A Good Item For The Civic Hybrid

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Ted Kaplan - 25 Apr 2006 03:11 GMT

I hate to admit it, but my son, the car enthusiast was right. I have an 05
civic hybrid with about 4600 miles on it. And although it runs reasonably
well, I still felt it could use a little help in its quest to drive like a
"real" car. I just installed a K&N air filter, and this seems to have been
the trick. The car now accelerates and gets the kind of gas mileage I
assumed it should have when I purchased it. In mixed city/highway, it's
getting in the low to mid forties as opposed to the high thirties before
adding the filter. Furthermore, it is smoother and accelerates on a par
with most of the othe cars I tried to match up to today. In any case, I
think it's worth the investment.

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TeGGeR® - 25 Apr 2006 12:47 GMT

> I hate to admit it, but my son, the car enthusiast was right. I have
> an 05 civic hybrid with about 4600 miles on it. And although it runs
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> tried to match up to today. In any case, I think it's worth the
> investment.

How long do you intend on keeping the car?
http://home.usadatanet.net/%7Ejbplock/ISO5011/SPICER.htm
Abrasives in your combustion chamber are not conducive to engine
longevity.

Also, yhere have been reports of IAC motors and throttle bodies sludging up
with the particulates allowed through by K&N-type filters.

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TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

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Theodore Kaplan - 26 Apr 2006 01:38 GMT

As for the length of time I'll keep this car, the warranty on the battery
pack will probably be the determining factor. Insofar as the amount of dirt
allowed into the engine, I would think frequent oil changes (5000miles),
plus frequent cleaning of the filter should minimize any problems. The
increase in performance and fuel economy is worth it at the current price of
gas.

>> I hate to admit it, but my son, the car enthusiast was right. I have
>> an 05 civic hybrid with about 4600 miles on it. And although it runs
[quoted text clipped - 16 lines]
> up
> with the particulates allowed through by K&N-type filters.

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TeGGeR® - 26 Apr 2006 02:09 GMT

> As for the length of time I'll keep this car, the warranty on the
> battery pack will probably be the determining factor. Insofar as the
> amount of dirt allowed into the engine, I would think frequent oil
> changes (5000miles), plus frequent cleaning of the filter should
> minimize any problems.

Yeah, except that every speck of that dirt has to scrape past your rings
before it gets into your oil. You like sandpapering your rings and bores? I
don't.

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TeGGeR®

The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ
www.tegger.com/hondafaq/

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Gordon McGrew - 26 Apr 2006 02:17 GMT

>As for the length of time I'll keep this car, the warranty on the battery
>pack will probably be the determining factor. Insofar as the amount of dirt
>allowed into the engine, I would think frequent oil changes (5000miles),
>plus frequent cleaning of the filter should minimize any problems.

Sure. Once the piston rings bounce over that little quartz particle
at about 60 mph, the oil will pick it up and maybe run it through the
bearings a couple times before it gets caught by the oil filter.

Check the oil change schedule for dusty conditions. I bet it is less
than a 5000 interval.

> The
>increase in performance and fuel economy is worth it at the current price of
>gas.

Maybe your son could help you prove this. Have him switch the K&N
with the stock filter randomly after each fill-up. You check the gas
milage and subjectively rate the performance on each tank. I have to
say that I am skeptical that the difference is as much as you say but
I could be wrong.

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flobert - 25 Apr 2006 16:56 GMT

>I hate to admit it, but my son, the car enthusiast was right. I have an 05
>civic hybrid with about 4600 miles on it. And although it runs reasonably
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
>with most of the othe cars I tried to match up to today. In any case, I
>think it's worth the investment.

It performs better beause it's less of an iairflow impedment. Its the
difference between trying to breathe through a sieve's mesh, and
trying to breathe through a sponge. Try it for yourself. Then go
somewhere dusty and try it.

Hope your engine likes the taste of grit.

You could probably have saved yourself a lot of money, and just stuck
a pair of tights across the air filter box, or the intake end, or
hell, just not bothered at all. iirc, the tights actually are a better
filter than your K+N.

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