if I do, it won't kill it if I don't make a habit of it. Downshifting is still good thing to do in general.

5. Seems I'm an idiot for thinking the Civic is the same size as a Civic. :spaz: NOT the first time, as my wife will confirm.

NEW OBSERVATION that I noticed on the SI and repeats on the CTR: The %Throttle reading on the cluster is the peddle position. NOT the throttle. Using KTuner, one could select the actual signal to the gas valve. This can be shown when is cruise control, the %Throttle disappears. Turn cruise off or cancel, and back it comes. This is pointless to me. This reading should be signal to the car. Why? Well, one can be a WOT on the signal, and no where near it on the peddle position. I don't get why they did this.

Also - I put a TYPE-R tag on the front. This reduces wind drag and allows me to get over 40 MPG. And it looks good too! :D:D Just kidding of course. BUT - people LOVE this car.

upload_2019-11-7_5-38-8.png
3. You have to realize the Si and Type R engine are very different.

R is happy above 3500 imo. Anything below, nothing really happens
 
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newskate9

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3. You have to realize the Si and Type R engine are very different.

R is happy above 3500 imo. Anything below, nothing really happens
That's why I asked! Thank you. :cool:
 

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I test drove a new Si for fun, and the clutch would slip in 6th on the highway. I was shocked. Inexcusable, Honda! The FK8 is not like that, no goofy dual mass flywheel like the Si. Mine is stock, but I boot it in 6th on the Interstate when needed to pass with zero drama, probably from mid 70s mph to high 90s. I’ve done this for a year of ownership without a hint of slip. Did the same thing with my Evos for fifteen years before that. Lower rpm, definitely downshift and don’t lug the engine.
 
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newskate9

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I test drove a new Si for fun, and the clutch would slip in 6th on the highway. I was shocked. Inexcusable, Honda! The FK8 is not like that, no goofy dual mass flywheel like the Si. Mine is stock, but I boot it in 6th on the Interstate when needed to pass with zero drama, probably from mid 70s mph to high 90s. I’ve done this for a year of ownership without a hint of slip. Did the same thing with my Evos for fifteen years before that. Lower rpm, definitely downshift and don’t lug the engine.
Yeah, I forgot to mention that part. When I turn the engine off, it just stops. The SI sort of winds down. Took some getting used to!
 

R-10552

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Yeah, I forgot to mention that part. When I turn the engine off, it just stops. The SI sort of winds down. Took some getting used to!
Haha...it's worse going the other way around. I have a CTR and my wife has a '19 Si. My normal routine is 1. hit the button to shut off 2. put the car in first gear. I have to wait much longer to put the Si in first! haha. First couple times was pretty ugly in the Si since obviously I don't press the clutch since the engine isn't running.
 


WrongWayWade

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So many thank you's for the responses and inputs.

1. I've hacked phones for years, no programming, but using xda, etc. I didn't hack the SI and I'm not bummed enough to do the R yet. My impression when I researched Honda Hack about year ago is it was not ready for prime time. Any users offer more data? Reliability? Reversibility?

2. That said, the stereo just sounds better to me for some reason. I did re-balance it some more by moving center ice (my term) the middle of the car, as opposed to the dash board. Maybe that has helped a little.

3. Crested 500 miles last night and drove home with "fast" traffic, no racey stuff. Perhaps it is the exhaust, but above 3k it just seems like it wants to fly apart! I know I'm crazy so no correction needed. The SI, again, just seemed very comfortable at higher RPM, the R, not so much. Now that I'm above 500 I'll make some slow pulls and see how it feels / sounds.

4. My conclusion from the comments above: 3K is not as much as issue on this clutch / engine combo. Never WOT at high gear / low RPM, but if I do, it won't kill it if I don't make a habit of it. Downshifting is still good thing to do in general.

5. Seems I'm an idiot for thinking the Civic is the same size as a Civic. :spaz: NOT the first time, as my wife will confirm.

NEW OBSERVATION that I noticed on the SI and repeats on the CTR: The %Throttle reading on the cluster is the peddle position. NOT the throttle. Using KTuner, one could select the actual signal to the gas valve. This can be shown when is cruise control, the %Throttle disappears. Turn cruise off or cancel, and back it comes. This is pointless to me. This reading should be signal to the car. Why? Well, one can be a WOT on the signal, and no where near it on the peddle position. I don't get why they did this.

Also - I put a TYPE-R tag on the front. This reduces wind drag and allows me to get over 40 MPG. And it looks good too! :D:D Just kidding of course. BUT - people LOVE this car.

upload_2019-11-7_5-38-8.png
Brakes stopped squeaking for me after a few thousand miles. I don't understand the various complaints about the stereo. Sounds good to me, even though the subwoofer doesn't rattle the windows.

I keep it revved above 3000 almost all the time. Cruising at 65 I still would rather be in 5th. Only 70+ do I use 6th gear. I think part of your 'fear' at higher revs is that this car translates a lot of engine vibration directly into the cabin, unlike the Si (I had a 2014 Coupe), so it sounds and feels like a lot extra is going on. But this engine is completely prepared to be run at high revs for a lifetime.

I know you like your Type R front plate, but really, take all that off, (holder included). It really breaks up the smooth lines of the grill layout. (I think the CTR car looks great from the front and the side, but pretty awful from the back.).
 
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newskate9

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I know you like your Type R front plate, but really, take all that off, (holder included). It really breaks up the smooth lines of the grill layout. (I think the CTR car looks great from the front and the side, but pretty awful from the back.).
Thanks for the inputs on the brakes. Take off my front plate? Are you kidding? LOL!!!! I certainly am not opposed to that, BUT, I do like it #1. And #2, then I have holes in the bumper. :( So I may have to think about that one for a while!
 
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newskate9

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Haha...it's worse going the other way around. I have a CTR and my wife has a '19 Si. My normal routine is 1. hit the button to shut off 2. put the car in first gear. I have to wait much longer to put the Si in first! haha. First couple times was pretty ugly in the Si since obviously I don't press the clutch since the engine isn't running.
HA!!! I never even considered that. No doubt she's given you some major looks after grinding a few pounds!
 

samji

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Just curious what you like about the stereo? I always thought mine sounded worse than my 2006 Si, it has almost no bass coming from the subwoofer and so the music overall just sounds lifeless. I had to hack the headunit and install Viper4Android to get the system to sound good. I wonder if they changed something at the factory recently because I also noticed a YouTube reviewer, TheTopher, rave about the sound system in a '19 Type R. Maybe I need to have the dealership check out my system but they are such a bunch of monkeys that I don't want them touching anything on my car.
100%, I see people saying the stereo is good on here, did y'all use to use your phones as speakers for your commute? My base model 2017 Chevy Bolt's sound system sounds MUCH better. The sound isn't just the speakers, it feels like the hardware doesn't have enough power to play the full spectrum of sound. Girlfriend's Golf R sound system was AMAZING by contrast. I'm not a skullshattering bass kind of dude but damn, I didn't even know the car had a subwoofer. My car's subwoofer and bass level were maxed out when I bought the car and only noticed it when I got home. I was already saying the car's audio sounded thin even with those settings maxed. Mid's and highs feel tinny and I can't even turn it up more than +15 before I get distortion on the upper range.

There's no way a 540watt system sounds like this ... I almost feel like it could be fixed with a proper DAC and maybe aftermarket amplification but that requires taking apart most of the interior trim which I dont' want to do.


How did you get viper on the headunit? And do you still need a jail broken android to do it (heard about it during my headphone craze days but never looked into it).
 

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100%, I see people saying the stereo is good on here, did y'all use to use your phones as speakers for your commute? My base model 2017 Chevy Bolt's sound system sounds MUCH better. The sound isn't just the speakers, it feels like the hardware doesn't have enough power to play the full spectrum of sound. Girlfriend's Golf R sound system was AMAZING by contrast. I'm not a skullshattering bass kind of dude but damn, I didn't even know the car had a subwoofer. My car's subwoofer and bass level were maxed out when I bought the car and only noticed it when I got home. I was already saying the car's audio sounded thin even with those settings maxed. Mid's and highs feel tinny and I can't even turn it up more than +15 before I get distortion on the upper range.

There's no way a 540watt system sounds like this ... I almost feel like it could be fixed with a proper DAC and maybe aftermarket amplification but that requires taking apart most of the interior trim which I dont' want to do.


How did you get viper on the headunit? And do you still need a jail broken android to do it (heard about it during my headphone craze days but never looked into it).
It sounds much better with viper4android on it. I just re-hacked my headunit and installed viper...so much better.
You don't need a rooted phone but you do have to hack the head unit. I paid for the Honda hack to make things easier
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