Why a new turbo?

[newskate9]

Hi guys, another basic question. Background - I buy a new car every 10 years whether I need it or not. My last car was a Sentra Sport, it was killed by my Army kid after I gave it to him with 265k miles on it. It was just about show room condition when it died. Sad day.

That said, this little SI I just got may be my last car (I'm 60). I love it. I'm a young 60 hence the car, and I'm old enough to not be crazy. I've used the gas peddle a few times and have been shocked at how easy the front end comes loose on this thing. I cannot imagine this car can handle another 100 or 150 hp in real street usable power.

Be clear - I have NO issue in the least with someone boosting their ride. Your car, your choice. And, I love the technology to be able to do this. Very cool. The question though, other than keeping the car together (clutch, better rubber, etc.) how do you keep 350hp on the road? I can spin the tires in this thing at 40 mph on dry pavement. Wet pavement I keep the windows down so I can grab a tree when I need to.

Honest question - no critique like I said - how does one really use 350hp in this car? Someday this car will be out of warranty....... so who knows.

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[d1zguy]

Did you get the optional summer tires on your SI? If not, the base tires leave a lot to be desired grip wise. To 60 I believe car and driver found it to be a full second slower to 60 with all season tires. Get yourself a good set of summer tires or some grippy all seasons since you live up north.

I'm not a big fan of wasting money or things so I'm waiting until my stock all seasons need replacement before an upgrade. But I know what you mean these tires are terrible; straight out of the bargain bin.

 

[newskate9]

Did you get the optional summer tires on your SI? If not, the base tires leave a lot to be desired grip wise. To 60 I believe car and driver found it to be a full second slower to 60 with all season tires. Get yourself a good set of summer tires or some grippy all seasons since you live up north.

I'm not a big fan of wasting money or things so I'm waiting until my stock all seasons need replacement before an upgrade. But I know what you mean these tires are terrible; straight out of the bargain bin.

ah, got it. Makes sense. Investing in the car - tires makes a lot of sense. I too am not one to waste - but.......... living with this slip and slide for another 30, 40k miles might be a long ride!

 

[ablueSI]

Did you get the optional summer tires on your SI? If not, the base tires leave a lot to be desired grip wise. To 60 I believe car and driver found it to be a full second slower to 60 with all season tires. Get yourself a good set of summer tires or some grippy all seasons since you live up north.

I'm not a big fan of wasting money or things so I'm waiting until my stock all seasons need replacement before an upgrade. But I know what you mean these tires are terrible; straight out of the bargain bin.

Agreed on the all-seasons, oy. I am also waiting until mine need replacement and driving the hell out of them in the meantime. I find all-seasons are particularly frustrating on the Si because it is obvious from the handling feel that it has much more potential. My previous Mazda on the other hand was a riot on all-seasons because it had enough body roll and wiggle in the suspension for me to feel I was going fast, even if I wasn't really.

Also - the Si on all-seasons was only .4 seconds slower to 60 (from Car and Driver), not a full second. But obviously it still had an impact.

Summer tires = 6.3 to 60
All seasons = 6.7 to 60

 

[BoostedSiCoupe]

well the tires make or break a lot of cars. the goodyear a/s tires suck smelly dick. theyre seriously only good for ppl who drive like a grandpa. theyre not good for spirited driving in the slightest.

also, 100hp would be a much funner car. the tune from the factory can at times make this car feel underpowered. dont get me wrong it is enough power, but just enough. it should have came 225 hp from the factory.

but for us who are flashed its a non issue.

 

[ablueSI]

well the tires make or break a lot of cars. the goodyear a/s tires suck smelly dick. theyre seriously only good for ppl who drive like a grandpa. theyre not good for spirited driving in the slightest.

also, 100hp would be a much funner car. the tune from the factory can at times make this car feel underpowered. dont get me wrong it is enough power, but just enough. it should have came 225 hp from the factory.

but for us who are flashed its a non issue.

I always see people say the car should have 225 hp from the factory - but doesn't it already make 220/225 hp or so? I keep hearing that the 1.5t is underrated and makes something like 220 hp/230 lb ft torque.

 

[BoostedSiCoupe]

I always see people say the car should have 225 hp from the factory - but doesn't it already make 220/225 hp or so? I keep hearing that the 1.5t is underrated and makes something like 220 hp/230 lb ft torque.

i think i saw some dyno charts comparing before and after flashes that show it was around 180 whp stock.

 

[VooDuuChild]

As far as handling power, that is going to come down to personal experience, equipment and driving style. My current "fast" car is a 91 CRX Si. It has a boosted JDM B16a that spins to 8,000 rpm safely (will do 9k), makes 300 to the wheel and weighs near 1000 pounds less than the Civic Si Coupe. You wanna talk about a handful. It has no power steering, no electronic LSD action, no wizardry for traction control or hill assist. It's a bare bones, lean mean racing machine. And now I am going to take it to about 360 whp and maybe let it spin to 8500. Yes, it's more than I need, but it's what I want. The 300 hp level is great and all....but I just wanna see what it's like on 360. I will add a new ECU to handle either boost by gear or traction control though. It would be silly without it. Honestly, for the new gen 10 Civic Si, I really think for daily street thrashing, right around 300 whp would be perfect. Will I stop at 300 on the new Civic Si? Yeah, probably; maybe even a little before...I really don't need two purpose built race cars. I still need a commuter haha.

Glad you're enjoying the car. I too am enjoying mine.

 

[REBELXSi]

how do you keep 350hp on the road? I can spin the tires in this thing at 40 mph on dry pavement. Wet pavement I keep the windows down so I can grab a tree when I need to.

That's because the OEM tires blow. Also, at 60 years old, I'd expect you to be familiar with the whole "different strokes" philosophy.

 

[newskate9]

That's because the OEM tires blow. Also, at 60 years old, I'd expect you to be familiar with the whole "different strokes" philosophy.

Sounds like most are pretty consistent on the original tires and their limitations.

As for the "different strokes" dig - as how I read it - I quote my original post:

Be clear - I have NO issue in the least with someone boosting their ride. Your car, your choice. And, I love the technology to be able to do this. Very cool. The question though, other than keeping the car together (clutch, better rubber, etc.) how do you keep 350hp on the road? I can spin the tires in this thing at 40 mph on dry pavement. Wet pavement I keep the windows down so I can grab a tree when I need to.

Honest question - no critique like I said - how does one really use 350hp in this car? Someday this car will be out of warranty....... so who knows.​

As someone who takes the time to write posts, I'd expect you to read a bit closer before posting a response. If you didn't intend to insult me in your response, please accept my apologies.

 

[averagetrackdriver]

Hi guys, another basic question. Background - I buy a new car every 10 years whether I need it or not. My last car was a Sentra Sport, it was killed by my Army kid after I gave it to him with 265k miles on it. It was just about show room condition when it died. Sad day.

That said, this little SI I just got may be my last car (I'm 60). I love it. I'm a young 60 hence the car, and I'm old enough to not be crazy. I've used the gas peddle a few times and have been shocked at how easy the front end comes loose on this thing. I cannot imagine this car can handle another 100 or 150 hp in real street usable power.

Be clear - I have NO issue in the least with someone boosting their ride. Your car, your choice. And, I love the technology to be able to do this. Very cool. The question though, other than keeping the car together (clutch, better rubber, etc.) how do you keep 350hp on the road? I can spin the tires in this thing at 40 mph on dry pavement. Wet pavement I keep the windows down so I can grab a tree when I need to.

Honest question - no critique like I said - how does one really use 350hp in this car? Someday this car will be out of warranty....... so who knows.

FWIW I drove a 10 gen Si boosted to 350 hp a couple of times on the track this past summer. The owner is a mechanic who likes to see how much hp/torque a platform can handle. I found 350 hp to be too much for this car even with decent summer tires. I can't imagine what it would be like on the streets. Plus, I would be concerned about the long-term reliability of such a boosted L15B7. Personally, I think the car can handle 300 hp comfortably, and it would be manageable on the streets if you had the right summer tires like Michelin PSS or Toyo R888. Sure, you would have to budget more for tires, but I think that's a small compromise.

 

[Zcfc3dc5]

350whp on the street isn’t all that crazy. You need good tires and a set of motor mounts to help with the wheel hop. Of course I come from a group of guys with 450whp-600whp+ kseries turbo Honda’s lol.

 

[NoKz]

350whp on the street isn’t all that crazy. You need good tires and a set of motor mounts to help with the wheel hop. Of course I come from a group of guys with 450whp-600whp+ kseries turbo Honda’s lol.

My thoughts exactly. I'm aiming for 350 or so with the 27Won turbo upgrade and full bolt-ons. The car moves like hell as-is and I think it's easily manageable at those power levels. As for the K-Series, my Integra is in the process of going K-Swap with a K24A2 short block and K20A2 head. It's being fully built and boosted. The goal is 700hp when done.

 

[Zcfc3dc5]

My thoughts exactly. I'm aiming for 350 or so with the 27Won turbo upgrade and full bolt-ons. The car moves like hell as-is and I think it's easily manageable at those power levels. As for the K-Series, my Integra is in the process of going K-Swap with a K24A2 short block and K20A2 head. It's being fully built and boosted. The goal is 700hp when done.

Awesome man what turbo you going with?

 

[averagetrackdriver]

350whp on the street isn’t all that crazy. You need good tires and a set of motor mounts to help with the wheel hop. Of course I come from a group of guys with 450whp-600whp+ kseries turbo Honda’s lol.

Keep in mind that you're comparing the K-series with this L-series. After owning a few K-series that I supercharged, I'm more confident in this line of engines than the L-series.

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