Tuning the Honda D16

"Comprehensive guide to tuning the Honda D16 engine!"

Our aim here is to review D16 tuning and point out the greatest modifications. Honda D16 great bases for a tuning project and with the optimum motorsport tuning mods like remapping, turbo improvements and camshafts you will maximize your driving pleasure.

The top D16 mods on an engine are as we have found the ones that give the best value for money.

We won't be swayed by popular D16 mods, they need to be cost effective.

Significant gains on the D16 can be made from cam upgrades. Altering the cam profile alters the intake and exhaust durations on the engine and can dramatically change the bhp and power output.

NB: Fast road cams usually boost the torque across the rev range, you could sacrifice a little low down bhp but higher rpm power will be lifted.

Motorsport and race cams, boost the higher rpm power band but as a result the car will not idle smoothly and low end power nearly always suffers.

In a typical daily driver you need to optimize your engines power to your usage of the car.

I would be surprised if you have ever thought a D16 Motorsport and race cam is a pleasure to live with when driving around busy urban areas.

Each engine responds better to less aggressive camshaft durations so set your engine up on a rolling road.

The ECU mapping and fuelling also have an effect on the power gains you'll hit.

A longer valve duration can alter the power band and on most engines the exhaust and intake durations do not need to match, although most cams and tuners use matched pairs there are some advantages to extending the intake or exhaust durations.

Stage 1 modifications: Fast road camshaft, Panel air filters, Drilled & smoothed airbox, Remaps/piggy back ECU, Sports exhaust manifold, Intake headers.

Stage 2 modifications: fuel pump upgrades, high flow fuel injectors, Ported and polished head, Fast road cam, Sports catalyst & performance exhaust, induction kit.

Stage 3 modifications: Internal engine upgrades (head flowing porting/bigger valves), Competition cam, Twin charging conversions, Adding or Upgrading forced induction (turbo/supercharger), Engine balancing & blueprinting, Crank and Piston upgrades to alter compression.

Remaps allows a tuner to unlock the full potential of all the mods you've fitted to your D16.

It will usually give around 30% more power on turbocharged vehicles and you can expect to see around 15% on NASP engines, but the outcome usually differs on the mods you've fitted and the condition of your engine.

Getting air into your D16 is the whole point to any performance tuning project.

Intake take the air from the air cleaner and allow it to be sucked into the engine cylinders.

Structure and flow rate of the Plenum can make a big effect on to fuel atomisation on the D16.

Many mass produced engine plenum chambers are crying out for aftermarket tuning parts, although a few manufacturers provide decently flowing plenum chambers.

Increasing the D16 valve size, doing some 3 or 5 angle valve jobs and porting and head flowing will also improve bhp and torque, and more importantly will raise potential for increasing the bhp and torque increase on other parts.

Turbo upgrades

NASP engines need quite a lot of work when you add a turbo, so we have a separate guide to help you take into account the pros and cons of going this route on your D16

The more air you can get into an engine, the more fuel it can burn and uprating the induction with a turbocharger upgrade makes impressive power gains.

If the engine has a turbocharger upgrades are giving better power gains and turbo engines are built with strengthened components.

There are practical limits for every engine, with some being incredibly solid and some only just able to handle stock power

It is important to find these limitations and install better pistons and crank to utilize the power.

There are many car owners spending a loads on turbocharger upgrades on the D16 only to see the motor explode just after it's completed.

Bigger capacity turbos commonly suffer a bottom end lag, and small turbos spool up quickly but don't have the high rpm torque gains.

In the last 10 years the selection of turbochargers is always moving on and we are seeing variable vane turbochargers, permitting the vane angle is altered according to speed to lower lag and increase top end bhp.

Twin scroll turbochargers divert the exhaust gases into a couple of channels and direct these at differently designed vanes in the turbo charger. They also help the scavenging effect of the engine.

You'll commonly see there is a restriction in the air flow sensor MAF/MAP on the D16 when loads more air is being drawn into the engine.

We see 4 bar air sensors coping with quite large power gains, whereas the OEM air sensor sapped performance at a much lower level.

Adding a supercharger or additional turbo will make large bhp and torque gains, although harder to get working. We have this guide to twinchargers if you want to read more.

Fuelling upgrades and mods

When you improve the power you will need to ramp up to the fuelling.

More power needs more fuel. Most tuners we speak with say to be generous with your flow rate on the injectors.

As a rule of thumb add 20% capacity when specifying an injector, this accounts for injector deterioration and affords you some spare capacity should the engine need more fuel.

We think this one is common sense, but you'll need to match your fuel injector to the type of fuel your car uses as well.

Exhaust upgrades and mods

Only look to improve your exhaust if the current exhaust is actually creating a restriction.

On most factory exhausts you'll see your flow rate is fine even on modest power gains, but when you start pushing up the power levels you will need to get a better flowing exhaust.

Sports exhausts can help balance the flow of gases through the engine.

But if the exhaust pipe is too large, ie: over 2.5 inches bore, you will lose much of your flow rate and end up losing power and torque.

Common exhaust restrictions typically happen through the catalyst and or DPF filters which manufacturers fit, especially as they start to get worn and carbon builds up, so adding a higher flowing performance alternative will help avoid this restriction.

Weak spots, Issues & common problem areas on the D16

The D16 engines, if regularly serviced and maintained, are generally very reliable and have few issues.

Regular oil changes are vital on the D16, particularly when the engine has been modified and is putting down more power than the manufacturer intended.

History of the D16 Engine

• 86–89 1.6 L D16A1 (Integra) DOHC
• 86–89 1.6 L D16A3 (Integra) DOHC (Australia)
• 88–91 1.6 L D16A6 (Civic) Si, (CRX) Si, (Civic) EX (South Africa)
• 88–89 1.6 L D16A8 (Integra) DOHC
• 88–89 1.6 L D16A9 (Integra) (CRX in Europe) DOHC (South Africa)
• 92–95 1.6 L D16Y1 (Civic) Vti SOHC (Australia)
• 96–00 1.6 L D16Y4 (Civic) İES NON VTEC(TURKEY)
• 96–00 1.6 L D16Y5 (Civic) HX VTEC-E
• 97–00 1.6 L D16Y7 (Civic) DX/LX/CX
• 96–00 1.6 L D16Y8 (Civic) EX/(Canada)Si VTEC
• 90–92 1.6 L D16Z5 (Civic) (CRX in Europe) DOHC
• 92–95 1.6 L D16Z6 (Civic) EX/Si, Del Sol Si VTEC
• 98–06 1.6 L D16A (HR-V) J/J4
• 98–06 1.6 L D16A (HR-V) JS/JS4 VTEC
• 96–00 1.6 L D16Y8 (Civic) EX/(Canada)Si VTEC

For more information on Tuning your Honda engine please join us in our friendly forum where you can discuss D16 tuning options in more detail with our D16 owners. It would also be worth reading our unbiased Honda tuning articles to get a full grasp of the benefits and drawbacks of each modification.

We need your help improving this article, so please send us your feedback in the comments box below and pass on any tips, points or facts we have wrong or have not covered.

We really like hearing from our readers, and hearing about which upgrades were the most effective for them, it helps us improve our recommendations and articles to reflect current trends in modifications and ensures that our guides and tips are kept up to date.

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This article is flagged for an update, so please pass on specific tips below that I can include. All articles, and content was written by me, Waynne Smith TorqueCars founder. Some outlines are just too general so I appreciate your feedback and suggestions. This entry was filed under Honda. You can leave a response below or join our forum to discuss this article and car modification in detail with our members.

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