A little more hp for R18

41626 Views 122 Replies 44 Participants Last post by kwhiting1987, 6 d ago

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Discussion Starter · Jan 23, 2014 (Edited by Moderator)

What mods can I do to get a little more power out of the civic ex with out making it a loud turd just looking for a little more pep

(This thread has been merged with two (for now) newer threads all dealing with getting more power from the R18 engine. New threads on this topic will be merged here. --Moderator)

81 - 100 of 123 Posts

MaybeCivic

· #81 · Jun 25, 2019

So,...how to increase horsepower? EX-L

When my powertrain warranty expires in 2021, I may want to attempt to find ways to increase horsepower. Not to crazy level, just noticeable. What would be my options?

ampm1678

· #82 · Jun 25, 2019

scottyrocks said:
Welcome to 9th gen.

One member that I know of here got noticeably better results using premium fuel in an R18. That, and a custom tune would be a good start, or rather, what I would do if I was so inclined.

Agree with the first part of that statement, I exclusively use premium fuel in my R18 and it accelerates and can hold its own merging and keeping up in the left lane with no issues and accelerates nice and smooth as opposed to when I would use regular fuel...Although to be fair its rare when lack of acceleration/power is a problem for me because most of the time LA traffic limits me to 15 mph anyway

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Teeps

· #83 · Jun 25, 2019

How much do you want to spend?

Reactions: 1

MaybeCivic

· #84 · Jun 25, 2019

You know,....not even sure about that. If I have no more car payment, I won't have to worry much about cost. Consider me a novice when it comes to what may be possible and the cost of it.

J9thGen

· #85 · Jun 26, 2019 (Edited)

I never had that problem with my 12 5a/t. I believe it has more acceleration than the cvt. At 130k try a new filter or intake up to you, change the oil and the trans fluid also (dont forget the filter change for the trans). I had good power going up a mountain hwy. I never had to floor it, like the cvt. Just basic maintenance it might need. Also look into new ngk spark plugs. From there you can try throttle body spacer and so on... Dont forget proper tuning with bolt ons

scottyrocks

· #86 · Jun 26, 2019

All of a sudden, a glut of 'how to improve R18 power' threads.

Teeps

· #87 · Jun 26, 2019

MaybeCivic said:
You know,....not even sure about that. If I have no more car payment, I won't have to worry much about cost. Consider me a novice when it comes to what may be possible and the cost of it.

If this is your daily driver, adding power is never a good idea.

But if you must; contact a local tuner shop and explore the options.
In fact become good friends with them.

fear24

· #88 · Jun 26, 2019

scottyrocks said:
All of a sudden, a glut of 'how to improve R18 power' threads.

noticed that too....i figured the "swap it for an LS" was tired and old. should have just bought an Si...problem solved

bfaided1984

· #89 · Jun 26, 2019

K24 swap. Wish it was as simple on these cars as it is the older ones.

Ridingaround

· #90 · Jun 26, 2019 (Edited)

Trying to get serious HP from an over-square engine designed for economy is ____________.

Ridingaround

· #91 · Jun 26, 2019

My bone stock R18 has zero problems accelerating and merging onto roads. Getting serious HP from an economy designed engine might be a waste of money....might be.....

Reactions: 1

Ridingaround

· #92 · Jun 26, 2019

2013SilverSI said:
I'd just pay off the EX and trade it in for an SI or other vehicle with 200+ hp with a manny tranny. The EX is a 140hp automatic transmission economy car. The SI is an economy car too. No amount of bolt ons are going to give you any meaningful increases in power. That's just my 2 cents...

Finally, someone articulated the truth. Now, do people want to hear it.......no, it seems.

scottyrocks

· #93 · Jun 26, 2019

Ridingaround said:
Finally, someone articulated the truth. Now, do people want to hear it.......no, it seems.

Yeah, you kind of have to know, going into an R18 purchase, that that's pretty much what you're gonna get, power-wise.

scottyrocks

· #94 · Jun 26, 2019

Three current threads on getting more power from the R18 engine have been merged here. New threads on this topic will be merged here, as well.

MaybeCivic

· #95 · Jun 27, 2019

And it seems like the best way to increase power......would be to eventually get a Civic Hatchback [10th gen]. I think I'm understanding the issues.

Silver2Coupe

· #96 · Jun 27, 2019

You can get more torque and mpg from premium. I have an HRV with awd now and after some experimenting I seen some big gains in mpg and performance. It has the R18 motor and after adding my ultragauge that monitors the ecu, I can say it adjusts and more torque and horsepower is at hand. I seen 150 hp on low econ cam at crossover. I also monitored the fuel trims and command air fuel. The ecu usually runs a command AF around 1.0 or lambda. When coming to a stop it goes to mbt 13.2 fuel air for 5 seconds then 14 7. Also at WOT it leans out to 12.5-12.7 AF from the stock command of 11 to 11.5 AF. I figure the HP is 25-30 off from the 140 HP Honda says. Fuel trims are close to zero.

Also I have no issues keeping up with high end sport cars. On regular I could not pass or get out of my way which is very dangerous on the tollway where people go way faster then the speed limits. All Honda cars are econ and the word econ means efficient. How can tune for more efficiency than the ecu is all ready set up for and adjusts by based on octane of the fuel. If you want to spend 30K on a motor to make the HP you want then you are better off buying a car made for HP. BTW 93 octane will support a 7.5 compression motor at all load ranges and rpms to redline. Which means it's running MBT timing throughout the rpm range with out fuel enrichment or egr. Now remember these motors are 10.6 to 11to1 so the octane requirements are higher which means there is a loss of efficiency and torque. Systems that allow lower octane are egr,low tension rings and oil being sprayed on the underside of the pistons.

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fear24

· #97 · Jun 27, 2019

for you newbies here....even if you don't understand what Silver said above...just believe it. he's been our mpg guru around here for years. he uses that little gauge of his and gives us all kinds of useles, uh, useful information on what our engines are capable of doing - the R18 motors.

so, if he says to use premium fuel to get better performance, use premium fuel.

btw, nice to see you Silver. just a few of the POP crew are left, and Teeps.

Reactions: 1

scottyrocks

· #98 · Jun 27, 2019

fear24 said:
for you newbies here....even if you don't understand what Silver said above...just believe it. he's been our mpg guru around here for years. he uses that little gauge of his and gives us all kinds of useles, uh, useful information on what our engines are capable of doing - the R18 motors.

so, if he says to use premium fuel to get better performance, use premium fuel. .

Yes, that's whom I was referring to in post #79.

MaybeCivic

· #99 · Jun 27, 2019

Seems like a simple thing to do [using Premium]. I can give it a try. So, should the R18 engine be using Premium anyway, or it the "use 87 octane" thing the "best" for long term engine use?

ampm1678

· #100 · Jun 28, 2019

MaybeCivic said:
Seems like a simple thing to do [using Premium]. I can give it a try. So, should the R18 engine be using Premium anyway, or it the "use 87 octane" thing the "best" for long term engine use?

Pretty sure the only benefit of using 87 is saving a couple bucks per fill up...using 91 shouldn't hurt the longevity of the engine (unless you use premium gas and happen to also drive like a jerk lol)...but tbh when I first switched to premium gas I was spending maybe an extra $3-$4/fill up but was getting better mpg from each tank so didn't have to fill up as often so the extra cost balances out....the smoother revs and acceleration were just a bonus for me

Reactions: 1

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