are the 2007 civic lx sendan really hard to tune engine wise? since its so compact.

 

its not the easiest engine bay to work on

i'll use the front struts as an example (i know you asked for engine) but the top of the strut is located behind and under the black piece just in between the hood and windshield.. it's terribly difficult to get to the bolts with a simple socket wrench to tighten and loosen compared to older models.

Overall, it is quite a tight fit.. but "tunable" nonetheless.

 

Not because its compact, but it was designed less with performance in mind than even older civics.

Some see the exhaust manifold as an easy turbo conversion, others see it as a barrier from a true performance engine.

The intake manifold, I believe, is plastic, which limits the amount of pressure you can put on it (say, turbo) reliably. Not that it can't be done, but I personally wouldn't do it.

It also just doesn't have the support that the K series engines do. The K series in the Si and RSX are performance oriented, and despite changes like DBW, the research is good and a lot of parts can be interchanged/carried over in the family, plus tuning opens up a whole other can of whoop ***.

Perhaps over time, Hondata, etc will offer engine management for the R18, and other parts will follow, but right now, the base model will take a backseat to the Si. Most that is available are bolt-ons.

With the difference between an EX and an Si only being a few grand, why not save up some extra cash and get the more suitable platform? It will save money in the long run, and the less you mess with, the more reliable it is.

 

I Agree ^^

 

thanks for the info