1.5T Phearable 1.5 Non-Si impressions

[Forkx]

Hi all,

I'm newly registered here after being a long-time lurker and learner. I've been using Phearable 1.5 non-SI for a few weeks on my essentially FBO Civic and wanted to share my impressions. Overall I'm having a great time with the tune but improving the handling dynamics of the car went a long way in letting me fully enjoy it.

2020 Civic Hatch EX-L CVT

First off, performance-related mods/changes on my car:
PRL Cobra CAI Street, PRL Intercooler (stock charge pipes), PRL FP/DP combo catted
Civic Si Rear Sway Bar, CTR RMM, DC Sports Front Strut Bar, CTR Subframe Brace, BF-Goodrich Comp 2 A/S Plus tires
Unity Performance Steering wheel

On to the review:

-Compared to using stock even with all these Bolt-ons, difference is night and day. There's no jerkiness with the car whatsoever after tuning and it makes for a really confident driving experience. I like that there's no sudden bursts of unexpected power, the delivery is linear and easy to control. Doing pulls is super fun and I don't have to worry about the power lag when I need to do a quick lane change, etc. The CVT feels very responsive as long as you apply the right amount of throttle and the "shifts" are smooth and quick. In a good pull the car really throws you back into your seat, and the power stays consistent pull after pull.

-When I first used the tune, I didn't have any of the handling mods, and honestly, the car couldn't make use of the power properly. It was pretty easy to spin the tires and pushing the car hard just resulted in annoying amounts of torque steer. I replaced the stock tires with BF-Goodrich Comp 2 A/S Plus and added all the handling mods, and I'm able to really floor it or launch out of corners now and it feels amazing. I don't do this too often but admittedly it's become so fun that it's becoming hard to resist

-Some say the low end is soft but I haven't had much of an issue there. This car kinda takes a heavy foot but if you give it enough throttle you can get into the optimal power band pretty quickly and the low end is more than enough for slower city driving. Getting a better RMM helped me a lot, the stock CVT RMM has a ridiculous amount of slop in the lower gears and it makes stop and go acceleration a pain with jerky motions. With the CTR RMM, the tune has no issues for me with brake and go situations. Maybe downpipe is helping too for the faster spool. I guess I would say this tune isn't that "sensitive" but it's very controllable once you get used to it.

-I've only used Shell 91 fuel with the tune but my knock control doesn't really exceed .65. STFT is usually +-5 with occasional spikes which I believe is normal. LTFT is within +-3 with no spikes. I've used map 2 and map 3 but I feel that these maps are quite close in performance. On Map 2 I was already boosting above 23 psi. I just keep it on Map 3 now since to my knowledge it should still be safe for the car.

-Can't speak about longevity since I haven't driven enough miles tuned on it, but we'll see. Based on the datalogs I don't think there should be any issues.

Anyways that's all I have to say I think. This is my first time actually modding/tuning a car (big thank you to everyone here for the wealth good information) so I don't really have other tunes to compare to but I don't think I'll be changing from this one.

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[gtman]

Nice writeup and I agree the Phearable 1.5 is excellent. In terms of the "soft" low end I've written about, some context is needed. I've been tuned for many years and one of my earlier setups was an aggressive KTuner Starter 21. That tune was amazing around town with an almost touchy throttle feel.

Compared to that, the OTS tunes feel a bit softer. But as you know, that's not a bad thing. The CVT is being protected and it gives the car a smooth power build up that the base tunes can only dream of.

 

[vctwhitepearl]

Hi all,

I'm newly registered here after being a long-time lurker and learner. I've been using Phearable 1.5 non-SI for a few weeks on my essentially FBO Civic and wanted to share my impressions. Overall I'm having a great time with the tune but improving the handling dynamics of the car went a long way in letting me fully enjoy it.

2020 Civic Hatch EX-L CVT

First off, performance-related mods/changes on my car:
PRL Cobra CAI Street, PRL Intercooler (stock charge pipes), PRL FP/DP combo catted
Civic Si Rear Sway Bar, CTR RMM, DC Sports Front Strut Bar, CTR Subframe Brace, BF-Goodrich Comp 2 A/S Plus tires
Unity Performance Steering wheel

On to the review:

-Compared to using stock even with all these Bolt-ons, difference is night and day. There's no jerkiness with the car whatsoever after tuning and it makes for a really confident driving experience. I like that there's no sudden bursts of unexpected power, the delivery is linear and easy to control. Doing pulls is super fun and I don't have to worry about the power lag when I need to do a quick lane change, etc. The CVT feels very responsive as long as you apply the right amount of throttle and the "shifts" are smooth and quick. In a good pull the car really throws you back into your seat, and the power stays consistent pull after pull.

-When I first used the tune, I didn't have any of the handling mods, and honestly, the car couldn't make use of the power properly. It was pretty easy to spin the tires and pushing the car hard just resulted in annoying amounts of torque steer. I replaced the stock tires with BF-Goodrich Comp 2 A/S Plus and added all the handling mods, and I'm able to really floor it or launch out of corners now and it feels amazing. I don't do this too often but admittedly it's become so fun that it's becoming hard to resist

-Some say the low end is soft but I haven't had much of an issue there. This car kinda takes a heavy foot but if you give it enough throttle you can get into the optimal power band pretty quickly and the low end is more than enough for slower city driving. Getting a better RMM helped me a lot, the stock CVT RMM has a ridiculous amount of slop in the lower gears and it makes stop and go acceleration a pain with jerky motions. With the CTR RMM, the tune has no issues for me with brake and go situations. Maybe downpipe is helping too for the faster spool. I guess I would say this tune isn't that "sensitive" but it's very controllable once you get used to it.

-I've only used Shell 91 fuel with the tune but my knock control doesn't really exceed .65. STFT is usually +-5 with occasional spikes which I believe is normal. LTFT is within +-3 with no spikes. I've used map 2 and map 3 but I feel that these maps are quite close in performance. On Map 2 I was already boosting above 23 psi. I just keep it on Map 3 now since to my knowledge it should still be safe for the car.

-Can't speak about longevity since I haven't driven enough miles tuned on it, but we'll see. Based on the datalogs I don't think there should be any issues.

Anyways that's all I have to say I think. This is my first time actually modding/tuning a car (big thank you to everyone here for the wealth good information) so I don't really have other tunes to compare to but I don't think I'll be changing from this one.

Nice writeup and I agree the Phearable 1.5 is excellent. In terms of the "soft" low end I've written about, some context is needed. I've been tuned for many years and one of my earlier setups was an aggressive KTuner Starter 21. That tune was amazing around town with an almost touchy throttle feel.

Compared to that, the OTS tunes feel a bit softer. But as you know, that's not a bad thing. The CVT is being protected and it gives the car a smooth power build up that the base tunes can only dream of.

Thanks for sharing guys, it sounds like you are having a great time with this tune and mods. It's awesome to read your real time Phearable experiences, and it helps. I appreciate it, our cars are basically the same except for your mods.

I've got the 2017 Civic Hatch EX CVT stock. These tuned 1.5T CVT's we have are really cool, I have been running the Ktuner 21 maxed tune for years. The car has a lot I mean a lot of getup and go on the line (Gtman knows) with 50% to 100% press on the throttle and above 2250-2500 rmp, and away she pulls almost instantly with wheels that lift the front and force the car in the direction the steering wheel is pointed, it's quite amazing to see and feel. It's does have the low to mid roar sensitivity like she does so to speak....does Phearable make you go WOW here with just a little more throttle? Phearable sounds like more sophisticated option, an update 1.5T tune in ways with more software tweaks and trims, etc., and it's likely even the best tune available for the 1.5T now and I just might pull that trigger.
So I still really really enjoy lining up at a stop light with other assorted performance cars and the spirited low-mid to WOT's street pulls and WTF's that follow, I still go WOW. On the highway, the way I've got it, Ktuner seems to give plenty most of the time in the 60 to 90 range. I think I have felt something like a softer torque gain or something like that above that so to speak. Gtman, thanks for you input too, this is where you said Phearable pulls away from Ktuner and when I think you said your WOW and so long to Ktuner.

 

[gtman]

Vct...

For your driving style, maybe stick with your aggressive base map. I have the feeling the softer throttle response will be a turn off for you. You literally will need to consciously press harder on the throttle.

With an aggressive Ktuner starter, it's almost like all the power is in the first 60% of throttle. That makes for a very snappy feel around town and it's freakin fun. But then on the highway you get a high speed challenge and it just runs out of steam... fast.

My search for a more balanced top to bottom tune lead me to the TSP 1. I ran that for a long time and loved it.

Switching to the Phearable tune, it's a small step up in refinement from the TSP 1. Soft down low with an almost silky smoothness overall. A really linear feel. Until you go about 70%+ on the throttle. The power is amazing at that point (Map 3, 24 psi) and will almost shock you.

I also like the higher idle speed which smooths things out sitting at a stoplight.

But I'm used to the less aggressive low end feel now and appreciate the built in CVT safety. For you though, it may not be the best choice.

 

[RyzenShine]

I literally just posted asking for Information on this tune without seeing this. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Myx]

Vct...

But I'm used to the less aggressive low end feel now and appreciate the built in CVT safety. For you though, it may not be the best choice.

I'm surprised you got used to the lowend torque being less. I love my lowend torque and snappiness to almost be cartoonish. I can't give it up man. The more the merry'er. ? I have yet to get a custom tune from Phearable (John Vega) just yet because I'm not sure a tuner can deliver on the snappy, lowend torque I want when I mention that I have a CVT...despite me saying that I am 100% ok with the consequences of the extra torque. I want it all!

 

[gtman]

Sure I prefer the snappier aggressive KTuner low end but I also want to stay out of my failures thread, you know?

Once I got used to (accepted) the softer low end, the base tunes feel a bit unrefined by comparison.

 

[Myx]

Sure I prefer the snappier aggressive KTuner low end but I also want to stay out of my failures thread, you know?

I actually laughed out loud reading this. ? At the rate I'm going, I may be happily revisiting that thread. It'll be glorious though.

 

[vctwhitepearl]

For your driving style, maybe stick with your aggressive base map. I have the feeling the softer throttle response will be a turn off for you. You literally will need to consciously press harder on the throttle.

With an aggressive Ktuner starter, it's almost like all the power is in the first 60% of throttle. That makes for a very snappy feel around town and it's freakin fun. But then on the highway you get a high speed challenge and it just runs out of steam... fast.

My search for a more balanced top to bottom tune lead me to the TSP 1. I ran that for a long time and loved it.

Switching to the Phearable tune, it's a small step up in refinement from the TSP 1. Soft down low with an almost silky smoothness overall. A really linear feel. Until you go about 70%+ on the throttle. The power is amazing at that point (Map 3, 24 psi) and will almost shock you.

So it is time to try it for myself, bought and Installed Phearable yesterday. Let me say John Vega put some quality time in this... ?definitely worth the money.

First initial real time use feels well crafted tune for all driving styles....and all gauges read nominal. I get what you're saying a little bit about low end throttle response but not sure I would say its soft down low but maybe more like the throttle response is dialed in to where the real

1.5T power is. Throttle demand/ engagement seems to match the need for power/ torque to the top. From what I've experienced so far, there is plenty in the full range.

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