Blown Engine "Fear Factor"

[EastBayCivic]

Used to be concerned about the CVT, not so much anymore. Then I had a rod concern phase after some users messed their engines up.

Now I'm mainly concerned about the turbo lol. I think I psyche myself out by being hyper vigilant of any sound the car makes!

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[Masked]

Used to be concerned about the CVT, not so much anymore. Then I had a rod concern phase after some users messed their engines up.

Now I'm mainly concerned about the turbo lol. I think I psyche myself out by being hyper vigilant of any sound the car makes!

LOL! I'm exactly like you. Yesterday I was sitting at a red light and the car behind me was making a bunch of weird noises and I thought it was my car, I was so scared that I entered a parking lot just to make sure it wasn't me.

 

[r.camlin]

LOL! I'm exactly like you. Yesterday I was sitting at a red light and the car behind me was making a bunch of weird noises and I thought it was my car, I was so scared that I entered a parking lot just to make sure it wasn't me.

Same thing happens to me all the time. These cars do not have very good sound insulation, so when someone is driving next to me (accelerating at the same time, braking at the same red lights, etc...) and their car is making weird noises I always think it could be mine. I have a mild heart attack for a second until they pull away and I realize it was just them lol.

 

[EastBayCivic]

Same thing happens to me all the time. These cars do not have very good sound insulation, so when someone is driving next to me (accelerating at the same time, braking at the same red lights, etc...) and their car is making weird noises I always think it could be mine. I have a mild heart attack for a second until they pull away and I realize it was just them lol.

Everyone knows about the financial cost of modding, but what we have here is the psychological cost!

 

[gtman]

Everyone knows about the financial cost of modding, but what we have here is the psychological cost!

I think we all have that scary thought in the back of our mind that maybe just maybe we should have kept things stock. But then I pass a car on the highway and go from 60-100 in a flash and put those scary thoughts further back in my mind.

 

[EastBayCivic]

I think we all have that scary thought in the back of our mind that maybe just maybe we should have kept things stock. But then I pass a car on the highway and go from 60-100 in a flash and put those scary thoughts further back in my mind.

Yes we do have those thoughts. Sometimes mine are mixed in with reverting to switching to another car altogether... it comes and goes though.

I know that fixing a blown turbo or cvt costs less than another car. I could probably repair my civic a few times and still come out ahead vs buying a different that that didnt "need" modding (was thinking s4). The inconvenience of going through that would be a PITA though... but who is to say that the other car won't inconvenience you either?

 

[charleswrivers]

Meh. I'm pretty comfortable about a 25% bump in horsepower... a little less so about a 50% bump in torque, but I don't use that 3000 RPM torque peak I have except in 2nd and occasionally 3rd.

Nothing indestructible. The cars have been out a few years and, given the size of the engine, I think it's decently robust. I personally wouldn't want to try to match the power 2.0 engines like the GTI... CTR or others can reach once those cars are tuned. They've got more displacement and substantially better flowing turbos stock. Even with replacing a L15B7s turbo... If you're trying to shoot for 400 whp, IMO... you picked the wrong car. My hats off to people who's hobby/business is to try to do just that... but for most folks that pick the Civic as a bang for the buck option then want to make double the power... IMO it's probably just not the car to do it with. (shrug) That's just me. It's not even a Civic thing. It's a small engined-FWD car thing.

From the first time I did a tune about a year and a half ago I've been cautious. I've tried to read and learn all i could and never jumped off the deep end trying to push anything too hard. The failures have painted a pretty solid picture of a decent motor that can be very economical while providing about as much straight-line acceleration as what a FWD platform can manage below highway speeds. I don't drive stupid fast and I get my fun from fast cornering more than trying to see if I can touch 5s in a 0-60... which in itself hasn't been impressive since every V6 optioned family car has managed to do that since the last decade. It's good enough for me. My modding days probably aren't done but I'm either of a mind of doing a different turbo or E85 and making a gentle midrange in pursuit of more power up top.

I don't overly worry about my car breaking. I have 3 other vehicles I can turn to, one still being fine for family duties which is 100% reliable and the financial means to fix the Civic if it bites the dust. If I didn't... I wouldn't have messed with it. Doesn't mean I'll do anything to it I think will risk it being damaged. I've been bumping cars up in power past stock a long time and... knock on wood... I haven't been bitten by it yet.

 

[gtman]

I don't overly worry about my car breaking. I have 3 other vehicles I can turn to, one still being fine for family duties which is 100% reliable and the financial means to fix the Civic if it bites the dust. If I didn't... I wouldn't have messed with it. Doesn't mean I'll do anything to it I think will risk it being damaged. I've been bumping cars up in power past stock a long time and... knock on wood... I haven't been bitten by it yet.

I'm probably like a few others on the forum. The Civic is my only car and while I have money to repair things (fingers crossed) my money is a bit tight. Probably part of why I worry from time to time.

 

[mikey003]

If you go to a casino and gamble, how confident are you that you will win money?

Even if you do win money, if you keep going back to gamble, eventually on one of those trips to the casino you will lose,

Understand?

 

[mikey003]

I'm probably like a few others on the forum. The Civic is my only car and while I have money to repair things (fingers crossed) my money is a bit tight. Probably part of why I worry from time to time.

then why are you tempting fate?

it's not worth the stress

 

[charleswrivers]

I'm probably like a few others on the forum. The Civic is my only car and while I have money to repair things (fingers crossed) my money is a bit tight. Probably part of why I worry from time to time.

Being cautious = being smart. I could go set a boost target to 30# on a basemap through the whole RPM/Load range and floor it at 15 MPH in 3rd. Assuming my clutch didn't save the engine and slip... I bet I'd break the engine eventually.

I could also try to jump speed bumps in a parking lot at WOT. Or jerk the wheel into a tree. To me... all of them would show a lack of care. Given moderate modding with a caring owner, most cars ought to be fine... and you managed to get a much more powerful car for minimally more money. It's all a gamble, but the odds are well in your favor. If you can live with the gamble and the enjoyment of it all is more than the fear/stress of a failure. Then it's probably worth it. If not .. then I wouldn't do it. That's just what each person has to decide for themselves. I think the evidence of failures over the last 3 years has shown the risk is very low.

 

[EastBayCivic]

If you go to a casino and gamble, how confident are you that you will win money?

Even if you do win money, if you keep going back to gamble, eventually on one of those trips to the casino you will lose,

Understand?

It's true, but the difference comes from how much more likely a failure is stock vs modded. A lot of people think light mods marginally increase this chance, some might think any mods exponentially increase the chance.

It kind of depends on where someone finds themselves on this scale that will determine how much of a gamble it really is.

It sure would be cool if there were numbers we could use !

 

[gtman]

If you go to a casino and gamble, how confident are you that you will win money?

Even if you do win money, if you keep going back to gamble, eventually on one of those trips to the casino you will lose,
----------
then why are you tempting fate?

it's not worth the stress

Those comments are kind of based on the premise that a base tune on a stock engine will eventually cause a disaster. Look, I'm not 100% guaranteeing the safety of these stock tunes but I feel like the risk is worth taking for the reward of a much better driving car.

I mean, you can have no tune and install a cold air intake, get caught in a freak rainstorm/flood and ruin your engine.

I think anyone that mods their cars worries from time to time, not just those that are tuned. But, we make the decision that the tune or the intake or the downpipe or whatever is worth it to us.

 

[mikey003]

I'm not 100% guaranteeing the safety of these stock tunes but I feel like the risk is worth taking for the reward of a much better driving car.

I would rather just buy a "better driving car" that was designed to be that way from the beginning,

The people designing these "tunes" are not smarter then the honda engineers are,

Honda engineers could easily get more power out of these engines, but they don't do it because its not safe for the components the engine has, its not safe for the clutch, its not safe for the manual tranny, gears, its not safe for the CVT, its not safe for the drive axles, its not safe for the CV joints, etc etc etc,

Honda cares about the reliability and longevity of your vehicle, Where as, the people designing these "tunes" don't give a crap about your engine,

if you enjoy gambling, then by all means go ahead, most people who like to gamble end up broke

 

[gtman]

Honda cares about the reliability and longevity of your vehicle, Where as, the people designing these "tunes" don't give a crap about your engine

if you enjoy gambling, then by all means go ahead, most people who like to gamble end up broke

It would be awesome if DRob, Doug from Hondata and JR from KTuner would comment on the part I bolded.

These guys work pretty damn hard putting out products and tunes with an emphasis on safety.

I get it, the Honda tune is ultra conservative. But these canned base tunes have been extensively tested for safety as well. The folks I mentioned above are not some fly by night operators but respected members of this community.

I know you're new here but do your research before you blanketly badmouth people.

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