Performance mods that won't shorten longevity of engine

MarkSi

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I just bought a 2020 civic si sedan. I love how the car drives and performs but I want to make it my own. I am almost positive I want to do Hondata's reflash because I can't stand the rev hang but I was wondering, what are some other bolt-ons I can slap on to increase performance that won't lead to any CELs or potential damage. I know the warranty thing is always up in the air and depends on the dealer, but if the parts don't cause damage then hopefully I won't even have to use the warranty...
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Shifter mods, suspension, sticky tires, lightweight wheels, chassis bracing
 

redcivic19x

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First off - congratulations on your new Si! This car has been a lot of fun to drive especially once you start modding. I’m terms of the warranty, I had the same hesitation about the warranty, but remember if something goes wrong on the car that is under warranty and they won’t fix it because of a mod, then it is up to the dealership to prove unequivocally that your mod caused whatever the issue is. But as long as you do everything right, then you shouldn’t have to worry too much.

but here are a few things - fp/dp, exhaust, intercooler (with charge pipes), cold air intake, short shifter, turbo inlet pipe, rear motor mount, etc.
I don’t have any experience with Hondata, but I use KTuner for mine and I’ve never had to clear CELs or anything with all of the mods that I’ve listed above.
 
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MarkSi

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First off - congratulations on your new Si! This car has been a lot of fun to drive especially once you start modding. I’m terms of the warranty, I had the same hesitation about the warranty, but remember if something goes wrong on the car that is under warranty and they won’t fix it because of a mod, then it is up to the dealership to prove unequivocally that your mod caused whatever the issue is. But as long as you do everything right, then you shouldn’t have to worry too much.

but here are a few things - fp/dp, exhaust, intercooler (with charge pipes), cold air intake, short shifter, turbo inlet pipe, rear motor mount, etc.
I don’t have any experience with Hondata, but I use KTuner for mine and I’ve never had to clear CELs or anything with all of the mods that I’ve listed above.
Thanks! That's what I heard from a lot of people regarding the warranty. Any suggestions on short shifters?
 

redcivic19x

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Thanks! That's what I heard from a lot of people regarding the warranty. Any suggestions on short shifters?
Yea I made the mistake of getting the extended warranty, but quickly cancelled it once I threw on my first mod.

I went with the Acuity short shifter along with their pedal spacer (so I can heel-toe downshift) and I love it. It was like the third mod I did to my car and the customization it gives you is awesome.
 


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Cold air intake will give you a few horsepower (the exact amount is up in the air because each manufacturer has got wildly different claims) but will also give you more engine and turbo sound, which is a damn lot of fun especially when you tomorrow around with the windows down.

If AWE's Dyno is correct, a frontpipe and the frontpipe-back exhaust, if larger diameter than OEM, will also give you a few horsepower. This is pretty expensive, though, but it doesn't modify the emissions or any functional systems so it is a very safe modification.

The rear motor mount will greatly reduce the slop and vagueness in your clutch, making shifting and starting much easier and more predictable. The downside is the massively increased noise in the cabin, which in my opinion, is a lot of fun. My 27Won mount has 8k miles on it and it's fine 9 months out of the year. The 3 months the temps are below 40 it's pretty harsh because the mount is super hard in cold weather. Some people swap them back and forth seasonally.

A good strategy for the shifter upgrades is to buy the OEM Type R shifter assembly and add the acuity upgrades to it - you can skip the short shifter because the Type R shifter is already shorter. This means you can avoid the weird click people get with the short shifter add-on. I did this and I have no regrets.

A rear sway bar upgrade and chassis braces are getting into the "did I feel a difference?" Territory, but they are pretty much risk-free.

Wheels and tires are the last risk-free mod I can think of. Some super high performance all-seasons like the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ or straight up summer tires really bring the car alive.



Unfortunately outside this there isn't a lot you can do that doesn't come with some risk.

I was trying to stay risk-free with my modifications but after owning mine a year I bought a Ktuner with TSP stage 1 and the same day I flashed it, my clutch slipped. I've since gotten over it and gone off the deep end with a new clutch/flywheel, lowering springs, camber arms, and many many more plans. Now I've got so much blood, sweat, and tears invested in the car I feel even closer to it.
 

redcivic19x

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I was trying to stay risk-free with my modifications but after owning mine a year I bought a Ktuner with TSP stage 1 and the same day I flashed it, my clutch slipped. I've since gotten over it and gone off the deep end with a new clutch/flywheel, lowering springs, camber arms, and many many more plans. Now I've got so much blood, sweat, and tears invested in the car I feel even closer to it.
Are you saying the tsp tune is what caused clutch slippage on the first day you flashed it?
 

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if you go too agressive on the early spool of the turbo you will get slippage. I run ktune with base tune and had the clutch start slipping. After I reflashed it with improved spool 1 and improved throttle response 2 and stayed at 18psi I haven't felt it slip since. That was suggested to me by another member here and it does work so if you do have clutch slip, try this first, it may not be as much fun as you can get from the tune but at least while you get money to upgrade the clutch you'll be able to enjoy the car and not have to baby it.

OP, for your requests, I'd say the list up there is bang on, improving breathing and exhaust of the engine shouldn't hurt longevity but to get most of it you should be running a tuner and this may impact longevity depending how much you push the turbo PSI wise.
 

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Are you saying the tsp tune is what caused clutch slippage on the first day you flashed it?
Yes and no. I had no issues with the clutch slipping before I flashed the tune and drove around to test it out.

When I replaced my clutch, I observed the input shaft and clutch splines had zero lubricant, which means it was assembled incorrectly. Before flashing the tune I had several minor issues with difficulty shifting, particularly in cold weather or from a cold start, that I attribute to the improper assembly causing the clutch to not fully disengage.

I assume this partial disengagement leading to difficulty shifting was causing abnormal wear to the clutch, which led to it not holding the TSP stage 1 power.

When I installed my new clutch, I carefully followed the service manual which indicates where to apply grease and how much down to the 10th of a gram. I no longer have any issues with difficulty shifting, even from cold starts in cold weather. The shifts are always perfect.

I've said it before, I believe based on my experience the assembly of your specific car is a hidden factor in whether your clutch will slip or not.
 
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If you don't want to worry about engine longevity then don't mess with the engine at all. No tune and no intake. The exhaust side shouldn't be a problem though. Suspension stuff is fine as well.
 

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If you don't want to worry about engine longevity then don't mess with the engine at all. No tune and no intake. The exhaust side shouldn't be a problem though. Suspension stuff is fine as well.
This is not what I have done, but this would be the answer. Wheels/tires. Exhaust for funsies (not saying that dismissively, exhaust is my favorite mod I’ve done probably). Even suspension and you are messing with stuff that could cause you problems in terms of suspension longevity, certainly lowering springs will. Anything beyond that and you are down the rabbit hole.
 

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Tires, lightweight wheels and some suspension mods(rear motor mount, sway bar etc) are my vote. As far as engine a tune should be all you need. Maybe Intercooler if you run into heat problems from driving the car hard for extended periods of time
 
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MarkSi

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Cold air intake will give you a few horsepower (the exact amount is up in the air because each manufacturer has got wildly different claims) but will also give you more engine and turbo sound, which is a damn lot of fun especially when you tomorrow around with the windows down.

If AWE's Dyno is correct, a frontpipe and the frontpipe-back exhaust, if larger diameter than OEM, will also give you a few horsepower. This is pretty expensive, though, but it doesn't modify the emissions or any functional systems so it is a very safe modification.

The rear motor mount will greatly reduce the slop and vagueness in your clutch, making shifting and starting much easier and more predictable. The downside is the massively increased noise in the cabin, which in my opinion, is a lot of fun. My 27Won mount has 8k miles on it and it's fine 9 months out of the year. The 3 months the temps are below 40 it's pretty harsh because the mount is super hard in cold weather. Some people swap them back and forth seasonally.

A good strategy for the shifter upgrades is to buy the OEM Type R shifter assembly and add the acuity upgrades to it - you can skip the short shifter because the Type R shifter is already shorter. This means you can avoid the weird click people get with the short shifter add-on. I did this and I have no regrets.

A rear sway bar upgrade and chassis braces are getting into the "did I feel a difference?" Territory, but they are pretty much risk-free.

Wheels and tires are the last risk-free mod I can think of. Some super high performance all-seasons like the Pilot Sport A/S 3+ or straight up summer tires really bring the car alive.



Unfortunately outside this there isn't a lot you can do that doesn't come with some risk.

I was trying to stay risk-free with my modifications but after owning mine a year I bought a Ktuner with TSP stage 1 and the same day I flashed it, my clutch slipped. I've since gotten over it and gone off the deep end with a new clutch/flywheel, lowering springs, camber arms, and many many more plans. Now I've got so much blood, sweat, and tears invested in the car I feel even closer to it.
Hey thanks for the in-depth reply. I'm taking everything into consideration, however I am fairly certain the cold air intake, exhaust, and shifter are on my list now.
 

gtman

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Hey thanks for the in-depth reply. I'm taking everything into consideration, however I am fairly certain the cold air intake, exhaust, and shifter are on my list now.
Here's the thing. It's really a question of what you're after. For example, the combo of a CAI and exhaust. You're mostly getting sound with this and maybe a touch more power/throttle response. For the same price (or less) a KTuner or Flashpro will give your car a big bump in power and driveability and the base tunes have proven safe.

The thing with the tuning especially with KTuner is how easy it is to tweak settings and how many cool features you get. It's not just the basics like removing rev hang or the speed limiter or upping boost. You can tweak turbo and throttle response, have boost by gear, improve on the stock VSA system and a lot more. You can even have multiple tune maps with different psi all switchable with the cc buttons (KTuner).

No single performance mod comes close. As far as engine longevity, too early to tell. I mean sure there has to be some additional wear and tear. But, we have people here with over 80,000 tuned miles with no issues. Honda's stock tune is ultra conservative and if you want a real bump in power, a tune is the way to go.

You don't even have to add more boost to get better performance. Just by removing rev hang and maybe tweaking throttle response and turbo ramp, the car will drive noticeably better.

On the other hand, the Si is a great car right out of the box, no doubt. If you want to play if 100% safe, just keep the powertrain stock and stick to cosmetic and suspension mods.
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