Honda Civic Type R (FK8)
 

Stratified Auto is currently working on my 2018 FK8 to use as a test car to develop base tunes. It's great that Alex works on the philosophy of changing only one variable at a time to ensure data integrity. This is precisely the way I like to mod my vehicles and even perform my own job.

The purpose of this thread is to share content and findings regarding tuning that I'm learning in this process. I've never had a car tuned before so this is a great new experience.

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Baseline Testing - 283whp/281wtq
2018 Honda Civic Type R
97,388 km
Catback Exhaust
Stock intake with K&N drop in filter
Esso 91
Mustang Dyno

Observations:

Fuel

Alex says that the Esso 91 is an issue. Well it's just that it's not optimal. It's usable, but you would (unsurprisingly) get a better result using Shell 91. I chose Esso 91 because this is the gas station that is outside my house. I don't care enough to make as much numbers on the dyno to go out of my way to only use Shell 93. Further to that, there's no way to guarantee quality of gas in interior BC or even the USA.

Fuel Systems/MAF

Stock car runs into limitations with stock MAF and fuel system issues. It looks like max flow the stock MAF can read is around 200-300gpm.

Temperatures
Unsurprisingly, it looks like IATs stock and temps in general are quite high.

OTS vs Custom Tune

Stratified did test Cobb Stage 1 and found that the car wouldn't run properly or well. The Cobb tune turns up boost pressure way too high where it maxes out the MAF sensor. While it made around 300whp, Alex mentioned that with these OTS tunes, it's always hard to replicate their ideal conditions here in Vancouver (it's colder!) as OTS tuners do it Texas or California.

An interesting point of comparison - another FK8 owner had intake, catless downpipe, front pipe, on Hondata OTS 93 tune, and it only did 266whp / 300wtq on AES' mustang dyno.

This is even lower numbers than stock 280whp. Currently the tune that is being developed is showing 326whp/352wtq. The following dyno graph shows Esso 91 Pump Gas Tune vs Stock - both with catback ofc.

https://i.imgur.com/zaxH0hm.jpg

The main difference here is when the dyno runs were done.

Alex is a good tuner to work with -- he is knowledgeable and methodical in his work.

Does your local Esso station carry 93 octane gas now? All the Esso / Mobil stations that I usually pass by have it now, and it is noticeably better than their (Esso / Mobil) 91 gas. As Vancouver Audi and my own butt dyno has confirmed, Shell 93 will still give you more power, but if Esso 93 is your path of least resistance, then you should definitely go for it.

(And don't forget your PC Optimum card because it'll give you that measly 1¢/L discount with Esso lol -- or 3.5¢/L discount with Mobil.)

Yeah my local Esso station carries 93 now. I was surprised when I saw it the other day. I think I'm going to stick with 91, even thought Esso 91 is objectively not as good. I would rather put in better gas if I want to, rather than needing the best gas possible but only having mid tier gas available.

They did some testing comparing the different intakes (Stock + K&N drop in, PRL High Volume Intake Street MAF, Eventuri Intake). The question that I wanted to answer was... Is the Eventuri worth 5x the money? (PRL = ~ $500, Eventuri = ~ $2000).

As expected, the intake doesn't do much to peak power gains (PRL = ~5WHP/?WTQ, Eventuri = ~ Peak 8WHP/Low end at peak boost 12WTQ). But that's not the whole story. From what it looks like so far, it looks like the Eventuri is better optimized - tad bit more torque and faster spool. Alex said he was having some trouble tuning with the PRL. I wonder if it's because I have a dirty wildfire soaked filter lol.

E25 - E30 Tune w/ Eventuri Intake & Catback vs Stock Tune w/ Catback
https://i.imgur.com/nHrSk29.jpg

E25 - E30 Tune w/ PRL Intake vs Eventuri Intake. Both w/ Catback. Corrected to dynojet.
https://i.imgur.com/27jxJyo.jpg

Edit: Added dyno graphs. It still doesn't make sense to me and it's not a true representation of the intakes as there's some ethanol in it. Currently waiting on the uncorrected Eventuri vs PRL comparison.

I got the car back. I'm currently trying out the Esso 91 Pump Gas Tune.

Below shows a dyno graph outlining E25 to E30 Tune vs Esso 91 Pump Gas Tune. Catback only.

https://i.imgur.com/47pTwEG.jpg

Observations
I think I was expecting it to drive very differently from what stock feels like, but this feels like OEM but with more power.

I was really concerned that it would drastically change the way the car feels from the factory. The car from factory already drives amazing (I know I still haven't gotten to that write-up). At highway speeds, 4th gear is nothing short of AMAZING. Now, 4th gear is remarkable. I used to have a bit of trouble going up a hill in 4th gear, now it's no sweat.

I'm still surprised that the stock fuel pump can handle Ethanol being put into it but apparently this is pretty close to the limit of both injectors and HPFP. Stratified thinks they can squeeze another 15-20hp out of the OEM fuel system, with some efficiency mods. I will not be testing this LOL. I think for 20hp/13tq, it's not worth it to me, to run an ethanol blend. I just don't understand how it works and it's potential mechanical damage.

With all that being said, I'm quite satisfied with their work and methodologies. I'm excited to continue to test different parts with science!

My car went back in earlier this month for some testing on Hondata. It turns out, when you unpair Cobb it relocks the car. The main diff between Hondata and Cobb is initial cost. Everything after that is like Android vs iPhone.

Pro vs Cons

Hondata:
- Costly initial startup cost ($1572.76 CAD)
+ allows for customization beyond the tuner
+ has presets to easily turn on customization
+ Hondata Traction Control
+ multi tune select via cruise control
+ OTS Stage 1 actually works. Not well, but it runs. The numbers are significantly lower than my custom tune (ofc) and has oscillation in the top end (once again due to MAF limitations)
+ Hondata app available = Gauges directly on the headunit (with HondaHack)

Cobb
+ cheaper start up cost ($1018 CAD)
+ Gauges with just the device
- OTS Stage 1 doesn't even run
- No customization. Only pro-tuners (aka Stratifed, other Cobb shops) are allowed to modify

As Stratified was able to replicate the same custom tune on Hondata as they built in Cobb, the primary difference is Hondata is more accessible to the everyday person in terms of base map library/toggle switches. Again, it's not optimal, but doable.

If the plan is to go custom anyway, you can save on hardware cost (~ $500) by going Cobb, and put the savings into getting a custom tune (~$1000-$1500).

New numbers are now: 326HP, 384FT-LBs

Edit: Pricing added as of May 30.