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Civic hybrid performance upgrade

corinne44corinne44 Posts: 1
edited March 9 in Honda
I am thinking about buying a honda civic hybrid to for its fuel efficiency on long drives. I only thing I do not like about the hybrid is its low horse power. I would like enough horse power to get up to speed with highway traffic quickly if neccessary.

Here is my question(s). what could be down to a 2006 civic hybrid to increase its horse power without loosing it good fuel efficiency. How much would and upgrade like this ocst for both parts and labor. And is the upgrade worth the cost.

Please keep in mind that i know very little about cards. So please explain everything in lamens terms.


  • jim314jim314 Posts: 491
    Forget about performance upgrades; there aren't any available nor are any needed. The car has plenty of acceleration for normal use.

    If you want more acceleration, get another car. You just won't get the fuel economy of the Civic Hybrid. You cannot get a car with both head-snapping acceleration on demand and stunning fuel economy.
  • rysa4rysa4 Posts: 9
    I would suggest a spelling class first. Besides that, you can get up to speed very quickly with the HCH II as it is. Have you actually driven one? If you haven't driven one then you really don't know.
  • jonallenjonallen Posts: 30
    I've had my '06 HCH for 6 months, and I would do nothing to boost its 110 horsepower. It has enough power to safely maneuver on New England roads. It would not surprise me if it doesn't have enough power to safely maneuver where the drivers are less conservative. If you do come accross a way to boost your HCH horsepower, beware: the ECV tranni is fine tuned to handle the stock engine in combination with the stock motor, and will not last as long with something stronger, especially if you are perpetually a leadfoot driver.
  • roundtriproundtrip Posts: 105
    Play nice. Not everyone won first place in the local spelling bee.
    BTW, we are all in various stages of the buying process. Some are just in the research stage, and others have been driving their hybrids for a year. Lower HP for a person who has a lot of hwy time might be a major consideration. Each person's needs are so individualized. There are many things to consider: price, mileage, comfort, family situation, concern for the environment, the auto's appearance, and so on. What is right for you may not be right for someone else. That's why we share. We want to be helpful.
  • all4hondaall4honda Posts: 1
  • caazcaaz Posts: 203
    Corrine....i switched to Denso irridium plugs.....04 mil made a difference....on my 2004 hch...then i went a step farther...i put in a K&N airfilter for about 40$...made another difference...i think ill look for the intake..those mods i did made small improvements...nothing intake would help even more..another consideration...a regular civic...even the base dx..much less expensive than a sister has an 05. gets 34 city and last weekend she went on a 450 mile 40.7 on the trip...not bad for a non hybrid..and the extra 10,000$ buys more gas than you could ever save before the car has 300k on it and you sell it
  • ddfreetddfreet Posts: 5
    Hey -- can I jump in on the K&N piece? I've got an '06 Civic Hybrid and am wondering if a K&N filter will help MPG -- don't care about power increase per see, just mileage. Whaddya think?

  • zaken1zaken1 Posts: 556
    Putting a K&N filter on a Civic Hybrid will not help MPG, for two reasons. Firstly, modern fuel injected cars use a closed loop mixture control system, in which an oxygen sensor in the exhaust pipe constantly monitors the air/fuel mixture, and compensates for any variation in fuel mixture by automatically changing it back to the factory setting. So you really can't change the mixture by making external modifications to the engine. Racers who want to change the mixture have to do so by modifying the computer. The only effect a lower restriction air filter could have is to change the mixture; and the computer on this car will automatically compensate for any mixture changes. Secondly, the fuel mixture in this car is already factory set for maximum economy. So, even if the mixture could be made any leaner or richer, it would just make the mileage worse.
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