Would a mild Ktuner tune impair longevity?

[jhokie]

I'm looking into getting a Ktuner for my 2018 Si.

I know we can only guess at this point but any thoughts as to how the +1.5 or +3.5 psi tunes would affect engine longevity? Would any other parts need to be swapped for mild tunes like this?

I'd like to get 150,000 miles out of this car so I definitely won't push it with the tunes. I'm mostly looking to fix rev hang, take advantage of less turbo lag and get a little more power.

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[Micah]

Tuning if anything will improve reliability. Abuse or not staying on top of regular maintenance will reduce reliability.

I had a 2002 WRX which was modded with several upgrades and Dyno output was 297whp when I sold it to my brother with 100k on it. He still daily drives it and has upgraded it further. It is now up to over 450whp with 180k miles on it and still has good compression on all 4. Stock block, head, and internals on the EJ205.

Maintenance is key.

 

[BrianDevin]

Tuning ~~will~~ SHOULD not impair longevity TOO MUCH as long as you stay on top of maintenance. Fluids would need to be changed the moment you hit that mile or even before, but tuning won't kill your car earlier as long as you are fully aware of the consequences of tuning, especially in the case of CVTs that can only take so much torque. Your risk is what you make it, be it like me where my car lives on the highway at 2000 rpm, or if you just want to rev down backroads at 6300

HOWEVER I DO REALLY BABY THE HELL OUT OF MY CAR

(FOr disclosure, I did make some changes to my original statement in saying that there was no real risk.)

 

[jakdotdot]

Tuning will not impair longevity as long as you stay on top of maintenance. Fluids would need to be changed the moment you hit that mile or even before, but tuning won't kill your car earlier

Yes it will. The real question is how much.

OP - A mild tune probably isn't going to affect the motor too much, but these are the risks you take with an aftermarket tune.

 

[dmitri]

Depends on how you drive it. If you beat on it the tune is just going to make each mile that much harder on it, but if you take care of it you should have no issues lasting as long as stock.

Yeah I would imagine a stock car that someone beats on really hard all the time would actually have more long-term problems than one with a (mild enough) tune that is driven with care.

 

[gtman]

Tuning will not impair longevity as long as you stay on top of maintenance.

I don't think you can really say that with certainty. I'm tuned, but I understand there are risks even with excellent maintenance. We're definitely stressing components above and beyond stock. That doesn't mean that we will damage parts more than stock but things like rods and clutches and CVT's are getting more abuse with a tune. Plus, you really don't want to "guarantee" that a tune won't potentially impair longevity. Someone may be a bit pissed at you if they do a tune and it causes them issues. Just saying.

Having said that, I have faith in both Hondata and Ktuner and believe their base tunes are basically "safe".

 

[bri]

Tuning if anything will improve reliability. Abuse or not staying on top of regular maintenance will reduce reliability.

I had a 2002 WRX which was modded with several upgrades and Dyno output was 297whp when I sold it to my brother with 100k on it. He still daily drives it and has upgraded it further. It is now up to over 450whp with 180k miles on it and still has good compression on all 4. Stock block, head, and internals on the EJ205.

Maintenance is key.

I had a manual 2004 WRX that was on a stage 2 e-tuned map (roughly 250 wheel hp) from about 50k miles to 145k miles before I sold it. Had no issues other than a radiator tank burst (common on any car over 100k) and AC system died. Tuning is not inherently detrimental.

 

[Sal Bandini]

Multiple choice:

Adding stress to an engine will:
a.) decrease longevity of the engine
b.) increase longevity of the engine
c.) not affect it at all

 

[Toolz]

There is no 100% answer to this.. it comes down to ones circumstances and comfort level.
I am running ktuner, and would recommend to any sensible Honda enthusiast.

 

[charleswrivers]

Remember this too...

A tune that is making more power is generally only utilized on demand. So if you're only under acceleration for 1% of the engine's life (probably way way less for a car doing tons of highway miles) only that 1% of the time is the engine components under greater strain from the additional torque you're forcing the powertrain to take.

Everything has a design margin built into it... and this is to ensure longevity. I do think you trade some longevity for added performance... but I don't think it can be quantified until we have a sample group with years and tons of miles to examine.

We've seen a few rod failures from very high levels of boost run on non-Sis who were not running basemaps. We've seen the clutches not handle power levels greatly above stock when pushing the car hard... effectively lugging the engine and forcing it to generate copious amounts of torque of very low RPMs.. which the turbo we get can do.

We do not have a sample of many year old Civics run on mild tunes for 100k-200k miles.

You can either buy the ticket and take the ride for what I think is a minor risk and a minor hit on overall longevity... or wait 5-10 years and see how the fleet of cars holds up. My guess is a mildly tuned car with proper maintenance will still have the rest of the car fall apart around the powertrain before the powertrain fails. I'm less confident about the CVT long term for those tuned users... but we're not talking Sis anymore.

 

[Micah]

Remember this too...

A tune that is making more power is generally only utilized on demand. So if you're only under acceleration for 1% of the engine's life (probably way way less for a car doing tons of highway miles) only that 1% of the time is the engine components under greater strain from the additional torque you're forcing the powertrain to take.

Everything has a design margin built into it... and this is to ensure longevity. I do think you trade some longevity for added performance... but I don't think it can be quantified until we have a sample group with years and tons of miles to examine.

We've seen a few rod failures from very high levels of boost run on non-Sis who were not running basemaps. We've seen the clutches not handle power levels greatly above stock when pushing the car hard... effectively lugging the engine and forcing it to generate copious amounts of torque of very low RPMs.. which the turbo we get can do.

We do not have a sample of many year old Civics run on mild tunes for 100k-200k miles.

You can either buy the ticket and take the ride for what I think is a minor risk and a minor hit on overall longevity... or wait 5-10 years and see how the fleet of cars holds up. My guess is a mildly tuned car with proper maintenance will still have the rest of the car fall apart around the powertrain before the powertrain fails. I'm less confident about the CVT long term for those tuned users... but we're not talking Sis anymore.

I agree. The platform is still relatively young and only time will tell what these engines can live with their stock limits being pushed. Thus far, from new to over 12,000 miles the car feels solid. My only real complaints are the stock wheels are heavy and the stock all seasons are horrible in the snow. I intend to run the Hondata +9 PSI sport mode scramble map on my stock SI until the car is paid off, so that will be about 5 years, and probably around 70-80k miles. My regular average is around 37 mpg. Most of it is around 1500-2500 rpm, with the bulk of it around 2000 rpm. When I want acceleration I downshift and punch the throttle between 3000-6000 rpms. Some think I don't drive the car hard enough, but opinions vary.

“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”

 

[charleswrivers]

I agree. The platform is still relatively young and only time will tell what these engines can live with their stock limits being pushed. Thus far, from new to over 12,000 miles the car feels solid. My only real complaints are the stock wheels are heavy and the stock all seasons are horrible in the snow. I intend to run the Hondata +9 PSI sport mode scramble map on my stock SI until the car is paid off, so that will be about 5 years, and probably around 70-80k miles. My regular average is around 37 mpg. Most of it is around 1500-2500 rpm, with the bulk of it around 2000 rpm. When I want acceleration I downshift and punch the throttle between 3000-6000 rpms. Some think I don't drive the car hard enough, but opinions vary.

“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”

You got it. Thank God. I'd thank you x100 if I could.

 

[BrianDevin]

I don't think you can really say that with certainty. I'm tuned, but I understand there are risks even with excellent maintenance. We're definitely stressing components above and beyond stock. That doesn't mean that we will damage parts more than stock but things like rods and clutches and CVT's are getting more abuse with a tune. Plus, you really don't want to "guarantee" that a tune won't potentially impair longevity. Someone may be a bit pissed at you if they do a tune and it causes them issues. Just saying.

Having said that, I have faith in both Hondata and Ktuner and believe their base tunes are basically "safe".

You are correct in that. For me, I'm on a very light tune, and I still don't actually rev out my car, but I do tend to do oil changes a good bit before they are due, and I'm fully aware that my transmission could take a dump on me early.
I have made changes to my original statement in that case, but it is also key for all of us to remember that you need to trust but verify information, especially in the case of the booombah BOV from a while back

 

[MattyNice]

seems pretty logical to me that any added strain on the engine is going to reduce the longevity of that engine. As said, question is, how much. Seems like Honda said themselves they could tune for more power but set it where it’s at for longevity and reliability. Is their benchmark 200k w no problems, 100k, who knows. In the end, how many of us keep these cars that long to care?

 

[BrianDevin]

how many of us keep these cars that long to care?

I actually plan on keeping this car until it simply cannot run anymore. My last car was up in the 200,000 range and finally died.

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