Do mods really make more power?
 

Hey I just joined this forum. I've had my 2010 civic lx for about a year and a half now. For what it is power isn't all that bad, I've driven worse cars. It's been a long time, 20 years or so since I modded a car. The last car I modded was my 85 camaro with 2.8 liter v6, I changed the air filters to K&N and put on a flowmaster exhaust system from the cat back, and a hypertech chip, from what I remember I got some decent power gains and a really boost in mpg's. So would similar mods to my civic see gains? Or is the engine just not going to gain much?

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

Yes, mods have all the power they can delete and move anything you say...

Seriously a well thought out approach can add a considerable amount of improvement to how a car drives. Do you want more top-end? More bottom end? If you go into modifications with your eyes open and a set goal it is possible to do much with modern cars. I suggest lot and lots of research from reputable sources, companies that are selling the product are not reliable sources. Anytime you see claims of "up to XX more HP" realize that you will not see the gain that they advertise.

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

The number ZERO is included in that range.

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

Well I know there is a ton of garbage out there, like the "chip" that all it does is fool the ecu into thinking the air is colder than it really is. But surely there is something to some of the things for sale, like cold air and short ram intakes. I doubt that so many companies would be selling lots of them if they didn't do something.

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

Tell us what you want and we give pointers. Do you want a car that is quicker off the line? Do you want a car that has more power at highway passing speed. Do you want more MPG? If I was choosing a starting point to build I wouldn't start with a 2010 civic, but they are good cars and I am sure that you can gain some power.

So please tell us your goals, skill level, and your budget.

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

I'm pretty happy with the car's acceleration off the line, I get a little tire squeal sometimes. I'd like it if it had more power in the mid to upper RPM range. Power seems to fall off after about 4,000 rpm's. I have good mechanical skills, but I live in an apartment so rebuilding an engine in the parking lot wouldn't work. When I was younger I would always do the wrenching on my cars. I have some disposable income say maybe $1,000 to $1,200 for some upgrades.

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

Moreso shifts the power band, from what I've seen/experienced. Lose low end, gain top end power.

Import Tuner power page of a 2008 Civic Si. First up is a Skunk2 exhaust.
http://www.superstreetonline.com/how...i-power-pages/
Sure, gain of 6.0whp/5.1ft-lbs up top, but a loss at low/mid range RPMs. For a daily driver, that'll hurt or be negligible, if anything, since you'd be hanging out more in the low and mid-range RPM band. I don't know about you, but when I'm putting around town, I'm probably hanging out at 3000-3500 RPM most of the time, and that dyno sheet shows the power/torque shift from loss to gain at about 4200RPM.
Adding the intake, lose some low, gain some mid-low, lose some mid-high, gain a bit of high end power.
Header acts similarly to the exhaust: lose low, gain high, the shift from loss to gain is at about 4200RPM again.

At the end of it all, you see a net loss of power and torque below 4200RPM and a net gain above. For racing purposes, where you're constantly hanging out in the upper RPM band, yeah, it's great for power. For daily driving purposes, it kinda hurts a bit.

Now, with proper tuning and/or internal engine mods, you can likely achieve a net gain across the board.

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

I like those gains, mine pulls well until I get to the 50 mph range and then drops off. Of course if I shift my automatic myself I can hold the gears longer at less than full throttle and it seems to be better. My thoughts were to do a short ram intake, cat back exhaust and maybe the hondat flashpro.

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

Might wanna look into an aftermarket camshaft, too. Found a dyno sheet for a cam by Go Power Motorsports (apparently bought out by Skunk2) that made 11whp after bolting it on.
Not sure how easy it is to install, but on my D17, it wasn't too bad. Hardest part is fitting the rocker assemblied back on without getting the valve adjustment screws caught on something. No other valve train upgrades needed, apparently.

$449 shipped on thmotorsports

If the skunk2 cam is indeed the same, here's the dyno sheet for it. Baseline dyno has an Injen CAI, Megan header, GReddy TiC catback, NKG plugs, and a FlashPro.
Attachment 90676

Re: Do mods really make more power?
 

Most definitely that do make a significant difference, air intake and exhaust mods are a good place to start after that it gets pricey. Mods are where the fun begins, the limit is your budget. See the forced induction section.