---
title: "This Tuner Can Unlock the Civic Type R Hiding In Your 2018 Honda Accord"
description: "As certain as death and taxes, the all-new 2018 Honda Accord soldiers on as a rock-solid choice for a family sedan. But there's always room for improvement, and the folks at Hondata have figured out how to unlock a lot more power from that detuned Civic Type R engine under the hood with a simple plug-and-play device."
date: "2018-02-19"
modified: "2018-02-20"
authors:
  - name: "Kyle Cheromcha"
    job_title: "Editor-in-Chief"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/kyle-cheromcha"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/18593/this-tuner-can-unlock-the-civic-type-r-hiding-in-your-2018-honda-accord"
categories:
  - "Honda News"
  - "News"
  - "News by Brand"
tags:
  - "Civic"
  - "compact"
  - "Hatchback"
  - "honda"
  - "Honda Accord"
  - "Honda Civic"
  - "Hondata"
  - "sports car"
  - "Tuning"
  - "turbocharged"
  - "Type R"
---

# This Tuner Can Unlock the Civic Type R Hiding In Your 2018 Honda Accord

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/02/accord-2.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

As certain as death and taxes, [the all-new 2018 Honda Accord](<https://www.thedrive.com/new-cars/14720/2018-honda-accord-first-drive-review-can-this-all-new-family-car-save-the-sedan>) soldiers on as a rock-solid choice for a family sedan. But there's always room for improvement, and the folks at Hondata have figured out how to unlock a lot more power from that detuned Civic Type R engine under the hood with a simple plug-and-play device.

Purists gnashed their teeth when Honda announced it would be eliminating naturally-aspirated V6 engines in the new Accord, but at least the company saw fit to offer up a punchy turbo-four in its stead. Slightly softened from the version found in its bonkers hot hatch, the 2.0-liter engine is rated at 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque in the midsize sedan. Not bad—but not good enough [for Hondata.](<https://www.hondata.com/products/flashpro/flashpro-2018-accord?filter=5>)

https://youtube.com/embed/AyDhJtapFXQ

Using some of the same ECU magic [they performed last year on the Civic Si,](<https://www.thedrive.com/article/9852/new-hondata-tune-boosts-the-2018-honda-civics-turbo-engine-past-the-si>) Hondata has developed a pair of preset software tunes that help the Accord find its inner Type R. They started by strapping a stock 2.0T model [to the dyno](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/16674/watch-this-overboosted-triple-turbo-cummins-diesel-engine-explode-on-the-dyno>) to get a baseline reading, and the Accord delivered 266 hp and 292 lb-ft on California's excuse for premium gas (that's 91 octane). The Stage 1 tune bumps those numbers up by 10 and 40 respectively, to 276 hp and 332 lb-ft, which is already a marked improvement.

![message-editor%2F1519027266368-dims.jpg](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/message-editor/1519027266368-dims.jpg>)
**Hondata**

But Stage 2 takes things even further, pushing the Accord's engine to 288 hp and an impressive 377 lb-ft—in layman's terms, that's a crapton of torque. And while the horsepower gain is more modest, keep in mind that these are the peak output numbers. In the middle RPMs, where a lot more everyday driving takes place, owners should see an increase of 50 hp from the stock power curve.

Honda sells the FlashPro device for $695, which plugs into the Accord's OBDII port, or you can take it to a Hondata-certified dealer and have them install one of the stage tunes for about half the price. Either way, it's much cheaper t[han a Civic Type R.](<https://www.thedrive.com/watch-this/12042/watch-the-2017-honda-civic-type-r-rip-from-0-to-144-mph>)

## Author
Overseeing an expert staff of writers and editors from his lair in Los Angeles, Kyle shapes The Drive’s singular approach to covering the automotive industry and car culture. He’s been with the site as a writer since 2017, taking over as editor in 2019. On a daily basis, Kyle is responsible for directing The Drive's editorial news and car review content strategies, setting special coverage priorities, managing complex reporting projects, and ensuring what you read on the page meets our high internal standards for quality and trustworthiness. He is also the executive producer of The Drive's YouTube channel, which was relaunched in February 2024 to great acclaim and has accumulated over 14M new views in its first year back on the scene. He hosts a biweekly series on the channel where he breaks down fascinating and complicated stories from the automotive world.

### Author social links  
[Bluesky](<https://bsky.app/profile/kylecheromcha.bsky.social>)  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/kylecheromcha>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/kyle-cheromcha-1550248a/>)