RE: Honda Integra Type R: PH Carpool
Discussion
Jazzy Jefferson said:
nickfrog said:
Why ?
"Red seats""Massive wing"
"People racing at lights"
"More banzai"
Where's the information on what it's like to drive, own and run? It seems very non PH-like.
Go easy and relaaaaxxxx...
The guy hasn't said he's a journalist or should he have to defend his command of the English language. It's about his experiences so far with an Integra Type R.
I owned one new in 1999, my seats were Red, it also had a "massive wing", yes people did want to race you off the lights, and I regularly enjoyed winding the rev counter towards double digits.
They are one of if not THE best FWD car produced, the driving experience is raw, it's engaging, the engine noise, even the cabin noise with it's thin carpets and lack of sound deadening, the chassis is just so sublime and communicative. I had very happy times, most memorable was winding it off the end of the speedo and watching the fuel gauge drop by 1/4 in not a lot of distance
The Type R made me feel like driving just for no reason at all.
Edited to say having read below, the gearchange, the first car I'd driven that had a gear change like a Rifle bolt.
Edited by Evo on Monday 7th October 12:30
One of my big regrets in life is selling my DC2 (over 10 years ago now) but I was getting murdered on the insurance (well over £2500 a year) but not quite as much of a regret as selling my Griffith 500.
I bought the dc2 as the best handling car I could afford at the time and the closest to the way my Dallara felt like. Utterly sublime springs to mind.
The one thing I never got was the whole VTEC kick thing - from my perspective if you got to feel that kick then you're driving it wrong. The one time you should get it is in first gear pulling away and then it was a problem rather than something to look forward to as it never happened quite when you needed it (ie instantly)...
I bought the dc2 as the best handling car I could afford at the time and the closest to the way my Dallara felt like. Utterly sublime springs to mind.
The one thing I never got was the whole VTEC kick thing - from my perspective if you got to feel that kick then you're driving it wrong. The one time you should get it is in first gear pulling away and then it was a problem rather than something to look forward to as it never happened quite when you needed it (ie instantly)...
I had a JDM 98 spec in rare silver and far and away the best car I've ever owned and also regret selling. It was the ultimate do-everything car for me. Awesome to drive, awesome practicality, and for me, probably the best looking coupes of the 90s. It did 20k per year quite happily and returned 39mpg on average when driven sensibly on the commute. It was only 113k miles when I bought it, only thing needing replacing was the thermostat. The ONLY thing i would criticise it for is how noisy it was, perfect when you are driving for the sake of it, but sometimes got too much for my little ears at 6am on a slippery winter day just commuting. But that's why god invented ear plugs.
I have a DC5 now along with an EG4. hmm, DC2 suspension bolts straight onto an EG4 you say?
I bought the DC5 to replace the S2000/eg4 combo, but i'm struggling to bring myself to get rid of the eg. The DC5 is good, more competent in every way, but somehow just feels less special, but I can't put my finger on why.
I have a DC5 now along with an EG4. hmm, DC2 suspension bolts straight onto an EG4 you say?
I bought the DC5 to replace the S2000/eg4 combo, but i'm struggling to bring myself to get rid of the eg. The DC5 is good, more competent in every way, but somehow just feels less special, but I can't put my finger on why.I enjoyed reading your article Nickfrog and I didn't think it was infantile at all. Don't worry, there are a plethora of miserable stuffy old whingebags on PH, and that's coming from me!
It was my last car and I constantly regret selling it. I'm going to get another in a few years I think. Don't sell yours for any reason.
It was my last car and I constantly regret selling it. I'm going to get another in a few years I think. Don't sell yours for any reason.
Usget said:
Take this silly article away somewhere I can't read it.
I'm not over having to sell mine yet, and this is not helping a bit. They just feel so satisfying to drive. I exchanged it for cash and an MX5, and the PH hero, whilst good fun in its own right, can't hold a candle to the "silly white racing car" as my nephew called it.
One day I'll have another one, probably when they're twice the bloody price.
+1 was a good egg that car. Once I'd sorted the mechanicals and you'd done the bodywork! I'd have another in a heartbeat, although I think i'd go for a '98 spec JDM this time round. I'm not over having to sell mine yet, and this is not helping a bit. They just feel so satisfying to drive. I exchanged it for cash and an MX5, and the PH hero, whilst good fun in its own right, can't hold a candle to the "silly white racing car" as my nephew called it.
One day I'll have another one, probably when they're twice the bloody price.
Couldn't recommend TGM in fleet enough. Top guys, always chatty and helpful. Mine was making a whining noise, Honda main dealer in Fleet diagnosed it as a diff problem. Tom from TGM had said it was a clutch before the end of the lane.... correct he was!
Ive had my DC2 UK 99 spec for some 7 years now! Longest i have ever owned the same car for. Loved every second of it. You get ample feedback from all the controls which is not always the case in cars that are 2 or 3 times the Integras power and cost. For the last 3.5 years it has been relegated as a fair weather & weekend car only. Makes it even more special when i do get it out the garage. I still get alot of comments on it. Not many nice original examples about these days. Never to be repeated i expect.
Just perfect.
Just perfect.
Another ex DC2 owner here, had mine seven years too, and it did everything you guys are saying, trackdays, commuting, moving house, weekends away, it was a cheap, practical car that also managed to be one of the sweetest handling machines around, a sublime chassis at the limit, benign at sensible speeds. Yes the motor was a little weak low down but you were doing it wrong if you drove it that way.
I run an Ep3 Civic these days, as its the closest thing I could justify thats still cheap and reliable. Its not the same though, not nearly.
I run an Ep3 Civic these days, as its the closest thing I could justify thats still cheap and reliable. Its not the same though, not nearly.
This takes me back about 12 years! Unfortunately I owned my DC2 at a time in my life where there were so many cars I wanted to own before life's commitments prohibited it, that I was changing my car every 6-12 months.
There are not many cars I regret selling, but this is one of them! A real underdog, certainly not a looker (aesthetically I preferred the JDM headlights). But by far the best front wheel drive car I've ever driven with the Accord Type R a close second. Shortly after Honda went all i-VTEC on us and the Type R brand became nothing more than a mainstream hot hatch
There are not many cars I regret selling, but this is one of them! A real underdog, certainly not a looker (aesthetically I preferred the JDM headlights). But by far the best front wheel drive car I've ever driven with the Accord Type R a close second. Shortly after Honda went all i-VTEC on us and the Type R brand became nothing more than a mainstream hot hatch
Nice to see another DC2 floating around and receiving such a nice fed back article. I had a DC2 for 3.5yrs and sold it around 2007/8, still really miss the buzz it used to give me.
JDM 96 Spec and used to average 30-32mpg on a daily commute and well a lot less on a blast. Thing I like best about them is how bullet proof they are, you can throw them around day in day out on a track and never have a problem as long as you keep it well maintained and serviced and the look on peoples faces when their car on paper is so much more powerful and able but they cant shift you from hanging onto their rear end is immense. Even better when you hit that band and pass them though :-)
JDM 96 Spec and used to average 30-32mpg on a daily commute and well a lot less on a blast. Thing I like best about them is how bullet proof they are, you can throw them around day in day out on a track and never have a problem as long as you keep it well maintained and serviced and the look on peoples faces when their car on paper is so much more powerful and able but they cant shift you from hanging onto their rear end is immense. Even better when you hit that band and pass them though :-)
Very nice car OP! Wonderful cars that do everything pretty well without being too compromised; I loved mine and I'm considering another as a daily at some point. The sound is very addictive!!
I remember a rainy trackday in Bedford in mine and whilst all the Porsche's were slithering around struggling for grip, me and my pal in our dc2's were running rings around them of course when it dried out, we got smoked...
Great fun!
I remember a rainy trackday in Bedford in mine and whilst all the Porsche's were slithering around struggling for grip, me and my pal in our dc2's were running rings around them
of course when it dried out, we got smoked...Great fun!
FD3Si said:
Utterly wonderful cars. My wife had hers for about 3.5 years, we did 40k in it.
Did her daily drive duties, holidays, track days, MTB trips, engine hauling, log carrying, house moving, and all it ever needed was regular maintenance.
Worst thing about them is that they goad you to drive them hard - they can feel a little inert at low effort, but get them on the boil and start hurling them around, and the chassis and engine package is so rewarding, it's hard to think how it could be bettered. One of the only cars we've had I've not felt the need to modify - partly because everything is so well set up, and partly because there's not much headroom in it anyways!
Adjustability on the limit is just brilliant, the LSD and chassis balance almost makes it feel as if it's driven from somewhere in the middle.
We only sold it as we needed a 4 door to ease my wife's back for getting the little guy in and out. And DB8's are horrendously ugly! Genuinely, properly sad to see it go - my wife cried as it was driven off!
A real high point in Honda's history - a proper Type R.
To be pedantic it's not. Did her daily drive duties, holidays, track days, MTB trips, engine hauling, log carrying, house moving, and all it ever needed was regular maintenance.
Worst thing about them is that they goad you to drive them hard - they can feel a little inert at low effort, but get them on the boil and start hurling them around, and the chassis and engine package is so rewarding, it's hard to think how it could be bettered. One of the only cars we've had I've not felt the need to modify - partly because everything is so well set up, and partly because there's not much headroom in it anyways!
Adjustability on the limit is just brilliant, the LSD and chassis balance almost makes it feel as if it's driven from somewhere in the middle.
We only sold it as we needed a 4 door to ease my wife's back for getting the little guy in and out. And DB8's are horrendously ugly! Genuinely, properly sad to see it go - my wife cried as it was driven off!
A real high point in Honda's history - a proper Type R.
The DC5 is the only proper Type R, as it's the only one which was designed to be a Type R from the get-go, rather than a standard car which was Type R-ified. Still miss my DC2 after it was written-off, when I was rear-ended. Last time I heard somebody had bought it and it was shipped to Ireland. DC2 No. 2762, where are you now?
Its replacement, a DC5, which I've had for 7 years, IMHO feels just as special. OK if you held a gun to my head, it's not as good but I'm not on a track every weekend, where the differences can be felt. Commuting and going to the shops, it feels just as good in everyday life as the DC2.
Edited by mp3manager on Monday 7th October 13:46
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