Mk1 Focus RS vs EP3
Discussion
Baryonyx said:
How will the Ford fight back? I know some were reputed to be a right dog to drive on some roads (and rumours abound that some of the front LSD's were set up incorrectly on some of the cars leaving the factory). Aside from the RS's oft-described tendency to tight the cornering line under throttle as opposed to widening out, how will it fight back? I would have thought the Civic would have been the more tenacious car on the road, saying as keeping the front wheels gripping is left to the driver, and the driver is tasked with keeping the engine in the high reaches of the rev range, rather than just relying on a bootful of torque for the turbo?
Not picking fault here, just genuinely interested as I love both cars and I find them fascinating. I could probably even just live with the interior in the Focus. Just.
By fighting back I mean through the steering wheel, you do have to be careful in the lower gears that both hands are on the steering wheel when boost arrives or it can have tenancy to rip your hand off the wheel. The only reason you wouldn't ever have both hands on the wheel is when changing gear but it does happen. Not picking fault here, just genuinely interested as I love both cars and I find them fascinating. I could probably even just live with the interior in the Focus. Just.
I suppose what I am saying is that you need to be a little more aware when pressing on in the Focus but because of this it is more rewarding, the torque also suits B Road driving which is something the Honda lacks however on track the Type-R really comes alive.
Both wonderful cars,
Baryonyx said:
(and rumours abound that some of the front LSD's were set up incorrectly on some of the cars leaving the factory)
That was something Neil Briggs alluded to although he didn't say whether it was a different oil spec or washers etc..I asked Max Torque about it but don't think he said much about it although he did mention tyre issues etc which was interesting
Depends on your driving preferences. I looked at an EP3 and Leon Cupra R (similar comparison to the RS Focus) and went for the Leon due to its low down grunt. The Civic had to be driven too hard all the time for my liking.
Using this as a basis I'd go for a Focus, but it's down to how you like to drive.
On a personal note, my brother had a 270bhp one and it bloody went like the clappers!
Using this as a basis I'd go for a Focus, but it's down to how you like to drive.
On a personal note, my brother had a 270bhp one and it bloody went like the clappers!
Nick_Johnson said:
Marry all of the above with the fact that a decent low milage Type-R Premier will cost you on avarage £3,000 less than a equivalent MK1 Focus RS must mean that the Honda has this in the bag? Right!
Errm No! For all of its flaws the RS is a much better handling car thanks to its propper Hydraulic Power Steering which inspires so much convenience and provides an unrivalled amount of feel through the steering wheel, something of which Honda can only dream of. Then there is the torque baising differential which helps tuck the nose of the RS into every corner, once it has done this it then allows the driver to exploit all available power much earlier with out spinning it all away which is what happens in the EP3.
For way under 3k you could fit the hydraulic DC5 rack (coupled with an electric PAS pump) and fit an ATB diff to the Civic to fix these two issues (which do spoil an otherwise great car).Errm No! For all of its flaws the RS is a much better handling car thanks to its propper Hydraulic Power Steering which inspires so much convenience and provides an unrivalled amount of feel through the steering wheel, something of which Honda can only dream of. Then there is the torque baising differential which helps tuck the nose of the RS into every corner, once it has done this it then allows the driver to exploit all available power much earlier with out spinning it all away which is what happens in the EP3.
Alias218 said:
The Civic had to be driven too hard all the time for my liking.
That's odd, I do over 300 miles a week in mine, and don't find I have to drive it hard all the time? It's not the most relaxed car for motorway cruising, but that encourages you to keep the speed down and get some pretty good mpg numbers (a lot better than the Focus I suspect). It has a very useful amount of torque at low RPM for city driving, you can accelerate quite rapidly by short shifting.Mr2Mike said:
Alias218 said:
The Civic had to be driven too hard all the time for my liking.
That's odd, I do over 300 miles a week in mine, and don't find I have to drive it hard all the time? It's not the most relaxed car for motorway cruising, but that encourages you to keep the speed down and get some pretty good mpg numbers (a lot better than the Focus I suspect). It has a very useful amount of torque at low RPM for city driving, you can accelerate quite rapidly by short shifting.Changing gear at low revs mean you're still far faster than most cars on the road.
Agree with the two commnets above, use mine for about 250 miles a week and it can be driven like a shopping trolley (usually how my missus drives it), a hot hatch or a bonkers mental thing. 
Wouldn't want to drive it for a nose to tail London commute, but for my 20 mile drive to work, it's superb.
As for the 'chav' comment on the first page, grow up.
Wouldn't want to drive it for a nose to tail London commute, but for my 20 mile drive to work, it's superb.
As for the 'chav' comment on the first page, grow up.
s m said:
That was something Neil Briggs alluded to although he didn't say whether it was a different oil spec or washers etc..
I asked Max Torque about it but don't think he said much about it although he did mention tyre issues etc which was interesting
I'm sure I saw a Chris Harris vid too where he said that some of them felt great and that some of them just felt utterly rubbish, regardless of which year the car was made. Odd stuff, but I suppose they are probably pretty sensitive to their set up, I cant imagine the lowered ones with aftermarket wheels are any near as good as a standard one (a good standard one, not one of the dodgy ones obviously).I asked Max Torque about it but don't think he said much about it although he did mention tyre issues etc which was interesting
currybum said:
My little brother has the newer shape Civic type-R and lives in London, unless you are on the open road having all the performance above 5,000rpm is a little frustrating, and you feel like a complete berk screaming around in town.
If you are using the equivalent performance a Civic Type-R has above 5000rpm round town, you are being a berk whether you are getting it from torque or revs.currybum said:
My little brother has the newer shape Civic type-R and lives in London, unless you are on the open road having all the performance above 5,000rpm is a little frustrating, and you feel like a complete berk screaming around in town.
You certainly would feel a berk screaming it around town, and rightly so because there is absolutely no reason you need to do this. As other people have said, the performance at lower RPM is more than adequate for normal driving.currybum said:
My little brother has the newer shape Civic type-R and lives in London, unless you are on the open road having all the performance above 5,000rpm is a little frustrating, and you feel like a complete berk screaming around in town.
Eh? 
What's frustrating, it's not like they're slow or anything.
s m said:
Baryonyx said:
(and rumours abound that some of the front LSD's were set up incorrectly on some of the cars leaving the factory)
That was something Neil Briggs alluded to although he didn't say whether it was a different oil spec or washers etc..I asked Max Torque about it but don't think he said much about it although he did mention tyre issues etc which was interesting
I would take the EP3 over the Focus personally. To me the Civic feels more of an integrated package designed to be so from the get go. The Focus, to me, feels exactly like what it is, a modified car.
Edited by SuperchargedVR6 on Friday 7th December 12:02
The steering on the EP3 CTR reminds me of a Logitech PS2 controller with the force feedback turned off. For that reason, i would buy something else.
As the only option in the OP's original post is the FRS, i would go for that. Havent driven one, but the CTR is pap imho. How can you lean on a car when you have no idea which way the front wheels are facing?
Steering feedback > Vtec yo.
As the only option in the OP's original post is the FRS, i would go for that. Havent driven one, but the CTR is pap imho. How can you lean on a car when you have no idea which way the front wheels are facing?
Steering feedback > Vtec yo.
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