gtman
Senior Member
- First Name
- Mitch
- Joined
- Oct 27, 2015
- Messages
- 11,196
- Reaction score
- 14,864
- Location
- USA
- Website
- www.civicx.com
- Car(s)
- 2017 Cosmic Blue EX-L Sedan
- Vehicle Showcase
- 2
- Thread starter
- #1
Everyone knows that tuning improves performance. But what about long term reliability and safety?
I created this thread to try to document just that and to get an overview of owner's overall tuning experiences.
If you currently have a tuned 10th gen (or were tuned in the past), help everyone in the community and add your car. It only takes a few minutes.
Includes Type R, Si, 1.5T and 2.0 NA. Every tuned car added helps build our tuning knowledge base and helps others decide if tuning is right for them.
Please use the format below when adding your car to the thread (my car used as an example):
Vehicle: 2017 Civic EX-L sedan
Total tuned time: 38 months
Tuned miles driven: 17,500+
Tuning device(s) used: Hondata CARB Flashpro, currently using KTuner V2
Tunes used: Hondata +6 and my own +7.5 tune; KTuner Dual Starter 21 w/aggressive quick adjustments; D-Rob customized TSP Stage 1; currently using the Phearable Stage 1.5
Fuel used: Sunoco 93 Ultra (exclusively)
Additional related mods: PRL silicone hose / aFe Pro Dry S filter combo
Problems/issues: None
Driving style: Slightly speedy with aggressive bursts from time to time.
Tuning experience notes: This is my first time tuning and I've gone from total tuning novice to now feeling comfortable enough to help others with tuning. I've never had a mod transform a car like tuning has. The main reason I tuned was to reduce the feeling of turbo and CVT lag when quickly going from light to heavy throttle. Tuning has definitely reduced the lag by maybe 90% and gives me a completely different driving experience. My car went from a peppy commuter to a bit of a sleeper beast. My mpgs are only slightly lower since tuning, mostly due to a heavier foot.
At the end of your post, attach pics, timeslips, videos, dyno results, etc...
-----------------------------------
Current thread stats and info (as of 7/28/21):
Tuned cars submitted: 724
Total tuned miles driven: 10,241,750 (reported)
Most tuned miles: choo (139,000 - sold car);
dallasjhawk (101,000+); Pekingduck (80,000+)
Cars with major failures: 17 (2.4%)
Failures by tune type: Base: 7; OTS: 2; Custom: 7
Failures by model: Si: 4; Non-Si: 12; CTR: 0; 2.0 NA: 0
Highest failure rate: Non-Si 1.5T (3.6%)
Percentage of cars running reliably: 97.6%
Transmission type: CVT (248); Manual (476)
Base models: 70% CVT; 30% Manual
Aftermarket clutches installed: 77 (16%)
Hondata used for tuning: 153; Race (130) Carb (23)
KTuner used for tuning: 605; V1.2 (338) V2 (267)
Other devices used: JB4: 3, RaceChip: 4, Motec: 3
Pro custom tuned cars: 130 (19%)
Base tuned only cars: 219 (30%)
Most popular OTS tune: TSP Stage 1 (308)
Other popular OTS tune: Phearable Stage 1.5 (139)
Newest OTS tunes: TSP 1+ (31); Phearable 1.5R (13)
Top rated pro tuners: Derek Robinson, John Vega
Cars by model: 1.5T Non-Si (333; 46.2%); Si (319; 43.8%); Type R (51; 7%); 2.0 NA (21; 3%)
Most popular fuel used: 93 octane (378; 52%)
Users adding 1-1.5 gallons E85: 89 (13%)
Flex fuel kits installed: 76 (10.5%)
At least one bolt-on added: 356 (48%)
No bolt-ons added: 226 (31%)
Cars with full bolt-ons: 142 (21%)
Cold air intakes installed: 256 (34%)
Short ram intakes installed: 80 (12%)
Upgraded intercoolers installed: 220 (30%)
Aftermarket downpipes installed: 217 (30%)
Aftermarket frontpipes installed: 153 (21%)
Upgraded turbo inlet pipes installed: 57 (8%)
Upgraded turbos installed: 49 (7%)
Notes: The most installed bolt-ons are intakes*, intercoolers, downpipes and exhaust systems. Full bolts-ons (for purposes of this thread) consist of downpipe, frontpipe, intercooler and intake at a minimum. "Base tuned only" means an out of the box KTuner or Hondata tune was used exclusively; no canned tune from Phearable, TSP or other vendors was ever used. *In this thread, a drop-in filter/silicone hose combo is not considered a bolt on.
Major Failures: 1 car had a failed CVT (replaced under warranty). 1 car had faulty injectors and a blown head gasket. 1 car blew a CVT pushing the car hard with an existing emissions problem. 1 car blew an engine running an E35/meth setup. 1 car blew an engine on the racetrack. 1 car blew an engine when the owner mistakenly used non-race gas with a tune designed specifically for race gas. 1 owner had a major failure on a used car he purchased. 1 owner admitted he abused his car and destroyed his engine. 1 non-Si owner used a high power stage 2 Powermetric flex fuel tune w/full bolt-ons and blew his motor. 1 owner had his CVT replaced under warranty (damaged by high power ethanol tune); the new CVT has been trouble free for 70,000+ tuned miles. 1 car threw a rod under "iffy" circumstances according to it's owner (possible abuse/user error). 1 owner destroyed his CVT after some track time in 100° weather. 1 car had a bent connecting rod but there were many factors (neglect) beyond the tune. 1 car bent a rod while doing WOT datalogging for a custom remote tune (had run meth for a short time as well). 1 car blew a CVT after serious neglect/abuse with numerous brake launches and burnouts. 1 Si blew a transmission running a high power flex fuel tune (full bolt ons). 1 vehicle (an aggressively driven FBO 1.5T European CR-V) cracked a cylinder sleeve and had an exhaust side turbo crack.
5 of the 7 (71%) Non-Si engine failures occurred in hatchback models (mostly attributed to weaker rods). 42% of the Non-Si failures were CVT related. The Si major failure rate is only 1.3%.
Lesser Issues: There's been some issues reported here and there with the stock clutch, CVT, a couple injector replacements and some fuel trim and knock control funkiness (depending on intake and gas used). None of these issues were catastrophic.
Observations: From the cars added so far, base and especially OTS tunes (on a more or less stock 10th gen) appear to be mostly safe. Properly tuned, adding bolt-ons can be fairly reliable, too. The issues seem to happen most often when power output is pushed too high, owners attempt to self-tune too aggressively, or there is some abuse or neglect involved.
Summary: There is no doubt that a tune is the single best power-based performance mod. Having said that, tuning does add additional stress. Long term reliability can be compromised if you tune for ultimate power (on stock internals) and push your car to the limit often. Use common sense and your tuning experience should go well.
One other side note. I often hear people say "it's a waste to tune a 1.5T CVT Civic". The idea being that the CVT can't handle high power. Hopefully, this video of a John Vega tuned Touring sedan will change that point of view. The fact is, a higher power tuned CVT can be reliable (limiting torque down low is the key).
Important info regarding updates: Since this is an ongoing reliability thread, please add a new post from time to time. Use that new post to show additional tuned miles driven, changes to your tune setup, any issues that occur and new tuning experience notes. That way, we can keep the thread as accurate and up to date as possible. - gtman
I created this thread to try to document just that and to get an overview of owner's overall tuning experiences.
If you currently have a tuned 10th gen (or were tuned in the past), help everyone in the community and add your car. It only takes a few minutes.
Includes Type R, Si, 1.5T and 2.0 NA. Every tuned car added helps build our tuning knowledge base and helps others decide if tuning is right for them.
Please use the format below when adding your car to the thread (my car used as an example):
Vehicle: 2017 Civic EX-L sedan
Total tuned time: 38 months
Tuned miles driven: 17,500+
Tuning device(s) used: Hondata CARB Flashpro, currently using KTuner V2
Tunes used: Hondata +6 and my own +7.5 tune; KTuner Dual Starter 21 w/aggressive quick adjustments; D-Rob customized TSP Stage 1; currently using the Phearable Stage 1.5
Fuel used: Sunoco 93 Ultra (exclusively)
Additional related mods: PRL silicone hose / aFe Pro Dry S filter combo
Problems/issues: None
Driving style: Slightly speedy with aggressive bursts from time to time.
Tuning experience notes: This is my first time tuning and I've gone from total tuning novice to now feeling comfortable enough to help others with tuning. I've never had a mod transform a car like tuning has. The main reason I tuned was to reduce the feeling of turbo and CVT lag when quickly going from light to heavy throttle. Tuning has definitely reduced the lag by maybe 90% and gives me a completely different driving experience. My car went from a peppy commuter to a bit of a sleeper beast. My mpgs are only slightly lower since tuning, mostly due to a heavier foot.
At the end of your post, attach pics, timeslips, videos, dyno results, etc...
-----------------------------------
Current thread stats and info (as of 7/28/21):
Tuned cars submitted: 724
Total tuned miles driven: 10,241,750 (reported)
Most tuned miles: choo (139,000 - sold car);
dallasjhawk (101,000+); Pekingduck (80,000+)
Cars with major failures: 17 (2.4%)
Failures by tune type: Base: 7; OTS: 2; Custom: 7
Failures by model: Si: 4; Non-Si: 12; CTR: 0; 2.0 NA: 0
Highest failure rate: Non-Si 1.5T (3.6%)
Percentage of cars running reliably: 97.6%
Transmission type: CVT (248); Manual (476)
Base models: 70% CVT; 30% Manual
Aftermarket clutches installed: 77 (16%)
Hondata used for tuning: 153; Race (130) Carb (23)
KTuner used for tuning: 605; V1.2 (338) V2 (267)
Other devices used: JB4: 3, RaceChip: 4, Motec: 3
Pro custom tuned cars: 130 (19%)
Base tuned only cars: 219 (30%)
Most popular OTS tune: TSP Stage 1 (308)
Other popular OTS tune: Phearable Stage 1.5 (139)
Newest OTS tunes: TSP 1+ (31); Phearable 1.5R (13)
Top rated pro tuners: Derek Robinson, John Vega
Cars by model: 1.5T Non-Si (333; 46.2%); Si (319; 43.8%); Type R (51; 7%); 2.0 NA (21; 3%)
Most popular fuel used: 93 octane (378; 52%)
Users adding 1-1.5 gallons E85: 89 (13%)
Flex fuel kits installed: 76 (10.5%)
At least one bolt-on added: 356 (48%)
No bolt-ons added: 226 (31%)
Cars with full bolt-ons: 142 (21%)
Cold air intakes installed: 256 (34%)
Short ram intakes installed: 80 (12%)
Upgraded intercoolers installed: 220 (30%)
Aftermarket downpipes installed: 217 (30%)
Aftermarket frontpipes installed: 153 (21%)
Upgraded turbo inlet pipes installed: 57 (8%)
Upgraded turbos installed: 49 (7%)
Notes: The most installed bolt-ons are intakes*, intercoolers, downpipes and exhaust systems. Full bolts-ons (for purposes of this thread) consist of downpipe, frontpipe, intercooler and intake at a minimum. "Base tuned only" means an out of the box KTuner or Hondata tune was used exclusively; no canned tune from Phearable, TSP or other vendors was ever used. *In this thread, a drop-in filter/silicone hose combo is not considered a bolt on.
Major Failures: 1 car had a failed CVT (replaced under warranty). 1 car had faulty injectors and a blown head gasket. 1 car blew a CVT pushing the car hard with an existing emissions problem. 1 car blew an engine running an E35/meth setup. 1 car blew an engine on the racetrack. 1 car blew an engine when the owner mistakenly used non-race gas with a tune designed specifically for race gas. 1 owner had a major failure on a used car he purchased. 1 owner admitted he abused his car and destroyed his engine. 1 non-Si owner used a high power stage 2 Powermetric flex fuel tune w/full bolt-ons and blew his motor. 1 owner had his CVT replaced under warranty (damaged by high power ethanol tune); the new CVT has been trouble free for 70,000+ tuned miles. 1 car threw a rod under "iffy" circumstances according to it's owner (possible abuse/user error). 1 owner destroyed his CVT after some track time in 100° weather. 1 car had a bent connecting rod but there were many factors (neglect) beyond the tune. 1 car bent a rod while doing WOT datalogging for a custom remote tune (had run meth for a short time as well). 1 car blew a CVT after serious neglect/abuse with numerous brake launches and burnouts. 1 Si blew a transmission running a high power flex fuel tune (full bolt ons). 1 vehicle (an aggressively driven FBO 1.5T European CR-V) cracked a cylinder sleeve and had an exhaust side turbo crack.
5 of the 7 (71%) Non-Si engine failures occurred in hatchback models (mostly attributed to weaker rods). 42% of the Non-Si failures were CVT related. The Si major failure rate is only 1.3%.
Lesser Issues: There's been some issues reported here and there with the stock clutch, CVT, a couple injector replacements and some fuel trim and knock control funkiness (depending on intake and gas used). None of these issues were catastrophic.
Observations: From the cars added so far, base and especially OTS tunes (on a more or less stock 10th gen) appear to be mostly safe. Properly tuned, adding bolt-ons can be fairly reliable, too. The issues seem to happen most often when power output is pushed too high, owners attempt to self-tune too aggressively, or there is some abuse or neglect involved.
Summary: There is no doubt that a tune is the single best power-based performance mod. Having said that, tuning does add additional stress. Long term reliability can be compromised if you tune for ultimate power (on stock internals) and push your car to the limit often. Use common sense and your tuning experience should go well.
One other side note. I often hear people say "it's a waste to tune a 1.5T CVT Civic". The idea being that the CVT can't handle high power. Hopefully, this video of a John Vega tuned Touring sedan will change that point of view. The fact is, a higher power tuned CVT can be reliable (limiting torque down low is the key).
Important info regarding updates: Since this is an ongoing reliability thread, please add a new post from time to time. Use that new post to show additional tuned miles driven, changes to your tune setup, any issues that occur and new tuning experience notes. That way, we can keep the thread as accurate and up to date as possible. - gtman
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