2006 Honda Civic SI Coupe - Cobb AccessPORT And Access Tuner Race Beta - Modified Magazine

Proving Grounds


Description COBB Tuning's AccessPORT is one of the most widely used and affordable ECU flashing, managing and monitoring devices available for Subaru, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Mazda owners. The newest AccessPORT, designed to interface with the '06+ Honda Civic Si and its K20Z3 197-bhp iVTEC engine, is COBB's first foray into the world of Honda engine management.

Just like all AccessPORTs, installation is a breeze. Simply plug it into your Civic's OBD-II diagnostic port (located under the dash on the driver side) and you're ready to fire up the handheld AccessPORT programmer. Once the programmer has successfully interfaced with your Civic's ECU, you can begin to put its full functionality to the test.

For a device costing just $695, its list of features is very impressive. Not only will it allow you to reflash your ECU with one of the preloaded maps or any of COBB's Stage 1 and Stage 2 maps from its online database, they also have anti-theft (engine will not start) and valet (engine will not rev beyond 3500 rpm) maps for a little added security. The AccessPORT is also a powerful monitoring device, allowing you to monitor and data log signals from every sensor on board, from air/fuel ratio to cam phasing to throttle position. And for those of you who don't have access to a dyno or dragstrip, the AccessPORT also offers performance measurements including 0-60 mph, 60-foot and quarter-mile e.t.'s and trap speed, as well as horsepower and torque estimates.

For the truly hardcore, COBB has also just released a free Beta of its AccessTUNER Race software, giving you full custom mapping ability that was previously only available using the ProTUNER software (meant to be used by pro tuners at COBB-approved dyno tuning facilities). This powerful piece of software allows you (or a pro tuner) to fine-tune ignition, fuel and cam phasing maps for your specific engine setup. It also allows you to tweak the drive-by-wire throttle calibration and VTEC engagement point, plus it has some other cool features like Launch Control and knock sensor sensitivity control. It's also worth mentioning that there's an online forum for AccessTUNER users at cobbforums.com, where custom maps can be exchanged and tuning tips shared, and if all else fails COBB's outstanding technical support from its in-house calibration experts is just a phone call or email away.

Results
Because we wanted to test the full range of outcomes possible with a tuning tool like the AccessPORT, we started the process by having our '06 Civic Si car owner (Andrew "Moose" De La Cour) recalibrate the MAF sensor himself and then install one of the AccessPORT's preloaded maps (he chose a Stage 1 map that he felt most closely matched the intake and exhaust mods on his car). He also attempted to customize the tune himself before taking the car to Sasha at SG Motorsports for a professional dyno tuning session.

In the end, the COBB AccessPORT has allowed us to address four key issues when tuning a '06+ Civic Si: throttle response, throttle hang, VTEC cross-over and air/fuel and cam phasing changes to take full advantage of the existing bolt-on power-adders. Honda's factory program for the DBW throttle is tuned for emissions and fuel economy, which translates to a noticeable throttle hang and sluggish throttle response.

According to Moose, our test mule owner, "As part of the tune we used the Cobb V1.04 maps, which removed 95 percent of the throttle hang, and we updated the throttle tables to a hybrid table (Civic Type-R and USDM Civic). These changes transformed the dynamics of the car. With the OE tune the car felt as if I was driving with 20 pounds of cotton wrapped loosely around my right foot, but with the changes we've made via the AccessPORT my right foot finally feels like it's going commando on the gas pedal! This allows me to more accurately and precisely control throttle inputs, and by lowering the VTEC cross-over by 1000 rpm the engine is delivering much smoother and more linear power overall. It's also worth noting that the learning function of the factory ECU resulted in LTFT (Long Term Fuel Tables) that were showing an average of 6 percent fueling correction, but after Sasha worked his magic on the fuel maps the LTFT were showing an average correction of just 1.2 percent, or about four times better than we started with."

Our '06 Civic Si owner is clearly a happy camper. Who wouldn't be with the sort of power gains and driveability improvements that have been achieved thanks to the AccessPORT and SG Motorsport's custom tune?

Test Mule
'06 Honda Civic Si
Coupe
Engine
2.0-liter K20Z3
Relevant Mods
Custom airbox and GReddy SP after-cat exhaust

Key Features
Access Port
>>Simple installation: just plug it into your OBD-II port

>>Preloaded base maps you can easily toggle between

>>Performance measurements including 0-60 mph time, quarter-mile and trap speed

>>Multi-channel data logging

>>Read and clear engine trouble codes

>>Easy to uninstall and return ECU to factory condition

AccessTUNER
Race Beta
>>Access to COBB's map database

>>Outstanding tech support

>>Public Race Tuner forum support; share and change maps with others