Civic Type R - First hot hatch
Discussion
P1H said:
The torque 'issue' is simply not a problem and just adds to the enjoyment of the car. BUT in reality I'm afraid is doesn't pull cleanly in 6th at 35mph with one passenger, let alone 4. But, this isn't an issue as it takes a second to change down to third and really enjoy the car.
Well, I can only speak for my car, but it did it. I also took my brother and his girlfriend to Manchester airport early this morning, so thats 3 people, 30kg luggage, and a full tank of fuel and it pulled in 6th from 30mph.. obviously it goes without saying was tectonic acceleration at first, but still - I agree with other posters when they say the lack of torque on vtec engines is exaggerated a little bit.CHIEF said:
What is the steering like on the pre-facelift and how does it compare to your MX5?
I miss the steering feel of the MX5, you can feel everything that the front wheels are doing almost down to the atomic level. Theres less body roll on the Civic when comparing standard cars, and more grip. I wouldn't go as far to say the electric steering is strange on the Civic, its fine once you get used to it, I just see it as a characteristic of the car. Would benefit massively from an LSD though.
Guys, excuse the daft question but how quick are these in comparison to a 350z? I have around £5000 or so to spend in the next month on a car and have been considering a Type R.
My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
Guys, excuse the daft question but how quick are these in comparison to a 350z? I have around £5000 or so to spend in the next month on a car and have been considering a Type R.
My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
Had my prefacelift NHB example coming up to a year now and absolutely love it, had a much newer Clio 182 before and the Civic feels a much better screwed together car along with the performance. Anyone who knows the clio's knows they have a noticeable "kick" at 5k RPM, thought it felt quick until I experienced VTEC for the first time, proper usable performance. Just ticked over 106k miles and aside from the common fault of the immobiliser box needing replacing on the pre facelift cars, it's been an example of reliability.
Running Hankook V12 evo's on mine and can't rate them highly enough, that said these cars really would benefit from the LSD that the DC5 and JDM EP3's have fitted.
Also, if you're looking at casual track days or anything, can't recommend the eibach pro lowering springs enough! Subtle drop (20mm from memory) and don't noticeable firm up the ride on the road if used with standard dampers.
Keep an eye on your oil level, if venturing above 6k is your thing, they do use a drop! Happy motoring!
Running Hankook V12 evo's on mine and can't rate them highly enough, that said these cars really would benefit from the LSD that the DC5 and JDM EP3's have fitted.
Also, if you're looking at casual track days or anything, can't recommend the eibach pro lowering springs enough! Subtle drop (20mm from memory) and don't noticeable firm up the ride on the road if used with standard dampers.
Keep an eye on your oil level, if venturing above 6k is your thing, they do use a drop! Happy motoring!
P1H said:
The torque 'issue' is simply not a problem and just adds to the enjoyment of the car. BUT in reality I'm afraid is doesn't pull cleanly in 6th at 35mph with one passenger, let alone 4.
Mine did. Not hard, but cleanly. Compare to trying the same thing in the Impreza turbo 2000 my kid sister had back then, which just bogged down and stuttered.Darren156 said:
Guys, excuse the daft question but how quick are these in comparison to a 350z? I have around £5000 or so to spend in the next month on a car and have been considering a Type R.
My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
About 25% heavier, but with at least 40% more power, depending on year. Couple of seconds quicker to 100. My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
Personally, when two seaters are an option practicality-wise, hot hatches don't even make the long list.
hello buddy - fellow EP3 owner here!
regarding tyres - conti sport 5's seem to get great reviews, the bridgestones are known to be a bit of a handful in the wet.
Someone also mentioned Eibach lowering spring, if you are going down this route the ABP Eibach's are perfect IMO (30mm all round) without any need for arch rolling on OEM wheels.
I also agree that the standard HU is very poor quality however the speaker setup is likewise. I would suggest changing all audio equipment maybe keeping an eye on ebay for a good bargain.
LSD is great to have however is not cheap. You already mention (I think) that yours has done quite a few miles so if you are to get an LSD fitted I would recommend getting a clutch replaced at the same time or vice versa.
Also register your self on the CTRO forum - a wealth of info for you there!
Enjoy
regarding tyres - conti sport 5's seem to get great reviews, the bridgestones are known to be a bit of a handful in the wet.
Someone also mentioned Eibach lowering spring, if you are going down this route the ABP Eibach's are perfect IMO (30mm all round) without any need for arch rolling on OEM wheels.
I also agree that the standard HU is very poor quality however the speaker setup is likewise. I would suggest changing all audio equipment maybe keeping an eye on ebay for a good bargain.
LSD is great to have however is not cheap. You already mention (I think) that yours has done quite a few miles so if you are to get an LSD fitted I would recommend getting a clutch replaced at the same time or vice versa.
Also register your self on the CTRO forum - a wealth of info for you there!
Enjoy
11110111 said:
regarding tyres - conti sport 5's seem to get great reviews, the bridgestones are known to be a bit of a handful in the wet.
Bridgestones handful in the wet? The 040's were ok, 050's as good as anything else I've tried when it's wet and excellent when it's dry. Don't believe all you read on CTR forums, a lot of it is one persons opinion repeated which then gets repeated again and eventually becomes gospel.RE040s are not particularly good in the wet, but they're ok. I never tried anything else on my Civic, but I changed them for RE050As on my RX-8 and for Yokohama AD07/AD08 on my Elise. The RX-8 was better in the wet on the 050s, but felt less sharp in the dry, and on the Elise the Yokohamas make the Bridgestones look silly.
Darren156 said:
Guys, excuse the daft question but how quick are these in comparison to a 350z? I have around £5000 or so to spend in the next month on a car and have been considering a Type R.
My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
Depends what you want to do with it. On big, sweeping A roads and dual carriageway drag racing, the 350Z would get away. On tighter roads, the weight and size of the Z stand against it. However, while £5000 would get you a minter of an EP3, it would probably only get you a pretty leggy 350Z, or the shabbiest of E46 M3s with a knackered boot floor. The thing is, neither of these two cars are in the same league as the EP3 in terms of running cost. In particular, tyres and fuel are going to cost a lot more, tax will be higher, and the M tax on the M3 parts will be a lot more expensive than fixing bits on the Civic. And the Civics tend not to go wrong either, which is handy.My issue is that the E46 M3s and 350Zs I've seen are all a bit ropey and at the bottom end of the scale whereas for 5K I could get a much better condition Type R.
Performance wise is the Civic more on par with a 330ci? I want something quick but slightly practical, hence my hesitation on the 350Z.
If you want a fast two seater, I'd look at an MR2 Turbo. They are a handy 240bhp, and can be had pretty cheaply, won't cost as muchto run as any other the other 3 options.
Sometimes the small things in life matter too:
From:
To:
Lots of new under-bonnet insulation clips to replace the old knackered ones:
New battery cover plate to replace the rusty, ugly original:
Had a sidelight out, Brother found some unused LED ones, so I took them for now (original on left):
Also got rid of the questionable, tatty non OEM red mats for a new OEM set:
Apologies for the red blur on the pictures, dodgy fitting iphone case!
I know this update hardly sets the world alight, but I'd like the car to be as mint ad possible.
From:
To:
Lots of new under-bonnet insulation clips to replace the old knackered ones:
New battery cover plate to replace the rusty, ugly original:
Had a sidelight out, Brother found some unused LED ones, so I took them for now (original on left):
Also got rid of the questionable, tatty non OEM red mats for a new OEM set:
Apologies for the red blur on the pictures, dodgy fitting iphone case!
I know this update hardly sets the world alight, but I'd like the car to be as mint ad possible.
Thanks! Rusty bolts let it down in the engine bay so will be repainting or replacing those soon. Still happy with the standard car for the moment, would like to toy with a noisier induction if I ever get the funds.
Very happy with the engine on the car so far too, 3000 hard miles with me and its probably used about 0.3-0.5 litres.
Very happy with the engine on the car so far too, 3000 hard miles with me and its probably used about 0.3-0.5 litres.
Did a couple more bits recently:
Swapped the leather gaitor for an OEM one:
Fitted a super cheap ebay fake mugen oil cap, but in all likelyhood will swap it back at some point:
And in tribute to the fantastic K20 engine, I bought a K20 air freshener (smell lasted all of 2 days though):
Just a teaser update for now, hoping to start a bit of maintenance when the weather improves.
Swapped the leather gaitor for an OEM one:
Fitted a super cheap ebay fake mugen oil cap, but in all likelyhood will swap it back at some point:
And in tribute to the fantastic K20 engine, I bought a K20 air freshener (smell lasted all of 2 days though):
Just a teaser update for now, hoping to start a bit of maintenance when the weather improves.
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