Hondata...Flashpro... +6 PSI ... my ongoing review

[gtman]

MPG update.

As I've said before, my part throttle mileage seems to be the same as before or maybe just slightly less. This is for my normal commute which is about 60% highway, 40% city.

I have noticed one consistent trend with the +6 tune. My city stop and go MPG's are noticeably lower than stock. In city only driving with numerous stoplights, I am seeing a 3-4 MPG drop. That's not terrible though, and considering how rarely I do pure city stop and go it's not a huge big deal. My car's increased power at more than light throttle balances out the reduced fuel economy.

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[gtman]

So, I've been running the +6 Hondata CARB tune for about a month and I have to say, it's great for my driving style. I know a lot of people here love the extra (easy) adjustments of Ktuner and I'm sure it rocks, but the FlashPro is no slouch either. My car just feels "right". I have a lot more confidence in making fast passing maneuvers than I did stock. And I'm still getting excellent mileage when I take it easy. But it's hard to resist that power. You give it a bunch of gas at 40mph and it seems like before you blink you're doing 80mph+. And from the datalogs I've run and looked at, my numbers are good. This is a nice, simple safe tune.

Funny tune story from today. I haven't driven the car for a couple days (took some time off from work) and it was so nice today I had to feel the power. On the highway, I gave some gas to pass someone and was disappointed in the acceleration. I said to myself "damn, this almost feels like stock power. WTF?". About a minute later, I saw that green leaf icon and realized it was in Hondata mode (stock power). I must have turned it on for some improved MPG the last time I drove. Well, let me tell you, I put the +6 tune back on and holy shit, I passed a car (not even flooring it) and the car was just a blur as I passed it. It just puts a grin on your face.

Driving briskly today (some highway, some stop and go) in 70 degree temps, I got 39 mpg. After I made a stop, I took another drive taking it easy and saw 46 mpg with the +6 tune on. If you haven't tuned yet and want to up the car's power, get one. If you only have $600 to spend on engine mods, forget about exhausts and intakes. Both Ktuner and Hondata make good products and the base tunes are safe. And they are a helluva lot of fun.

 

[rey2300]

Mine arrives today, can't wait to test it out this weekend!

 

[procivic]

Mine arrives today, can't wait to test it out this weekend!

Be prepared to become addicted to driving your Type R...if you're not already!

 

[rey2300]

Be prepared to become addicted to driving your Type R...if you're not already!

It's been torture not being able to drive it this week while they jailbreak my ECU!

 

[gtman]

It's been torture not being able to drive it this week while they jailbreak my ECU!

I can't even imagine how insane a Type R will feel tuned.

 

[gtman]

Another real world example of why this +6 tune makes the Civic "safer"...

I was going in to work today and a guy in an SUV was tailgating me on a 25MPH residential street because I was "only" doing 33MPH. When we came to the first stoplight he moved over into the other lane. At first I was going to put his vehicle to shame when the light turned green but I backed off because my engine wasn't fully warmed up. What happened next shows how the extra power is definitely a safety feature...

So, we move away from the light and he guns it and then goes ahead of me in my lane. Up ahead a see very slow moving vehicle in our lane and I anticipate what's going to happen. Mr. SUV speedster is going to weave around the slower car. To my suprise the SUV doesn't make the move, at first. Knowing the kind of power I have I decide to go around both vehicles. Well, wouldn't you know it... Mr. SUV at the last minute decides to make a move... right in front of me in my lane. I have two choices. Slam on the brakes and hope for the best or power around this situation. I knew my +6 tune at that speed would be a rocket, so I gave it some more gas and blew by the situation in a flash... no drama at all.

Like I've said before, this tune gives me a lot more confidence in my car's ability to get out of harm's way. This base +6 tune isn't turning my car into a drag strip champion. And that's fine with me. I'm not looking to burn up the CVT. But at speed, in day to day traffic, the passing power is just effortless.

 

[gtman]

Just a quick post to illustrate the difference between stock and the +6 tune. I was cruising along at 55 mph today and decided to give it a little gas. Not flooring it mind you, just a nice little blip on the throttle. With my car stock, I would have looked down at the speedo and thought "damn this turbo got me up to 75 mph really fast". With the tune, I looked and the speedo and went "holy f---" because in what seemed like just a second or two I went from 55 to 90 mph. You really have to watch your speedo when you drive even a little aggressively.

 

[Civics4Ever]

Is it safe to try the +9 tune on your car?

 

[gtman]

I wouldn't do it with the CVT. I'm playing with creating a tune that will add a bit more boost and torque. Maybe something like a "+7.5" or so. But, right now I'm OK with the base +6. I would never chance the +9 on my car.

 

[gtman]

Hondata +6 tune plus warmer weather plus taking it easy on my commute equals this...

 

[procivic]

Damn, that's some excellent MPG right there! That's the great part about this tune though, doesn't really affect daily driving usage unless you constantly are putting your foot to the floor.

 

[gtman]

^ Yep.

This Carb Flashpro is perfect for somebody who is planning on leaving the engine basically stock. It gives you the great part throttle economy when you take it easy but you"ve also got tons of extra passing power at your disposal. For $495 it's a terrific performance upgrade. No doubt Ktuner is excellent and gets most of the CivicX love but this Flashpro is damn good too. And now that I can see the Hondata app on my infotainment screen, it freakin rocks!

 

[gtman]

There is one thing about the tune that isn't really any better than stock... the lag between light and heavy throttle. Some of it is CVT lag which I know Hondata can't program out. But it seems to me they should be able to tweak the tune a bit to improve this.

For example, yesterday a car in front of me slowed down abruptly. I braked, my RPM's dropped and then I gave it a bunch of throttle to power away. All I got was a second of "nothingness" just like stock. This is where Ktuner beats Hondata. Hondata pretty much releases a tune and doesn't update and fine tune the drivability aspects of it. I wish Hondata would be more proactive with that.

It's the main reason Ktuner is getting all the love. Hondata tends to somewhat "forget" about their existing users and just moves on to the next platform. I think if they would update and tweak more or add new tunes, they'd kick ass.

Just a little constructive criticism from a paying customer.

 

[rey2300]

There is one thing about the tune that isn't really any better than stock... the lag between light and heavy throttle. Some of it is CVT lag which I know Hondata can't program out. But it seems to me they should be able to tweak the tune a bit to improve this.

For example, yesterday a car in front of me slowed down abruptly. I gave it a bunch of throttle to power away and I got a second of "nothingness" just like stock. This is where Ktuner beats Hondata. Hondata pretty much releases a tune and doesn't update and fine tune the drivability aspects of it. I wish Hondata would be more proactive with that.

It's the main reason Ktuner is getting all the love. Hondata tends to somewhat "forget" about their existing users and just moves on to the next platform. I think if they would update and tweak more or add new tunes, they'd kick ass. Just a little constructive criticism from a paying customer.

Have you contacted Hondata about this?

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