I checked out cold air intakes and mufflers for Civics. Would these be a problem for the hybrid since it has a smaller engine than the normal civic? I assume that if one added these to the hybrid, any warranty with Honda could be voided. (I have an extended warrantyon my HCH II hybrid.)

 

Having meet many Honda Engineers, If there is a practical way to get better performance or gas mileage without decreasing the reliablity of the engine or meeting federal standards for emissions, they would have done it.

Fast acceleration was an Hybrid option ( the Accord Hybrid ) but less than 8000 were sold over 3 years. You buy a civic hybrid for good city gas mileage, not performance. you buy a civic si for performance.

Want to kill you engine in a day but get good acceleration - put a NOS system on it. bet you can get over 200hp with it. (sarcasm, sorry could not resist )

 

Yeah, that's the bummer about engine mods. The thing to remember is that they can ONLY deny you a claim on engine related stuff that possibly could have been caused by your mods (and possibly the CVT). If your stereo goes bad, your traction battery has problems, or your windows stop closing, etc. they can't deny your warranty based on a muffler.

I have no idea how they would work on the smaller HCH engine though.

 

I don't agree with that statement. I think Honda engineers are excellent, but they also have NHV (noise harshness and vibration) to take into effect, as well as their cost accountants. They are going to design a car that is as efficient and powerful as possible at a given price point, and with mass-acceptable NHV. If you are willing to spend more $$, and sacrifice a little quiet, you could easily milk more power out than Honda did--without risking MUCH engine reliability.

 

A K&N air filter, if one is available, wouldn't make a lot of difference. Maybe brand new, freshly oiled, a bit. But there's the rub: they are more expensive at the outset (I think), and require you to routinely clean and re-oil the filter. And oiling the filter is tricky, too little and you could be letting particulate through. Too much and you reduce air flow. IMHO, it's simpler and less trouble prone to just replace the paper filter regularly.

Well, to argue against myself, maybe the K&N filter is better for the environment: less used filters ending up in land fills. OTOH, it's introducing a bit more oil and solvent into the environment.

 

And cook your MAF sensor.

 

Agreed!