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

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

FK8 Honda Civic Si. Photograph 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 Kind R?

“You’re getting much more automobile for the cash,” Eddy says of the Kind R. “The suspension bushings are stiffer. The Kind R platform is somewhat wider, so you possibly can match extra tire. The engine is healthier. With the bottom Civic, you get both the naturally aspirated 2.0, which is okay, or the turbocharged 1.5-liter engine, which you need to do loads to make them keep collectively on monitor. The Kind 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 Kind R makes.

FL5 Honda Civic Kind R. Photograph courtesy Honda.

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

Honda additionally improved cooling with a unique water pump and radiator. Engineers stiffened the chassis and bushings and retuned the suspension. The FL5 has an extended wheelbase by almost 1.4 inches and a wider monitor (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 modifications come at a price, although. A brand new FL5 Civic Kind R begins at an MSRP of $45,898. KBB says an FK8 in excellent situation sells anyplace between $24,000 and $28,000.

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

What to Search for When Purchasing for an FK8

Photograph courtesy Honda.

As with every used automobile, purchase one in the very best situation you possibly can afford–though Eddy says Civic Kind Rs usually get handled extra roughly than some fashions.

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

Take explicit be aware, nonetheless, on how that proprietor stored the Civic Kind R. “It’s extra about sustaining them,” he says. “Do they do common oil modifications? 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 Kind 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

Photograph by J.A. Ackley.

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

“The inventory Brembo pads, they’re effective for a newbie,” Eddy says. “If you happen to’re actually attempting to push the boundaries of what a inventory Civic can do, you’ll need 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 Kind Rs got here with a 20-inch wheel,” he notes. “If you happen to’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 arduous to discover a tire that dimension. You are able to do a sq. setup and avoid wasting value, too.”

What Are the Mid-Degree Upgrades to an FK8?

Photograph 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 essential 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 beneath his automobile? “They make engine trays, which evacuate warmth,” he says. “It simply pushes the new air out.”

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

Photograph 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 simple 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.

Photograph by J.A. Ackley.

Then comes the suspension. “The manufacturing unit adjustable suspension is okay,” Eddy says. “While you begin pushing it, you possibly can discover its pitfalls and the place it must have extra spring fee.”

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 would possibly be capable to 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 velocity in his FK8 Civic Kind R. Photograph by Rob Wilkinson.

Now that you just’re pulling some critical speeds on the monitor, 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 Kind R might 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 like one if you happen to stroll away far sufficient from it.”

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

The transmission generally is a shortcoming. “It will get sizzling whenever you push it,” Eddy says. “If you happen to race them arduous, 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 once in a while–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 unit Honda race automobiles run the RV6-P fourth gear, which is publicly obtainable. Maybe surprisingly, he nonetheless runs a inventory clutch, which appears pretty strong for monitor use.

Photograph 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 additionally 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 possibly can match a lot tire on it, it’s actually planted by the corners. You possibly can take the corners quick–and it gained’t get gentle like different automobiles.”