Is it even worth tuning the Si?

Snidely

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I bought my SI sedan because I have a small family and still wanted a fun car. I travel a good amount so having 40mpg and a car that will easily last 150k miles was important. 8 hour round trips in a WRX wouldn't be anywhere near as comfortable, so I'll take the compromise. On the other hand, your friend is still somewhat right. I've got an 11 second Kawasaki for going fast.
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maggs_10thgen

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It seems like playing with the boost whether it be stage 1, 2, 3 you're sacrificing reliability. Hows the car going to run down the line with higher boost on 1.5T that is already pushing 20psi stock? Also, I've heard people mentioning boltons causing problems? Why can't this car handle stuff like I/DP/E with a tune?
 

Fathomless

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For the price you can't really get a better handling car in my opinion. Spending a little cash to add the power to match really unlocked the car for me.

I am not a big modder/car guy, but cosmetics, prl cobra and hondata have made my 8 hours of commuting a week a thing of pure joy.

Plus an SI is not really something you see a ton of where I live. Mustangs and Camaros are a dime a dozen.

If I wanted raw power I would buy it. I respect elegant simple engineering and making the most out of less. I love my SI over my old rx7 and my 280zx. It's just such a fun drivers car. Fucking go kart on graceful ass ice skates. Dominates the commute.
 

WOPSiWOT

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It’s called a hobby. Some people play golf. Some people mod cars. Yeah, a Mustang or Camaro is faster. Is that the argument? Ok, you win. But I’d also be modding those cars, be spending more in gas, getting more speeding tickets, be unable to exploit the power on public roads, and also couldn’t put two kids in the back. Does your buddy actually drive a V8 or does he have a Camry? Either way he misses the point. Many people do.
 


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It's so cool that all of your opinions are the same arguments that I mentioned to my co-worker. If we wanted pure power we could've gotten a Camaro or Mustang. We chose the Si because it's a very practical car that's very everyday commute friendly and still a blast to drive. I really do think that for the price point, there are only a handful of cars that can offer the bang for the buck that the Si can offer.
 

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There is a reason Honda won't honor warranty on a car with engine modifications. There is a reason Honda engines are known to be very reliable. Not saying modifications shouldn't be made but I do believe that doing so comes with a price. Personally, if I went the engine modifications route I'd consider it a 2 or 3 year car then dump it at some dealership lot.
 
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And this is why I'm reluctant to tune. I need at least 200k miles out of this car.
I know quite a few people who are past 150k miles on their tuned WRX's and Evo's that still run very well. I know, totally different than the L15 motor we have, but from my understanding, the base tune from KTuner and even TSP are conservative and was tested for reliability and longevity. I think with proper maintenance and if you don't beat on the car every single chance you get, it should hold up.
 

maggs_10thgen

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And this is why I'm reluctant to tune. I need at least 200k miles out of this car.
Boost grenades motors facts. Happened with my old Z. You'll see plenty of stories where people w Si s have blown their motors. Once the motor gets up in mileage it will have additional extra wear and tear from the additional boost. These cars are fairly new so we don't know if they'll last like the B and K series. Just about all these race guys who build super fast whips go thru engines like most people change their underwear. If you want that good old reliable honda that will last forever.. You seriously have to give some long hard thought to dialing up the boost. They already come from the factory @20 psi. My friends Sti had 15 psi stock I believe. It's a lot of boost for tiny 1.5L. You might be living like a Sat night baller with more boost one day.. Oil in the driveway the next lolz
I'd say your best chance of having a turn key ride with higher boost would be having a proven tuner dial it up on a dyno.
 
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Micah

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Boost grenades motors facts. Happened with my old Z. You'll see plenty of stories where people w Si s have blown their motors. Once the motor gets up in mileage it will have additional extra wear and tear from the additional boost. These cars are fairly new so we don't know if they'll last like the B and K series. Just about all these race guys who build super fast whips go thru engines like most people change their underwear. If you want that good old reliable honda that will last forever.. You seriously have to give some long hard thought to dialing up the boost. They already come from the factory @20 psi. My friends Sti had 15 psi stock I believe. It's a lot of boost for tiny 1.5L. You might be living like a Sat night baller with more boost one day.. Oil in the driveway the next lolz
I'd say your best chance of having a turn key ride with higher boost would be having a proven tuner dial it up on a dyno.
My old 2002 WRX was stock for the first 14k, then 297awhp vf34 from 14k-106k, then 450awhp efr 7163 from 106k-280k. Proper tuning, maintenance, and monitoring are key. Whenever there was a doubt, or any uncertainty, the car was parked.
 

Kable's2019Si

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This reminds me the age old debate:

Imports: if there were turns, I'd beat your solid rear axle Mustang.

Domestics: Then race me on a straight line.

German cars: Ha! I'll beat both of you in turns and straight line.
I wasn't trying to say that, was just comparing those two cars specifically. There are plenty of imports that will tear up a drag strip, Supras and RX7s are beasts on a drag. And the all wheel drive Escorts were handling machines in its day. It's not really an import/domestic thing, more of a weight displacement and drive setup thing. Big V8s are usually front heavy so they are harder to pitch into a corner without swinging it. And being rear wheel drive you can only push so hard before the rear wheels want to be in front. 4 cylinders are lighter which pushes the weight center more rearward giving a more midship feel allowing it to pitch into turns tighter (as long as you control understeer) and your pulling the car instead of pushing it through turns which makes it more stable under acceleration in turns.
 

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Boost grenades motors facts. Happened with my old Z. You'll see plenty of stories where people w Si s have blown their motors. Once the motor gets up in mileage it will have additional extra wear and tear from the additional boost. These cars are fairly new so we don't know if they'll last like the B and K series. Just about all these race guys who build super fast whips go thru engines like most people change their underwear. If you want that good old reliable honda that will last forever.. You seriously have to give some long hard thought to dialing up the boost. They already come from the factory @20 psi. My friends Sti had 15 psi stock I believe. It's a lot of boost for tiny 1.5L. You might be living like a Sat night baller with more boost one day.. Oil in the driveway the next lolz
I'd say your best chance of having a turn key ride with higher boost would be having a proven tuner dial it up on a dyno.
I hear what you are saying but ...

Honda designs their engines to be reliable, we all agree there. They wouldn't have 19 psi of factory boost if they didn't believe it would easily withstand the test of time. I'm sure they logged the equivalent of hundred of thousands of miles before these turbos were released to the public.

So, just like in the past, tuners know how rugged and how conservatively tuned Honda engines are. Yes, the tunes up the boost but I honestly believe the available canned tunes are still relatively conservative.

The issue with the blown engines I've seen appear mostly to be abuse and in some cases, bolt ons were added without a proper custom tune and things went sideways.

Having said that, sure, if you hope to get a guaranteed 200,000+ miles out out a motor, tuning may not be the way to go. There is obviously some extra wear and tear. It's just that the massive improvements in driveability have enticed a lot of us to tune. I say driveability because these canned tunes aren't pushing insane amounts of power by any means.
 
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bikebit

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My Si is the slowest straight-line car I've had in probably 10 years. I traded a 6th gen Camaro for it. I enjoy it for what it is, and have absolutely no regrets. Miss RWD a bit, but the precise and light handling of the Si is a joy, and the practicality for a daily can't be beaten, especially with how cheap it is. Power and acceleration are fun to a point, but I can tell you one thing - I've owned a Challenger SRT8, and after a month or so, I hated that damn thing. It was fast, but I think a minivan handles better. My shortest car ownership experience.

With that said, KTuner and a TSP Stage 1 makes the car perfect. Just removing the damn rev hang is a win...
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