Thinking of Buying new Type-r

[thezone]

Could someone point me to a thread where new type-r civic owners discuss the pros and cons of this model. I'm thinking of buying one and just a little concerned about issues like 3rd gear and paint job.

Cheers:)

[Reothe]

The third gear issue isn't really an issue if you shift properly and do it in a strong positive forward motion and make sure you get two clicks in. The third gear has only popped out on me twice in 4 months and both times was due to lazy shifts in traffic. The paint on the other hand is extremely soft and prone to chipping.

[thezone]

Thanks for the quick reply Reothe, I have an 07 euro and every time I wash it i find new paint chips. One even goes right down to the metal. I even polish it regularly. Would this help? Also how do you find everyday driving with the firmness of ride?

[wilkie]

SUS2K just got a new type-r, ask him for some initial impressions!

[Reothe]

the chipping can't really be helped..it's a fact that you can't compare the quality of the paint with european cars..even though the FN2 is made in europe... lol... polishing it too much would erode your clear coat faster so I guess you best bet is to invest in a car bra when your driving out in the countryside or track days. The ride is stiff but if you've experienced coilovers before riding on 18 inch rims then the ride is actually quite pleasant considering how well it corners. I mean.. you can't have the best of both worlds..and it really depends on if you have a soft bum suited to luxurious leather seats or a hard ass accustomed to coilovers :P

[SUS2K]

Hi there, yes i just purchased the Civic Type R yesterday. So far i am in love with it. The noise on start up is crazy, sounds like a jet engine. As for your question is it practical for everyday use? i am not sure, as i just recently purchased it. But so far, my impression of the car is overall excellent. Nice interrior, love the frong, just the back is so and so on my books.

Also the back seats look small, but aparently there is alot of leg room, and not as small as it may look.

out of 10 i will give it an 8.5/10.

Thanks
David

[thezone]

my previous car was a 98 accord which had eibach springs and bilstein sprints the whole thing was lowered 30mm, it was quit firm but handled very well. I was happy to put up with the frimness. The euro is good also even in standard form (chassis is strong point) but it sits way too high and understeers too much for my liking. Either i change the suspension set up or get ctr. It's such a sexy looking car in the flesh....think i need to go and td one................

how long do tyres last? im lucky to get 15-20 k on the 17" euro bridgestones

[Seiken]

I'm fortunate enough to drive one of these as a company car. i've had mine for the last 4 months and to be honest, i don't think it's worth 40K. This car is as they say is "all show and no go..., well actually it's got a little go". It sounds amazing when revved to redline and sounds like your going fast but in reality it aint that quick.

In regards to the third gear issue, mine did have it but when i hit 5000km, it disappeared and slots in fine. Paint chips however are all over the bonnet, the paint is pretty thin.

Ride is relatively stiff, but not overly so, it's good when your traveling, but once your going slowly and start crashing into bumps, it becomes quite harsh and uncomfortable rocking around. That's what you pay for though for good handling out of the box.

Pros
1. Looks great (inside and outside, the back is a bit err... though)
2. Quite practical, lots of space for a 3 door car.
3. Sounds amazing
4. Corners well for a stock car.

Cons
1. Sounds quick but not that quick.
2. Grabs too much attention, might not be a con for some people but sometimes you just wanna go unnoticed. (get black/silver if you don't want as much attention)
3. Weight
4. getting bagged by honda enthusiasts as it ain't the proper civic type-r, which i agree with.

Note this is my opinion on the car. It's still a nice car but nowhere worth 40K + on roads + insurance etc... which will end up around 44-45K on road in sydney.

Seik

[thezone]

Thanks for your opinion Seiken. Not exactly what i wanted to hear but best to hear the truth from someone whos got one. I think I'll still take one for a drive. I suppose my euro lux man isn't all that quick either but theres something about the way it drives that seems to keep you enthralled. i thought perhaps the ctr would be similar but better. I could just go out and buy a 260kw ss commodore but some how I think I would feel very unsatisfied after getting over the inital power. It's a matter of balance. I think it wouldn't matter how much power a car did or didn't have, we would just get used to it and want more. It's shelf life thats the most important. I might even consider the golf gti which has tremendous accolades. It just looks like a f&$king grandmas car. Sorry wine's talking now.

[Seiken]

I also think that taking it for a test drive doesn't really tell you much as your excited by just being able to take the car out and thrash it all about. A good test is when you actually have the car for a week or so and you can do a proper judgement but there ain't no dealer around who would allow that haha. Pretty much to see what it is like to live with.

I was excited at getting the car as a company car (i do drive a euro as well so i understand where your coming from) and definitely the R is more fun to drive around. Whenever you feel like it you can just thrash the thing all day, although it does suck up quite of fuel if you do so lol, the more effort you put in, the more rewarding it is. OR you can prod around all day and drive it like a normal runabout car, it's not too bad.

However it does get tiring revving the thing to at least 5K to get it moving at a decent rate. Then again all honda's are like that, you need to rev the things to get it moving, it's a honda trademark.

On a side note, what annoys me is that honda hasn't developed much on the engine side of things. the K20A has been around for yonkers since 01-02 integras??? and when it came out, it was rated around 160kw??? and in 5-6 years of development have only got it to 165kw in the new fd2 civic type-r. Even though the power and torque curves have been flattened out in those years of developments but one of the main reasons why people like perfomance honda's is it's astronomical rev limit (8Krpm-9Krpm) but when you see the new jap subaru sti (i know it looks like crap) have a twin turbo 2L engine with a 8Krpm rev limit, it's annoying that honda haven't advanced much in the engine department.

Note once again it is my opinion

Seik

[thezone]

thanks for your advice seiken although I'm a little confused, what is the new fd2 ctr? Also I'm not sure that you have explained if your like or dislike the ctr.

[Seiken]

I don't mind the new ctr, but i personally would not fork out 40K for it.

Japan has a different ctr, the fd2 ctr based on the normal sedan model that's sold here in australia. Our ctr is the fn2 based on the hatch civic in europe.

Seik

[thezone]

So what in your opinion would be worth forking out 40k for?

[Reothe]

lol, what else is there? A second hand s2k is the only other possible option for honda fans downunder since the FD2R isn't coming... :P

[warwick108]

How come we get the shit ctr.. we never got the ep3 until last year..
somehow we always end up with the crap stuff..

[Reothe]

lol cuz everything is shit and everything is overpriced in oz...it's the land downunder where ppl ride sheep to work :P Just be grateful we EVEN get a typeR... without the FN2R there wouldn't be a single red H running about except for second hand cars and grey imports... oh and btw, the EP3 is a grey import.. Australia never officially got the EP3, never has and never will.

[aaronng]

Because none of us wanted to pay the 50k for the DC5R.... so they decided to stop bringing in expensive Type Rs.....

[thezone]

I might even consider a BMW 130i but even 2nd hand there a bit pricey (50-60k)

[denot]

I might even consider a BMW 130i but even 2nd hand there a bit pricey (50-60k)

why a 1 series? not even worthed... for me, if i want to buy a BMW it has to be at least series 5 for sedans/saloons or their coupes... series 3 (not the coupes) and 1 is just not a BMW (better buy lexus or audi)

anyway, back to FN2R topic... i think its still ok looking, attract some ppl attention when driving (surely attract more ppl attention than EP3R) but not really good at handling I suppose... to bad...

[aaronng]

anyway, back to FN2R topic... i think its still ok looking, attract some ppl attention when driving (surely attract more ppl attention than EP3R) but not really good at handling I suppose... to bad...
Have you driven an FN2R yet to make such a judgement on its handling? ;)

[denot]

Have you driven an FN2R yet to make such a judgement on its handling? ;)

yes mr aaronng... actually i did have a chance just yesterday... ^_^ and eventhough I love the car... the sounds... the interior looks... but somehow driving on around 70-80 degree corner (gardeners rd in sydney) at 50k/hr still a bit hard in... i drove an older version of civic and accord with coilovers modded and those feels better than the stock FN2R...

well, it still feel better than my FD2 though... :p

Note: I dont think my friend want to lend me his FN2R anymore after that cornering i did yesterday... :p

[aaronng]

yes mr aaronng... actually i did have a chance just yesterday... ^_^ and eventhough I love the car... the sounds... the interior looks... but somehow driving on around 70-80 degree corner (gardeners rd in sydney) at 50k/hr still a bit hard in... i drove an older version of civic and accord with coilovers modded and those feels better than the stock FN2R...

well, it still feel better than my FD2 though... :p

Note: I dont think my friend want to lend me his FN2R anymore after that cornering i did yesterday... :p

hehe, aftermarket coils are stiffer than the FN2R's stock suspension. I reckon it'll do better with smooth corners, but shittier on those sharp low speed corners. So, did you give your mate a heart attack? It's still under the speed limit. :thumbsup::thumbsup:

[Reothe]

LOL, well at least you get more comfort than riding in a stripped out box with stiff coilovers :) Everything comes at a price.. you can't have the best of both worlds. The only gripe I have as a FN2R owner is that it's slightly overweight/underpowered. If they made it a bit lighter and with a bit more torque it would be perfect. Taking off uphill from traffic lights is just a nightmare..especially with a passenger :(

[denot]

LOL, well at least you get more comfort than riding in a stripped out box with stiff coilovers :) Everything comes at a price.. you can't have the best of both worlds. The only gripe I have as a FN2R owner is that it's slightly overweight/underpowered. If they made it a bit lighter and with a bit more torque it would be perfect. Taking off uphill from traffic lights is just a nightmare..especially with a passenger :(

hang on... if sum1 compare to buy either the S2k or FN2R, then after he bought the FN2R, he can just discard the back seats... hey, you wont need them since you wont get them on S2k right? that will decrease the weight on FN2R :thumbsup: what do you guys think? :p

[Reothe]

ahahahahaha, funny you say that... george (EK4R/Kira) just suggested to me that idea last night so I don't have to be a taxi or tell everyone "the back seats are for decorative purposes only and were never designed for practical purposes" :P Just spent 15 minutes checking out the bolts.. too many big arse bolts for me to undo and really hard to reach..even a rachet... lol..really tempted though..but realistically they'd only save about 30 kilos? :D

[warwick108]

yeh.. take out the back seats.. then..
radio..speakers..
aircon..
and if worst comes to worst you can take out your front passenger seat.. =)

[Philip Lee]

i came very close to buying a FN2R in early December.

i was looking at a practical fun car for around 40k. i need 4 seats but 2 doors is ok. looked at FN2R/3MPS/MCS/XR5/GTI. at the end it was a shootout between FN2R and GTI.

i absolutely love the interior of the FN2R and the exterior is attractive too. in the end i decided on the GTI (although it looks bland) because of 1 thing - FN2R lacks steering feel. i dunno why but to me it steers like my Jazz with a similar driving position too (ie. too high). while the GTI has good feedback and sits very low and good torque. the driving experience is much better than the FN2R.

don't get me wrong i love my Type R but FN2R falls short after a spin in my mate's DC2R. so i'll be taking delivery of a GTI in March and waiting for this mate to sell his DC2R and i'll sell my Jazz to buy it.

[denot]

for me, the height of the steering wheel is just perfect (same as my FD2 :p) but still i agree witht the lacks of steering feel... and then theres this cornering... :p

[Philip Lee]

i meant the seat is too high, not the height of the steering wheel.

[Reothe]

lol, the seat is high only if you haven't figured out how to adjust the height ;) there's a knob on the side that lets you go UP and DOWN :D LOL..trust me.. I'm 180cm tall and I find it hard to see outside the front window when the seat is adjusted all the way down to the floor :P

[Philip Lee]

lol, the seat is high only if you haven't figured out how to adjust the height ;) there's a knob on the side that lets you go UP and DOWN :D LOL..trust me.. I'm 180cm tall and I find it hard to see outside the front window when the seat is adjusted all the way down to the floor :P

r u talking about the lever on the right?

that's the first thing i adjusted.

if you have a chance, try to sit in a GTI.

with the fuel tank underneath the front seats, there isn't much Honda can do to the height.

[Reothe]

lol, u must be a giant!!! I lowered it to the lowest setting just to try it out and get a feel of what it feels like to sit on the floor and I had trouble looking outside.. so I adjusted it back up a few notches :P You wouldn't want to be sitting too low on the fn2r since the front dashboard has 2 levels and the top level botches out a great deal of frontal vision if you sit too low.

[warwick108]

Whats a MCS? as philip lee stated in his choice of cars?
Have you tried the renault clio sports 182 cup?
I heard thats a beast and a half?
any1 driven one?..
dc2r is the real type r I reckon.. nothing feels as good.. but the s2k comes close..

[denot]

Whats a MCS? as philip lee stated in his choice of cars?
Have you tried the renault clio sports 182 cup?
I heard thats a beast and a half?
any1 driven one?..
dc2r is the real type r I reckon.. nothing feels as good.. but the s2k comes close..

renault = france = fail :p jkz jkz

[Philip Lee]

Whats a MCS? as philip lee stated in his choice of cars?
Have you tried the renault clio sports 182 cup?
I heard thats a beast and a half?
any1 driven one?..
dc2r is the real type r I reckon.. nothing feels as good.. but the s2k comes close..

MCS = Mini Copper S

Clio Sports is good BUT maintance is crazy. how about every 3yr/30000km for accessory belt and every 4yr/40000km for timing belt, plus $600 for a HID bulb (each) !!!!

[Philip Lee]

lol, u must be a giant!!! I lowered it to the lowest setting just to try it out and get a feel of what it feels like to sit on the floor and I had trouble looking outside.. so I adjusted it back up a few notches :P You wouldn't want to be sitting too low on the fn2r since the front dashboard has 2 levels and the top level botches out a great deal of frontal vision if you sit too low.

i'm just over 6 feet so i dun think i'm a "giant" but i like to sit low and vision was not a problem.

also 1 thing i really really hate about the FN2R is the silly seat mechanism. if u tilt it forward (which i need to do very often to let the kid in the back), it doesn't return to it's original position. :thumbdwn:

i must say it's not a bad car. if it has the steering feel similar to DC2R, i'd have bought it. i can live with the seat but not the lack of steering feel in a performance car. i just can't find a reason to buy a quicker, better looking and better equiped Jazz. if Honda still sells DC2R brand new at 40k, i'll take one straight away.

[denot]

just out of curiousity guys... are the seats in FN2R automated? i mean do you have to "pump" the seat to move it up and down like in FD2 (i havent try to do this last time i drive one of them) :S

[Reothe]

lol, nope, not automated.. bloody cheap ass europeans. As I told my friend.. here's the rundown on allocation of the budget on the FN2 -> $20k goes to european labour union, $10k goes to honda's coffers, $10k goes to shipping and local dealer profits, $2-3k left over for cost of production :P

[Philip Lee]

seat not automated but i wouldn't say it's cheap ass. afaik no car around $40k has electric seats, but GTI has electric adjustment for lumber support on optional leather seat.

[denot]

Wooot!!!! Euros doesnt have electric seats??? :-O

[Philip Lee]

oops, change that to no performance car around 40k has power seat.

odyssey has power seat too.