Civic Type R - First hot hatch
Discussion
Hello all, thought I would show my latest acquisition which I got a couple of months ago.
I previously owned a MK2.5 MX5 for nearly 3 years before this, which I loved, especially on sunny driving trips to Goodwood and Wales. Having it as an only car when the girlfriend also has a small 2 seater however, despite our best efforts, soon became wearisome when we ended up caught out on occasion by the lack of boot space or rear seats. Daily drives 20 miles to work in the winter slush and ice were not ideal either. Also, having to sort the rust out on a 2004 car and a dodgy diff, coupled with the way I always wanted to modify it instead of saving for a house deposit, meant I had lost a bit of interest and it was time to call it a day. Great cars though, I will definitely have another one day but only as a weekend car:
However as driving and cars are my only real hobby, if I was to get something more practical, it had to be a decent drivers car, with a bit of poke. It also had to be financed in its entirety by the sale of the MX5 approaching winter and preferably Jap, being of the Gran Turismo generation. So there we have it:
A slightly over 100k mile pre-facelift EP3 Type R, serviced every 12k according to the history (some Honda), it's not without it's niggles but I intend for this to be sort of a rolling restoration.
Car is totally standard apart from some non OEM red interior mats, a leather gear gaitor, and mudflaps behind the front wheels (unsure whether to keep them yet) I want the car to remain pretty much standard, at least for the time being, I had coilovers on the MX5 and they had more negatives than positive for me. The car just needs a slight refresh. For example there is a few parking dings, front discs are thin, small patches of paint lacquer peeling, a couple of the suspension bushes are knackered, the air con condenser is pretty much non existent due to debris and/or corrosion and the coolant radiator will be going the same way soon. All of these things and more I hope to address as and when they become critical / affordable. I already have a new condenser and good second hand radiator ready to fit myself when the weather improves.
Firstly, the faded type R badge at the rear was replaced:
The car was due a service, so the air filter and oil was changed for a good 5w-40 fully synth. My car doesn't appear to be one of the ones that gulp oil so far which I am happy about. It's also a very quiet and smooth running engine which I hope demonstrates that it's been treated well in the past. I also had a couple of bumper clips missing, so they were bought online from Ling's Honda as well as new clips for the bonnet insulation as a couple were loose, and a new battery cover plate as the old one was starting to rust.
The poor headlights have been brightened up slightly by replacing the old bulbs for Osram Nightbreakers, and I took the car to Blink Motorsport in Winsford to check and adjust its standard wheel alignment:
Next few things on my mental to do list include:
- A proper deep clean and polish - It seems the Nighthawk Black colour is a pain to keep clean and shows up a cacophony of scratches and imperfections.
- Hondata airbox mod - if anyone has experience of this, I'd like to hear from you!
- Fit air con condensor and coolant radiator.
- New front brakes will be needed soon.
- Ditchfinding rear tyres will have to go at some point.
- Honda's standard radio/cd player is appalling. Speakers are also turd and can be improved even with cheap Halfords range I am sure.
Thanks for looking chaps, I would be interested in your comments, good and bad.
I previously owned a MK2.5 MX5 for nearly 3 years before this, which I loved, especially on sunny driving trips to Goodwood and Wales. Having it as an only car when the girlfriend also has a small 2 seater however, despite our best efforts, soon became wearisome when we ended up caught out on occasion by the lack of boot space or rear seats. Daily drives 20 miles to work in the winter slush and ice were not ideal either. Also, having to sort the rust out on a 2004 car and a dodgy diff, coupled with the way I always wanted to modify it instead of saving for a house deposit, meant I had lost a bit of interest and it was time to call it a day. Great cars though, I will definitely have another one day but only as a weekend car:
However as driving and cars are my only real hobby, if I was to get something more practical, it had to be a decent drivers car, with a bit of poke. It also had to be financed in its entirety by the sale of the MX5 approaching winter and preferably Jap, being of the Gran Turismo generation. So there we have it:
A slightly over 100k mile pre-facelift EP3 Type R, serviced every 12k according to the history (some Honda), it's not without it's niggles but I intend for this to be sort of a rolling restoration.
Car is totally standard apart from some non OEM red interior mats, a leather gear gaitor, and mudflaps behind the front wheels (unsure whether to keep them yet) I want the car to remain pretty much standard, at least for the time being, I had coilovers on the MX5 and they had more negatives than positive for me. The car just needs a slight refresh. For example there is a few parking dings, front discs are thin, small patches of paint lacquer peeling, a couple of the suspension bushes are knackered, the air con condenser is pretty much non existent due to debris and/or corrosion and the coolant radiator will be going the same way soon. All of these things and more I hope to address as and when they become critical / affordable. I already have a new condenser and good second hand radiator ready to fit myself when the weather improves.
Firstly, the faded type R badge at the rear was replaced:
The car was due a service, so the air filter and oil was changed for a good 5w-40 fully synth. My car doesn't appear to be one of the ones that gulp oil so far which I am happy about. It's also a very quiet and smooth running engine which I hope demonstrates that it's been treated well in the past. I also had a couple of bumper clips missing, so they were bought online from Ling's Honda as well as new clips for the bonnet insulation as a couple were loose, and a new battery cover plate as the old one was starting to rust.
The poor headlights have been brightened up slightly by replacing the old bulbs for Osram Nightbreakers, and I took the car to Blink Motorsport in Winsford to check and adjust its standard wheel alignment:
Next few things on my mental to do list include:
- A proper deep clean and polish - It seems the Nighthawk Black colour is a pain to keep clean and shows up a cacophony of scratches and imperfections.
- Hondata airbox mod - if anyone has experience of this, I'd like to hear from you!
- Fit air con condensor and coolant radiator.
- New front brakes will be needed soon.
- Ditchfinding rear tyres will have to go at some point.
- Honda's standard radio/cd player is appalling. Speakers are also turd and can be improved even with cheap Halfords range I am sure.
Thanks for looking chaps, I would be interested in your comments, good and bad.
Edited by seany87 on Monday 30th December 12:50
SteellFJ said:
Enjoy it, great fun for so little torque!
I prefer screaming NA motors to the turbo torque machines most fast cars seem to be today, so this is right up my street. Even when fully loaded with passengers and luggage the car pulls cleanly in 6th at 35mph, it's probably got the most torque of any car I have owned so far!Had mine coming up for two years now. I love it to pieces and wont be parting with it any time soon 
In terms of torque compare apples with apples. The EP3 is on par with any equivalent 2.0 N/A hatch - clio 182/fiesta ST... who don't get any torque related flack. I guess this comes from comparing more modern turbo hatches with the EP3 - Focus ST/Astra VXR etc... not to say the EP3 wont give them a run for their money
Good to see you got the geo done and don't skimp on tyres when it comes to it, you'd regret it! Enjoy
In terms of torque compare apples with apples. The EP3 is on par with any equivalent 2.0 N/A hatch - clio 182/fiesta ST... who don't get any torque related flack. I guess this comes from comparing more modern turbo hatches with the EP3 - Focus ST/Astra VXR etc... not to say the EP3 wont give them a run for their money
Good to see you got the geo done and don't skimp on tyres when it comes to it, you'd regret it! Enjoy
Thanks for the kind words guys.
Gdgd - can you recommend a decent mid to top range tyre for the EP3's? I tend not to go for the highest price ones because 1- I believe you then stray into the 'paying for the name' side of things and 2- I don't push the cars to the limits.
BMWNICK - Thank you, although the pictures were taken by my hamfisted self on an iphone. Not too fond of double din stuff especially touchscreen, plus I'd like to keep the storage under the radio. In truth, the radio will probably stay with the car whilst I own it, I don't really care too much for music compared to others.
Horney - Hello mate, been reading up about your Civic, looks mint! Hope your MX5 is still keeping you busy as well. I must say I miss having an LSD and rear wheel drive, but as an overall package the Civic is still good. I much prefer the rear lights on the pre-facelift, the facelift probably has a slightly nicer front end. I am led to believe there is a load of other improvements on the facelift cars such as lightened flywheel, improved steering etc. I have had plenty of grey cars in the past so tried to go for black this time.. although I would love a white DC5 one day..
Gdgd - can you recommend a decent mid to top range tyre for the EP3's? I tend not to go for the highest price ones because 1- I believe you then stray into the 'paying for the name' side of things and 2- I don't push the cars to the limits.
BMWNICK - Thank you, although the pictures were taken by my hamfisted self on an iphone. Not too fond of double din stuff especially touchscreen, plus I'd like to keep the storage under the radio. In truth, the radio will probably stay with the car whilst I own it, I don't really care too much for music compared to others.
Horney - Hello mate, been reading up about your Civic, looks mint! Hope your MX5 is still keeping you busy as well. I must say I miss having an LSD and rear wheel drive, but as an overall package the Civic is still good. I much prefer the rear lights on the pre-facelift, the facelift probably has a slightly nicer front end. I am led to believe there is a load of other improvements on the facelift cars such as lightened flywheel, improved steering etc. I have had plenty of grey cars in the past so tried to go for black this time.. although I would love a white DC5 one day..
I love the power and speed of the civic but I have to say hopping back in the 5 and booting it out of a damp T junction on the lock stops produces the bigger grin. I've actually just bought some 2nd hand GAZ GoldPro coilovers for it so they'll be going on in the next couple of weeks. They're very different beasts and are both brilliant in different ways and I love both in equal measure, I just now have an itch to make the 5 a little faster in a straight line.
Awesome little cars for the money! I've owned k20 cars for about 8yrs now and still love the performance!
Goodyear eagle assy 2s for tyres, about £100 a corner fitted. And go for a Do-luck drop in filter (£25 Sumo Power). Performance gain will be minimal at best, but it's cleanable properties make it worth it!
Enjoy! Here's my DC5
Goodyear eagle assy 2s for tyres, about £100 a corner fitted. And go for a Do-luck drop in filter (£25 Sumo Power). Performance gain will be minimal at best, but it's cleanable properties make it worth it!
Enjoy! Here's my DC5
skene said:
I have on '06 premier edition one and I absolutely love it!
Don't bother with the hondata air box mod, it doesn't make any noticeable difference or more noise. Even performance element filters aren't worth the coin!
Has it got any annoying rattles?
No annoying rattles which surprised me, the only slightly annoying things are an occasionally creaky accelerator pedal and some wind noise from what sounds to be the passenger door seal. I can live for them, for now.Don't bother with the hondata air box mod, it doesn't make any noticeable difference or more noise. Even performance element filters aren't worth the coin!
Has it got any annoying rattles?
The reason I asked about the Hondata mod is because I like the sound of induction kits on the K20 engines. However with the cheaper kits such as K&N's I am worried about heatsoak, and obviously the best kits like the Gruppe M cost a bomb as well as require slight modifications to the bay to fit. I am basically looking for a nicer noise for buttons, whilst ideally retaining the original airbox for airflow properties. If the mod really is not worth the cost of buying a cheap dremmell then I will give it a miss.
Mark - lovely DC5!!
I ran my EP3 with a K&N Typhoon in all weathers, I never experienced "heat soak" once. The only time I've ever experienced it was in a fairly highly tuned turbo car with an open cone on a very hot day, and even then once you get moving and cold air is flowing in at speed it's not an issue. People say they've experienced heatsoak in Type Rs in "slow moving traffic" - while there may be something to this, I never used VTEC, or indeed, hard acceleration in slow moving traffic. In a traffic jam, a Fiesta is as fast as a Veyron. On the plus side, if you get a nice induction kit on, you won't waste money upgrading the stereo, you'll never use it.
I was in a similar position; both my main car (Smart Roadster) and the Wifes company car are two seaters. So I went out looking for a 4 seat car to use as a work hack, keeping the smart for the weekends and track days.
I looked at a couple of Clio 182's and wasn't impressed. The wife called them chavy; luckily when she saw the EP3 she said it was "alright". So I bought it, and I have to say its the best car I've owned to date. Well worth the price I paid for it.
So much so that I'm now considering selling the Smart and keeping the EP3 for track days.
I looked at a couple of Clio 182's and wasn't impressed. The wife called them chavy; luckily when she saw the EP3 she said it was "alright". So I bought it, and I have to say its the best car I've owned to date. Well worth the price I paid for it.
So much so that I'm now considering selling the Smart and keeping the EP3 for track days.
seany87 said:
No annoying rattles which surprised me, the only slightly annoying things are an occasionally creaky accelerator pedal and some wind noise from what sounds to be the passenger door seal. I can live for them, for now.
The reason I asked about the Hondata mod is because I like the sound of induction kits on the K20 engines. However with the cheaper kits such as K&N's I am worried about heatsoak, and obviously the best kits like the Gruppe M cost a bomb as well as require slight modifications to the bay to fit. I am basically looking for a nicer noise for buttons, whilst ideally retaining the original airbox for airflow properties. If the mod really is not worth the cost of buying a cheap dremmell then I will give it a miss.
Mark - lovely DC5!!
Tegiwa airbox is cheaper alternative The reason I asked about the Hondata mod is because I like the sound of induction kits on the K20 engines. However with the cheaper kits such as K&N's I am worried about heatsoak, and obviously the best kits like the Gruppe M cost a bomb as well as require slight modifications to the bay to fit. I am basically looking for a nicer noise for buttons, whilst ideally retaining the original airbox for airflow properties. If the mod really is not worth the cost of buying a cheap dremmell then I will give it a miss.
Mark - lovely DC5!!
seany87 said:
I prefer screaming NA motors to the turbo torque machines most fast cars seem to be today, so this is right up my street. Even when fully loaded with passengers and luggage the car pulls cleanly in 6th at 35mph, it's probably got the most torque of any car I have owned so far!
Enjoy the car, I owned a facelift cosmic grey type r until I moved to an E92 330i recently. Great gear box, great engine, great road holding (with suitable tyres).
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.
seany87 said:
No annoying rattles which surprised me, the only slightly annoying things are an occasionally creaky accelerator pedal and some wind noise from what sounds to be the passenger door seal. I can live for them, for now.
The reason I asked about the Hondata mod is because I like the sound of induction kits on the K20 engines. However with the cheaper kits such as K&N's I am worried about heatsoak, and obviously the best kits like the Gruppe M cost a bomb as well as require slight modifications to the bay to fit. I am basically looking for a nicer noise for buttons, whilst ideally retaining the original airbox for airflow properties. If the mod really is not worth the cost of buying a cheap dremmell then I will give it a miss.
Mark - lovely DC5!!
I have a K&N and it doesn't suffer from heatsoak, even if it did I.e sitting in traffic, if you leave the original cold air feed to the air box, it's not long in cooling down again! The K&N is the best for vtec noise for buttons IMO. The tegiwa copy of the gruppe m is good, but far too loud as induction kits go.The reason I asked about the Hondata mod is because I like the sound of induction kits on the K20 engines. However with the cheaper kits such as K&N's I am worried about heatsoak, and obviously the best kits like the Gruppe M cost a bomb as well as require slight modifications to the bay to fit. I am basically looking for a nicer noise for buttons, whilst ideally retaining the original airbox for airflow properties. If the mod really is not worth the cost of buying a cheap dremmell then I will give it a miss.
Mark - lovely DC5!!
Another alternative would be to drill the airbox, a friend of mine did it to his, which ended up looking like Swiss cheese! He gained a small bit of noise but in the end upgraded to the Tegiwa.
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