davemarco
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 3, 2017
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- SoCal
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Civic Type R (CBP), 2013 Audi TTRS
- Thread starter
- #1
Howdy all. I've had my tuned, bolt on SI now for about 1.5 years. It's been an awesome car, but there continue to be some things that bug me about it. The heavy flywheel is frustrating, even with the KTuner rev hang fix. The shifter remains somewhat crunchy no matter how many parts I throw at it. And more than anything, I am terrified that running so much power through this 1.5T will eventually grenade it. With all that in mind, I decided to start looking into getting myself a Type R.
After weeks of looking around, I was finally able to locate a dealership with a used R that would actually let me test drive. For the sake of brevity, I've summarized my impressions below. Please note that this particular used R already had an Injen CAI and some manner of aftermarket downpipe (they didn't know which). They claimed that it was running the stock tune though, which I believe to be true.
Power: Power delivery on the stock R feels similar to the TSP Stage 1, but with a much sharper slope leading into the mid to high end. Low end torque on the R is surprisingly low key. Immediate boost on the R definitely feels dampened compared to an SI KTuner basemap with boost dampening disabled, turbo responsivess maxed out, etc. A 21 psi basemap with maxed settings on my SI immediately kicks me back into my seat, and then begins to tucker out in the upper mid range. By contrast, the stock R has no boost kick (again, it felt much more similar to the TSP Stage 1, which has dampening on). Not sure if a KTuner R brings the boost kick back (probably?), but just my observation. Either way, without the sharp torque hit, the R accelerates deceptively quickly. It's so smooth and low key that you don't even realize how fast you're going until you look down and realize that the answer is "too fast".
Handling: Handling on the R feels like a direct evolution of the handling on the SI. If the SI's handling is an 8, the Type R's handling would be a 12. It's actually scary at times how rock solid it is. I took a wide looping curve of an off ramp in the R at 90 mph, and felt like I was doing 30. Zero body roll, zero understeer. Honestly I think that I could've hit 100 mph without issue. For comparison, I tried the same curve in my SI immediately after. I felt body roll begin to kick in at around 70 mph, and would not have been comfortable continuing to push it based on the feedback that the tires were giving me. Even if that delta is partially based on the quality of the rubber, the chassis and suspension superiority of the R is very significant. It was eerie how slow I felt going 80 mph in a straight line in the R. I've always complimented the high speed stability of the SI, but this just felt like it was on another level.
Clutch/Flywheel: Flatout - the clutch and single mass flywheel combo on the R is light-years better than the DMF and crappy SI clutch. Before my SI, I had a 5th Gen Prelude. Even with the factory DMF on that car, the revs would instantly plummet when you stepped on the clutch. After that, getting used to the insane rev hang on the SI was a nightmare. I think that we can all agree that even with the KTuner fix, the revs still take eons to come down thanks to the heavy DMF. After getting used to driving with this for over a year, I was shocked when I initially went to shift into 2nd gear in the R and found the car jerking as the revs jumped up to match my slow shift. In disbelief, I went to shift to 3rd, and watched with glee as the revs on the R plummeted like a boulder the instant I stepped on the clutch - exactly like the Prelude. Real shifting again, at long last! The pedal definitely had more heft to it, and while the biting point is easier to find than the one on the SI, it does still carry some of the vagueness that I find is characterstic with Honda clutches. Overall though, a way, way better experience. This is the clutch that the SI was meant to have, and screw Honda for ever switching us over to the DMF.
Other miscellaneous notes: The shifter on the R felt much less crunchy than the one in the SI. Since I'm basically running the entire R assembly, shift knob, and solid bushings, the only thing left to attribute the delta to would be the transmission. Much better on the R.
The engine note on the R was much deeper, but suprisingly much quieter than the SI, even with both cars running CAI's.
I missed the Lanewatch on my SI immediately. It's amazingly useful, and I'm already looking into the difficulty associated with importing a right sided mirror from a Canadian R and wiring it in once I pull the trigger. The blind spots on the R were better than those on the SI Coupe, but not much.
Love the Alcantera. Driving home afterwards with my SI's sandpaper arm rest made me sad.
Overall, I would say that I'm sold on the R. I have zero complaints about my SI though. It's been a great car.
After weeks of looking around, I was finally able to locate a dealership with a used R that would actually let me test drive. For the sake of brevity, I've summarized my impressions below. Please note that this particular used R already had an Injen CAI and some manner of aftermarket downpipe (they didn't know which). They claimed that it was running the stock tune though, which I believe to be true.
Power: Power delivery on the stock R feels similar to the TSP Stage 1, but with a much sharper slope leading into the mid to high end. Low end torque on the R is surprisingly low key. Immediate boost on the R definitely feels dampened compared to an SI KTuner basemap with boost dampening disabled, turbo responsivess maxed out, etc. A 21 psi basemap with maxed settings on my SI immediately kicks me back into my seat, and then begins to tucker out in the upper mid range. By contrast, the stock R has no boost kick (again, it felt much more similar to the TSP Stage 1, which has dampening on). Not sure if a KTuner R brings the boost kick back (probably?), but just my observation. Either way, without the sharp torque hit, the R accelerates deceptively quickly. It's so smooth and low key that you don't even realize how fast you're going until you look down and realize that the answer is "too fast".
Handling: Handling on the R feels like a direct evolution of the handling on the SI. If the SI's handling is an 8, the Type R's handling would be a 12. It's actually scary at times how rock solid it is. I took a wide looping curve of an off ramp in the R at 90 mph, and felt like I was doing 30. Zero body roll, zero understeer. Honestly I think that I could've hit 100 mph without issue. For comparison, I tried the same curve in my SI immediately after. I felt body roll begin to kick in at around 70 mph, and would not have been comfortable continuing to push it based on the feedback that the tires were giving me. Even if that delta is partially based on the quality of the rubber, the chassis and suspension superiority of the R is very significant. It was eerie how slow I felt going 80 mph in a straight line in the R. I've always complimented the high speed stability of the SI, but this just felt like it was on another level.
Clutch/Flywheel: Flatout - the clutch and single mass flywheel combo on the R is light-years better than the DMF and crappy SI clutch. Before my SI, I had a 5th Gen Prelude. Even with the factory DMF on that car, the revs would instantly plummet when you stepped on the clutch. After that, getting used to the insane rev hang on the SI was a nightmare. I think that we can all agree that even with the KTuner fix, the revs still take eons to come down thanks to the heavy DMF. After getting used to driving with this for over a year, I was shocked when I initially went to shift into 2nd gear in the R and found the car jerking as the revs jumped up to match my slow shift. In disbelief, I went to shift to 3rd, and watched with glee as the revs on the R plummeted like a boulder the instant I stepped on the clutch - exactly like the Prelude. Real shifting again, at long last! The pedal definitely had more heft to it, and while the biting point is easier to find than the one on the SI, it does still carry some of the vagueness that I find is characterstic with Honda clutches. Overall though, a way, way better experience. This is the clutch that the SI was meant to have, and screw Honda for ever switching us over to the DMF.
Other miscellaneous notes: The shifter on the R felt much less crunchy than the one in the SI. Since I'm basically running the entire R assembly, shift knob, and solid bushings, the only thing left to attribute the delta to would be the transmission. Much better on the R.
The engine note on the R was much deeper, but suprisingly much quieter than the SI, even with both cars running CAI's.
I missed the Lanewatch on my SI immediately. It's amazingly useful, and I'm already looking into the difficulty associated with importing a right sided mirror from a Canadian R and wiring it in once I pull the trigger. The blind spots on the R were better than those on the SI Coupe, but not much.
Love the Alcantera. Driving home afterwards with my SI's sandpaper arm rest made me sad.
Overall, I would say that I'm sold on the R. I have zero complaints about my SI though. It's been a great car.
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