Honda Civic tuning

"Turning your Civic into a Type R beater!"

The Honda civic.

The Honda Civic remains one of the most popular Japanese cars available, and as a result has a wide selection of tuning and styling parts available for it. 

When building a car each maker typically decides how to produce power from the engine according to two methods.

The choices are a large engine with relatively low engine speed or a smaller capacity engine with a higher engine speed.

Both engines burn similar amounts of fuel and offer similar performance and both have their advantages and disadvantages. Honda have opted for the high revving engine and cleverly build a 2 phase engine which behaves very differently when the VTEC kicks in.

Honda are able to extract a phenomenal power figures from relatively small sized engines. We frequently see 2 litre engines producing 200 BHP and 1.6 litre engines producing 160 bhp. 

Honda's methodology includes a two stage cam profile and a carefully balanced constructed engine. The VTEC system is one of the most reliable engine control systems and essentially enables an engine to have two sets of characteristics, one and low revs (sub 4000 RPM) and another and over 4000 revs where the engine really comes alive.

One of the most interesting divisions of Honda produce the Civic Type R variant of models which are essentially highly tuned race versions with carefully blue printed and balanced engines. 

Unusually the components used to construct the engines induction system and exhaust are among the best available which means it is difficult to find performance upgrades for these models. 

However a thriving aftermarket has sprung up of specialists offering tuning parts for all Civics including the Civic Type R engines, which enhance the already high levels of performance. 

There are also companies producing an supercharger kits and turbo conversions which almost double the power output of these engines.

Smaller engined Honda Civics are good prospects for an engine swap or conversion to one of the larger type R engines. There are more parts and tuning options available to the larger engine size. 

Specialists offer an in house Civic engine conversion service and source suitable donor engines, and, also provide additional tuning options on those installations. Please join our other Honda Civic and Type R owners in our members' forum to discuss the many Honda Civic tuning options, problems, and styling ideas or browse our tuning and styling articles using the links across the top.