CL7 Accord Euro R (Very pic heavy)
Discussion
Kewy said:
DB81 said:
Lovely looking car!
Just out of interest, did you ever look at a Type S (with the K24)? I'm looking at 7th Gen Accords at the moment and the Type S seems more common (and less expensive) than the Euro R.
Thank you! It looks a fair bit different now but we'll get to that later in this thread.Just out of interest, did you ever look at a Type S (with the K24)? I'm looking at 7th Gen Accords at the moment and the Type S seems more common (and less expensive) than the Euro R.
I didn't to be honest mate, I knew I wanted the Euro R. And you're right, the UK version is as much as a quarter of the price of the JDM one. Lots of people compare and say that the K24 version is 9/10th's of the Euro R, but it just doesn't quite have that edge, and I was willing to pay the premium for all of the differences.
The K24 one is very tuneable though, and a few people in the community getting very good numbers out of them, they also come with the same kit on them (just not in white!), so look near on identical to the Euro R if you get the right one.
jzakariya said:
Reminds me of the CL9, I had in Pakistan back in the day. (2008 or thereabouts).
Beautiful car. Lovely interior too.
Topped out at 185 kph though, which was a bit embarrassing on the motorway as the Civics passed you by with a grin on their face.
Where in Pakistan is this?Beautiful car. Lovely interior too.
Topped out at 185 kph though, which was a bit embarrassing on the motorway as the Civics passed you by with a grin on their face.
Thanks for all the kind replies, sorry for the delay on response, took the Accord to the Brecon Beacons over the weekend and managed to clock up 600 miles booting it round the hills – photos and video to follow once we catch up! Going to sit down this evening and write another 'instalment' so keep posted.
Striple said:
Ah, I'm waiting for mine to be prepped by the guys at TGT! Need updates so I can see what's good!
Congrats mate! A CL7 as well? Can't say a bad word about my experience with TGT, I have purchased parts through them since as well, and speak to Josh regularly, top bunch of people.rossub said:
Just to be a pedantic arse, the Evo isn’t a Tommy Makinen (Evo 6 only) - it’s an Evo 7 RS
Been to Torque myself a couple of times. Highlight was seeing the NA1 NSX Type R, worth north of £150k!
My bad! I'm not up to scratch with my Mitsi's! Been to Torque myself a couple of times. Highlight was seeing the NA1 NSX Type R, worth north of £150k!
hman said:
Had a k24 and whilst it was quick it was awful in traffic with so much transmission /throttle jerk at slow constant speeds.
It also had the tinniest sounding doors/boot and attracted every boy racer on my commute to have a go (to see if vtec kicked in yo)
Hope you have fun with yours - I sold mine after 6 months.
Sorry to hear that mate. Can't speak for the K24 variant, but I've daily'd mine for 18 months now and couldn't be happier with it. Mine arguably should have even more 'jerky' throttle response as the K20 is much more revvy and has a lightened flywheel. It's noticeable but doesn't really bother me, characteristic of the car.It also had the tinniest sounding doors/boot and attracted every boy racer on my commute to have a go (to see if vtec kicked in yo)
Hope you have fun with yours - I sold mine after 6 months.
jzakariya said:
Interior, for the curious.
Here's my interior for those who have asked (taken just a moment ago, sorry for the sun glare):Challo said:
Where you on the M25/M23 on Sunday morning around 10-11am? Read this thread, and thought that’s lucky I have spotted a really rare car.
Yeah that may have been me I drove from Cardiff to Caterham then back to Portsmouth on Sunday morning, came off on exit 6 of the M25 for Caterham.Kewy said:
Challo said:
Where you on the M25/M23 on Sunday morning around 10-11am? Read this thread, and thought that’s lucky I have spotted a really rare car.
Yeah that may have been me I drove from Cardiff to Caterham then back to Portsmouth on Sunday morning, came off on exit 6 of the M25 for Caterham.Right, picking up where we left off in my first post:
Pub lunch down and a nice long haul back home in my new car. Things couldn't have been better. I think that was the longest journey I've ever done with two hands on the steering wheel the whole way (apart from changing gear of course). I immediately noticed how responsive the steering felt and couldn't get enough of it. I'd heard people talk of 'feedback' from a car and 'feeling' through the steering wheel, and now I actually knew what they meant. This may come as a surprise to some people as the Accord actually comes with electric power steering (unlike the Integra which has hydraulic power steering), but from every other car I'd owned it was a huge step in the right direction.
I remember also being quite surprised at how torquey (what is this strange word this Honda owner is using…) that the car was from lower down the rev range. Now don't get me wrong, it's not, but I think I expected 'nothing' to happen when you put your foot down in 6th, but actually it picks up enough for casual driving. Then there was that beautiful place between 5500 – 8500rpm… I spent quite a large proportion of that trip in said rev range with a stonking huge grin on my face. Vtec crossover is pretty aggressive in the Euro R with a stock map, and I really like it. There are options available to enable crossover lower down the rev range, and I go through phases of wondering what it would be like, but the way it drives out the box means it can be a gentle cruiser or a raging animal depending on how you drive it, and I like that.
So the car was home and it would be rude not to introduce it to its little/big?? brother…
Gave the car a good checking over. Everything looked just as it should. The only issue, and I'd noticed this within about 15 mins of leaving TGT, was a judder when braking. During my reading about the car before buying I was aware that they were under-braked and prone to warping discs.
A trip up to TGM confirmed this as the issue and a fresh set of discs and pads were fitted courtesy of Torque GT, no questions asked.
Now it's important to add here that from day one I was convinced that I wasn't going to tinker with this car too much, I just wanted to leave it stock, and focus on enjoying driving it…
…suppose a couple of decals wouldn't do any harm though would they?
It was going to be a bit hit or miss, but most the other Type R's get a rear quarter decal and I'd seen a few people fit them to CL7's, so I decided to try it myself. I'm a graphic designer by trade but I've previously done a bit of sign writing and still have access to all the kit to do so. I traced off the Accord Euro R graphic from an image I found online (this took a while as I'm a perfectionist!), cut myself some vinyls and applied them to the rear quarters:
Yeah looks alright that, I thought. Its a big car, and very white. I decided the decal worked well to break it up a bit, and also helped with knowing what you were looking at from side on.
I chucked a couple of photos on Instagram and before I knew it I had a number of messages from people asking if I could make them some. So thats exactly what I did!
I ended up sending a couple of sets as far as the US, and even made some custom Sir-T rear quarter graphics for a Torneo owner. I even went as far as making a tutorial video on applying the decals, I'm not going to post the link here as its not my finest hour, but I'm sure a quick search on Youtube will land you with a video of me applying a Euro R graphic to my dining room window
Now it was December 2016 and I'd owned the car a couple of months. I forgot to mention but on the 16th November I had knee surgery (a meniscectomy to repair and remove damaged cartilage). I'd owned the car for just over 3 weeks and now had to resort back to just looking at the Euro R again (at least this time in the flesh and not on Google images). Six weeks off work unable to walk with far too much time on my hands was not good for the I'm-not-modifying-my-car camp…
The more I looked at it, the more I knew I needed to sort the ride height out. As you can probably see from some of the previous photos, the arch gap is rather comical and with stock 17'' wheels there wasn't a huge amount to fill it either. I started reading up on a few options that were out there and ended up with a choice between Tein or Meister R coilovers or just a simple spring replacement for some Eibachs. Money was a bit tight and given that I definitely wasn't going to start modifying it, I thought that the cheaper option was the most sensible for the time being. I've run Eibach sport or proline kits on several previous cars and always been happy with the results.
I'd developed an extremely intermittent and unusual knock occasionally when full locking whilst parking, nothing that concerned me that much but some simple man maths, and the fact that this could be a potential cure, meant that the deal was done. The springs were ordered and within a week of being able to drive the car again they were fitted. Here's a before and after shot of the ride height once the Eibach Sportline kit was fitted:
To say I was happy with my decision was an understatement. Drop was just what I was looking for, I'm not one for 'lows' but the arch gap had closed nicely, especially on the front which instantly gave the car a much sportier look to accompany its attitude. Roll was dramatically reduced and initially I noticed no difference in the ride comfort – over the following few months I decided that it did feel a little more solid over the bad road surface, but the Accord has buckets of comfort so can afford to sacrifice a little.
During my time with my feet up recovering from my op, I'd read more and more about how much the K20 loves to breath. I'd read about a few options for replacing the intake – which as stock is a heavy maze of different air boxes and resonators. Main contenders were the K&N Typhoon system and an Injen CAI, I'd decided on the K&N initially, but a guy called Ash I'd been talking to online had decided to supercharge his Euro R and offered me a 3 month old Injen, that would no longer fit with his new setup, for a price I couldn't refuse. Not modifying my car had become a distant memory and I bit his hand off. Here it is when it arrived:
And here it is during fitting:
And all finished:
Started the car up and gave it a few rev's and it certainly sounded a bit throatier, nice. Took it for a drive and holy s
t where had this sound been hiding! Low down in the revs on full throttle the car just roars, real deep throaty intake noise. Probably not to every bodies taste but it suits the Honda's I think. Vtec crossover is also indisputable now as the engine tone completely changes at around 5750rpm. Once again a happy customer.
Now that I'd sorted the air in, it would be rude not to sort the gases coming out, the hunt was on for an exhaust system…
Gonna end this one here as they're getting a bit long, but by now its April 2017 and here are a few photographs from the convoy to Mimms Rockingham 2017 with a bunch of guys I'd met through the local Honda scene. I got to say the people I've met and friendships made since owning this car has been incredible, but more about that later.
Will do another post on how I got on with the exhaust hunt towards the end of this week
Pub lunch down and a nice long haul back home in my new car. Things couldn't have been better. I think that was the longest journey I've ever done with two hands on the steering wheel the whole way (apart from changing gear of course). I immediately noticed how responsive the steering felt and couldn't get enough of it. I'd heard people talk of 'feedback' from a car and 'feeling' through the steering wheel, and now I actually knew what they meant. This may come as a surprise to some people as the Accord actually comes with electric power steering (unlike the Integra which has hydraulic power steering), but from every other car I'd owned it was a huge step in the right direction.
I remember also being quite surprised at how torquey (what is this strange word this Honda owner is using…) that the car was from lower down the rev range. Now don't get me wrong, it's not, but I think I expected 'nothing' to happen when you put your foot down in 6th, but actually it picks up enough for casual driving. Then there was that beautiful place between 5500 – 8500rpm… I spent quite a large proportion of that trip in said rev range with a stonking huge grin on my face. Vtec crossover is pretty aggressive in the Euro R with a stock map, and I really like it. There are options available to enable crossover lower down the rev range, and I go through phases of wondering what it would be like, but the way it drives out the box means it can be a gentle cruiser or a raging animal depending on how you drive it, and I like that.
So the car was home and it would be rude not to introduce it to its little/big?? brother…
Gave the car a good checking over. Everything looked just as it should. The only issue, and I'd noticed this within about 15 mins of leaving TGT, was a judder when braking. During my reading about the car before buying I was aware that they were under-braked and prone to warping discs.
A trip up to TGM confirmed this as the issue and a fresh set of discs and pads were fitted courtesy of Torque GT, no questions asked.
Now it's important to add here that from day one I was convinced that I wasn't going to tinker with this car too much, I just wanted to leave it stock, and focus on enjoying driving it…
…suppose a couple of decals wouldn't do any harm though would they?
It was going to be a bit hit or miss, but most the other Type R's get a rear quarter decal and I'd seen a few people fit them to CL7's, so I decided to try it myself. I'm a graphic designer by trade but I've previously done a bit of sign writing and still have access to all the kit to do so. I traced off the Accord Euro R graphic from an image I found online (this took a while as I'm a perfectionist!), cut myself some vinyls and applied them to the rear quarters:
Yeah looks alright that, I thought. Its a big car, and very white. I decided the decal worked well to break it up a bit, and also helped with knowing what you were looking at from side on.
I chucked a couple of photos on Instagram and before I knew it I had a number of messages from people asking if I could make them some. So thats exactly what I did!
I ended up sending a couple of sets as far as the US, and even made some custom Sir-T rear quarter graphics for a Torneo owner. I even went as far as making a tutorial video on applying the decals, I'm not going to post the link here as its not my finest hour, but I'm sure a quick search on Youtube will land you with a video of me applying a Euro R graphic to my dining room window
Now it was December 2016 and I'd owned the car a couple of months. I forgot to mention but on the 16th November I had knee surgery (a meniscectomy to repair and remove damaged cartilage). I'd owned the car for just over 3 weeks and now had to resort back to just looking at the Euro R again (at least this time in the flesh and not on Google images). Six weeks off work unable to walk with far too much time on my hands was not good for the I'm-not-modifying-my-car camp…
The more I looked at it, the more I knew I needed to sort the ride height out. As you can probably see from some of the previous photos, the arch gap is rather comical and with stock 17'' wheels there wasn't a huge amount to fill it either. I started reading up on a few options that were out there and ended up with a choice between Tein or Meister R coilovers or just a simple spring replacement for some Eibachs. Money was a bit tight and given that I definitely wasn't going to start modifying it, I thought that the cheaper option was the most sensible for the time being. I've run Eibach sport or proline kits on several previous cars and always been happy with the results.
I'd developed an extremely intermittent and unusual knock occasionally when full locking whilst parking, nothing that concerned me that much but some simple man maths, and the fact that this could be a potential cure, meant that the deal was done. The springs were ordered and within a week of being able to drive the car again they were fitted. Here's a before and after shot of the ride height once the Eibach Sportline kit was fitted:
To say I was happy with my decision was an understatement. Drop was just what I was looking for, I'm not one for 'lows' but the arch gap had closed nicely, especially on the front which instantly gave the car a much sportier look to accompany its attitude. Roll was dramatically reduced and initially I noticed no difference in the ride comfort – over the following few months I decided that it did feel a little more solid over the bad road surface, but the Accord has buckets of comfort so can afford to sacrifice a little.
During my time with my feet up recovering from my op, I'd read more and more about how much the K20 loves to breath. I'd read about a few options for replacing the intake – which as stock is a heavy maze of different air boxes and resonators. Main contenders were the K&N Typhoon system and an Injen CAI, I'd decided on the K&N initially, but a guy called Ash I'd been talking to online had decided to supercharge his Euro R and offered me a 3 month old Injen, that would no longer fit with his new setup, for a price I couldn't refuse. Not modifying my car had become a distant memory and I bit his hand off. Here it is when it arrived:
And here it is during fitting:
And all finished:
Started the car up and gave it a few rev's and it certainly sounded a bit throatier, nice. Took it for a drive and holy s
t where had this sound been hiding! Low down in the revs on full throttle the car just roars, real deep throaty intake noise. Probably not to every bodies taste but it suits the Honda's I think. Vtec crossover is also indisputable now as the engine tone completely changes at around 5750rpm. Once again a happy customer.Now that I'd sorted the air in, it would be rude not to sort the gases coming out, the hunt was on for an exhaust system…
Gonna end this one here as they're getting a bit long, but by now its April 2017 and here are a few photographs from the convoy to Mimms Rockingham 2017 with a bunch of guys I'd met through the local Honda scene. I got to say the people I've met and friendships made since owning this car has been incredible, but more about that later.
Will do another post on how I got on with the exhaust hunt towards the end of this week
Edited by Kewy on Tuesday 15th May 09:29
Challo said:
Car looked great in the sunshine. I like the fact it’s quite understated and most people will think it’s a bog standard accord.
Hmmm, I'm starting to wonder if this was me or not. This was post-600 mile hooning round the Brecon Beacons and it was filthy by this point hahaKewy said:
Challo said:
Car looked great in the sunshine. I like the fact it’s quite understated and most people will think it’s a bog standard accord.
Hmmm, I'm starting to wonder if this was me or not. This was post-600 mile hooning round the Brecon Beacons and it was filthy by this point haha
As I've said on Instagram a few times, the car looks great man - so nice to see another Euro R owner in the UK!
Great little write up as well, need to do the same for mine at some point.
Making me want to start modding...
My two together just after I picked up mine from Torque GT:
Car stuff by James Butler, on Flickr
Car stuff by James Butler, on Flickr
Great little write up as well, need to do the same for mine at some point.
Making me want to start modding...
My two together just after I picked up mine from Torque GT:
Car stuff by James Butler, on FlickrCar stuff by James Butler, on FlickrStriple said:
That looks like a lot of work for the intake! How long did that take? And how much were you not wanting to take the bumper off!
Yeh it wasn't as straightforward as I'd have liked. My mate helped me and if I remember rightly it took about an hour and a half. The worst bit was trying to get all the different air boxes out from the little nooks and crannys that they slipped into, once out the OEM system filled a bin bag! (Now in the shed).Butter Face said:
Looking at a CAI always makes me shudder, had one on my EP3 (with a hydro shield) and almost killed my engine the first week by sucking up a load of water.
Took it off shortly after!!
Touch wood I've been running mine over a year now and all is good. Just being conscious about bodies of water when its raining I guess, I make a habit of avoiding big puddles and I don't really drive fast in the wet anyway. Sometimes I get a bit paranoid about it if I'm driving down a country lane in the dark.Took it off shortly after!!
In fact, the other day I had to drive across a flooded road, just got my friend to hang out the window and guide me through making sure the water didn't start to rise about the front lip. We made it through, just slowly!
avidjames said:
As I've said on Instagram a few times, the car looks great man - so nice to see another Euro R owner in the UK!
Great little write up as well, need to do the same for mine at some point.
Making me want to start modding...
Cheers James. You already have started modding, you fitted Mugen wind deflectors if I remember rightly Great little write up as well, need to do the same for mine at some point.
Making me want to start modding...
Great write up! I'm toying with the idea of a Euro R myself as I would like a family friendly Honda, with some characteR! I've owned a DC2 for over ten years, during that time I had a DC5 for a couple of years as well.
The DC2 now resides in the garage and only comes out on special (sunny!) occasions; like you I was a graphic designer by trade (now in marketing for my sins). Are the decals individual fret cut letters? I've replaced the ones on my DC2 but they are on one single clear vinyl and the clear edges of the vinyl show up as soon as they trap dirt! So my OCD isn't happy!
I've kept my eye on the Euro R's that do come up for sale, but have concluded i would be better waiting for the right one and having it imported via Torque GT or similar. The blow the budget option would be a 'deep violet purple' FD2, but that's for another time...
After reading about your experience with the car so far, I am very, very tempted.
The DC2 now resides in the garage and only comes out on special (sunny!) occasions; like you I was a graphic designer by trade (now in marketing for my sins). Are the decals individual fret cut letters? I've replaced the ones on my DC2 but they are on one single clear vinyl and the clear edges of the vinyl show up as soon as they trap dirt! So my OCD isn't happy!
I've kept my eye on the Euro R's that do come up for sale, but have concluded i would be better waiting for the right one and having it imported via Torque GT or similar. The blow the budget option would be a 'deep violet purple' FD2, but that's for another time...
After reading about your experience with the car so far, I am very, very tempted.
Hypermiracle said:
Great write up! I'm toying with the idea of a Euro R myself as I would like a family friendly Honda, with some characteR! I've owned a DC2 for over ten years, during that time I had a DC5 for a couple of years as well.
The DC2 now resides in the garage and only comes out on special (sunny!) occasions; like you I was a graphic designer by trade (now in marketing for my sins). Are the decals individual fret cut letters? I've replaced the ones on my DC2 but they are on one single clear vinyl and the clear edges of the vinyl show up as soon as they trap dirt! So my OCD isn't happy!
I've kept my eye on the Euro R's that do come up for sale, but have concluded i would be better waiting for the right one and having it imported via Torque GT or similar. The blow the budget option would be a 'deep violet purple' FD2, but that's for another time...
After reading about your experience with the car so far, I am very, very tempted.
Thanks! Yeh the decals are plotted vinyl so individual letters. Was a bit worried about them staying on as I clean my car a lot but it’s been over a year now and they’re still going strong, even with the addition of a jetwash to my kit The DC2 now resides in the garage and only comes out on special (sunny!) occasions; like you I was a graphic designer by trade (now in marketing for my sins). Are the decals individual fret cut letters? I've replaced the ones on my DC2 but they are on one single clear vinyl and the clear edges of the vinyl show up as soon as they trap dirt! So my OCD isn't happy!
I've kept my eye on the Euro R's that do come up for sale, but have concluded i would be better waiting for the right one and having it imported via Torque GT or similar. The blow the budget option would be a 'deep violet purple' FD2, but that's for another time...
After reading about your experience with the car so far, I am very, very tempted.
I can’t comment on going from a DC2 to a CL7, I imagine anything and everything is going to feel a bit vague compared to a DC2! But if it’s practicality and comfort you’re looking for with a bit of a temper then you’re looking in the right direction.
Me and my mate (who currently owns a DC5) took the Accord to the Brecon Beacons at the weekend and clocked up over 600 miles in total, about half of those on the motorway and the other half was around all manner of country roads and passes through the Beacons. The car blew both of us away, how it could sail down there so comfortably on the long slug and then handle so well on a multitude of different surfaces and road conditions, round every type of corner imaginable, is beyond me. I’ll try and write a bit more about my experience driving the car as this thread develops, but if you can’t tell already I’m very impressed with this car
FD2 would be nice!
although I’ve read a lot about stock suspension being very firm, apparently a Bilstien/Eibach upgrade can cure that though.Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff