Civic FN2 Opinions

[DannyRiyat1234]

Hello All,

Wondering if anyone who has or has had an FN2 could give me any advice.

I have gone from a MK6 Golf which was a fantastic little car. Then moved onto a Subaru WRX S which was quick but far too much power for my age and experience (21) long story short that car is no longer in existence.

Built up some more experience (and sense!) and have been looking at FN2 Type Rs.
I test drove one and from first impressions it has a lovely interior and i guess it can be classed as nippy.

What kind of MPG are you seeing in FN2s?
Anything to look out for when buying?
Tuning options? I know its hard and expensive to tune N/A

My brother has an EP3 which i absolutely love, it is so raw and driver focused.

[Integroo]

DannyRiyat1234 said:

Hello All,

Wondering if anyone who has or has had an FN2 could give me any advice.

I have gone from a MK6 Golf which was a fantastic little car. Then moved onto a Subaru WRX S which was quick but far too much power for my age and experience (21) long story short that car is no longer in existence.

Built up some more experience (and sense!) and have been looking at FN2 Type Rs.
I test drove one and from first impressions it has a lovely interior and i guess it can be classed as nippy.

What kind of MPG are you seeing in FN2s?
Anything to look out for when buying?
Tuning options? I know its hard and expensive to tune N/A

My brother has an EP3 which i absolutely love, it is so raw and driver focused.

I have averaged 27.6 mpg over 2300 miles. It has also used the best part of 2l of oil in that timeframe.

It is on 19" Rage alloys, with low profile 235/35/19 tyres. The ride is truly atrocious - almost unbearable (especially around town). I would definitely recommend the 18"s, which are meant to be better (though still firm).

Things to look for: check the oil is up to the top line, check that the service history includes valve clearances etc (mine has full service history but has things like valve clearances, spark plugs etc that don't appear to have been done), check for rust under rubber at top of windscreen (was a fault, fixed under warranty only if you had FHSH), check electric mirrors work (tend to break, though cheap fix), most will have some stone chips along bonnet (thin paint), don't be too shocked by some panels that don't quite line up (front bumper is common), rattles - quite a few that tend to crop up (mine rattles in various places - glovebox door, perspex over speedometer, under glovebox until I removed tray), calipers can seize.

I like my FN2 when I am out for a drive on a country road - it is brilliant then. Round town and on the motorway I find it pretty difficult to live with. Parts are also more expensive than I thought - I need a new backbox, and there are no pattern-spec ones available, and it would have been 450 from Honda fitted at an independent; i had a seized front caliper - 478 for front discs, pads and one caliper fitted; the 235/35/19 tyres were 145 a corner for Goodyears.

It's a nippy wee car but I imagine it will feel slow compared to your Subaru.

Edited by Integroo on Tuesday 2nd January 20:21

[Sillyhatday]

Exactly as above. Had mine 5 years now. I've changed down to 18 inch wheels, which noticibly reduced understeer, over 19 inch wheels. Which is a nice bonus.

It's tricky to live with around town, motorways not so bad really, just some exhaust drone from my Tegiwa catback around 75mph.

I keep thinking about upgrading but its a tricky one to let go.

[Integroo]

Sillyhatday said:

Exactly as above. Had mine 5 years now. I've changed down to 18 inch wheels, which noticibly reduced understeer, over 19 inch wheels. Which is a nice bonus.

It's tricky to live with around town, motorways not so bad really, just some exhaust drone from my Tegiwa catback around 75mph.

I keep thinking about upgrading but its a tricky one to let go.

I bought it knowing the tyres needed replaced, and put 4 x Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric 235/35/19 on at a cost of £576 fitted. Really, really wish I had bought a set of 18"s (or even 17"s!) and put tyres on that. It would probably have cost me less to buy a set of 18s and four tyres than buying four tyres for the 19s.

That's what I will do if I still have the car when it needs new tyres.

[.:ian:.]

Thats all pretty much bang on my experience too. I get around 30mpg, a few more if drive sensibly, or a few less if drive like a hooligan

Never really noted how much oil it uses, but probably somewhere around 2L per 12000 miles.

I`ve got 18s and the ride over dodgy roads is pretty poor. I did have to replace the front shocks as one started leaking and that improved it a lot, but its still bad.

[Integroo]

I should have noted: mine uses up oil if I drive like a hooligan, and not really if I don't. It does require careful watching though.

[Sillyhatday]

Integroo said:

I bought it knowing the tyres needed replaced, and put 4 x Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric 235/35/19 on at a cost of £576 fitted. Really, really wish I had bought a set of 18"s (or even 17"s!) and put tyres on that. It would probably have cost me less to buy a set of 18s and four tyres than buying four tyres for the 19s.

That's what I will do if I still have the car when it needs new tyres.

Yeah the tyre options for 19 inch wheels are horrific. I'd replaced the front tyres a few times and it was £320 each time for Yokohoma Advan Sports, as it was the original tyre when new. Full set on the smaller wheels came in at £300 dead on for Bridgestone Potenza RE050. Not the best choice I'm aware but again factory fitted. I always end up scrubbing off the outer edges before they are bald on top. What are the Goodyears like on these cars?

[Integroo]

Sillyhatday said:

Integroo said:

I bought it knowing the tyres needed replaced, and put 4 x Goodyear Eagle F1 Assymetric 235/35/19 on at a cost of £576 fitted. Really, really wish I had bought a set of 18"s (or even 17"s!) and put tyres on that. It would probably have cost me less to buy a set of 18s and four tyres than buying four tyres for the 19s.

That's what I will do if I still have the car when it needs new tyres.

Yeah the tyre options for 19 inch wheels are horrific. I'd replaced the front tyres a few times and it was £320 each time for Yokohoma Advan Sports, as it was the original tyre when new. Full set on the smaller wheels came in at £300 dead on for Bridgestone Potenza RE050. Not the best choice I'm aware but again factory fitted. I always end up scrubbing off the outer edges before they are bald on top. What are the Goodyears like on these cars?

I have had no complaints with the Goodyears - though the only tyres I drove on it before were borderline illegal P-Zero's on the front and Bridgestone's on the rears which the seller said had "plenty of tread - were on the car when I bought it six years ago - don't seem to go through rear tyres!" for a few hundred miles, so not much of a comparator! I did a lot of reading before I got them and they were highly recommended on the forums.

[chrismc1977]

Had one as a courtesy car from Honda when they were new.

The ride!!! Uurgh! The back end felt so nervous all the time- pitter/patter & jiggling over anything less than a super smooth surface. Required constant little steering corrections.

All a bit fidgety to be honest.

Engine was decent, though the way the revs hang between changes also got on my wick

[Sillyhatday]

chrismc1977 said:

Had one as a courtesy car from Honda when they were new.

The ride!!! Uurgh! The back end felt so nervous all the time- pitter/patter & jiggling over anything less than a super smooth surface. Required constant little steering corrections.

All a bit fidgety to be honest.

Engine was decent, though the way the revs hang between changes also got on my wick

Fidgety on rougher roads I can agree with, but a nervous rear sounds like there was something wrong with that car. Can be smooth as you like with the steering.

[Integroo]

chrismc1977 said:

Had one as a courtesy car from Honda when they were new.

The ride!!! Uurgh! The back end felt so nervous all the time- pitter/patter & jiggling over anything less than a super smooth surface. Required constant little steering corrections.

All a bit fidgety to be honest.

Engine was decent, though the way the revs hang between changes also got on my wick

Certainly have no complaints about a nervous rear end - feels planted as anything!

[RacingBlue]

The ride is borderline unbearable (considering I swapped my FN2 for a Fiesta ST, which also is known for having a very hard ride speaks volumes).

Build quality is also poor - trim rattles and in my case, drops off (boot trim, drivers padding on transmission tunnel).

The engine sounds great, but unfortunately the car that it's installed in is crap. Shame, I really wanted to like mine. I still love the looks and interior, but it's a massively flawed car. It's not even that fast either.

[chrismc1977]

Sillyhatday said:

Fidgety on rougher roads I can agree with, but a nervous rear sounds like there was something wrong with that car. Can be smooth as you like with the steering.

It was a dealer car with next to no miles. It just didn’t feel supple & well-sorted.. Too stiff

My DC2 on the other hand is in a different league....about as good as it gets

[Integroo]

chrismc1977 said:

It was a dealer car with next to no miles. It just didn’t feel supple & well-sorted.. Too stiff

My DC2 on the other hand is in a different league....about as good as it gets

The one thing I agree with, is it is too stiff.

[chrismc1977]

Well yeah- there really isn’t any doubt about that tbh!

[Commander2874]

Fantastic cars. Yes ride is a little harsh but unless you are doing silly miles and using it as a daily stuck in traffic, I would say you wouldn't care.

Yes slight rattles here and there but nothing to worry about, turbo cars would be better if motorway journeying is common but for b road blasts the fn2 is spot on!

The way it revs to 9k is stunning and the handling is absolutely brilliant. Great car for the money

[Sillyhatday]

md4776 said:

I'll be back in the market for a CTR FN2 over the next few months (had a low mileage MY2008 between 2012-2014) after my lease car goes back. Convinced the missus we should go older and cheaper , I had my eye on a Alfa GTV for shed money, she quickly put paid to that. She wants another CTR which is hardly a poor second choice. I'm hoping to keep a lid on the cost at 6/7k which means a 2008-2009 car (maybe) with 90/100k miles.

Anyways EVOs buyer's guide says valve clearances should be done in the 72k service . When should they be done again after this? It also says the chain needs changed at "around" 100k and budget £650 if it hasn't been done . Does anyone know if there's a specific mileage/service /age it's due? Or is it genuinely when it hits 100k?

Thanks!

I've been told valve clearances need doing every 25k. It seems a bit of a mystery subject to me, as Honda don't even do them unless you ask.

The timing chain should be good past 100k. Depends on the car, it might last a lifetime, or it needs doing early. If it isn't rattling it'll be fine.

[designforlife]

i get the valve clearances checked every other annual service on my DC5 (about 8k miles or 2 years)...they rarely need adjusting and if they do it's minor.

You can usually tell when they are out, by engine noise alone...but also if the idle is a bit lumpy or has a small misfire, slightly more oil use than you would expect etc.