Does anybody know where the extra 10 BHP from a jap spec civic VTi dissapears to when it crosses the ocean to the UK? Are these 10bhp easy to claim back or is it a major strip and rebuild job to get the full 170 ? I only ask as I have searched for a vti for a few years and purchased a UK spec model a few days ago but it seems to have much less grunt than previous vtis I have been in (which really throws your head into the seat - especially when the vtec cuts in).

any help would be much appreciated.

kf

check your compression, it may be leaking a little or it could really need a tuneup. the power loss is from a lower compression ratio. i assume your VTI is about the same as our SI, so im going to say its a 160hp b16, right? the b16 in our si has a compression ratio of 10.2 and the japanese one has 10.4, you could gain some of that and more with a new head gasket from either Spoon or Mugen, though they are kinda pricey. here they go for about 110-150 USD.

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Yes, there's a "Replacement for Displacement". Its called Volumetric Efficiency.

could possibly be detuned on purpose... maybe through some kind of agreement or emissions laws?

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-brian