Modding with warranty

[Vaughn K]

Hello all, I am wondering how generous Honda is with their warranty guidelines? What modifications am I able to do without voiding the warranty?

Sponsored

 

[AspecR]

This is kinda tricky because some of it is dependent on the dealership doing the warranty work if necessary. Luckily, I'm at a dealership that is extremely enthusiast friendly, other dealerships not so much.

An upgraded air filter won't void your warranty, an exhaust system that keeps the valve shouldn't void your warranty, but some dealers won't want to touch a modified car. Downpipes may or may not void your warranty. A tuned ECU will void your warranty if any ECU or engine related issues arise but that's why you have to have a good relationship with your dealer. My dealer has warrantied engine and ECU-related issues on tuned cars but it is very issue-specific.

These cars are extremely reliable even when modded so it depends on what you plan to modify and your use case for the car.

 

[Vaughn K]

This is kinda tricky because some of it is dependent on the dealership doing the warranty work if necessary. Luckily, I'm at a dealership that is extremely enthusiast friendly, other dealerships not so much.

An upgraded air filter won't void your warranty, an exhaust system that keeps the valve shouldn't void your warranty, but some dealers won't want to touch a modified car. Downpipes may or may not void your warranty. A tuned ECU will void your warranty if any ECU or engine related issues arise but that's why you have to have a good relationship with your dealer. My dealer has warrantied engine and ECU-related issues on tuned cars but it is very issue-specific.

These cars are extremely reliable even when modded so it depends on what you plan to modify and your use case for the car.

Thank you I appreciate your input. Mainly, I want to do an exhaust, down pipe, and intake. As of now I have no plans to push it further.

 

[AspecR]

Thank you I appreciate your input. Mainly, I want to do an exhaust, down pipe, and intake. As of now I have no plans to push it further.

You shouldn’t really have any warranty issues with a basic bolt-on car. Word of advice, most bolt ons aren’t worth the price of admission without a tune.

 

[Vaughn K]

You shouldn’t really have any warranty issues with a basic bolt-on car. Word of advice, most bolt ons aren’t worth the price of admission without a tune.

That makes sense. I’ll nave to look into my local dealerships and see if they are enthusiast friendly like you mentioned bc I would like to get a tune.

 

[Vnguyen9]

Any advice on what type of tune? I’m new to my fl5 and a fun car in general, is there levels of tunes that can be done that can use mostly stock parts except for intake, intercooler, exhaust etc? I plan to do an exhaust /intake mostly just for the enjoyment of the sounds but for sure if I can improve performance without messing up reliability/warranty that would be awesome.
Thanks for any info!

 

[Vaughn K]

Any advice on what type of tune? I’m new to my fl5 and a fun car in general, is there levels of tunes that can be done that can use mostly stock parts except for intake, intercooler, exhaust etc? I plan to do an exhaust /intake mostly just for the enjoyment of the sounds but for sure if I can improve performance without messing up reliability/warranty that would be awesome.
Thanks for any info!

Very well put. I’m on the same idea as you are.

 

[Clark_Kent]

Any advice on what type of tune? I’m new to my fl5 and a fun car in general, is there levels of tunes that can be done that can use mostly stock parts except for intake, intercooler, exhaust etc? I plan to do an exhaust /intake mostly just for the enjoyment of the sounds but for sure if I can improve performance without messing up reliability/warranty that would be awesome.
Thanks for any info!

The predominant tuning company for the FL5 is Hondata. Once you have your ECU unlocked (or jailbroken), you can purchase the Hondata Flashpro, which is the device that enables full end user tuning and data logging. From there you generally have the following three options:

Basemap: The Flashpro comes with several built in calibrations, colloquially referred to as basemaps. The basemap is a relatively conservative calibration that will give you a moderate bump in power. Basemaps are available for 91 and 93 octane fuel. See the Hondata website for dyno graphs.

Off the Shelf (OTS) Map: These calibrations tend to be more fine tuned to extract more power from the vehicle over the Hondata basemap. OTS maps are offered by many tuners, to include: TSP, Phearable, Powermetric, GARIX, FK8TD, and others. See the individual tuner websites for dyno graphs.

Custom Tune: A custom tune is as the name suggests. It's a bespoke calibration designed specifically for your vehicle. It will take into account your specific modifications, altitude, climate, fuel, and use case (track, street, canyons, etc.). Many of the above tuners (+ @Jester04 ) offer custom tuning in addition to OTS maps. A custom tune can be performed in person on the dyno or street or as an e-tune.

The best modification from a hp/$ perspective will be a tune. Even with zero modifications a custom tune will net you a substantial amount of power over stock (40+whp and 50+wtq on 93 octane). An intake, exhaust, and downpipe combined won't get you those types of gains, not even close.

I wouldn't be terribly concerned with reliability unless you go nuts on modifications. The K20C1 has proven to be reliable with light modifications. You shouldn't have anything to worry about unless you're incredibly unlucky or negligent.

 

[tibwolf]

A tune is a tune as far as warranty is concerned. The moment you crack your ECU and change any of the operating parameters you are fighting an uphill battle with any warranties.

Bolt ons may change how the engine breathes, but the ECU won't try to deviate from its torque targets from stock settings. That's the large reason why you don't gain much performance until you tune.

 

[Jester04]

The predominant tuning company for the FL5 is Hondata. Once you have your ECU unlocked (or jailbroken), you can purchase the Hondata Flashpro, which is the device that enables full end user tuning and data logging. From there you generally have the following three options:

Basemap: The Flashpro comes with several built in calibrations, colloquially referred to as basemaps. The basemap is a relatively conservative calibration that will give you a moderate bump in power. Basemaps are available for 91 and 93 octane fuel. See the Hondata website for dyno graphs.

Off the Shelf (OTS) Map: These calibrations tend to be more fine tuned to extract more power from the vehicle over the Hondata basemap. OTS maps are offered by many tuners, to include: TSP, Phearable, Powermetric, GARIX, FK8TD, and others. See the individual tuner websites for dyno graphs.

Custom Tune: A custom tune is as the name suggests. It's a bespoke calibration designed specifically for your vehicle. It will take into account your specific modifications, altitude, climate, fuel, and use case (track, street, canyons, etc.). Many of the above tuners (+ @Jester04 ) offer custom tuning in addition to OTS maps. A custom tune can be performed in person on the dyno or street or as an e-tune.

The best modification from a hp/$ perspective will be a tune. Even with zero modifications a custom tune will net you a substantial amount of power over stock (40+whp and 50+wtq on 93 octane). An intake, exhaust, and downpipe combined won't get you those types of gains, not even close.

I wouldn't be terribly concerned with reliability unless you go nuts on modifications. The K20C1 has proven to be reliable with light modifications. You shouldn't have anything to worry about unless you're incredibly unlucky or negligent.

Thank you for the shoutout! Also amazing response as always @Clark_Kent

 

[damage]

The predominant tuning company for the FL5 is Hondata. Once you have your ECU unlocked (or jailbroken), you can purchase the Hondata Flashpro, which is the device that enables full end user tuning and data logging. From there you generally have the following three options:

Basemap: The Flashpro comes with several built in calibrations, colloquially referred to as basemaps. The basemap is a relatively conservative calibration that will give you a moderate bump in power. Basemaps are available for 91 and 93 octane fuel. See the Hondata website for dyno graphs.

Off the Shelf (OTS) Map: These calibrations tend to be more fine tuned to extract more power from the vehicle over the Hondata basemap. OTS maps are offered by many tuners, to include: TSP, Phearable, Powermetric, GARIX, FK8TD, and others. See the individual tuner websites for dyno graphs.

Custom Tune: A custom tune is as the name suggests. It's a bespoke calibration designed specifically for your vehicle. It will take into account your specific modifications, altitude, climate, fuel, and use case (track, street, canyons, etc.). Many of the above tuners (+ @Jester04 ) offer custom tuning in addition to OTS maps. A custom tune can be performed in person on the dyno or street or as an e-tune.

The best modification from a hp/$ perspective will be a tune. Even with zero modifications a custom tune will net you a substantial amount of power over stock (40+whp and 50+wtq on 93 octane). An intake, exhaust, and downpipe combined won't get you those types of gains, not even close.

I wouldn't be terribly concerned with reliability unless you go nuts on modifications. The K20C1 has proven to be reliable with light modifications. You shouldn't have anything to worry about unless you're incredibly unlucky or negligent.

How do you first unlock the CPU in order to start installing the different tunes? Also for the OTS maps, do I need to install FlashPro in order to load these maps? Same question for custom tuning..

Thanks!

 

[Clark_Kent]

How do you first unlock the CPU in order to start installing the different tunes? Also for the OTS maps, do I need to install FlashPro in order to load these maps? Same question for custom tuning..

Thanks!

There are a couple ways to unlock the ECU. 1) Remove the ECU and ship it to Hondata; 2) Attend a Hondata Jailbreak Tour Event to have it unlocked on site; 3) Drive to a tuner who has the ability to unlock the ECU at their shop. #2 is the best bet if you can swing it. No shipping of ECU required, same day turnaround, and 20% off has been offered at the recent events if you pre-purchase a ticket. FYI - You cannot tune the car in any way until the ECU has been unlocked.

 

[ToddR]

I wonder if it’s worth it to buy and clone a stock ECU as a bit of insurance if you’re “incredibly unlucky”

 

[Brittania]

I wonder if it’s worth it to buy and clone a stock ECU as a bit of insurance if you’re “incredibly unlucky”

That's what I've been wondering. Buy an ecu, clone it, then jailbreak it and have it tuned. Keep the stock ecu untouched so you can swap it back in case something happens.

 

[Jester04]

That's what I've been wondering. Buy an ecu, clone it, then jailbreak it and have it tuned. Keep the stock ecu untouched so you can swap it back in case something happens.

This is a possible avenue that you guys could visit. I know IMW is doing ecu cloning for these vehicles.

But so far 0 issues with all of my customers cars and they are enjoying them daily and 0 problems. The Type R is very reliable, the chances of something going wrong are very low.

I already spoke with the guys at Hondata about possibly offering unlocks locally. But it is a considerable investment for something that has a finite life span. There are some things in the works.

Sponsored