Civic Type R What are they like in the real world

[10 Pence Short]

Mr. Potato Head said:

10 Pence Short said:

If you move to another tyre, you have to be very careful, as tyres with softer sidewalls (an example would be the old Eagle GSD3s)totally ruin the handling characteristics.

Funny how people are different, because my mum fitted GSD3s to hers because she didn't like the wet performance of the Bridgys, and her, my dad and I prefer them

I'm not saying you're wrong btw - far from it

OP: try one. It's a Marmite car, but I love em. Can you get the kids in an Integra?

Edited by Mr. Potato Head on Sunday 26th October 09:57

What you say is quite right- it's a subjective decision in what you prefer. When I had mine I used to drive it quickly- too quickly (which I would find to my cost some years later, as it happens). My priority was to keep the balance and feel of the car, which was very difficult with the Eagles, as they were too soft.

Just for anyones info- the best compromise I found were Pirelli P-Zero Rossos, which were more stiff then the Goodyears, yet had a better wet weather compound than the Bridgestones.

As with the poster above, the best advice is to hunt a good one out and try one.

[nath123]

I ran an 02 plate ctr for 4 years[40,000mls] never had any trouble with it just serviced it every year and checked the oil every week.The bridgestones gripped excellent in the dry but found them very noisy ,it is a car you either love or hate, compared to my previous cars it was alot more full on to drive but gave me a smile whenever i drove it.There are a lot of ctr's for sale out there now so you can be fussy.

[Mr. Potato Head]

10 Pence Short said:

Mr. Potato Head said:

10 Pence Short said:

If you move to another tyre, you have to be very careful, as tyres with softer sidewalls (an example would be the old Eagle GSD3s)totally ruin the handling characteristics.

Funny how people are different, because my mum fitted GSD3s to hers because she didn't like the wet performance of the Bridgys, and her, my dad and I prefer them

I'm not saying you're wrong btw - far from it

OP: try one. It's a Marmite car, but I love em. Can you get the kids in an Integra?

Edited by Mr. Potato Head on Sunday 26th October 09:57

What you say is quite right- it's a subjective decision in what you prefer. When I had mine I used to drive it quickly- too quickly (which I would find to my cost some years later, as it happens). My priority was to keep the balance and feel of the car, which was very difficult with the Eagles, as they were too soft.

Just for anyones info- the best compromise I found were Pirelli P-Zero Rossos, which were more stiff then the Goodyears, yet had a better wet weather compound than the Bridgestones.

As with the poster above, the best advice is to hunt a good one out and try one.

Don't tell my mum, because she might not enjoy her next holiday so much with worry about her car, but I find the 215/35 Eagles are more progressive when they run out of grip than the Bridgestones (I also find this with my GTI having had both on my car too - it helps mask my lack of talent). Plus, the slightly smaller rolling radius makes the car feel a bit "lighter on it's toes"
Again, a subjective opinion.

Erm, must get back on topic. Sorry.

Ahem. Best gearlever location ever imho.

Edited by Mr. Potato Head on Sunday 26th October 10:48

Edited by Mr. Potato Head on Sunday 26th October 10:49

[D1MAC]

10 Pence Short said:

I'm not sure how you can suggest the tyres weren't that good when you didn't compare them against anything else? Tyre's are made with a compound and construction to get performance in certain conditions. There is always compromise. What one person classes as 'better' another could say is worse. For example, fitting Goodyear Eagles improved traction, particularly in the wet, but the soft sidewalls left the handling ruined. I preferred to keep the feel and balance and accept that I didn't get the same traction in wet conditions with the Bridgestones.

The same way I know that I wouldn't like to shag Jade Goodie or Jodie Marsh.
I think I have enough intelligence & experience behind the wheel to know what doesn't feel good and the Civic didn't in the wet. In fact it didn't feel any better than the various boggo hire cars I had while I owned it. For a daily use road car there was just too much variation IMO and that was down to the tyres.
However, I was too lazy/tight to change all 4 so just drove round it.

10 Pence Short said:

As for the front suspension, there were never any huge problems with the Civic. The only problem I had in my time with one was a loose anti roll bar, which isn't exactly hard to fix.

Well I had rather last chunks of mine replaced, the only other owner I met had similar problems (and ended up selling the car as a result) and I've read enough on the interweb over the last few years to know it is an issue. Maybe it isn't number one on the list of issues but it exists & it's a dear one to sort outside of warranty.

10 Pence Short said:

All in all, it is easy to have one car and tell people that the faults you've had are likely to happen to others, which obviously isn't the case. From memory, I had the following faults with mine over 125,000 miles:
- 4 alloy wheels replaced under warranty due to corrosion
- 1 new gearbox due to bearing whine in 4th
- 3 new steering racks
- 3 new steering rack control units (separate to the rack failures)
- New rear suspension arms
- Numerous dashboard rattles
- Blocked throttle body shortly after 110,000 miles
- Faulty sensor reading CAT failure when there wasn't one
- Replacement exhaust manifold after the metal on an internal joint sheared and lodged in the CAT

There was also the issue of having to have the bonnet resprayed 3 times after requiring a repair, when they really struggled to paint match the Nighthawk Black.

Jeez, I thought mine had questionable reliability!

However, conversely, if no one ever lists the issues they have, a common fault is never likely to be known about (or even exist at all in some respects).


Well I had 2 steering racks, the front suspension as above, rattly dashboard, dodgy alarm and idle problems.
I'd say that suspension & steering were issues, as is the alarm and the paint (even if it isn't just Honda) but the dash I'd be happy to put down to lightweight construction, sort of.

[anel2ka]

I'm not liking the sound of this!

I was in the market for one as I thought them to be super reliable!!

[_Lee_]

anel2ka said:

I'm not liking the sound of this!

I was in the market for one as I thought them to be super reliable!!

They are generally very reliable however the mk1's had some issues.

Mine and lots of others take years of thrashing with no issues at all.

Compared to all of the other hot hatches they are super reliable.

[pbirkett]

If you want reliable, get a teg. Mine, which was 9 years old when I bought it almost 2 years ago, has not had a single thing go wrong.

As an added bonus, its cheaper, rarer, and more fun to drive.

Win win.

(But I might be biased )