Honda Civic EP3 - A gradual race car project
Discussion
After many years of lurking, I thought it was about time to start my own thread!
I’ve had my Cosmic Grey Honda Civic Type R ep3 for just over 4yrs, I picked it up as a completely standard and fairly well specced Facelift with 101k miles on the clock in 2019. Fast forward to 2023: 10+ track days, 2 hill climbs and 1 autosolo later, the car is now much more track focussed.
Eventually I want to do some circuit racing (Castle Combe Hot Hatch or similar), so this thread will document the car’s evolution in that direction!
I’ll do a separate post for each year with a quick rundown of what I’ve been up to with the car so far, but for now here’s a snap from a sunny Gurston Down a few years back.
Summary
I’ve had my Cosmic Grey Honda Civic Type R ep3 for just over 4yrs, I picked it up as a completely standard and fairly well specced Facelift with 101k miles on the clock in 2019. Fast forward to 2023: 10+ track days, 2 hill climbs and 1 autosolo later, the car is now much more track focussed.
Eventually I want to do some circuit racing (Castle Combe Hot Hatch or similar), so this thread will document the car’s evolution in that direction!
I’ll do a separate post for each year with a quick rundown of what I’ve been up to with the car so far, but for now here’s a snap from a sunny Gurston Down a few years back.
2020: An unexpected step into track days
I picked the car up in March 2019, it was completely standard when I bought it and had had chain+tensioner etc done, so was in good pretty good shape. I used it as my daily for a year or so (12k miles / year ). If I’m honest, I’m not that in to driving fast on the road and so rarely had an opportunity to keep the car ‘on the boil’. Given most of my time was spent in traffic, as you can imagine I didn’t really bond with it.
It wasn't long before I was thinking about replacing it and 12m later (In March 2020) I ended up getting something I felt was a bit more useably-fun to replace it, in the shape of a Golf R estate with Revo Intake and full Miltek exhaust. This was by far the fastest and most modern car I'd ever owned or driven at this point. The grip was just silly and it made an awesome daily. It was everything the Honda wasn't.
With the new purchase, the Honda had to be sold. But before I could shift it, COVID happened and so the EP3 got tucked away until the world opened up again…
Given how heavily restricted the rest of life was, I had a lot of time to think about cars and I decided it was finally time to do a track day and realised I now had the perfect car for it sat in the garage!
I figured it was also a good opportunity to try and learn a few basic bits on car maintenance, so I did my first ever oil change + fitted some Ferodo DS2500 pads. I'd bought some Motul RBF600 fluid too didn't fancy the brake bleed, so left that to the professionals.
Other than those bits it was fully standard and my first day was booked for my closest track, Castle Combe, to lose my track virginity!
Besides 1 ‘track experience’ day, I’d never driven on a track.
Anyway, as soon as I got on track the EP3 clicked for me. FINALLY, the car made complete sense. Being able to drive at much higher commitment levels and really lean on it opened my eyes to the potential. I only did 5 x 15m sessions before I was exhausted, but the car performed perfectly and the day was a success.
A month or so after the track day, I also had some fun swerving around cones in a carpark at an autosolo:
Having had the opportunity to push the car harder, I finally started to enjoy the Honda for what it was. At this point, I still had the Golf but would happily take the Honda any time the weather was nice.
As winter approached the Honda went back into the garage and it stayed tucked away for a while.
However, I think its fair to say I’d been bitten by the trackday bug and was already plotting for next year and couldn't wait to get back out on track.
Edited by ryanmckee on Monday 8th May 15:26
Edited by ryanmckee on Sunday 14th May 17:41
2021: Finding my feet with track days
I did quite a lot of thinking over winter about what I wanted to do with cars. Job changes meant I was now working remotely which meant no more commuting, at which point having 2 cars didn’t make any sense.
I decided to get rid of the Golf to free up some funds; for life, for Honda modifications and for more track days. That meant the EP3 was taking back over daily duties, so I needed to make sure any changes didn’t make the car too uncivilised for day-to-day use.
Firstly, I grabbed some 2nd hand Team Dynamics 1.2 locally and wanted a tyre that could do a bit of track stuff without compromising normal journey, so had them wrapped in new 215 45 R17 Michelin PS4s.
Next, I picked up a Sparco Grid QRT to replace the driver seat. This made a huge difference to the driving experience, as one of the main things I struggled with most on the track was trying to stop myself from falling out of the standard seats through the corners.
Then it was over to Gurston Down for their May Hill Climb School Day. The School Day was an awesome opportunity to get insider tips from past record holder instructors and get loads of runs up the hill (think I counted 10?). Its a challenging hill and I really enjoyed the opportunity to get to grips with it slowly but surely.
With the new seat in place, it really highlighted how tired the standard suspension was. So it was booked in with Harvey’s Motorsport in Westbury, WIltshire for:
- BC Racing RM coilovers
- Camber bolts
- Hardrace Adjustable camber arms
- Hardrace Rear droplinks
- a proper fast road geo setup
Don't have any pics of the install, but could of quick shots:
Given its still my daily at this point, Harvey’s recommended going for 8kg/8kg spring rates so that its still plenty compliant enough on the road, but with the adjustable dampers, can be properly firmed up.
What. a. difference. Felt like a completely different car at this point and I was super excited to get it back on track.
I did 2 x days at Combe and with the new suspension and setup, I finally felt like I starting to find a good bit of confidence on a circuit. By no means fast, but much more comfortable and relaxed.
Ahead of my next day at Combe, I also picked up a Tegiwa 24mm ARB to help the car rotate a bit more. I had a bit of trouble fitting it, as the bar was contacting the standard exhaust backbox. You could just about line the bolts up, but it made a horrible metal-on-metal rattling noise!
|https://thumbsnap.com/7vY9TZyS[/url]In the end we ended up notching the edge of the exhaust by a few mm to give it a bit more clearance and it went on with no more trouble. The new ARB really helped the car to feel much more neutral, which again helped me feel a bit more confident to lean on the car through the corners.
… and one day at Llandow, which is a fun little track and cheap (relatively speaking) day out.
5 events later and the fun of 2021 is pretty much over, the civic continued to do daily duties through the winter. However, the hassle of tracking our only car, when I have a partner and a dog to cart around was getting a bit stressful.
Coincidentally while walking to the pub one evening and discussing how I wanted to make the Civic a chunk more track focussed but couldn’t because we need it for daily duties, we spotted an OAP spec Volvo for sale for £500… and then and picked it up the next morning…
With the perfect dog car acquired, that meant things with the Honda could (finally) be a bit more… purposeful.
Edited by ryanmckee on Sunday 14th May 17:38
2022: The start of things to come
With the Volvo doing the daily things perfectly, the Honda got tucked up until April while I figured out what I wanted to do track wise for the rest of the year.
Now, each winter I get ‘the itch’… The itch to get rid of the Civic and get something else. Something a bit faster? Maybe something RWD?
This time it felt like ‘the itch’ hit me harder than normal , as I knew that keeping the car meant taking it past the point of no return. At this point, I could’ve easily return it to standard or sell it as a kinda “OEM+” . But to feel comfortable pushing harder on track I wanted to invest in some safety, mainly cage + harnesses.
Given I have plans to race in the future, it made sense to try and get an MSA-approved cage now. But being MSA approved means that you have to remove the standard seatbelts, as the B pillar upright doesn’t leave enough space for the seatbelt mounts.
Anyway, I decided that when Im old I’d look back and wish I just did it, so I was now fully committed to the race car path and getting an MSA compliant cage fitted.
That meant I also had to pick up a new driver’s seat… I’ve always liked the look of ‘winged’ seats and they obviously give you maximum racecar points. I picked up a Sparco Circuit to compliment the Sparco Grid QRT in the passenger seat.
Then I had to strip the interior for the cage to be fitted. Worth noting, I do intend on doing some sprint / hill climb and so stashed all of the old interior for later, as it'll need to be pruned to fit in around the cage.
Then back to Harvey’s motorsport for welding + fitting of Safety Devices H035 (MSA approved) cage and Sparco 6 point harnesses. As the car is still driven on the road, I decided to only go with the rear section of cage for now, but can always extend to the front in the future if needed.
I thought it was also about time to upgrade the tires, as at the end of last season it was only taking me a 2-3 dry laps before they started to go off. I wanted something that would still be alright on the road without having to swap wheels around too much, so went for Nangkang NS2R all round
First event of the year was at Prescott Hill for another ‘school day’. My first time there, Prescott is an awesome facility and the hill is super challenging, a very different track to Gurston Down. I found the learning curve for Prescott quite hard as it seemed to be quite a technical track. Anyway, good day out!
Then the rest of the year was track days at a mixture of places, including: Keevil airfield, Castle Combe and Llandow.
Also invested in a GoPro , so here's a lap from Combe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6VuzmgAFvQ
The most noticeable difference was how much more relaxed I was with harnesses holding you still. I figured that this is mostly because you’re not spending energy trying to keep your body still like you are with normal seatbelts.
I managed to grab a Tegiwa carbon intake at a decent price in one of their many sales and got that fitted. This is the first engine mod i’ve made to the car and it really adds to the VTEC drama!
Installing was relatively straightforward. Only problem was that the standard bracket that is the main support for the Tegiwa intake was missing a bolt. Which meant that the bracket wasn't secured properly, so the weight of the intake was causing the intake to move across. It didn't seem to cause any rattles at all, it mainly just means the location of the intake is a bit wonky.
I decided to fit it anyway and chop the scuttle, but bought another scuttle to redo the scoop whenever I get round to securing the bracket properly.
That wrapped up a pretty successful year in the civic, all things considered. I was feeling quite confident to push the car with the extra safety of a roll cage + harness and the car was reliable at every event! Other than an MOT, the civic went into hibernation for the winter while I debated what to do next…
Edited by ryanmckee on Sunday 14th May 17:39
2023: Committing to the Civic
This post will bring us up to the present day!After all the track days I’d done and with no paperwork on whether the clutch had ever been done, you won’t be surprised to hear that the clutch was on its last legs, which introduces the next dilemma.
Just get the clutch done OR “while the gearbox is off you may as well”…
Well, I procrastinated so much that I ran out of time to get it sorted before my first track day at Keevil airfield. It was a VERY wet day and the first time I’d driven on track in such bad conditions, which I was a bit nervous about. Keevil has a very rough surface, which with the PS4s seemed to give me loads of grip and meant I quickly got up to speed.
All in it was a successful day and clutch survived (just about) and my next event isn’t until June, so will definitely need it sorted by then.
As the sun was out, I thought I’d get the Revo shortshifter and solid shifter mounts fitted.
The original shifter assembly was well worn which meant it had a lot of side-to-side slop, which the shortshifter has taken out. I also fitted an RHD resin shift knob...
So far I’m not super convinced that the Revo will be staying, action is a bit stiff and I’ve heard a few people say that they can actually cause gearbox problems…
On that note, I’d booked in to One Day Motorsport for the biggest (and most exciting?) job so far. Along with the clutch, I’ll be getting Ultralight flywheel, Quaife Helical LSD, 5.3 FD, long 6th gear and anything else the box needed to be back to full health.
From everyone I’ve spoken to, they’ve said this should really transform the car. I’m super excited, but also a bit nervous to drop that much cash at once!
Good read that,good you stuck with the car as it looks like you're really pushing it forward and will have some serious fun in it.I've done Prescott in my Celica and you're right,short as it is ,there's so many bits on there to improve your time and enjoyment the more you do it.Look forward to seeing how you go forwards,certainly fitting some good stuff!
Prescott this year:
I also have a 2005 JDM Accord Euro R,it has the Hardrace kit and coilovers etc so thinking I might take that next year,to see how it performs compared to the Celica.
Prescott this year:
I also have a 2005 JDM Accord Euro R,it has the Hardrace kit and coilovers etc so thinking I might take that next year,to see how it performs compared to the Celica.
BEAMS 162 said:
Good read that,good you stuck with the car as it looks like you're really pushing it forward and will have some serious fun in it.I've done Prescott in my Celica and you're right,short as it is ,there's so many bits on there to improve your time and enjoyment the more you do it.Look forward to seeing how you go forwards,certainly fitting some good stuff!
Prescott this year:
I also have a 2005 JDM Accord Euro R,it has the Hardrace kit and coilovers etc so thinking I might take that next year,to see how it performs compared to the Celica.
Thanks! Celica looks great Prescott this year:
I also have a 2005 JDM Accord Euro R,it has the Hardrace kit and coilovers etc so thinking I might take that next year,to see how it performs compared to the Celica.
Yeah it is really technical and with some of it under the trees, the grip levels change quite a bit too!
Would be interesting to hear how you would get on with the Accord, can imagine it'd be a good challenge!
VTECMatt said:
Following, great read.
What is the cost of your build so far?
Thanks Matt!What is the cost of your build so far?
From some VERY loose adding up it'll be well over £4k so far, but I've never actually added it up properly, as I think seeing a big number would make me question my decisions even more and personally, I'd rather not know.
Instead, I try and set a budget for mods each year that I can afford, to space out the big purchases and disguise the true cost (from myself).
Also, besides the wheels, every part I've bought has been brand new - You could easily save a good chunk by hunting out some used bargains.
A small update, literally - I picked up a set of Acuity shifter linkage bushings to replace the tired old standard ones. They’re a nice thing!
After watching the install video it seemed pretty straightforward - All in it took about 20 mins and went exactly to plan, which is pretty rare for me when it comes to installing car bits.
Old ones were completely toast! So unsurprisingly, you can definitely feel the difference - 1-2 shifts especially feel much nicer but generally shifts feel much crisper.
Next update will be gearbox time - I don't intend to replace the shifter cables anytime soon (if I dont have to), so once the gearbox is done, thats the shifting department complete!
After watching the install video it seemed pretty straightforward - All in it took about 20 mins and went exactly to plan, which is pretty rare for me when it comes to installing car bits.
Old ones were completely toast! So unsurprisingly, you can definitely feel the difference - 1-2 shifts especially feel much nicer but generally shifts feel much crisper.
Next update will be gearbox time - I don't intend to replace the shifter cables anytime soon (if I dont have to), so once the gearbox is done, thats the shifting department complete!
fantheman80 said:
Great read thanks. My old nighthawk black ep3 is still my fave car and I’ve had a few hot hatches.
Thanks, they are great cars!fantheman80 said:
So, supercharger next? 
Ha! Don't tempt me... I'm not ruling it out, but its a little way down the line yet I think.After the gearbox, next up will be a catback exhaust (still standard currently)... then exhaust manifold + remap.
Then will see where we're at! If I do end up racing in the future, forced induction would push me into a much more serious class of cars, which ideally I'd like to avoid...
The Rotrex Kid said:
Gets my vote!
Nice work matey, had mine 9 years now, had many thoughts about selling it but I just can’t do it!!
Thanks mate! Been following your thread for ages, awesome to see how the car has transformed over the years!Nice work matey, had mine 9 years now, had many thoughts about selling it but I just can’t do it!!
Gearbox time
Its happened… Jay at One Day motorsport did his thing with my gearbox! Thanks to Jay for all the advice and great service, car feels pretty awesome now…
When booking it in I mentioned that I had a very sad clutch and an occasional 2nd ? 3rd crunch, but besides that, as far as I knew the gearbox was okay. So it was booked in for:
- Exedy OEM clutch + Honda release bearing
- CC ultralight flywheel
- Quaife ATB Helical LSD
- 5.3 final drive
- Longer 6th gear (for motorways, its still a road car after all)
- Possible 2nd / 3rd syncros and other related bits
Well, turned out things in the gearbox department weren’t quite as healthy as I’d hoped and with Jay’s advice, we also replaced:
- 2/3/4 synchros
- 3/4 hub and sleeve
- 1/2 hub and sleeve
- 3rd gear needs replacing
- All gearbox bearings
- + crank seal had a slight leak and needed replacing
So it’d turned into a much bigger overhaul than I had hoped, but means it should have many many more miles in it now!
By the time I picked up the car it was peak traffic, so didn’t have many opportunities to test things out. Although, Cheddar Gorge was a very minor diversion on the way home (it’d be rude not to) and I did manage to get 2-3 corners uninterrupted. I didnt get out of 2nd gear, but even at low speed you can feel the diff doing its thing.
All in I’m super pleased - especially in combination with the short shifter and Acuity bushings, the car really shifts now! I’ve never had a FWD car with an LSD, so I’m looking forward to getting to know it better this summer!
Project refit rear interior
I’ve mentioned before that I intend to sprint + hillclimb the car in the future and would like to keep it in the production road-going class. To do that, current regs still demand that you keep all interior trim INCLUDING the rear seats even when you have a cage!
Now if you ask me this feels like a bit antiquated, but thems the rules…
Of course, with the cage fitted the standard interior isn’t just going to drop straight back into place without some persuasion. My goal was to get as much of it back in as possible for an OEM-ish type feel, but without spending the next 3yrs finessing interior plastics 1mm at a time.
So I bought a dremel and set about whittling the interior plastics - after a good bit of staring at the plastics, then staring at where it needed to go, then staring at the plastics… I figured that the most pragmatic way to do it would be to chop it into 2 pieces.
Here’s a cut piece next to an uncut piece to give you an idea of what it looked like.
This got me probably 80% of the way towards the piece #1 fitting, then it was just a matter of test fit, mark, cut small bit off… Until the plastics were clearing the roll cage at all points.
Without the lower section of piece 1 (where the rear speakers would be) there was still a good chunk of unsightly metalwork on show, which wouldn’t have fitted the goal of trying to make it look as OEM as possible.
so I bought some camper van carpet and some velcro (didn’t want to use the supplied spray adhesive as getting it back off would be a nightmare) which I think did the job quite nicely.
After this, all that was left to do was to brush the dust off the rear seats and sling them back in. Based on where the harness bar is, fitting the rear seats upright would have meant basically chopping the seats in half, so I settled with them being folded down instead.
This is what the rear section looks like all fitted up (both sides look basicallu the same):
Im actually quite pleased with how it looks now its all back in!
By no means perfect and if I had more patience (and time) I could have got a much better fit, but this was my first time doing this ever and I think but it’s certainly tidy enough for what I need it for… Hopefully the scrutineers agree!
I’ve not done the door trims (piece 2) yet as I’ve spent all my patience credits for now, but I’m happy its something I can tackle without too much hassle in the future.
The Rotrex Kid said:
Looks great. Have you see false floor kits that JC club sport do? They look pretty sexy and would go with the cage nicely. Might need cutting to fit though
Thanks! I have - if I didn't intend to Sprint/ Hillclimb thats exactly what I'd go for I think, they look great!Sadly, (I believe) all the stuff that goes back in has to be OEM...
...That being said, I'd happily get corrected by someone with more experience of getting a car scrutineered.
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