Request to Mods: I was editing and replying in the above post, by the time I wanted to save, my 30 minutes were up. Could the above post/reply be deleted and this new one kept?
Quote:
Originally Posted by HondaSport Folks, I have a Honda City Petrol with a 1.5L iVTEC petrol engine.
Its undergone a remap recently and am happy with the improved low end torque
However I am keen to explore modifications that can improve low-end driveability further. I have been reading up on after-market air filters & a bit on cold air intake as well as free-flow exhausts.
Any suggestions on which is the way to go as well as what it will cost, I know K&N filter will cost around 7.5k INR but not sure about the cost of other mods.
Are there any other options available to improve performance? |
Hello HondaSport,
I have personally not done any performance mods to my Honda City 2014 except for a K&N air filter swap, but I can answer some of your questions and point you in the direction where you can get more information. (linking to the relevant threads)
Also, I am from down South India, so regarding installers, I will mostly be of no help to you.
Regarding the K&N air filter, if you wish to go for the basic one (part number 33-3030), which will be a basic fit in your stock engine air filter box, you can request any of your friends or family in the USA to purchase it for you and ask them to bring it down to you. It would come up to 4000-4500 rupees after conversion.
My experience with the K&N air filter 33-3030 has been mixed. At first, immediately after installation, it does improve the stock low end, but ever so slightly. The headache for me was the cleaning. It takes quite a bit of time and the instructions specifically mention you to air dry the filter. Along with this, after I started using the K&N filter, I noticed that a lot of oil residue from the filter was gumming up the throttle body. I have now swapped back to the regular paper filter.
Also, if you are keen on improving performance, Cold Air Intakes will give a better bump in power and torque figures, especially with a remap. (Costs will go up though, the exact costs involved depend on the installer and the plumbing used to route the air.)
Now regarding performance mods, multiple options exist, such as the free flow exhaust, decat delete, better fuel injectors, better spark plugs, and of course, turbo charging the 1.5 VTEC or engine swapping to a 1.8 VTEC from the Civic or 2.4 VTEC from an Accord.
Remember that along with the performance, always upgrade the suspension and tires to handle the power. (upsize to 205s, bigger rims, better coil-overs, better shocks/struts, anti-roll bars, and strut braces to name a few).
BHPian frankmehta's CRIO
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...delimited.html (Frankmehta'S Crio: Brio with a 1.5L engine! EDIT: Bosch ECU cracked and car delimited) https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-...ty-engine.html (Mrs. Frankmehta's Honda "CRIO™": Brio with a City Engine!)
BHPian Dr. Naren's Stage 3 S Cross 1.6
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/long-...d-pg-61-a.html (My Maruti S-Cross 1.6L Alpha | Stage 3 Wolf (202 HP / 438 Nm) | EDIT : Sold - Pg 61)
Details on engine swapping a Jazz (felt it will be relevant as the Jazz is based on the City)
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...onda-jazz.html (1.5L engine swap / turbocharging for a Honda Jazz)
BHPian bhuvan prasad's Turbo 2.4 i-VTEC Civic
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...nda-civic.html (The story of India's first 2.4L Turbo Honda Civic!)
BHPian Nikhilb2008's Turbo Civic
https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/modif...t-end-era.html (My Turbo R18 Honda Civic. EDIT: Not the end of an era...)
There are many more threads that can give you ideas on performance modifications, these are just the ones off the top of my head. Regarding costs, it all comes down to the installer doing the work. Some installers do their work with precision and attention to detail, while others leave it like a messy bedroom. Do check posts on Team-BHP before venturing out. There will always be
one post or thread somewhere on the forum for the query you are looking for.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 007maverick Let me first compliment you for the milestone figure of crossing 2 lakh Km in City. It's rare these days that one has such a patience with the Asset. The mindset of "Use and Throw" is slowly trickling into personal mobility products despite newer vehicles come with many compromises on critical mechanical aspects with much steeper price tag
The engine which is a Heart of any car has given a life of more than 2 lakh Km is truly commendable albeit you had done few service interventions
I liked some of other points in your post and they are worth considering in purchase and ownership cycle for any car owner :
(1) Opting for extended warranty way back in 2014 !!
(2) Sticking with ASC as much possible even after warranty expiry.
(3) Changing stock tyres at 30K km if they warrant to do so. Tyres are usually the most neglected area despite they are extremely vital for Ride, Handling and Safety point of view.
(4) Keeping a log book recording all the stuff that gets into the vehicle such as Batteries, Clutch plates, Suspension, Seats etc. This is an excellent practice and comes handy while discussing with Service guys and even while selling the car.
Your running appears to be on higher side and which merits Electric or Hybrid. However note that these are altogether two different categories of vehicles. While electric public charging infra is coming up in India, the pace of development is slower compared to what it should have been.
Apart from the Cars you have shortlisted, you can also consider MG ZS EV. I drove the petrol version (Aster) of it as Test drive and it impressed me with its build quality, fit and finish. It's miles ahead as compared to other cars in its segment. What let it down was a sluggish petrol engine for that size of the car. With 50 kH battery pack and electric Powertrain of 129 KW, EV should be agile.
Above recommendation is only if your running is fairly within cities or relatively nearby places.
However if your trips are mostly longer Strong hybrids will make more sense while you have to compromise a bit on the luggage space as some portion of it is occupied by the Battery pack.
Best wishes for the New car !! |
Hello 007maverick,
Thank you for the kind words.
The City is a daily driver for me, and I treat him as how I would treat one of my close friends.
Will be keeping the City, even if a new car comes along.
Just last week I had done for a 1700km round trip between Kerala and Karnataka.
Regarding your points,
1. Extended Warranty was a no-brainer, especially since I was allotted my car from the first batch of petrol City's.
2. I tried and tested many FNGs. Did not like many, and my experiences were below average, hence stuck to the ASC. It is only in the last 2 years I have gotten hold of good FNGs.
3. & 4. Yes!
Yes, I should have opted for diesel when I bought my car back in 2014, but I did not like the Honda i-DTEC (no offense to owners out there, just a personal preference). The reason for my dislike was the loud diesel noise and the car felt sluggish to drive. (My guess for this is that the initial batches and especially the test drive vehicles were rather, ahem, hastily done. Hence I got a City Petrol.
Regarding the new car, I am thinking along the same lines as you suggested, either Hybrid or Electric. The Grand Vitara/Hyryder twins and the MG ZS EV were on my radar until my heavily built and 6' 3" frame sat in one of them. It felt quite cramped for me. The Innova Hycross and the BYD Atto 3 are being closely followed. Waiting for any price cuts on the BYD, as the massive price cuts came for the MG earlier last week. Leaning towards electric cars, thanks to many of the long-distance drive report threads done by the current EV owners. It is definitely possible to do long drives, provided with a bit of planning and Backup for the charging stations.