CL7 Accord Euro R (Very pic heavy)
Discussion
I've owned this car for about 18 months now, and have been meaning to do a thread on it since early day's but I've finally got it to a place where I'm really happy with it so bare with me as there are a lot of photos to share 
What better place to start than the beginning. A good mate of mine bought himself a DC5 having previously owned an FN2, EP3 and getting bored of a stage 2 Focus ST.
I'd driven the EP3 (don't think I ever drove the FN), but the moment we picked up the Integra I knew I needed that engine. I was driving an Insignia 2.0T at the time, which probably magnified the impression the Integra had on me – but as cheesy as it sounds that's when what driving was all about really clicked for me. I immediately forgot all about power chasing and knew I needed something naturally aspirated with a good chassis and that handled well and was involving to drive.
Trouble is, I have an 11 year old and hopefully another on the way in the not too distant future, and the Integra wasn't going to be congruent with the direction my life was going. That's when my friend asked me if I'd seen the Accord Euro R's.
For those that are unfamiliar, the Accord Euro R comes in a CL1 and CL7 variant, and are Japanese market only. The CL7 which is the one that caught my attention is a 7th gen Honda Accord with the same K20A lump in it that can be found in the Integra DC5, JDM EP3 and Civic FD2. It shares the same running gear as the DC5, has an LSD, different intake manifold (for a bit more lower down grunt), and double wishbone suspension all round. The latest Accord Type R we got in the UK was the CH1 Accord, and in the next generation the Type R equivalent was only sold in Japan. I knew I wanted to find out more about this car.
The next problem was, that they were few and far between, both ones that were for sale and ones that were owned in the UK. I thought about this car for about a year, had notifications on all for sale channels and in that time only a handful came up for sale, none of which were quite what I wanted, nor close to home so I could go have a look. Over that same year I didn't see a single one on the road either or meet anyone online that lived close enough for me to pop by and have a nose. I knew if I wanted this car then I was going to have to be a bit more proactive and eventually got talking to Mike at Torque GT about the logistics of importing one of my own. Albeit a bit anxious as I'd still not even stepped foot in one, just basing my decision on gut feeling and reviews I'd read online.
Conversations with Torque bounced back and forth for a while, and I was close to biting the bullet and dropping a deposit, when to my disbelief I left my house one day, walked up to my Insignia and there was an Accord Euro R parked BEHIND MY CAR.
If you don't believe me, here it is
I literally could not believe my eyes, for about 18 months this car had just been a fantasy and now there was one parked right outside my house, behind my own boat, almost taunting me to say 'you know you want me'. Needless to say, I drooled over it for a bit, had a good look around, took some photos and left a note on the window screen saying how nice it was, and heres my number, and I'm not a weirdo, please ring me
I didn't get much work done the following day. Checked my phone approximately 7842 times but nothing. A couple of days went past and I was sure I'd blown it. The only thing I'd succeeded in was scaring off some poor bloke into thinking his car was going to be nicked. Then about a week later I get a text from an unknown number saying thanks for the nice note and feel free to ask any questions… and if you don't believe me, here it is
What a nice chap!
Now it turns out that Dave lives about half hour away but works in my hometown and drives the car in and out the city every day, I'd just never seen it. He even plays snooker at the end of my road every Tuesday!! and parks in the area every time
Anyway, messages bounced back and forth for a couple of days and god love the bloke he offered to come take me out for a spin. The following Tuesday he came early for snooker and took me out for a drive beforehand and I finally got a feel for it. Funnily enough I remember thinking it didn't feel very fast, but the Insignia had around 350lb/ft of torque so it wasn't going to, but the handling was outrageous for a saloon and it felt so planted. Interior was nice, seats were comfortable and it confirmed to me that I was making the right decision.
The Insignia went up for sale (sold in two days but thats another story) and I put the deposit down with Torque GT for my new car. Now I just had to wait for it to get into the country. This was probably the longest wait of my life, and I had no car, but it was summer and I enjoy cycling so could be worse. Torque GT were fantastic throughout the whole process, did pretty much everything for me and I just had to sit back and track the boat it was being shipped on watching it stop at numerous other countries on its route to the UK. Worst of all, the ship finally arrived in the UK, at the docks in Southampton which is about 20 minutes from my house, only to be collected and taken 4 hours away down to TGT offices in Devon!
Another two weeks passed whilst all the paperwork got sorted, car got serviced and undercoated, 4 new tyres, clocks converted and so on, finally it was ready to collect. Me and my mate got a train down to Newton Abbot and were collected by Mike (in a Tommi Makinen edition Lancer obviously) and taken back to TGT HQ.
If you've been to TGT you'll know their yard is pretty incredible, spent a good couple hours up there, took the car for a spin (could finally give it some), signed the papers, got myself some Fusso and the deal was done.
After about 2 years of dreaming about this car I was finally the proud owner of my own, completely stock, in the colour I wanted with not a mark on it, and a 4 hour drive ahead of me back to my hometown.
And if you don't believe me, here it is
Stopped off at the pub on the way home for some grub.
(TO BE CONTINUED… as its getting late, and I completely underestimated how long this would take haha. Got a bit carried away so sorry its a bit wordy, but lots of photos to come.)
What better place to start than the beginning. A good mate of mine bought himself a DC5 having previously owned an FN2, EP3 and getting bored of a stage 2 Focus ST.
I'd driven the EP3 (don't think I ever drove the FN), but the moment we picked up the Integra I knew I needed that engine. I was driving an Insignia 2.0T at the time, which probably magnified the impression the Integra had on me – but as cheesy as it sounds that's when what driving was all about really clicked for me. I immediately forgot all about power chasing and knew I needed something naturally aspirated with a good chassis and that handled well and was involving to drive.
Trouble is, I have an 11 year old and hopefully another on the way in the not too distant future, and the Integra wasn't going to be congruent with the direction my life was going. That's when my friend asked me if I'd seen the Accord Euro R's.
For those that are unfamiliar, the Accord Euro R comes in a CL1 and CL7 variant, and are Japanese market only. The CL7 which is the one that caught my attention is a 7th gen Honda Accord with the same K20A lump in it that can be found in the Integra DC5, JDM EP3 and Civic FD2. It shares the same running gear as the DC5, has an LSD, different intake manifold (for a bit more lower down grunt), and double wishbone suspension all round. The latest Accord Type R we got in the UK was the CH1 Accord, and in the next generation the Type R equivalent was only sold in Japan. I knew I wanted to find out more about this car.
The next problem was, that they were few and far between, both ones that were for sale and ones that were owned in the UK. I thought about this car for about a year, had notifications on all for sale channels and in that time only a handful came up for sale, none of which were quite what I wanted, nor close to home so I could go have a look. Over that same year I didn't see a single one on the road either or meet anyone online that lived close enough for me to pop by and have a nose. I knew if I wanted this car then I was going to have to be a bit more proactive and eventually got talking to Mike at Torque GT about the logistics of importing one of my own. Albeit a bit anxious as I'd still not even stepped foot in one, just basing my decision on gut feeling and reviews I'd read online.
Conversations with Torque bounced back and forth for a while, and I was close to biting the bullet and dropping a deposit, when to my disbelief I left my house one day, walked up to my Insignia and there was an Accord Euro R parked BEHIND MY CAR.
If you don't believe me, here it is
I literally could not believe my eyes, for about 18 months this car had just been a fantasy and now there was one parked right outside my house, behind my own boat, almost taunting me to say 'you know you want me'. Needless to say, I drooled over it for a bit, had a good look around, took some photos and left a note on the window screen saying how nice it was, and heres my number, and I'm not a weirdo, please ring me
I didn't get much work done the following day. Checked my phone approximately 7842 times but nothing. A couple of days went past and I was sure I'd blown it. The only thing I'd succeeded in was scaring off some poor bloke into thinking his car was going to be nicked. Then about a week later I get a text from an unknown number saying thanks for the nice note and feel free to ask any questions… and if you don't believe me, here it is
What a nice chap!
Now it turns out that Dave lives about half hour away but works in my hometown and drives the car in and out the city every day, I'd just never seen it. He even plays snooker at the end of my road every Tuesday!! and parks in the area every time
Anyway, messages bounced back and forth for a couple of days and god love the bloke he offered to come take me out for a spin. The following Tuesday he came early for snooker and took me out for a drive beforehand and I finally got a feel for it. Funnily enough I remember thinking it didn't feel very fast, but the Insignia had around 350lb/ft of torque so it wasn't going to, but the handling was outrageous for a saloon and it felt so planted. Interior was nice, seats were comfortable and it confirmed to me that I was making the right decision.
The Insignia went up for sale (sold in two days but thats another story) and I put the deposit down with Torque GT for my new car. Now I just had to wait for it to get into the country. This was probably the longest wait of my life, and I had no car, but it was summer and I enjoy cycling so could be worse. Torque GT were fantastic throughout the whole process, did pretty much everything for me and I just had to sit back and track the boat it was being shipped on watching it stop at numerous other countries on its route to the UK. Worst of all, the ship finally arrived in the UK, at the docks in Southampton which is about 20 minutes from my house, only to be collected and taken 4 hours away down to TGT offices in Devon!
Another two weeks passed whilst all the paperwork got sorted, car got serviced and undercoated, 4 new tyres, clocks converted and so on, finally it was ready to collect. Me and my mate got a train down to Newton Abbot and were collected by Mike (in a Tommi Makinen edition Lancer obviously
) and taken back to TGT HQ. If you've been to TGT you'll know their yard is pretty incredible, spent a good couple hours up there, took the car for a spin (could finally give it some), signed the papers, got myself some Fusso and the deal was done.
After about 2 years of dreaming about this car I was finally the proud owner of my own, completely stock, in the colour I wanted with not a mark on it, and a 4 hour drive ahead of me back to my hometown.
And if you don't believe me, here it is
Stopped off at the pub on the way home for some grub.
(TO BE CONTINUED… as its getting late, and I completely underestimated how long this would take haha. Got a bit carried away so sorry its a bit wordy, but lots of photos to come.)
Butter Face said:
Great looking car. Is it pearl white?
Thanks! Yes it is, really shimmers when the sun is on it this time of year.
Will continue with the write up this evening I imagine
As for spec:
When I bought the car it had 85k on the clock (miles once converted).
2.0 N/A K20A
220bhp
FWD
LSD
Momo steering wheel, Recaro seat etc
Mine was completely stock, which meant huge arch gap and quite a lot of body roll, so first thing I had to sort was the ride height.
Marc H said:
Hi - I was in my S2000 yesterday in Kent/Essex.... from the look of it, you are in Devon - but it wasn't you that I saw out and about? Can't remember exactly where now, but think it was on the A13 or A127 near Basildon.
In fact I've been in one - but in Auckland! Mate out there had one - and also a track-ready MR2.
Hi Marc, I'm in Hampshire mate I just collected the car from Devon when I bought it.In fact I've been in one - but in Auckland! Mate out there had one - and also a track-ready MR2.
I have since met a bloke who lives Essex way and owns a white CL7 with a rear wing on it, might have been him!
Funny you should mention Auckland as a lot of the forums I watch are based in New Zealand, seem to be more popular over there.
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.
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.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 hahaStriple 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...
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.ECG1000 said:
Real nice. Always loved a fast Honda.
Yours is a couple of red Honda badges away from being perfect.
By that I mean swapping the chrome one on the grill for red - same on the boot lid.
Red badges are on the long list of to-buys, they're just so expensive for genuine Honda ones and I don't want any of that ebay crap. Got to be the correct shade of red and all that Yours is a couple of red Honda badges away from being perfect.
By that I mean swapping the chrome one on the grill for red - same on the boot lid.
Exhaust time!
I'll try and keep this one a bit shorter as I'm aware they've been a bit long. I'm also couped up in bed with vertigo so probably have a limited time slot before the room starts to spin again!
So I was enjoying the sound of the intake, but it was missing that sporty tone and the back end was missing something. For those that haven't seen, this is the view from the back with the OEM exhaust system:
Understated to say the least. I think I read somewhere that the laws in Japan mean the exhaust tips are not aloud to protrude beyond the bumper (or something). But these sat a good inch or two back from the bumper, sounded of practically nothing (especically now all you could hear was intake), and no matter how much I tried to polish them up, were never shiny – it needed changing.
The obvious options when you look at systems for a CL7 Euro R are Skunk 2 (very loud), Toda (very expensive), J's (very rare) and Fujitsubo (very quiet). I knew I didn't want the Skunk, and toyed with the idea of the Toda, but ultimately ended up going for the Fujitsubo Legalis R system. I'm not one for obnoxiously loud exhausts, however I was a little concerned that the Fuji would be too quiet – some reviews compared them to stock and this wouldn't be ideal. Nether-the-less I had been chatting with Josh at TGT and he'd been extremely patient with me changing my mind a million times, the price on the Fujitsubo system was very good so I put my order in.
Here's the exciting day it turned up:
And here's what it looks like fitted:
Car was really starting to take shape and it's amazing what difference those big shiny pipes make from the rear view.
So how does it perform? Well I've never actually had this car on a dyno so in terms of power from the intake and exhaust I have no idea, as we all know its not easy getting big gains from N/A so I doubt its huge. Initially the exhaust was very quiet, much sportier tone than stock but still quiet in comparison to most systems you find on Hondas. Over time its really opened up a bit and albeit still a modest system, I'm really happy with it. Its a deep note with no raspy-ness, and get some lovely subtle pops on the overrun. I have a few videos to post at some point (what's the best way to do that??) which will give an idea of the sound. Think I read someone describe the Fujitsubo as a 'gentleman's system' once, and that's a good way of putting it I guess, it certainly isn't ASBO.
Ironically my intake is still incredibly loud, especially in the cabin, and it would be interesting to change this at some point so I can hear what the exhaust sounds like on its own, but I'm in no rush to do that.
We're now up to May 2017, not a huge amount happened in terms of mods over the summer of 2017, but heres a few photos from June and July to finish this post off (I did manage to warp several sets of brake discs over the summer of last year so in the next post we'll look at brakes):
More good friends met through the local car scene:
And the Accord's first show! Simply Jap at Beaulieu in July 2017:
I'll try and keep this one a bit shorter as I'm aware they've been a bit long. I'm also couped up in bed with vertigo so probably have a limited time slot before the room starts to spin again!
So I was enjoying the sound of the intake, but it was missing that sporty tone and the back end was missing something. For those that haven't seen, this is the view from the back with the OEM exhaust system:
Understated to say the least. I think I read somewhere that the laws in Japan mean the exhaust tips are not aloud to protrude beyond the bumper (or something). But these sat a good inch or two back from the bumper, sounded of practically nothing (especically now all you could hear was intake), and no matter how much I tried to polish them up, were never shiny – it needed changing.
The obvious options when you look at systems for a CL7 Euro R are Skunk 2 (very loud), Toda (very expensive), J's (very rare) and Fujitsubo (very quiet). I knew I didn't want the Skunk, and toyed with the idea of the Toda, but ultimately ended up going for the Fujitsubo Legalis R system. I'm not one for obnoxiously loud exhausts, however I was a little concerned that the Fuji would be too quiet – some reviews compared them to stock and this wouldn't be ideal. Nether-the-less I had been chatting with Josh at TGT and he'd been extremely patient with me changing my mind a million times, the price on the Fujitsubo system was very good so I put my order in.
Here's the exciting day it turned up:
And here's what it looks like fitted:
Car was really starting to take shape and it's amazing what difference those big shiny pipes make from the rear view.
So how does it perform? Well I've never actually had this car on a dyno so in terms of power from the intake and exhaust I have no idea, as we all know its not easy getting big gains from N/A so I doubt its huge. Initially the exhaust was very quiet, much sportier tone than stock but still quiet in comparison to most systems you find on Hondas. Over time its really opened up a bit and albeit still a modest system, I'm really happy with it. Its a deep note with no raspy-ness, and get some lovely subtle pops on the overrun. I have a few videos to post at some point (what's the best way to do that??) which will give an idea of the sound. Think I read someone describe the Fujitsubo as a 'gentleman's system' once, and that's a good way of putting it I guess, it certainly isn't ASBO.
Ironically my intake is still incredibly loud, especially in the cabin, and it would be interesting to change this at some point so I can hear what the exhaust sounds like on its own, but I'm in no rush to do that.
We're now up to May 2017, not a huge amount happened in terms of mods over the summer of 2017, but heres a few photos from June and July to finish this post off (I did manage to warp several sets of brake discs over the summer of last year
so in the next post we'll look at brakes):More good friends met through the local car scene:
And the Accord's first show! Simply Jap at Beaulieu in July 2017:
Robshaw92 said:
I think you've made a good choice regarding the exhaust. This is more of a 'mature' sports car. Nearly spat out my lunch when I got to the last picture though! I thought you had fitted silly air ride! Closer look made me realise its just the long grass
Keep going with the thread, Gives me a bit of lunchtime reading
Haha noooooo, won't find air ride here Keep going with the thread, Gives me a bit of lunchtime reading
will keep it up for as long as people want to read about it, or I run out of content haha.Striple said:
Exhaust sounds good on your Instagram clip. Like you say, sporty but not too obnoxious. To answer your previous question, I'm waiting for a cl7! This thread isn't helping...
So if you've seen my Insta then you know where this thread is going! No spoilers 
Ah its a painful wait but so worth it in the end, when is yours due? What colour? Want some rear quarter decals? TheAngryDog said:
Lovely car OP. I do like an Accord, and yours looks very good. The exhaust definitely makes the rear end look much better.
Thanks Dog 
David-mthtml said:
Lovely car mate, a set of white 18/19inch wheels, red Honda badges and lose the wind deflectors would complete it for me ??
I've been meaning to order red H badges for about a year and just haven't got round to it yet, I have the tabs up in my browser but just keep putting it off, its like £70 in total for OEM ones! Strangely the back is more expensive that the front, yet smaller.As for wheels, you'll have to keep reading this thread
Sorry for the lack of posts over the last week. I've been in Ölüdeniz with the family free from the internet for a change which was bliss.
Here's a couple of photos from the trip.
I wouldn't have been getting very far round here…
Even spotted an old Accord
Anyway, back to where we left off with the CL7 in July 2017. I'm actually going to start this off witha few loads of photos from a trip up to the Brecon Beacons back in August 2017. I was really happy with where the car was going and me and the o/h got a good hotel deal staying Cwmbran just south of the Beacons. Ended up clocking up around 800 miles in 3 days driving round the hills.
I'd recently found a video by DriveTribe where Henry Catchpole takes an R8 Spyder to the Alps in a film called 'One Last Pass'. If you've not seen it, the link is here and its a great watch. This had really made me want to do the trip down to the Alps and I'd started planning it (it's actually happening May next year and I'm still planning!). The Beacons trip was kind of a warm up trip to see how the car performed and get used to it on the closest thing I have to mountain passes within a few hours of my hometown.
When we arrived at the hotel the room wasn't ready, so I said we could take a drive into the Beacons for some lunch and then head back later. I whipped out Google Maps and looked for the closest road that looked like it could be fun. The one that jumped out at me immediately was the B4560 and it was only half hour from where were.
I set the sat nav going and after a 30 min scenic drive the road started to come alive a bit and twist and carve up the valley (I was smug with myself, good choice). If you've driven that road then you'll know theres a cracking right hand turn on a verge followed by a left hand that opens up at the peak with a viewing spot, I was driving spiritedly to say the least and missed the entrance to the viewing spot but noticed a blue Lamborghini Huracan parked up (reeforcing my smugness with my choice of road). I hesitated and ended up driving for 5-10 mins and then changed my mind and turned round to go back, it looked like a good spot to stop.
When I got there I found the blue Huracan as well as a new BMW M4 Comp Pack. This trip was starting off on a good foot! Couldn't help myself but get some photos.
I was looking at the photo's I'd taken and the driver of the Huracan jumped out, I looked up to give him a nod and thought to myself… I know that guy??
It was only flipping Henry Catchpole!
He was filming for Car Fection in both the Lambo and the BMW. It was tipping it down but had a brief chat and jumped back in our cars, what a friendly chap. If you're interested in the videos he was filming you can find them here (Huracan) and here.
Heres a few more photos from the trip:
(Met up with a friend of mine who lives in Cardiff who owned this DC5 with only had 34,000 miles on the clock!)
Car was filthy, fun was had by all and successful trip to the hills if I don't say so myself. I've already rambled on loads so I'll try to keep this short, but the car performed fantastically and I'd managed to bag myself another set of warped brake discs. This was when I started looking for a solution to the crappy stock calipers, BBK wasn't really an option as the funds didn't allow at the time but I discovered that a UK CH1 Accord caliper would bolt straight on, this is a two-piston as opposed to the single piston on the stock brakes so would hopefully distribute the pressure, it also benefits from a 28mm thick disc as opposed to the 25mm from stock so this should also help prevent the warping. And most importantly, if you look hard enough you can pick them up pretty cheap.
After a while looking and a few let downs from breakers, I managed to purchase this set for about £150 if I remember rightly.
Here's before and after fitting:
I also fitted some M Tech C-Hook discs and chucked some new Brembo pads on that I had lying around. Better discs and pads would help even more with stopping but the CH1 calipers performed better instantly and gave a much firmer pedal feel. I'm also yet to warp another set of discs and its nearly a year on so fingers crossed it solved my issue
Next post… Headlight restoration and wheels
Here's a couple of photos from the trip.
I wouldn't have been getting very far round here…
Even spotted an old Accord
Anyway, back to where we left off with the CL7 in July 2017. I'm actually going to start this off with
I'd recently found a video by DriveTribe where Henry Catchpole takes an R8 Spyder to the Alps in a film called 'One Last Pass'. If you've not seen it, the link is here and its a great watch. This had really made me want to do the trip down to the Alps and I'd started planning it (it's actually happening May next year and I'm still planning!). The Beacons trip was kind of a warm up trip to see how the car performed and get used to it on the closest thing I have to mountain passes within a few hours of my hometown.
When we arrived at the hotel the room wasn't ready, so I said we could take a drive into the Beacons for some lunch and then head back later. I whipped out Google Maps and looked for the closest road that looked like it could be fun. The one that jumped out at me immediately was the B4560 and it was only half hour from where were.
I set the sat nav going and after a 30 min scenic drive the road started to come alive a bit and twist and carve up the valley (I was smug with myself, good choice). If you've driven that road then you'll know theres a cracking right hand turn on a verge followed by a left hand that opens up at the peak with a viewing spot, I was driving spiritedly to say the least and missed the entrance to the viewing spot but noticed a blue Lamborghini Huracan parked up (reeforcing my smugness with my choice of road
). I hesitated and ended up driving for 5-10 mins and then changed my mind and turned round to go back, it looked like a good spot to stop.When I got there I found the blue Huracan as well as a new BMW M4 Comp Pack. This trip was starting off on a good foot! Couldn't help myself but get some photos.
I was looking at the photo's I'd taken and the driver of the Huracan jumped out, I looked up to give him a nod and thought to myself… I know that guy??
It was only flipping Henry Catchpole!
He was filming for Car Fection in both the Lambo and the BMW. It was tipping it down but had a brief chat and jumped back in our cars, what a friendly chap. If you're interested in the videos he was filming you can find them here (Huracan) and here.
Heres a few more photos from the trip:
(Met up with a friend of mine who lives in Cardiff who owned this DC5 with only had 34,000 miles on the clock!)
Car was filthy, fun was had by all and successful trip to the hills if I don't say so myself. I've already rambled on loads so I'll try to keep this short, but the car performed fantastically and I'd managed to bag myself another set of warped brake discs. This was when I started looking for a solution to the crappy stock calipers, BBK wasn't really an option as the funds didn't allow at the time but I discovered that a UK CH1 Accord caliper would bolt straight on, this is a two-piston as opposed to the single piston on the stock brakes so would hopefully distribute the pressure, it also benefits from a 28mm thick disc as opposed to the 25mm from stock so this should also help prevent the warping. And most importantly, if you look hard enough you can pick them up pretty cheap.
After a while looking and a few let downs from breakers, I managed to purchase this set for about £150 if I remember rightly.
Here's before and after fitting:
I also fitted some M Tech C-Hook discs and chucked some new Brembo pads on that I had lying around. Better discs and pads would help even more with stopping but the CH1 calipers performed better instantly and gave a much firmer pedal feel. I'm also yet to warp another set of discs and its nearly a year on so fingers crossed it solved my issue
Next post… Headlight restoration and wheels
BricktopST205 said:
Have a Fujitsubo system on my GT4 and is a hell of a lot better than the Blitz NUR Spec that I tryed. Mine was actually bigger than the blitz at 3" but sounded better and a lot better on a drive without looking like a bell end!
How does the engine feel with a car of this size? Never checked the kerb weight of a CL7 but must be close to 1500kg?
This was one of my main worries before I bought the car. I'd mostly experienced the K20 in my mates DC5 and wasn't sure how it would perform in the heavier saloon. Wet weight is around 1350kg stock.How does the engine feel with a car of this size? Never checked the kerb weight of a CL7 but must be close to 1500kg?
Edited by BricktopST205 on Sunday 20th May 11:04
But the truth is, it doesn't feel like you're driving a saloon, and thats what I love about this car so much. The different RBC inlet manifold helps give the car a bit more torque low down in the revs (as does the Fujitsubo system), and once you're up in vtec there's no stopping it. Been on many drives alongside the DC5 and its never really struggled to keep up!
Striple said:
Car is looking good. Like the current level of mods, not too mad. Mine turned up last week, loving it! What have you done to your stereo?
Nice! You got photos of yours?Mine still has the JDM head unit in it. I put up with Radio 2 as my only station for about 6 months when I first owned the car, then eventually fitted a Connects 2 bluetooth and aux module which is plug and play straight into the bottom of the head unit (where the multi-disc CD changer would plug in).
joshleb said:
Looking good, not heard of these before!
The only niggle I find when looking at it is that it needs a something on the bootlid, a spoiler or a lip or something.
Is the spoiler on the black one posted above OEM?
Yeah the black one has the OEM spoiler that can also be found on lots of Type S models (commonly found in the UK), the other alternative is the bigger Mugen spoiler that sits a lot higher.The only niggle I find when looking at it is that it needs a something on the bootlid, a spoiler or a lip or something.
Is the spoiler on the black one posted above OEM?
I've umm'd and ahhh'd about fitting some sort of wing or duck tail lip or something but I can't decide, quite like the cleaner look at the same time.
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