Honda Civic Type Rs...are they quick enough enough?
Discussion
Just been reading this months CAR where they suggest the new 197 BHP Subaru BRZ feels slow and has to be caned to outdrag even modest turbodiesels...well ive fancied a Type R (EP3) for ages but they too have 197 BHP, so Im thinking, are they quick enough in the real world these days. Im talking mid range day to day poke, not the spec sheet 0-60 times which are obviously really impressive. What do Type R owners think?
Had an EP3 Type-R for nearly a month now and yes it's plenty quick enough without using the VTEC, I really don't think you'd feel dissapointed with its poke at all to be honest.
Motrorway acceleration is great in 6th, and the pull through all the other gears is plenty enough for very swift travelling.
Motrorway acceleration is great in 6th, and the pull through all the other gears is plenty enough for very swift travelling.
had an ep3 and an fn2 and they are both plenty fast enough...responsive, great gear change and extra oomph in vtec....good hot hatches. If you have come from a punchy turbo car they take a while to get used to as you have to rev the engine to get the best from them BUT the engine response and lightness of the cars makes up for it.
One of the things that made me want a Civic after my Cupra R was the step down in straight line pace, I wanted more foot in time. They are certainly quick enough though, you don't need to be screaming away on the VTEC to make decent progress, though with 6 close spaced gears, you will need to be in the right gear at the right time - they certainly aren't a car for those used to lazy turbo power or diesel torque.
If of course, you do choose to keep the car on the VTEC you will certainly be attaining some very illegal speeds fairly quickly.
What they lack in straight line pace against the 240bhp+ turbo crowd of today, they more than make up for in sheer involvement and fun. As much as I love many turbo cars out there, in a way the absolute purity of the snappy, instantaneous throttle and the screaming engine makes the Type R feel really alive, whereas, despite the impressive pace I feel that turbo cars can lack that final layer of connectivity and enjoyment. I suppose one of the best things about the engineering of the Type Rs is that you can drive them to 8000rpm on a daily basis and not feel like you are thrashing them, even though the engine will be making a joyous scream above about 5800rpm
If of course, you do choose to keep the car on the VTEC you will certainly be attaining some very illegal speeds fairly quickly.
What they lack in straight line pace against the 240bhp+ turbo crowd of today, they more than make up for in sheer involvement and fun. As much as I love many turbo cars out there, in a way the absolute purity of the snappy, instantaneous throttle and the screaming engine makes the Type R feel really alive, whereas, despite the impressive pace I feel that turbo cars can lack that final layer of connectivity and enjoyment. I suppose one of the best things about the engineering of the Type Rs is that you can drive them to 8000rpm on a daily basis and not feel like you are thrashing them, even though the engine will be making a joyous scream above about 5800rpm
EP3 is a great Drive, especially for the Money you can pick them up for now. I Had two in the past, loved them both.
Put it this way. I went on a run up in Scotland in my Standard EP3 with 50 Scoobies, ranging from standard to modified. I was never left behind!! Several comments consisted of, what kind of power is in that car, is your Civic Modified, those Type Rs are damm quick!!!
So yeh, they are plenty fast enough, and quite easy to drive fast also.
However if you want the Daddy, FD2 all the way, thats a couple of steps up again from the EP3. Funnily enough i have one for sale.lol.
Get an EP3, you won't regret it.
Put it this way. I went on a run up in Scotland in my Standard EP3 with 50 Scoobies, ranging from standard to modified. I was never left behind!! Several comments consisted of, what kind of power is in that car, is your Civic Modified, those Type Rs are damm quick!!!
So yeh, they are plenty fast enough, and quite easy to drive fast also.
However if you want the Daddy, FD2 all the way, thats a couple of steps up again from the EP3. Funnily enough i have one for sale.lol.
Get an EP3, you won't regret it.
Took my ex Golf GTi owning paramedic mate out the other week who is used to driving V8 ambulances at break neck speed and got a "f
kING Hell!" out of him. 
By the way I'm 45 and don't do the traffic light grand prix anymore so really don't burn away in 1st or 2nd and find the acceleration pretty damn good through the other gears.
Like I said earlier, you won't be dissapointed.
kING Hell!" out of him. By the way I'm 45 and don't do the traffic light grand prix anymore so really don't burn away in 1st or 2nd and find the acceleration pretty damn good through the other gears.
Like I said earlier, you won't be dissapointed.
DC5TEG said:
However if you want the Daddy, FD2 all the way, thats a couple of steps up again from the EP3. Funnily enough i have one for sale.lol
Apart from the fact the oem suspension will be too stiff for UK roads and your just driving around in a jumped up hybrid, then yeah the FD2 is the daddyJournos in general (no, not all, but read the mainstream mags and tell me I'm wrong) are lazy and spoilt. They've got used to big-power and (worse) big-torque cars, and as a result can't be arsed to work a gearbox and engine to extract the performance from a car. Hence why they all think turbocharged cars and those with automated manuals / DSG boxes are great...
e.g. - wife's MkV GTi is virtually identical in a straight-line to my ITR. But to drive them the GTi gives a much bigger 'kick in the back'. A journo would probably slate the "torque-less" ITR vs the GTi (133 vs 207 - big gap on paper!), despite it having ~15-20% shorter gearing in 1-4 and an extra 33% rev-range. To drive them the ITR is so much more rewarding, but also harder work when in "give-and-take" situations.
IMHO 150bhp/tonne (i.e. BRZ/CTR/GTi territory) is 'enough' for real-world performance driving. 200bhp/tonne is "properly quick", and 300bhp/tonne (no, NOT him! ) is licence-losing territory.
All of which is to say that I think the BRZ is probably quick enough. Hell, the Mk1 MX5 would be left for dead by a modern TDi repmobile, but from a driver's perspective, WGAF???
e.g. - wife's MkV GTi is virtually identical in a straight-line to my ITR. But to drive them the GTi gives a much bigger 'kick in the back'. A journo would probably slate the "torque-less" ITR vs the GTi (133 vs 207 - big gap on paper!), despite it having ~15-20% shorter gearing in 1-4 and an extra 33% rev-range. To drive them the ITR is so much more rewarding, but also harder work when in "give-and-take" situations.
IMHO 150bhp/tonne (i.e. BRZ/CTR/GTi territory) is 'enough' for real-world performance driving. 200bhp/tonne is "properly quick", and 300bhp/tonne (no, NOT him!
) is licence-losing territory.All of which is to say that I think the BRZ is probably quick enough. Hell, the Mk1 MX5 would be left for dead by a modern TDi repmobile, but from a driver's perspective, WGAF???
Mastodon2 said:
How is the FD2 a jumped up hybrid? It's a K20 engine isn't it?
Go and check out the Hybrid that was released at around the same time as the FN2 and shortly before the FD2 was released - its a jumped up hybridor is this a hybrid of a FD2'R
Edited by kingstondc5 on Sunday 22 April 12:23
kingstondc5 said:
Apart from the fact the oem suspension will be too stiff for UK roads and your just driving around in a jumped up hybrid, then yeah the FD2 is the daddy
And you'll be the guy that has never owned one then, eh!! lol.Yeh OEM suspension is damm stiff, but thats the way it should be on such a track focused car. It has never spoilt my enjoyment, and for any one that it does bother, under 200 bucks sorts it out with two new Koni Shocks. So hardly a deal breaker eh for owning the DADDY of all Type Rs(Not counting NSXR.lol)
Am waiting now for you to quote all the parts that are the same as the Hybrid?
kingstondc5 said:
Go and check out the Hybrid that was released at around the same time as the FN2 and shortly before the FD2 was released - its a jumped up hybrid
or is this a hybrid of a FD2'R
So it's a "jumped up hybrid" in the same way that a BMW M3 CSL is a "jumped up 318d" then?or is this a hybrid of a FD2'R
Edited by kingstondc5 on Sunday 22 April 12:23
DC5TEG said:
And you'll be the guy that has never owned one then, eh!! lol.
Yeh OEM suspension is damm stiff, but thats the way it should be on such a track focused car. It has never spoilt my enjoyment, and for any one that it does bother, under 200 bucks sorts it out with two new Koni Shocks. So hardly a deal breaker eh for owning the DADDY of all Type Rs(Not counting NSXR.lol)
Am waiting now for you to quote all the parts that are the same as the Hybrid?
Question is, why would i want to own one?Yeh OEM suspension is damm stiff, but thats the way it should be on such a track focused car. It has never spoilt my enjoyment, and for any one that it does bother, under 200 bucks sorts it out with two new Koni Shocks. So hardly a deal breaker eh for owning the DADDY of all Type Rs(Not counting NSXR.lol)
Am waiting now for you to quote all the parts that are the same as the Hybrid?
So its not the 'daddy' then is it...
Sorry not geeky enough to know
What on earth are you on about?? The fd2 type-r is just the hot version of the 8th generation civic saloon. Exactly the same as all type-r's have always been modified versions of the base car...
The civic saloon, of which the hybrid is just one of many engine and spec variants, was sold in America and Japan primarily. UK only got the hybrid, is this the reason for your assertion?
The civic saloon, of which the hybrid is just one of many engine and spec variants, was sold in America and Japan primarily. UK only got the hybrid, is this the reason for your assertion?
AntiguaBill said:
What on earth are you on about?? The fd2 type-r is just the hot version of the 8th generation civic saloon. Exactly the same as all type-r's have always been modified versions of the base car...
The civic saloon, of which the hybrid is just one of many engine and spec variants, was sold in America and Japan primarily. UK only got the hybrid, is this the reason for your assertion?
Yes i know that, its what i was hoping that Mastodon2 was going to figure out for himself.The civic saloon, of which the hybrid is just one of many engine and spec variants, was sold in America and Japan primarily. UK only got the hybrid, is this the reason for your assertion?
DC5Teg - so disagreeing and asking you questions is now trolling, ok fair enough you must have some interesting conversations with yourself then as anyone else with a differing opinion must infact be 'trolling' or 'rage posting' as a response
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