Dynapack Confirmed: 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T CVT Makes 177 HP & 190 Lb-Ft
By Paulo Acoba
Hondata strapped their 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T with CVT to their pair of dynapacks and found out that the 2016 Honda Civic makes 177 HP and 190 lb-ft at the wheel axles. Earth Dreams just kicked in yo.
It’s been months since the 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T has been on the market and it seemed like no one wanted to strap their brand new ride on a dyno to see how much power that 1.5T really makes. Earlier last month Hondata promised they’d publish a dyno run on their 2016 Honda Civic test vehicle and earlier today, they finally delivered.
According to their runs on a pair of dynapack chassis dyno’s, the 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T with CVT transmission made 177 HP and 190 lb-ft. Peak boost comes in at 14 psi around 4,700 PRM Keep in mind that Honda published official power numbers of 174 HP and 162 lb-ft.So did Honda purposely underrate their engines? Probably not.
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First, this was the 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T equipped with a CVT transmission. Since there’s no exact match between engine RPM and the turning speed of the driveshaft in a 1:1 ratio, it’s quite difficult to gain a true HP reading from any dyno. Thankfully Honda automatically outfits every CVT with the ability to “shift” through five gears by mimicking a standard automatic transmission with no power loss along the way. We’re going to assume Hondata used this feature to facilitate their time on the dynapack.
Then there’s Honda’s CVT with torque converter. It’s commonly known that torque converters have the effect of amplifying torque so keep in mind that while the CVT might make more torque than horsepower at the wheel axles, a 1.5T with a standard six- speed manual may come out with a lower torque rating. According to Hondata, Honda engineers have gave power ratings at the engine.
To wrap up their video, Hondata pitted their 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T CVT against a 2015 Honda Civic Si and ran them down the track. Since high winds prevented them running the full quarter mile, an eighth-mile drag race was used. At the line the 1.5T, like before, bested the Si by .2 seconds. We’ve attached a screenshot of the timeslip below.
Hondata did mention that they’re keen to put a 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T with a standard transmission on their dynapacks whenever that comes out. Currently, Honda is in the final stages of adding a six-speed to the 1.5T with that option coming out later this year.
Dynapacks and dynos are tools of the aftermarket and OEM industry to measure power keeping certain variations in mind. Not all dynos are the same and these dynapack numbers should be taken with a grain of salt. Generally, Dynapacks numbers are fairly consistent and do eliminate the variable of power being routed through the wheels and tires.
Next: Hondata Proves 2016 Honda Civic EX-T Is Faster Than 9th Gen Civic Si
As far as the 2016 Honda Civic 1.5T, you really can’t say Honda’s don’t have torque anymore. They in fact have lots of torque and just might blow by you at the light if you don’t glance over at what you’re running against.