FK8 Civic Type R: The best of both worlds? | Buyer...

Why the FK8 Sort R and never a Civic Si or FL5 Sort R?

FK8 Honda Civic Si. Picture courtesy Honda.

Honda supplied a number of variations of the FK8, aka the Tenth-generation Civic. Why not go along with a less expensive trim than the Sort R?

“You’re getting much more automobile for the cash,” Eddy says of the Sort R. “The suspension bushings are stiffer. The Sort R platform is a bit wider, so you possibly can match extra tire. The engine is best. With the bottom Civic, you get both the naturally aspirated 2.0, which is ok, or the turbocharged 1.5-liter engine, which it’s a must to do so much to make them keep collectively on observe. The Sort R makes use of a turbocharged K20C1 2.0.”

Honda charges the turbocharged 2.0 for 315 horses out of the field. The turbocharged 1.5 places out simply 174 horsepower, 55% lower than the Civic Sort R makes.

FL5 Honda Civic Sort R. Picture courtesy Honda.

Sure, the newer FL5-chassis Sort R is best than the FK8, however Eddy says it’s extra like “an evolution than a revolution.” Honda engineers gave the brand new Sort R 9 extra horsepower and 10 extra lb.-ft. of torque–with the identical engine however a special turbo.

Honda additionally improved cooling with a special water pump and radiator. Engineers stiffened the chassis and bushings and retuned the suspension. The FL5 has an extended wheelbase by practically 1.4 inches and a wider observe (1 inch up entrance and 0.8 inch within the rear). The FL5 weighs 71 kilos extra, too. Eddy says the most important enchancment is the extra luxe inside.

These adjustments come at a value, although. A brand new FL5 Civic Sort R begins at an MSRP of $45,898. KBB says an FK8 in superb situation sells wherever between $24,000 and $28,000.

“All of those adjustments make the FL5 a greater bundle from the get-go, however it’s fairly dearer,” Eddy explains. “It does increase the query, ‘In case you are shopping for this purely for the observe, why spend the additional cash for the heavier, extra precious automobile that drives a little higher than the FK8?’”

What to Search for When Searching for an FK8

Picture courtesy Honda.

As with all used automobile, purchase one in the perfect situation you possibly can afford–though Eddy says Civic Sort Rs typically get handled extra roughly than some fashions.

“Lots of people modify them, crash them, beat on them,” he says. “They’ll deal with the abuse fairly properly. In case you’re monitoring it, you’re not going to do any worse than the earlier proprietor did.”

Take explicit observe, nevertheless, on how that proprietor saved the Civic Sort R. “It’s extra about sustaining them,” he says. “Do they do common oil adjustments? Brakes are costly and lots of people don’t like to vary them. If the automobile did get in an accident, how was it repaired?”

Eddy purchased one of many first FK8 Sort Rs, and he skilled transmission and physique panel fitment points. He provides, although, that Honda corrected these issues with the later-year fashions.

What to Modify First on Your FK8

Picture by J.A. Ackley.

Earlier than you hit the observe, Eddy advises swapping in efficiency brake fluid and brake pads.

“The inventory Brembo pads, they’re advantageous for a newbie,” Eddy says. “In case you’re actually making an attempt to push the boundaries of what a inventory Civic can do, you’ll wish to put a greater pad in it. There’s a bazillion firms that make pads for the Civic–it’s a standard-sized Brembo caliper.”

Subsequent up, ditch the inventory wheels and tires, Eddy advises. “The inventory FK8 Sort Rs got here with a 20-inch wheel,” he notes. “In case you’re taking a nook quick, it’ll put on the outer fringe of the tire as a result of it rolls over a lot–there’s so little sidewall.

“Drop right down to an 18-inch wheel with a 255- to 265-wide tire–it’s cheaper and also you’ll get extra efficiency. With an 18, it opens up the envelope a bit as a result of with a 20 it’s very laborious to discover a tire that measurement. You are able to do a sq. setup and avoid wasting value, too.”

What Are the Mid-Degree Upgrades to an FK8?

Picture by J.A. Ackley.

Eddy says that as you go sooner, the Civic’s engine picks up extra warmth, pulling energy and elevating temps to vital ranges. His go-to mods embrace an intercooler, radiator, oil cooler, and a vented hood and grille with extra openings.

Eddy additionally has another trick up his sleeve–or ought to we are saying below his automobile? “They make engine trays, which evacuate warmth,” he says. “It simply pushes the new air out.”

Then comes your first suspension mod, an even bigger, stiffer rear anti-roll bar aka sway bar. “I put numerous rear sway bar in it as a result of I prefer it to rotate,” Eddy says. “You don’t wish to put a entrance bar on a front-wheel-drive automobile. It’ll make understeer worse.”

Picture by J.A. Ackley.

With the automobile dealing with upgraded and cooler underhood temps, let’s think about including some energy, which Eddy says is pretty straightforward to do. He put in an aftermarket consumption, downpipe, cat-back exhaust and an ECU tune. This could nudge that horsepower quantity nearer to 400.

Eddy provides that many tuners exist for the platform, which makes discovering an off-the-shelf choice simpler than with different automobiles. Some additionally set up an upgraded high-pressure gas pump and run E85, however Eddy has not performed with these gadgets–but.

Picture by J.A. Ackley.

Then comes the suspension. “The manufacturing facility adjustable suspension is ok,” Eddy says. “If you begin pushing it, you possibly can discover its pitfalls and the place it must have extra spring price.”

Eddy makes use of a Fortune Auto setup that offers you coil-overs and camber plates, the latter of which make a major distinction. With the inventory setup, he says, you may be capable of get 1.5 levels, which requires pulling the strut pins. “The automobiles actually love extra camber,” Eddy stresses. “Ideally, you need something greater than 3 to three.5 levels.”

What Are Extra Superior Mods for an FK8?

Eddy Segal at pace in his FK8 Civic Sort R. Picture by Rob Wilkinson.

Now that you simply’re pulling some severe speeds on the observe, Eddy strongly recommends upgrading your security: seats, harnesses and a roll bar. The seats will web you some weight, too–as did the motorsport-grade wheels–because the Sort R may lose some kilos, pushing the scales at 3117 inventory.

“They’re heavy. They’re a giant automobile,” Eddy says. “Lots of people consider Civics as small hatchbacks. I consider a Civic as a mini Honda Odyssey, as a result of it appears to be like like one for those who stroll away far sufficient from it.”

The straightforward button to occurring a weight loss plan is to take away seats and luxurious gadgets, corresponding to audio system, carpets and the a/c system, though Eddy hasn’t gone to that time but. “I’ve solely eliminated gadgets that had been wanted when putting in a roll bar and seat,” he says. He additionally changed the manufacturing facility steering wheel with a racing mannequin.

The transmission is usually a shortcoming. “It will get scorching while you push it,” Eddy says. “In case you race them laborious, the transmissions can final a few years earlier than needing service–the synchros, the gears go.”

Eddy says that some racers run a transmission cooler, however he doesn’t. He accepts the truth that transmissions want rebuilding occasionally–in his case each two seasons.

When rebuilding the transmission, he strongly recommends upgrading the fourth gear, which he says tends to interrupt, and the differential. Eddy provides that the manufacturing facility Honda race automobiles run the RV6-P fourth gear, which is publicly accessible. Maybe surprisingly, he nonetheless runs a inventory clutch, which appears pretty strong for observe use.

Picture by J.A. Ackley.

Eddy additionally made one different improve: his shifter. “It’s an superior transmission,” he says of the inventory piece. “The Acuity shifter makes the already superb inventory shifter even higher by making the throws not solely shorter but in addition feeling higher and extra planted, if that is smart.”

By including all these mods, Eddy says he’s made an already good platform even higher. “It’s a great time,” he says. “It’s a really balanced automobile. You’ll be able to match a lot tire on it, it’s actually planted by the corners. You’ll be able to take the corners quick–and it gained’t get mild like different automobiles.”