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Honda Civic Coupe / Civic Si 2006+
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Thanks again guys!
Is yours a coupe or sedan? And what color?
It's an amazing car. I remember the first time I just gunned it after breaking in my car and then once I heard the vtec kick in, I kept wanting to hear it more often!
I want to get some HID installed on the car but I just found out that it's illegal to get HID kit to get it installed. Some DOT gov't violation for not installing it correctly or something.
Still going on about the vtec 'kicking in' i see...
I was thinking of getting the K&N air filter. I heard it opens a little more power for the engine, but not significant to noticed? And once my warranty is done (3 years I think) I'm thinking of reprogramming the chip? Not sure what the technical term is. But it is suppose to kick in the Vtec @ 5 RPM instead of the stock 6 RPM. I heard that cost $600 USD.
Do you suggest any other modifications that you have done yourself to your civic SI?
what does everyone suggest? i want to do as much as i can without going all the way to turbo.....
i would also like suggestions on what i should do to make the car handle better, like lowering and stiffer springs and shocks.
also i am wondering if increasing the width of the wheels and rubber will help.
any suggestions will be appreciated.
The k&n filter will maybe give you more power when you actually dyno the car, but probably not enough to notice. It also does not do as good a job of filtering as the stock one would.
You could re-program your ecu to make the engine deliver more power all across the rpm range, but it wont be a huge differance.
As far as lowering when v-tec kicks in....YOU CANT. It does NOT 'kick in'. The reason many people think this is because the si delivers its max torque and horsepower right around redline. V-tec activates when YOU want it to, by driving more aggressively.
As far as performance mods go, a full exhaust (full not just a tin can muffler), maybe a performance clutch and short shifter, air intake, and some headers would be the cheapest thing to do. It wont do worlds for power, but should give you the extra torque the si really needs!
In all honesty, you will have to invest quite a bit to make the engine produce more power without forced induction.(turbo, supercharger.) And the cost of it may not offset the benefits or gains in power.
Honda makes a hell of a four cylinder. There is very little you have to do to make sure it can handle a turbo.
When you do, you'll have a very different car.
As far as suspension goes, if you don't want to void your warranty, you can get honda's own facotry performance suspension kit, or if its not an issue, go with a good company like h&r or eibach. If you go to the tirerack.com, you can look up your si and they will show you some really nice suspension components for it.
Hope this helps!
I think the problem lies in a faulty EPS. I read a brief article on how the EPS system works and it is speed sensitive. The EPS adjusts steering based on the car's speed. My thinking is that as the car speeds up, the steering is suppose to get stiffer, giving the driver a better steering control at higher speed. During low speed, the steering control should be lighter. I think the EPS computer has a malfunction (fault in that it thinks the car is at some high rate of speed) and keeps the car STIFF all the time. Any thoughts?
from what i hear, eps can actually be re-programmed to be more or less responsive depending on the drivers needs.
my vw rabbit has eps, but its one of the most accurate ones on the market.(for an eps ofcourse.)
Having said that, the eps in the new civic hybrid and in the new si is VERY much so responsive.
I drive a 06' Accord 2.4L which sometimes I drive it hard.
So far I've had my oil changed at Honda Dealership where they exclusively use Agip Motor oil. It Agip of good quality?
How does Agip compare with Castrol and/or Mobil 1 (synthetic)? Once in a while I drive at high rpm (4000-5500). Will I benefit from using Mobil 1 for extra protection of engine, less wear on moving parts inside engine, etc?
Please share your experience. I wonder what motor oil Honda uses when they replace it on a Civic Si or S2000? :confuse:
Thanks, Richard
i've never heard of the oil your honda dealer is using.
That explains it all. You might want to actually go drive one of the new ones before boldly declaring that i-vtec doesn't "kick in." I've driven it, and it does "kick in" around 6,000 RPM or so. It's quite obvious, too. It's accompanied with the usual vtec ruckus and a slight bump in acceleration.
1. The vtec employed on newer k series engines is totally different than on the old b series engines that were notorious for the obvious v-tec engage.
2. having an ex means nothing; it employs the same type of vtec (i vtec) that the si uses, just to more relaxed degree.
you gotta remember that the si makes its all its power very close to redline; most would agree that depending on where in the rpm range your particular car makes its most power, its usually at its loudest and most brisk with regards to acceleration.
the vtec is always 'there' on the k series engine; it has cams that activate under different circumstances in higher rpm ranges, but this changer over is much more subtle than it was in previous vtec applications, in which v tec did not engage AT ALL until you reached a certain rpms.
lots of hp, not ivtec is the...'problem' here.
yes, on the older b series engines; you can def notice it, although you have to learn when to, even then its not this gratuitous blast, at least not on any american spec v tec vehicles minus the integra type r. But for the honda fan, yes you can notice it.
According to the tests this new oil had a wear rating of something like .01 and Mobil 1 had a .05, this means the amsoil is protecting 5x better. It's not overly expensive either. I paid $60 for 5 quarts oil, filter, and bottle of cleaner that you only use the first time when you switch to it. You can google amsoil and see what I'm talking about.
this is rich!
the prius has got to be one of the lousiest handling vehicles on the planet! dunno about the squeaks, but to call the steering weird? do you really drive a prius? no feedback WHATSOEVER from the road. the most artificial feeling eltromechanical steering setup i have EVER driven.
handles better on a mountain road....man that made my day! :P
the civics wheel is tiny and the steering is light and straightforward; this suits your prefrence much more than a prius would.
They may need some re-working to fit the engine bay though!
Also I was wondering if anyone would suggest summer tires over the stock all season M+S tires.
As for the tires, it depends on how you drive, and where you're at. It sounds like you drive for some performance, so the summer tires would give you a bit more bite in your accelerations. Where do you live? If it's somewhere that you can reasonably expect to get snow/ice (and have it stick around for at least a couple days), it might be good to have the all-seasons. If that's not much of a factor for you, then there's no real issue with getting the summer tires. Another option, if you get the summers and you do have a snowy winter, you can get a set of all-season or winter tires in addition to the summer tires, then just swap them out when the weather turns white. I live on the Rampart Range in Colorado, so I sided for just getting the all-season tires. I still get really nice performance out of them in my Si. It's really just a balance of what you think is reasonable and what you want.
I do not live near a honda dealership so I will be going to Jiffy lube for oil changes. I am thinking of going to synth but never used it before. I plan on keeping the car a long time. So is the synth that jiffy lube uses good and anything I should know about switching oil?
Thx
For oil, I haven't quite come up to my first change yet, but I'm planning on switching to a synthetic oil. I'll prolly talk to my a mechanic first before actually doing it to make sure it would actually be better, though.
Also, on a side note, I'm going to get the Civic as soon as I learn how to drive manual. My friend offered to teach me how and he suggested renting a manual transmission car. Anyone know where I can rent a MT car in LA? All of the major car rental companies seem to only rent automatics.
Thanks
I'm pretty sure you won't be able to find a rental agency that rents out MT's unless you go to Europe. Just find a friend who doesn't mind you learning in his/her car, because you won't be able to find a rental. They don't carry MT's for that reason specifically, so that people new to MT's don't drop the transmission in the rental cars.
My problem is that I only have 1 friend that's local that knows how to drive manual. Everyone else that drives manual that I know lives pretty far from me. I've read online that people that don't know how to drive manual have learned how to drive on their new car without causing a lot of excess wear and tear. I might have to go that same route.
About switching to full synthetic oil. DO it after you break the car in. MAKE SURE THEY USE 5W 30!! LOTS of the dealerships have an ERROR in there technician manuals that honda sent them! it says to use 5W 20! Once i showed the manager at my dealership the user manual and the engine oil cap. He was like "o [non-permissible content removed]..." then showed me all there service manuals. It was hondas fault for sending tech manuals that say to use the wrong oil. Im just suprised no one else has caught this earlier. I also found out that almost all the dealerships in the area have been using the wrong oil. SO make sure you check with your dealership! If it doesnt get too cold around there, I suggest using 10w 30 for the best protection and i personally like Mobile 1.
My manual recommends for the Civic Si model 5W-30.
I have a Civic EX and the manual recommends 5W-20.
I checked my first oil bill and they have used 5W-20, as required.
That gave me a start when I read of a possible error in oil viscosity.
I have to laugh.... When I went in for my first oil change, I had a coupon from Honda giving a free first oil change and presented it to them. Turns out it was a 'come-on' to get you to go to Honda for the change. The coupon was a 'play on words' and wasn't worth the paper it was written on. I was disappointed that Honda would do something so under-handed. I guess business is business in these days and times.
Regardless, I do think my EX is a marvelous car. The seating is so comfortable, the car handles beautifully and the mileage in-town driving is 32-33, and distance driving 36.
How many drivers would like to get an extra 'free' 50 miles per gas fill up, during in-town driving? I have an automatic transmission. I was alerted to this savings when stopped and noticed that when you take your foot off the brake the car continues forward at about 9 mph. This occurs in every car I've driven, so it's not unusual. I figured that was a waste of gas to be sitting with my foot on the brake while the car is still trying to go forward so I shifted into neutral and the car's forward momentum stopped. Putting 2+2 together, and shifting into neutral when the gas pedal wasn't needed, I was astonished to discover that I got 50 extra miles per fill-up as a bonus for doing that.
Whenever you take your foot off the gas pedal, shift into neutral. You'd be surprised how many times this occurs and how many long hills there are that you can coast down rather than drive down. I drive and coast neutral at whatever the highway speed signs are, so doing this doesn't disturb traffic speed. As far as I can tell, it doesn't affect the drivability or engine in any way. Everything handles the same. However, if you are not comfortable doing this, don't do it. I live in east Tennessee where the roads are gently
rising and falling hills in general, and I drive in neutral for about the same amount of time I drive in drive.
It also taught me to view way ahead and when other's brakelights go on, I shift into neutral and coast to the red light or
whatever else is making them brake and always shift into neutral while stopped and waiting for traffic to move. I tested this on a full tank of gas and I found that I got an extra 50 miles for free, just for the extra effort of using neutral. Now it's gotten
to be a habit, to shift neutral when I take my foot off the gas pedal.
A lot of people could care less about how much gas they burn, so this is directed to
folks like me, who just hate to see the oil companies profiting billions because us
citizens just won't drive conservatively. Try it, you may like it. -smile- Bye. Francey
But it is a good tactic if you are on a long trip or trying to eek out a few MPG to make it to a station.
I am in the process of buying a new 2007 Honda Civic LX Coupe W/Automatic Transmission in Indianapolis, IN area.
Could you please suggest me what should be the best price for this model. So far I have got the quotation for $17,150+Tax & Title.
If any one in this or surrounding area has got a better deal then please let me know the price and dealer details.
Thanks