The Tuned CivicX Experience & Reliability Thread (for all models)

[Chicagofk7]

Vehicle: 2017 Civic LX Hatchback

Total tuned time: 1 year, 2 months

Tuned miles driven: 10,000 or so

Tuning device(s) used: KTuner V2

Tunes used: Phearable 1.5 non-si

Fuel used: 93 (Mobil, Shell or Marathon)

Additional related mods: none

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: I drive like an old lady when there's traffic but when there's room I hit the 3rd map (most aggressive) and send it. Chirps tires easily, put it into 'S' and it really pulls. Can keep up with a lot of surprisingly fast cars for a while.

Tune experience notes: I haven't noticed a dramatic difference in fuel economy. I usually leave it in map 1 for the most part and even though I feel the difference I don't see a drop in my mpg's or how often I fill up. Fantastic tune, just took a while to get used to consciously hitting the 93 instead of 87.

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[gtman]

A new member @Naremerson, messaged me and added his info in his response, I'm posting it here in the thread for him.

Vehicle: 2018 EXT Coupe

Total tuned time: 7 Months

Tuned miles driven: 7,100

Tuning device(s) used: KTuner V2

Tunes used: 21psi Base Map

Fuel used: 93 Oct

Additional related mods:

acura style grill
Touring headlights
K sport kontrol pro coilovers
ESR CS3’s in graphite
Mishimoto IC
27won CAI
Cvt transmission cooler (i forget the brand)
Spoilerking duck bill
Chrome delete
Ktuner v2 21psi base map
Invidia n1 catback exhaust

Problems/issues: None so far!

Driving style: fairly conservative with occasional highway pulls

Tune experience notes: Tuning this car has been a blast. I love how straightforward the platform is. I intend to further mod the car to be a more ambitious daily driver. I am building the car to be clean street slider, not to pinch out as much power available.

 

[FK7_]

*6 Month Update

Vehicle: 2020 Civic Type R

Total tuned time: 6 months

Tuned miles driven: 8,000kms (5,000miles)

Tuning device(s) used: Hondata flashpro

Tunes used: Hondata 91 octane tune

Fuel used: Chevron 94 octane (no ethanol)

Additional related mods: K&N drop in air filter

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: it’s my daily driver so nice and easy around town and aggressive when on backroads and canyon carving.

Tune experience notes: After about 6 months and 8,000kms (5,000miles) running the Hondata 91 basemap, I have decided to flash back to the stock tune. I’ll share my pro’s and con’s on what I think of the Hondata tune.

Pro’s:

• Tons of low end torque
• Turbo spools much quicker
• Hondata traction control is top notch
• More cool blow off sounds

Con’s:

• Top end felt lacking
• Not linear power that I prefer
• Fuel trims were always finicky (could be due to crap Canadian gas)
• Always spinning….(not always a con but sometimes it’s brutal)
• Low speeds in first and second gear were very jerky and stuttery. Made parking lots and traffic even more annoying.

Now that I’m back to stock I will say the OEM tune feels great. The power delivery is awesome, so linear and makes the top end feel great (even though Hondata basemaps makes more top end HP). The car is not jerky at all again and after about 600kms my fuel economy is getting much better.

I will now be waiting until spring to get a custom tune done that can hopefully get rid of the annoying problems I had with the Hondata Basemap. Hopefully I’ll be back in another 6months to update y’all! Thanks everyone.

 

[IonEX-T]

Final tuned statistics for car, traded in for 17 Si
Total tuned time: 7 Months

Tuned miles driven: 10000km/6250miles

Tuning device(s) used: Ktuner V2

Tunes used: Custom tune by DRob

Fuel used: 91 oct

Additional related mods: W1 TIP, W1 turbo, PRL catted downpipe, Agency intercooler, K&N intake, motor swap x2, trans swap

Tuning experience notes: I am really going to miss this car but I am also happy to unload the magnitude of problems I was having with the car and start fresh on a slightly better platform. The dealership doesn't often lose but they definatley lost the trade. Im sure ill be getting calls from them later.

Vehicle: 2017 Civic EX-T

Total tuned time: 3 Months

Tuned miles driven: 5000km/3125miles

Tuning device(s) used: Ktuner V2

Tunes used: Custom tune by DRob

Fuel used: 91 oct

Additional related mods: W1 turbo, PRL catted downpipe, Agency intercooler, K&N intake, motor swap x2, trans swap

Problems/issues: There's many lol

-P0088 Code: I only really get this code when it is colder out but its from maxing out my fuel pump which I am kind of surprised is happening because I am only on 91 oct and 24psi boost and this didn't happen on my old motor where I was using 95 and 27psi. Maybe the fuel pump on this motor is weaker.

-Leaky Head Gasket: Both of the motor I swapped in had leaky head gaskets this one being much worse with it drinking sometimes liters a day and would have knock counts on cold start. Without the ktuner V2 and being able to track ECT I would have certainly overheated. I did fix this issue with head gasket sealer and it instantly fixed the knock on cold starts and the leak itself, though it might only be temporary.

-Elevated Knock: This motor seems too rack up a lot more knock counts than previous motors, especially when it is hot out. On a hot day it is not uncommon to see 30-70 knocks on a 15 minute drive. Its seems to be aggravated whenever engaging or disengaging. Could be a tuning issue

-Almost Stalling: This has only happened once and that was yesterday. When I would go from R to P rpms would drop to 550-650 and you could feel it almost stall.

-Strange Noises: Sometimes while idling or steady state driving with AC on it will make a high pitch whistling/squealing sound, I've never heard anything like it before and it is not a belt.

Driving style: Economical on commutes but spirited on weekends

Tuning experience notes: I think this motor could benefit with a few revisions and maybe fix or identify some problems within.

 

[2020Blues!]

So after a lot of lurking on this thread I think I'm finally going to pull the trigger tomorrow and order the Ktuner with phearable 1.5 tune for my car. It is a 20 Si sedan and is my daily. Only other mod is a PRL Cobra with street MAF and I probably won't go too much further after the tune but it sounds too great not to do it. The only thing left to decide is which Ktuner to get.

 

[jesmanblueFC1]

Vehicle: 2019 Honda civic si

Total tuned time: 42 months

Tuned miles driven: 23,500

Tuning device(s) used: Ktuner v1.2

Tunes used: Tsp stage 1, then phearable 1.5

Fuel used: California 91 octane

Additional related mods: PRL cobra intake race maf, greddy intercooler, prl front pipe, prl catted downpipe, civic type r exhaust, eman retrofit clutch

Problems/issues: none

Driving style: Mostly crusing and freeway miles, with an occasional pull.

Tune experience notes: Overall the TSP tune was great, but for my daily driven experience the phearable tune seemed so much smoother. Never had any issues except with the slipping clutch but that was due to my driving habits being overly aggressive on the oem clutch.

I am now back to stock and have sold the car so I can get an FK8. Never had any failures while tuned though, the Si was a fun car as a DD but it definitely needed more power from the factory, hopefully the FK8 will meet my expectations.

 

[gtman]

Thanks for adding your tuned car experience, it really helps.

 

[Lorre]

*6 Month Update

Vehicle: 2020 Civic Type R

Total tuned time: 6 months

Tuned miles driven: 8,000kms (5,000miles)

Tuning device(s) used: Hondata flashpro

Tunes used: Hondata 91 octane tune

Fuel used: Chevron 94 octane (no ethanol)

Additional related mods: K&N drop in air filter

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: it’s my daily driver so nice and easy around town and aggressive when on backroads and canyon carving.

Tune experience notes: After about 6 months and 8,000kms (5,000miles) running the Hondata 91 basemap, I have decided to flash back to the stock tune. I’ll share my pro’s and con’s on what I think of the Hondata tune.

Pro’s:

• Tons of low end torque
• Turbo spools much quicker
• Hondata traction control is top notch
• More cool blow off sounds

Con’s:

• Top end felt lacking
• Not linear power that I prefer
• Fuel trims were always finicky (could be due to crap Canadian gas)
• Always spinning….(not always a con but sometimes it’s brutal)
• Low speeds in first and second gear were very jerky and stuttery. Made parking lots and traffic even more annoying.

Now that I’m back to stock I will say the OEM tune feels great. The power delivery is awesome, so linear and makes the top end feel great (even though Hondata basemaps makes more top end HP). The car is not jerky at all again and after about 600kms my fuel economy is getting much better.

I will now be waiting until spring to get a custom tune done that can hopefully get rid of the annoying problems I had with the Hondata Basemap. Hopefully I’ll be back in another 6months to update y’all! Thanks everyone.

Thanks for sharing. Interesting that you found the stock tune more appealing…

Did you choose the improved response with full power in 1st and 2nd gears option?

what about the part throttle driveability of the Hondata base map? I thought the stock tune feels a little flat in part throttle acceleration…especially when you are cruising at maybe 15-20% throttle input and suddenly go 70-80%. I would like a bit more get up and go response.

 

[gtman]

Thread failure stats by tune type:

• Major failures on custom tunes: 14 of 236 cars. That's a 5.9% failure rate.
• Major failures on base tunes: 12 of 315 cars. That's a 3.8% failure rate.
• Major failures on OTS tunes: 8 of 525 cars. That's a 1.5% failure rate.

Observations
OTS tunes have been the most reliable by far. Some of that is simply that many people using OTS tunes have minimal additional mods and less power potential. But, OTS tunes are clearly more reliable than even the base tunes so that tells me Derek and John's smoother power setup is a safe way to go.

Why is the fail rate so much higher on customs even though customs are tailored to individual setups? There are a lot of factors mixed in but it seems to me the main cause is simply that customs = much higher power output compared to other tunes. Other factors may include more ethanol use and more aggressive driving. On stock internals, there's just less room for error.

 

[FK7_]

Thanks for sharing. Interesting that you found the stock tune more appealing…

Did you choose the improved response with full power in 1st and 2nd gears option?

what about the part throttle driveability of the Hondata base map? I thought the stock tune feels a little flat in part throttle acceleration…especially when you are cruising at maybe 15-20% throttle input and suddenly go 70-80%. I would like a bit more get up and go response.

Partial throttle to me is where the Hondata basemaps fails. Especially at low speeds I found the tune very jerky, sometimes even lugging in 1st/2nd gear around 2000 rpm in a parking lot with maybe 10% throttle just to maintain speed for example. I tried all the throttle response options and also tried rev hang delete on and off assuming that was the problem since it felt like the throttle plate slamming open and closed at low speeds. I just prefer the smoothness of the stock tune for daily driving (since thats what I use this car for). I’ll be going custom tune or maybe a phearable tune since I was very happy with that in my FC1 and my EJ6.

 

[gtman]

I can definitely say John Vega's (Phearable) tunes are buttery smooth.

 

[Lorre]

Partial throttle to me is where the Hondata basemaps fails. Especially at low speeds I found the tune very jerky, sometimes even lugging in 1st/2nd gear around 2000 rpm in a parking lot with maybe 10% throttle just to maintain speed for example. I tried all the throttle response options and also tried rev hang delete on and off assuming that was the problem since it felt like the throttle plate slamming open and closed at low speeds. I just prefer the smoothness of the stock tune for daily driving (since thats what I use this car for). I’ll be going custom tune or maybe a phearable tune since I was very happy with that in my FC1 and my EJ6.

Thanks for your detailed feedback.

Overall would you say the response from the accelerator is a little too edgy? I might like that! Lol! To each his own I suppose. I always liked drive by cable cars due to the fact the throttle plate is directly connected to the pedal and I like that direct response and feedback.

But I reckon the overall response to the accelerator is more immediate?

 

[Ronny2019]

*6 Month Update

Vehicle: 2020 Civic Type R

Total tuned time: 6 months

Tuned miles driven: 8,000kms (5,000miles)

Tuning device(s) used: Hondata flashpro

Tunes used: Hondata 91 octane tune

Fuel used: Chevron 94 octane (no ethanol)

Additional related mods: K&N drop in air filter

Problems/issues: None

Driving style: it’s my daily driver so nice and easy around town and aggressive when on backroads and canyon carving.

Tune experience notes: After about 6 months and 8,000kms (5,000miles) running the Hondata 91 basemap, I have decided to flash back to the stock tune. I’ll share my pro’s and con’s on what I think of the Hondata tune.

Pro’s:

• Tons of low end torque
• Turbo spools much quicker
• Hondata traction control is top notch
• More cool blow off sounds

Con’s:

• Top end felt lacking
• Not linear power that I prefer
• Fuel trims were always finicky (could be due to crap Canadian gas)
• Always spinning….(not always a con but sometimes it’s brutal)
• Low speeds in first and second gear were very jerky and stuttery. Made parking lots and traffic even more annoying.

Now that I’m back to stock I will say the OEM tune feels great. The power delivery is awesome, so linear and makes the top end feel great (even though Hondata basemaps makes more top end HP). The car is not jerky at all again and after about 600kms my fuel economy is getting much better.

I will now be waiting until spring to get a custom tune done that can hopefully get rid of the annoying problems I had with the Hondata Basemap. Hopefully I’ll be back in another 6months to update y’all! Thanks everyone.

You should try a Phearable tune he works magic and makes the power delivery smooth but agressive beautiful car

 

[Benbunny]

Vehicle: 2018 Civic Sport Hatch

Total tuned time: 14 months

Tuned miles driven: 11,000 (first 10,000 miles I forgot to change off the base TSP tune, now it's on level 3 for the last 1000 miles)

Tuning device(s) used: I'm using the Ktuner V2

Tunes used: TSP stage 1

Fuel used: 93 octane at whatever gas station I'm nearby

Additional related mods: PRL Race CAI

Problems/issues: Clutch slipping in 4th gear

Driving style: Like I stole it. I'd say about 50% normal driving and 50% gunning it.

Tune experience notes: The tune has made my car feel so much more responsive and like it actually has some meat under the hood. Makes the car a lot more fun to drive. I've started autocrossing with the car and it held up remarkably well even without the wheels and tires upgraded yet. Once I get some more races under my belt I'll update here on how it's going. Also the clutch is slipping in 4th, so I'm going to get that upgraded with the RV6+Exedy package and see how it goes. Also thinking about upgrading the Clutch master cylinder but I don't know which one would be best for me yet.


Here's the first autocross I did

Also please don't kill me GTMan, I know it took me awhile to put my car up here but ya know, I gots things to do.

 

[FK7_]

You should try a Phearable tune he works magic and makes the power delivery smooth but agressive beautiful car

I’ll be going that route next. I had his the 1.5 tune in my FC1 and a custom tune on my old LSvtec back in the day too. John is top notch.

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