RE: Honda Integra Type R DC2: PH Buying Guide
Discussion
chrismc1977 said:
havoc said:
And the spring/damper combination is the other half of the fantastic handling - coilovers won't help - cheap ones will make everything worse, while expensive ones will give you more capability on-track but (probably) still lose you a little of the on-road ability...
The stock setup is ace.
As with everything on the Integra its very easy for folk to make things worse & not easy/cheap to improve them.
The original set up with Showa is great. No need for coilovers.
Holy thread bump, batman 
Mind, it's been over 13 years since I sold my DC2, and I still think about it today. Such a great car. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have one now, the driving style required to get the best from it is a bit too committed for me these days, and, being honest, the roads really. I never picked up more speeding tickets or been pulled more times than I did in this car. However, for it's time, and even today, it was absolutely sublime. Even by todays standards, it's not slow, and it would certainly just about keep pace with modern stuff on a bendy road.
Mind, it's been over 13 years since I sold my DC2, and I still think about it today. Such a great car. To be honest, I probably wouldn't have one now, the driving style required to get the best from it is a bit too committed for me these days, and, being honest, the roads really. I never picked up more speeding tickets or been pulled more times than I did in this car. However, for it's time, and even today, it was absolutely sublime. Even by todays standards, it's not slow, and it would certainly just about keep pace with modern stuff on a bendy road.
Been over 10 years since I sold my second...but I still want another. Stuff like last month's evo article doesn't help.
I do wonder if I'd be disappointed though - unless the dampers and key bushes have all been replaced (and bearings, probably too), a car now is unlikely to feel as tight and as all-of-a-piece as they did when newer/younger. And rust would be a perennial enemy to fight.
...all of which leads you to either a low-mile garage queen (with the pricing to go with it, and the risks to other parts from lack of use, and the headache of resale if you do decide to use it much), or to a cherished fully-refurbed car (with the pricing to go with it). And given I sold mine for less than £4k, paying £20k now for one in not much better condition would rather grate...
I bizarrely managed to avoid any tickets in either of mine...possibly because it suited B-roads better than big wide trunk roads (at least at sane speeds).
I do wonder if I'd be disappointed though - unless the dampers and key bushes have all been replaced (and bearings, probably too), a car now is unlikely to feel as tight and as all-of-a-piece as they did when newer/younger. And rust would be a perennial enemy to fight.
...all of which leads you to either a low-mile garage queen (with the pricing to go with it, and the risks to other parts from lack of use, and the headache of resale if you do decide to use it much), or to a cherished fully-refurbed car (with the pricing to go with it). And given I sold mine for less than £4k, paying £20k now for one in not much better condition would rather grate...
I bizarrely managed to avoid any tickets in either of mine...possibly because it suited B-roads better than big wide trunk roads (at least at sane speeds).
Jonstar said:
Still love mine, every bit as engaging as my exige once up on it's toes.
Evo did an Icon article on it last month, concluding it's not just the best fwd car ever made but one of the best drivers car full stop, having owned two now, I must agree.
Classic & Sports Car did a recent article also.......Evo did an Icon article on it last month, concluding it's not just the best fwd car ever made but one of the best drivers car full stop, having owned two now, I must agree.
Edited by Koolkat969 on Saturday 15th July 13:57
Hippea said:
911Spanker said:
I drove mine as a daily for a number of years. Did around 60k miles in it. I liked it but don't miss it and have had more engaging cars since.
Never would I pay £20k for one.
Interested to know what cars you’ve had since Never would I pay £20k for one.
The thread he's started says he's a heavily modded 996, a modded Elise Sport 160 (the hardcore S1 variant), and a Caterham.
...so I can imagine he HAS had more engaging cars since...the Caterham definitely counts (loved the ones I've driven, but I feel too vulnerable in the road on them), the Sport 160 definitely counts, although that's a semi trackday car as standard, so not much more habitable than a Caterham. And a heavily modded 996 may well qualify, depending on the mods.
...but none of those would have been <£20k. Not even close when you consider the modifications.
...and aren't two trackday specials and a heavily modded 911 rather cheating? The DC2 is sublime out-of-the-box, daily-drivable and very comfortable (NVH aside).
havoc said:
The thread he's started says he's a heavily modded 996, a modded Elise Sport 160 (the hardcore S1 variant), and a Caterham.
...so I can imagine he HAS had more engaging cars since...the Caterham definitely counts (loved the ones I've driven, but I feel too vulnerable in the road on them), the Sport 160 definitely counts, although that's a semi trackday car as standard, so not much more habitable than a Caterham. And a heavily modded 996 may well qualify, depending on the mods.
...(NVH aside).
Edited by greenarrow on Saturday 15th July 21:54
havoc said:
Hippea said:
911Spanker said:
I drove mine as a daily for a number of years. Did around 60k miles in it. I liked it but don't miss it and have had more engaging cars since.
Never would I pay £20k for one.
Interested to know what cars you’ve had since Never would I pay £20k for one.
The thread he's started says he's a heavily modded 996, a modded Elise Sport 160 (the hardcore S1 variant), and a Caterham.
...so I can imagine he HAS had more engaging cars since...the Caterham definitely counts (loved the ones I've driven, but I feel too vulnerable in the road on them), the Sport 160 definitely counts, although that's a semi trackday car as standard, so not much more habitable than a Caterham. And a heavily modded 996 may well qualify, depending on the mods.
...but none of those would have been <£20k. Not even close when you consider the modifications.
...and aren't two trackday specials and a heavily modded 911 rather cheating? The DC2 is sublime out-of-the-box, daily-drivable and very comfortable (NVH aside).
I liked my DC2 but ultimately it was a bit one dimensional and I mastered it very quickly. A great car but lacks the easy slideability and feel of the BMW.
I am getting a GR86 next - another one that I feel better suits the type of driver that I am than the DC2. Not taking anything away from the Honda - it's great at what it does. Just that what it does doesn't excite me as much anymore.
TameRacingDriver said:
I had a 328 E36 and it's nowhere near as good as a dc2 to drive apart from the rwd thing, but it's just boring in comparison.
I imagine a GR86 is really just a modern RWD teg so not that different in many respects.
I think you just prefer RWD, nothing wrong with that of course.
I've driven a gt86 back to back with my old teg and they feel completely different, significantly more refined, much less feel through the electric rack (GR86 is supposed to be worse in this respect) and it feels like a sports car when you sit in it. I imagine a GR86 is really just a modern RWD teg so not that different in many respects.
I think you just prefer RWD, nothing wrong with that of course.
In terms of suspension strangely the closest car I've driven to it is my lotus, in the sense it's surprisingly soft and there is a surprising amount of roll, but it breathes with the road and you have to give it a second to set when committing to a corner.
I'm terms of engine my current s2000 is the most similar for obvious reasons.
Overall the closest car to it is probably my old Mégane 250 cup, but the Mégane is much more aggressive in suspension and diff, doesn't quite flow in the same way but epic car nonetheless.
Jonstar said:
the Mégane is much more aggressive in suspension
This is my headache with the direction most modern hot-hatches (and a lot of more expensive performance cars) have gone in.They feel designed for track-work and for smoother (Germanic?) roads - put them on a typical Brit B-road, even before the pothole pandemic gathered pace, and they're genuinely uncomfortable for the driver, let alone any poor passengers. Yet you go for something more rounded (e.g. Golf GTi PP) and the rest of the car is softened-off too. Had talked the missus into an i30N to replace her succession of Golf GTis, based on evo's lauding of it as the second coming, then we test-drove one and both came away going "no chance".
(i30N, FK2/8, Fiesta ST, Renault's Cup suspensions...all are as bad or worse than my FD2, which at least has the excuse of being designed in Japan only FOR Japan...by comparison the DC2 and most Elise's feel like they've got much higher quality damping - not quite Alpina-esque, but far better thought-through)
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