Overview of this Article
Tuning your Honda Civic can bea very rewarding experience. Before you depart into your adventurein tuning, you should know how much you are willing to spend and inwhat general order you should purchase your parts. In this articlewe have outlined paths that we recommend to our valued customers.Keep in mind this article focuses on the basic parts for added power,but when it comes to total car performance that is not the whole story.You'll want to look at suspension, brake, chassis, and wheel/tire upgrades as well tohandle the new power as well as increasing cornering and stopping abilities. In addition, there are quite a few other parts that will increasepower by smaller amounts, such as throttle bodies and throttle body spacers (found here).
For this article, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each path inregards to performance tuning and your budget. The first 3 paths applyto 2015 and earlier Civics or 2016+ Civics without a factory turbocharger. The last 2 paths apply to 2016 and laterCivics with factory turbos. Most of the 10th Generation 2016+ Civics feature an OEMturbocharger and intercooler system (basically a full factory turbo kit).
TheThe 3 Main Tuning Paths to Upgrade your 1988 to 2015 Honda Civic or 2016+ Civic without a factory turbo

• The first path (A) is going straight for the most horsepowergains, by using forced induction (e.g. turbo kit or supercharger)as the base setup for your Honda Civic.
• The second path (B) is to tune your Honda Civic with anaturally aspirated setup (e.g. cold air intake, no turbo orsupercharger) as your base.
• The last path (C) is to get parts that will work for both anaturally aspirated engine and a forced induction setup, thendecide later if you want to go forced induction or upgrade yournaturally aspirated setup.

The 2 Main Tuning Paths to Upgrade your 2016+ factory turbo Honda Civic

• The first path (D) is going straight for the most horsepowergains, by getting a turbo upgrade kit, bolt-ons, and an ECU tuneas the base setup for your turbo Honda Civic.
• The second path (E) is to maximize the power of your factory turbo withbolt-ons parts and a ECU tune as the base setup for your turbo Honda Civic. You can then upgrade your turboat a later point, and most likely re-use all your existing parts, but you will at least need a re-tune.

For each path we will list a few parts to get you started. Byno means is this a complete list of parts to tune your Civic; it'sjust an idea to get you started. Feel free to email us, or call usand let us know the year, how many doors, and trim level of yourHonda Civic and we will assist you in selecting the other optimalperformance parts for your Civic.
If you're confusedabout what naturally aspirated and a forced induction engine setupsare you should read our HondaCivic Upgrading FAQ. The upgrading FAQ is a great place forbeginners to start to learn about tuning their Honda Civic and agreat refresher course for the experienced tuner.
Path A (Forced Induction)
This path requires the biggestupfront investment, but will give you the best gains and the besttuning base to work with. If you have the money, this is the path werecommend. Here are the following parts and actions we recommend:

• Get a Turbo Kit for your Civic.A turbo kit comes with headers and its own airintake, and usually some fuel delivery components. Hence, you willnot have to purchase headers or a cold air/short ram intake. If anintercooler is not included in your kit, we highly recommendpurchasing one at the same time as your kit.
• If you get a supercharger (Superchargers for Civics)instead of a turbo kit, you will need to buyan air intake and headers since superchargers do not typicallycome with these items.
• Get a performance exhaust system (Exhausts for Civics) and a high-flow catalytic converter.
• Upgrade your Civic's ignition components such as spark plugs,spark plug wires, ignition coil, modified distributor cap/rotorkit, and a forced induction ignition component. Tuning yourCivic's ignition system is a low cost upgrade that will be wellworth while for an older Civic. You can find the ignitioncomponents here.
• If needed, also upgrade your Civic's FuelDelivery components.
• Go to a dyno shop and tune your turbo kit or supercharger.Although this is not necessary on the kits we carry, we generallyrecommended it for maximum power. If you need help finding one, wecan help you. If you have a 2006 or newer Civic, your best option is to purchase aHondata FlashPro as your tuning device.
• To further increase performance, you can add one of severalnitrous systems that we offer. Nitrous significantly cools downthe air going into your Civic, which adds a lot of power. If youdon't have a turbo kit or supercharger, you can still use nitrousas an extremely cost-effective horsepower upgrade.

Path B (Naturally Aspirated)
If you choose notto go big with a forced induction setup, then you'll be headed downthe naturally aspirated path. Here are the following parts andactions we recommend:

• The most inexpensive item you could get that will give you thebest gains is a cold air intake for your Civic. We carry differentbrands and types of air intakes (Cold Air Intakes and Short Ram Air Intakes for Civics).
• The second item to purchase in this path should be an exhaustsystem (Exhausts for Civics). All exhaust systems we carry arehighly tuned and will give you similar horsepower gains. Thechoice of what exhaust you select comes down to a preferrence inthe exhaust system's look and sound that is produced.
• Headers and a highflow catalytic converter will be the nextpart to get in this tuning path. For headers, contact us and letus know your Civic year and trim, and we will select the bestconfiguration for your setup. For the high-flow catalyticconverters, we recommend the direct fit and semi direct fit overthe universal models. You can find headers for your Civic here.
• Upgrade your Civic's ignition components. You can findignition components here.
• If you are putting out a lot more power, you may also need toupgrade your Civic's FuelDelivery components.
• Get a tune! This will result in more power and efficiency. If you have a 2006 or newer Civic, your best option is to purchase aHondata FlashPro as your tuning device.

The average Civic Tuner takes this path. This path is the best onyour wallet and gives you the most gains for the least money spent.We find that new tuners will take this path to get a better feel forCivic customization. Some of the tuners will eventually get a turbokit or supercharger and others will fine tune their naturallyaspirated engine.
Path C (Decide Later)
This path is designed for those Civic Tuners that are undecided ongetting a turbo kit or supercharger, and/or will attempt to save upfor one. If you are sure you will not get a turbo kit orsupercharger anytime in the foreseeable future, then path B is yourbest path to tune your Civic. Here are the following parts andactions we recommend:

• Get a performance exhaust system (Exhausts for Honda Civics) first.
• Upgrade your Civic's ignition components. You can find theignition components here.
• Get a highflow catalytic converter.
• Get a tune! This will result in more power and efficiency. If you have a 2006 or newer Civic, your best option is to purchase aHondata FlashPro as your tuning device.
• Analyze your budget. If you feel like you will get a turbo kitor supercharger in the near future, keep saving for it. If you areunsure contact us and we will give you some other low pricedchoices for tuning your Civic with performance parts.

This path will allow you to postpone the decision ofcommitting to a forced induction setup. If you want to tune yourCivic to get medium gains and save some cash, you could simplyfollow path (B). If you feel like your're ready to commit to thehigh performance of a force induction base, then you could branchinto path (A). In other words, starting on path (C) will allow themost flexibility in regards to committing to a forced induction ornaturally aspirated configuration.
Path D (Upgrade Factory Turbo)
This path requires the biggestupfront investment, but will give you the best gains and the besttuning base to work with. If you have the money, and a turbo upgrade kit is available for your Civic, this is the path werecommend. Here are the following parts and actions we recommend:

• Get a Turbo Upgrade Kit. A turbo upgrade kit comes with a new (more powerful) turbocharger, and possibly new intercooler systempiping and turbo inlet piping as well. Sometimes, fuel delivery components, a cold air/short ram intake, and a downpipe are even included.If any of these parts are not included, you'll need to consider purchasing them separately to maximize power and effeciency with your new turbo.
• Get a performance exhaust system (Exhausts for Civics)and a front pipe and/or downpipe (with or without a high-flow catalytic converter), depending on what remaining factory piping you need to replace.
• The ignition components on 2016+ factory turbo Civic generally do not need to be upgraded. These are VERY robust from the factory, and can handlequite a bit of power.
• If needed, also upgrade your Civic's FuelDelivery components.
• Go to a dyno shop and get a tune. Your best bet is to use a Hondata FlashPro for tuning.It is possible the turbo upgrade kit will come with a 'base map', but we still recommend a custom tune for reliabilityand best power gains.

Path E (Use Factory Turbo, Possibly It Later)
If you choose notto go big with a turbo upgrade setup right away, then you'll first be purchasing parts to maximize the power and efficiency of your factory turbo. Here are the following parts andactions we recommend:

• The most inexpensive item you could get that will give you thebest gains is a cold air intake for your Civic. We carry differentbrands and types of air intakes (Cold Air Intakes and Short Ram Air Intakes for Civics).
• The second item to purchase in this path should be an exhaustsystem (Exhausts for Civics). All exhaust systems we carry arehighly tuned and will give you similar horsepower gains. Thechoice of what exhaust you select comes down to a preferrence inthe exhaust system's look and sound that is produced.
• A front pipe and/or downpipe (with or without a high-flow catalytic converter) will be the nextparts to get in this tuning path. You can find front pipe and downpipes for your turbo Civic here.
• A vital piece of any turbo system is the intercooler and associated piping. An intercooler system significantly reduces the temperature of the air entering into your engine.The result is that you make more power, and make it more reliabily, while also reducing potential strain on your engine. Upgrading to a largerintercooler and piping on your turbo Civiccan result in great horespower gains for this reason.
• The ignition components on 2016+ factory turbo Civic generally do not need to be upgraded. These are VERY robust from the factory, and can handlequite a bit of power.
• Since you're using your factory turbo, the factory fuel delivery components should be sufficient to meet your fueling needs. The 2016+ Civics useDI (Direct Injection) injectors, which are quite powerful and operate at very high pressues.
• Finally, get a tune! The best bang for your buck product you can purchase for a factory turbo Civic is an ECU tuner, such as theHondata FlashPro. A tune cangreatly increase your power because it can raise the factory boost levels, resulting in quite a bit more air flowing into your engine. You can usea 'base map' or get a custom tune for maximum gains.
• If you do finally decide to upgrade your factory turbo, try to select a version that does not come with parts you already purchased - this way,you'll save money. Also, you will probably need to upgrade your fuel delivery components.

The average Civic Tuner takes this path. This path is the best onyour wallet and gives you the most gains for the least money spent.We find that new tuners will take this path to get a better feel forCivic customization.
Honda Civic Tuning – Other Sources of Upgrade Ideas
A great place tofind ideas on Honda Civic tuning is through magazines. We recommendCivic related magazines for the experienced tuner for gatheringgreat ideas and seeing what is hot. The most useful feature ofmagazines is the car profile articles, in which you can see what ahighly tuned Civic looks like and what makes it run.