My 2006 Honda Integra DC5 Milano Red
Discussion
It's about time, I started a Readers Ride thread. (had the car since 2015 lol)
Flashback to 2015, I was looking at getting a new "Fun" car, I was looking at R32 GTRs, Nissan S15s, and Dc5s. I kept a good look on the auctions and importers as I was looking for a factory fresh car which was not modified. Nothing against modified cars I just wanted a good clean base to start with.
After hearing a few horror stories of the RB26 engine in the GTRs not being too reliable, that was off the cards . And the majority of s15s either being used for drifting or being on the higher end of my budget, my sole focus went to the DC5.
I've always preferred the look of the Facelift DC5, so the hunt was on for either a Champ White or Milano Red car!!
I seen an Importers had posted that had just secured a 2006 Milano Red low mile car, I instantly got on the phone and place a deposit. Now the anxious few months for the car to be shipped from Japan to the UK. As any good petrolhead, I has already purchased a number of parts for the car even before owning the car. Few pictures at the dock in Osaka.
I collected the car on Halloween 2015, factory fresh Milano Red Facelift DC5 quite low miles on 52k.
From what information I can find on the internet the difference between the preface lift and facelift cars are the following lighter flywheel, Suspension is uprated and firmer, has an immobiliser and the speedo panel has a immobiliser key light, Interior clocks have white dials instead of silver ones colour coded washer jets, more rigid/solidly mounted front strut, Different front grill & different front and rear bumpers and different lights
you can't buy a new car and not take a picture on the first petrol station refill right? Now the long drive back from Devon to Scotland.
Booked the car in to the local Honda specialist to have full service, new tyres, alignment etc and the following parts fitted M-factory lsd, Spoon Sports lower springs & rigid collar set & low temp thermostat and switch Project Mu front discs and pads fitted for the upcoming trip to the Nürburgring.
We got the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam, and then drove straight to the Nürburgring, we stayed in the Hotel an der Nordschleife, which is the sister hotel to the Pinochio hotel and Pizzeria. View from our apartment window
We've stayed in both hotels and the owners are great, and the restaurant is pretty famous for its portion sizes so you cant go wrong
The car performed absolutely faultless and was incredibly fun to drive and the first trip set of the annual trips to the ring!
This was the first time me and my mates ha ever driven on track, so why not jump in with two feet and burst your cherry at the ring!
We were also lucky enough that the GP track was open for tourist drives which was a 15 min stint, which was the same as using your ticket for one lap of the ring. This is were the DC5 came into it own, I managed to lap my mate in his E46 m3 lol, he was still running standard front brakes at the time so he didn't want to ruin them on the first few days.
I think from memory we managed to get in about 12 laps done on our first trip. I'm by no means a "Kevin Estre" on the track and it's always in the back of my mind that I need to drive the car back home, I did experience some Lift off oversteer at Kallenhard when I move over to the right to let some faster cars by, which was swiftly corrected by some opposite lock and straight on on the loud pedal. Considering these weigh 1180kg standard and have 225bhp this is more than enough to have some good times.
We also managed to visit quite a good few places around the Ring during the day when the track was busy for industry pool. We got up early one day and drove to Cochem for the afternoon, Nice place with some decent cafes and restaurants.
We also visited the Bitburger factory and done a tour of the place, which was very interesting, the tour was in German and the only words we understood was "hectolitres"
I highly recommend visiting Trier, "Trier is a southwestern German city in the Moselle wine region, near the Luxembourg border. Founded by the Romans, it contains several well-preserved Roman structures like the Porta Nigra gate, the ruins of Roman baths, an amphitheatre just outside the center and a stone bridge over the Moselle River. The Archaeological Museum displays Roman artifacts"
Was an eventful drive back from Trier, a guy in a Audi S5 near smashed into the back of me as he was clearly on his phone! 100% a brown pant moment for sure.
Also done a track day at Spa, which was incredible, Me and my brother stopped for a lunch break and headed into the town for some fuel and some lunch, we found a small newsagents that had a small deli which was absolutely incredible. When in the birth place of "Fries" we had to make sure we tried some. We ordered some "Pomme Frites" and made our way back to the track. I think the next time going back I'd like to spend an extra day or two in the town.
I would 100% like to get another Integra to build into a purpose built track car taking some inspiration from mwstewart F430 build, focussing on making it lighter, Carbon roof / bonnet etc and swapping the engine out for a K24 and getting a full weld in roll cage.
Flashback to 2015, I was looking at getting a new "Fun" car, I was looking at R32 GTRs, Nissan S15s, and Dc5s. I kept a good look on the auctions and importers as I was looking for a factory fresh car which was not modified. Nothing against modified cars I just wanted a good clean base to start with.
After hearing a few horror stories of the RB26 engine in the GTRs not being too reliable, that was off the cards . And the majority of s15s either being used for drifting or being on the higher end of my budget, my sole focus went to the DC5.
I've always preferred the look of the Facelift DC5, so the hunt was on for either a Champ White or Milano Red car!!
I seen an Importers had posted that had just secured a 2006 Milano Red low mile car, I instantly got on the phone and place a deposit. Now the anxious few months for the car to be shipped from Japan to the UK. As any good petrolhead, I has already purchased a number of parts for the car even before owning the car. Few pictures at the dock in Osaka.
I collected the car on Halloween 2015, factory fresh Milano Red Facelift DC5 quite low miles on 52k.
From what information I can find on the internet the difference between the preface lift and facelift cars are the following lighter flywheel, Suspension is uprated and firmer, has an immobiliser and the speedo panel has a immobiliser key light, Interior clocks have white dials instead of silver ones colour coded washer jets, more rigid/solidly mounted front strut, Different front grill & different front and rear bumpers and different lights
you can't buy a new car and not take a picture on the first petrol station refill right? Now the long drive back from Devon to Scotland.
Booked the car in to the local Honda specialist to have full service, new tyres, alignment etc and the following parts fitted M-factory lsd, Spoon Sports lower springs & rigid collar set & low temp thermostat and switch Project Mu front discs and pads fitted for the upcoming trip to the Nürburgring.
We got the ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam, and then drove straight to the Nürburgring, we stayed in the Hotel an der Nordschleife, which is the sister hotel to the Pinochio hotel and Pizzeria. View from our apartment window
We've stayed in both hotels and the owners are great, and the restaurant is pretty famous for its portion sizes so you cant go wrong
The car performed absolutely faultless and was incredibly fun to drive and the first trip set of the annual trips to the ring!
This was the first time me and my mates ha ever driven on track, so why not jump in with two feet and burst your cherry at the ring!
We were also lucky enough that the GP track was open for tourist drives which was a 15 min stint, which was the same as using your ticket for one lap of the ring. This is were the DC5 came into it own, I managed to lap my mate in his E46 m3 lol, he was still running standard front brakes at the time so he didn't want to ruin them on the first few days.
I think from memory we managed to get in about 12 laps done on our first trip. I'm by no means a "Kevin Estre" on the track and it's always in the back of my mind that I need to drive the car back home, I did experience some Lift off oversteer at Kallenhard when I move over to the right to let some faster cars by, which was swiftly corrected by some opposite lock and straight on on the loud pedal. Considering these weigh 1180kg standard and have 225bhp this is more than enough to have some good times.
We also managed to visit quite a good few places around the Ring during the day when the track was busy for industry pool. We got up early one day and drove to Cochem for the afternoon, Nice place with some decent cafes and restaurants.
We also visited the Bitburger factory and done a tour of the place, which was very interesting, the tour was in German and the only words we understood was "hectolitres"
I highly recommend visiting Trier, "Trier is a southwestern German city in the Moselle wine region, near the Luxembourg border. Founded by the Romans, it contains several well-preserved Roman structures like the Porta Nigra gate, the ruins of Roman baths, an amphitheatre just outside the center and a stone bridge over the Moselle River. The Archaeological Museum displays Roman artifacts"
Was an eventful drive back from Trier, a guy in a Audi S5 near smashed into the back of me as he was clearly on his phone! 100% a brown pant moment for sure.
Also done a track day at Spa, which was incredible, Me and my brother stopped for a lunch break and headed into the town for some fuel and some lunch, we found a small newsagents that had a small deli which was absolutely incredible. When in the birth place of "Fries" we had to make sure we tried some. We ordered some "Pomme Frites" and made our way back to the track. I think the next time going back I'd like to spend an extra day or two in the town.
I would 100% like to get another Integra to build into a purpose built track car taking some inspiration from mwstewart F430 build, focussing on making it lighter, Carbon roof / bonnet etc and swapping the engine out for a K24 and getting a full weld in roll cage.
Edited by EdmondDantes on Saturday 18th June 00:31
Nice write up, always liked the DC5 and clearly they make for a good track car as you are proving. Always wanted to do the Ring, spent a lot of time in Germany with work fun to drive there.
Fast Hondas are special, I had a S2000 around the same time you bought that and a E46 M3 after, both sadly gone now. The F20 engine in the S2000 is just so much fun to stretch towards it’s near 9k rev limit as I bet the DC5 is to. With a RWD platform it was a bit of a handful sometimes, I’ve no shame in saying I couldn’t shake a EP3 Type R around Goodwood in it
What’s the DC5 used for now? Living in Scotland have you had any extra rust proofing applied? Any pics of the mods?
Fast Hondas are special, I had a S2000 around the same time you bought that and a E46 M3 after, both sadly gone now. The F20 engine in the S2000 is just so much fun to stretch towards it’s near 9k rev limit as I bet the DC5 is to. With a RWD platform it was a bit of a handful sometimes, I’ve no shame in saying I couldn’t shake a EP3 Type R around Goodwood in it
What’s the DC5 used for now? Living in Scotland have you had any extra rust proofing applied? Any pics of the mods?
jwwbowe said:
Nice write up, always liked the DC5 and clearly they make for a good track car as you are proving. Always wanted to do the Ring, spent a lot of time in Germany with work fun to drive there.
Fast Hondas are special, I had a S2000 around the same time you bought that and a E46 M3 after, both sadly gone now. The F20 engine in the S2000 is just so much fun to stretch towards it’s near 9k rev limit as I bet the DC5 is to. With a RWD platform it was a bit of a handful sometimes, I’ve no shame in saying I couldn’t shake a EP3 Type R around Goodwood in it
What’s the DC5 used for now? Living in Scotland have you had any extra rust proofing applied? Any pics of the mods?
Yeah, I’ve got it fully under sealed and all the cavity’s have had treatment also! I don’t drive it when the salt the roads here. Luckily my street doesn’t get salted at winter anymore. Fast Hondas are special, I had a S2000 around the same time you bought that and a E46 M3 after, both sadly gone now. The F20 engine in the S2000 is just so much fun to stretch towards it’s near 9k rev limit as I bet the DC5 is to. With a RWD platform it was a bit of a handful sometimes, I’ve no shame in saying I couldn’t shake a EP3 Type R around Goodwood in it
What’s the DC5 used for now? Living in Scotland have you had any extra rust proofing applied? Any pics of the mods?
I bet they are a handful, especially in the wet coming off roundabouts!
I’d really like to own an E46 m3 in the future such a great engine and the noise is mega.
I’ve got millions of pictures I’ll need to try and find the before and after of when I got the lowering springs fitted. Just using it mainly at the weekends! Done a few good drives around Scotland after the lockdowns! Really need to try and sort going back over to Europe again!
Edited by EdmondDantes on Saturday 18th June 10:31
Glenn63 said:
I always loved the DC5 but when I was looking they where around 50% more expensive than an equivalent civic R which is what I went for in the end as I couldn’t afford the teg!
Still think they look great today and good to see it was bought and instantly used properly
Yeah for sure! I’ve driven a few Ep3’s and they are really good as well, In hindsight I wish I bought one back when the price had really reached the bottom, I recall from memory that a few local cars were up for sale for around £1000. Still think they look great today and good to see it was bought and instantly used properly
MrVert said:
Enjoyed reading that, thanks for sharing 
Fab looking car, really aged well. Looked positively ‘chiselled’ compared to todays cars!
Spa is great isn’t it!? Best track in Europe for me!
Thanks for your kind comments! Fab looking car, really aged well. Looked positively ‘chiselled’ compared to todays cars!
Spa is great isn’t it!? Best track in Europe for me!
Yeah it’s amazing! I’d really like to go back, the track day organisers were excellent. We had really lucked out as we left Scotland and it was snowing in March, and the forecast for Spa was rain, which turned out wrong as it ended up 17’c and sun shine all day!
I never planned on changing the OEM lsd, for the first few months of my ownership, I was just using it as a daily driver with a short commute to work and It felt like when I was driving that the diff was only engaging the left wheel if that makes sense.
Was told by the garage the cost of taking the lsd out and if there was something wrong and getting it rebuild would be better just getting a new lsd.
I did end up selling on the old diff as well so I did get some of my funds back.
I thought it was strange that the lsd would go wrong with only around 54k on the car. It came from Japan with a full service history as well
Was told by the garage the cost of taking the lsd out and if there was something wrong and getting it rebuild would be better just getting a new lsd.
I did end up selling on the old diff as well so I did get some of my funds back.
I thought it was strange that the lsd would go wrong with only around 54k on the car. It came from Japan with a full service history as well
Going by the trip calculator, 220 miles for a full tank works out at about 20mpg, this being pretty much six gear motorway miles with a few miles “City” driving and basically driving the car economically as possible.
I think this is the 3rd full tank it’s got since early 2020 so it’s not done many miles at all!
I think this is the 3rd full tank it’s got since early 2020 so it’s not done many miles at all!
Thought id update this, myself and my brother traveled down for the PistonHeads 25th anniversary event at Bicester Heritage. We left Glasgow after work on the Friday and got to the hotel at 2am the night before.
Spotted some exotic metal in the car park upon arrival,
I think the best part of PH25 was certainly the readers cars in the hangar, was cool seeing the cars in person after looking at them online.
Was good to meet bolidemichael and absolute credit to him, his E500 is pristine.
I’ve been stocking piling some parts so will get that all fitted in the next month and will update shortly, I’m going to get some paint work done as the front bumper badly needs painted!
Spotted some exotic metal in the car park upon arrival,
I think the best part of PH25 was certainly the readers cars in the hangar, was cool seeing the cars in person after looking at them online.
Was good to meet bolidemichael and absolute credit to him, his E500 is pristine.
I’ve been stocking piling some parts so will get that all fitted in the next month and will update shortly, I’m going to get some paint work done as the front bumper badly needs painted!
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