With little more effort that cruising along slowly, Civic tuners can put one on wherever they go. Burnouts, scissor doors and sounding the engine’s rev-limiter at stop-lights help too. Incidentally, so does sporting a stereo that can rattle a city block’s worth of restaurant windows-- if you’re so inclined.
Many tuners, your writer included, are more concerned with ‘go’ than ‘show’. For us, Honda’s Si-designated Civic model is a bit of a legend.
The 2010 Si carries on a tradition of factory-tuned fun with a standard 197-horsepower engine that revs, smiling, to 8,000 RPM. Add in the upgraded brakes tires and suspension, and the Si proves remarkably well-equipped to entertain its drivers whenever they feel the itch. It stands for ‘Sport Injected’, by the way.
To take in the best show the Civic Si could offer, Honda set their journalist guests up with a high-speed road-course at the Homestead Miami Speedway. Canadian racing legends Patrick Carpentier and Scott Goodyear were on hand to offer driving tips and help us squeeze every drop out of the vehicles.
The Si’s powerplant is known amongst enthusiasts as the ‘K20’. Among other things, it delivers a notable ramp-up of thrust and exhaust volume as the tachometer sweeps past 5,800 RPM. A short-ratio six-speed gearbox keeps the engine spinning between that point and the 8,000 RPM rev limiter during track driving.
Get the little VTEC engine wound up, and it’ll sing to you all day long while the body dances around corners with a light and lively responsiveness. More powerful cars are available to shoppers in the Civic Si’s pricing ballpark, though the Honda K20 engine is probably the most entertaining normally-aspirated four-banger on the road today.
The Si powers cleanly out of corners that make more powerful front-drive cars wastefully ignite their tires. Additionally, the factory short-throw shifter will see drivers finding excuses to change gears.
With exemplary front-drive handling characteristics, a diligent limited-slip differential and forgiving suspension, the package adds up for a car that’s entertaining and fun to drive at virtually any skill level.
Pushed to the ragged edge all day long on the track, Honda’s fleet of Civic Si testers performed flawlessly aside from a few temporarily-spongy brake pedals and the occasional whiff of smoke from the brake pads.
Best of all? Word in the Honda enthusiast circle is that the K20 engine loves upgrades. That makes the Civic Si a sensible weekend track car for some-- and a good start for others.
Want a bit of warm and fuzzy patriotic goodness with your personal performance pocket-rocket? Standard and ‘Si’ Civic models, and their engines, are made right here in Canada.
Most Civic’s go through various owner-customization modifications once they’ve entered the used market. Since the current model is available both new and used on dealer lots, these modifications will start to become even more popular. In fact, Honda has a growing selection of upgrades available through dealerships for the current 8th-generation Civic Coupe and Sedan.
Many tuners, your writer included, are more concerned with ‘go’ than ‘show’. For us, Honda’s Si-designated Civic model is a bit of a legend.
The 2010 Si carries on a tradition of factory-tuned fun with a standard 197-horsepower engine that revs, smiling, to 8,000 RPM. Add in the upgraded brakes tires and suspension, and the Si proves remarkably well-equipped to entertain its drivers whenever they feel the itch. It stands for ‘Sport Injected’, by the way.
To take in the best show the Civic Si could offer, Honda set their journalist guests up with a high-speed road-course at the Homestead Miami Speedway. Canadian racing legends Patrick Carpentier and Scott Goodyear were on hand to offer driving tips and help us squeeze every drop out of the vehicles.
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| Photo: Justin Pritchard/Auto123.com |
The Si’s powerplant is known amongst enthusiasts as the ‘K20’. Among other things, it delivers a notable ramp-up of thrust and exhaust volume as the tachometer sweeps past 5,800 RPM. A short-ratio six-speed gearbox keeps the engine spinning between that point and the 8,000 RPM rev limiter during track driving.
Get the little VTEC engine wound up, and it’ll sing to you all day long while the body dances around corners with a light and lively responsiveness. More powerful cars are available to shoppers in the Civic Si’s pricing ballpark, though the Honda K20 engine is probably the most entertaining normally-aspirated four-banger on the road today.
The Si powers cleanly out of corners that make more powerful front-drive cars wastefully ignite their tires. Additionally, the factory short-throw shifter will see drivers finding excuses to change gears.
With exemplary front-drive handling characteristics, a diligent limited-slip differential and forgiving suspension, the package adds up for a car that’s entertaining and fun to drive at virtually any skill level.
Pushed to the ragged edge all day long on the track, Honda’s fleet of Civic Si testers performed flawlessly aside from a few temporarily-spongy brake pedals and the occasional whiff of smoke from the brake pads.
Best of all? Word in the Honda enthusiast circle is that the K20 engine loves upgrades. That makes the Civic Si a sensible weekend track car for some-- and a good start for others.
Want a bit of warm and fuzzy patriotic goodness with your personal performance pocket-rocket? Standard and ‘Si’ Civic models, and their engines, are made right here in Canada.
Most Civic’s go through various owner-customization modifications once they’ve entered the used market. Since the current model is available both new and used on dealer lots, these modifications will start to become even more popular. In fact, Honda has a growing selection of upgrades available through dealerships for the current 8th-generation Civic Coupe and Sedan.
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