Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R

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fatherpain

fatherpain

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Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 6AAA94DB-C0E6-4410-9F07-25004501716F

**Long post alert**
Returned to Willow Springs in Rosamond CA for a 2nd go at Streets of Willow.. Track is 115 miles North from my house, so knew it would push me past the 36k mike warranty cutoff. The service advisor originally said they’d only cover my (2) remaining issues if the car stayed under 36k miles, so was prepared to tow the car home from the track. However she called back and said they had some way to honor the repairs, which saved a hassle :headbang:

This was definitely the funnest of the (5) events I’ve done. The Los Angeles Shelby Club run an absolutely tremendous event focused on Driver’s education. Pre-track meeting was very well organized and they offered free driving instruction.


Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 8B04EB3E-4517-4F04-94B3-7EBB42416A9F

Though their focus is Shelby Cobras and American muscle, they encourage owners of all types of cars and welcomed our Type R’s.


Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 2A49B0A0-2DD2-4DDA-8A61-BDA07D05F01A

The club has been around for 28 years and they host one event each year, which has been renamed after their founder and pioneer Dave Dralle sadly passed away in 2017. Wish I had taken up this hobby sooner to have met the man, who genuinely sounds like he was a super cool person.

Besides the $15 track entry fee, The event cost just $135 for non-members or $115 for members. Will be joinIng the club for $30. Then can recoup $20 by attending the next annual track day + Receive a T-shirt. Can’t beat that deal :bow:

Since this was a driver education event, orange cones were placed on the track to mark apex’s and where your car should turn in...

Attended the event with (2) track buddies and (2) Type R owners from the SoCal FB pages, who I also count as friends :cool:

My pal Steve brought his beautiful yellow 2019 Corvette Z06 but ran into cooling issues so had to shut down early. However he is super smart and left with ideas how to fix. Felt bad for him, but kinda nice to know ours isn’t the only platform that needs help ;)

Ran in the advanced group. There were only (5) cars including me, so track was wide open, no traffic.

Was able to stay on the tail of my other buddy Roy’s 450HP Cadillac and he is a beast in that car. He was clocking 1:30 laps, so I figure that was my time also.

Was driving fast and feeling good, but later found that doesn’t necessarily equate to good track driving. :doh:

Towards the end of the day, at my request, an instructor rode shotgun. Figured he might be somewhat impressed and offer a tip here or there....however it went something like this ?

Me: Hello sir, this is my 2nd time at SOW, 5th track day overall. I’ve been doing 1:30’s.

Instructor (Bruce): Don’t care what your times are. Let’s see how you drive!!

Me: :oops:

After about a half lap, Bruce said: “Ok, I’ve seen enough let’s take it back in and talk.”
In the pits he told me “you are driving fast, because the car is amazing. But you’re doing it wrong. Dial it back 20% and focus on the hitting the cones!

Me: Got it boss!

Back out we went. After another half lap, I was appalled when Bruce said “Cut! Let’s take it back in again!” Doh!! :confused:

Bruce: You’re missing every cone by 3 feet or more! The cones are there for a reason! They are marking the apex’s and turn-ins. You are supposed to be within (1) foot or less of each cone!!!

Me: (in my head) I am? Haha, shoot didn’t know that! I was just out there to rip :drive:

Bruce: Don’t worry about going fast. Focus on the cones. Begin turns at the right spot and hit the apex. Take turns wider to begin accelerating halfway through and be able to exit the curve at the proper angle to achieve maximum speed. Dial it back 20% and do it again!

He also explained the strategy of the SOW track on a map.

Was humbling, but appreciated him setting me straight so I can work to become a better track driver. :bow:

With that, went back out solo for the final session, followed his advice and kept within (1) foot of each cone.

Wow, what a difference! :) Car felt much more natural and didn’t have to work nearly as hard. So much better. Found Bruce afterwards and thanked him. Was my 2nd time receiving track instruction and was a big help. With Covid, most track organizers haven’t offered any, so I’ve been reinforcing bad habits of the unlearned. :rolleyes:

Guess the best analogy might be driving a high HP car and getting decent times due to the power it has on the straights, but doing the rest of the track all wrong. :confused:

The Type R similarly made me look better than I was, driving “bad”. But instead of power, it was the RE71R’s insane grip and the car’s agility and quickness. A true track tire would probably be nuts. Also impressive is it’s still on the stock suspension in R mode, rev match and VSA traction OFF.


Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 1A32C553-EBBB-4EB7-A5F0-8FC47910C5E9

Always a good idea to check everything between track sessions. Noticed a little brake fluid leaking by the bleeder vents. Tightened what I was able to reach and got about a 1/8” turn to seal them.

With the hood open between sessions, noticed one of the CCV catch can hose fittings had worked itself loose, resulting in a small amount of oil splatter, which could have created a problem. Must have not tightened it fully after the last round of mods ?‍♂

Ambient temperature was 100-101F. Pushed the car hard and Streets of Willow is low speed with lots of turns and just (2) short straights to cool down, so was a real good test of the cooling upgrades.

Temperature gauge consistently hovered around 60-70%. Which was a little concerning, but never went limp. Kept the heater on full blast. Completed each session without a cooling lap, outside of the final lap before returning to the pits.

Overall pleased not to have issues on a really hot day. For my skill level, it seems the platform’s cooling issue has been resolved. That said, will be doing a C&R Racing core swap with the HKS oil cooler for good measure and may try a different radiator fluid mixture next time. Currently on OEM Honda coolant.

My buddy Tim has the C&R street radiator and came away with a good experience also. He was able to complete most of the sessions, though reported his temperature gauge maxed out once. Didn’t go limp but ended the session, as a precaution. Has a 2020 grill, but not a vented hood.

Contemplating Buttonwillow September 11th and maybe joining the SoCal CTR group at Fontana :)


Good luck at your event!
I'm really curious with all the cooling mods you have added to see the end results!
 
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For track days you should run distilled water, plus if anything was to happen it would just evaporate and no one would hate you lol. For reals, I ran distilled water in my track car that I sold and noticed cooler temps compared to a 50/50 mix.

Sounds like you got great hints from a good instructor. I'm a local instructor here in Utah for Nasa Utah - definitely try to learn the race line and braking points. It's always a good idea to try and follow someone who knows the track so you can learn from their race line.

Some people who I have instructed before come from Autox and they have that WANT to do aggressive turns every corner but it's not like that, you really need to use the full track to your advantage. Sometimes the "race-line" is on the red and white even though it seems sketchy pushing the car that far out.
 

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Tom, great update. Very glad to hear that you did not have issues in that heat. Good pick up on the slight leak at the brake bleeder and the CCV catch can line being loose!
Great price for a day at the track and getting in car instruction is invaluable.
 
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Thank you for sharing this :) Did some reading on distilled water and didn’t know it’s a radiator requirement for competitive racing.

Find it interesting that it runs cooler than radiator fluid... Will definitely keep in mind if run into cooling problems. The increased corrosion potential is a little worrisome however..

The C&R Racing replacement core for the HKS oil cooler should arrive next week. Will install at next oil change... that should also help keep temperatures down.

After that, will turn attention towards putting on the suspension mods. Trying to psyche myself up to do the work, heh.


For track days you should run distilled water, plus if anything was to happen it would just evaporate and no one would hate you lol. For reals, I ran distilled water in my track car that I sold and noticed cooler temps compared to a 50/50 mix.
 

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Thank you for sharing this :) Did some reading on distilled water and didn’t know it’s a radiator requirement for competitive racing.
ive seen drag racers throw a punch because a guy watered down the track with coolant and was very well announced to run water only event
 


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@fatherpain nice review of your SOW experience. A lot of people say this is a cheater car. Now it makes me nervous if I was to have the same instructor lol. That's part of the challenge though. I mean, what would happen if we all jus hit all the correct points and drove the correct line constantly? ;)
I think i'll be joining you at ACS! Been waiting for that one and also Edmond's track day in Oct. I think they might be back to back weekends. Oct going to be track day month!
 

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Finally took the car in for PPF and ceramic to be applied to the exterior pieces that were added and the replacement windshield.

Requested a clear heat resistant ceramic tint for the front windshield... But the shop applied a 70% tint :doh:

Looks good...hopefully it doesn’t give the PoPo a reason to pull me over. Knock on wood.:rolleyes:
i have 20% without any visibility issues and cops always tell me that im not a threat because its "just a civic"
 
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fatherpain

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Thanks Jeff. I’m determined to improve as a driver and getting a little better each time.

Next planned track day is 11/21/20 @Chuckwalla with Speed Ventures.

Will be my first time driving that track, so instruction would be a huge benefit. It’s available for a couple hundred dollars, whereas the instruction I’ve gotten so far has been free. Haven’t decided whether I’ll pony up or try to watch some YouTube videos to get familiar with the track.

Have some mods I’d like to install before that track date, but home projects are cluttering the garage, which prevents the car from being parked so it can be worked on. That’s my alibi at least. The reality is some of the mods are abit involved, so am trying to find motivation to jump in and get after it :rolleyes:


Tom, great update. Very glad to hear that you did not have issues in that heat. Good pick up on the slight leak at the brake bleeder and the CCV catch can line being loose!
Great price for a day at the track and getting in car instruction is invaluable.
 
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Unfortunately not getting C&R’s complete oil cooler kit, just the cooler section alone. Though it Is more dense and has more cooling fins, it is supposed to be a direct swap and retain the HKS hoses and ducting.

Not really looking forward to pulling the cooler back out to exchange cores. It was kind of a pain to install it the first time around :confused:

Dibs on the HKS :D
 


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Haha, you know the old saying:

“If ya ain’t cheatin, ya ain’t trying!”

I can definitely attest the Type R’s all around performance characteristics makes up for a lot of my rookie mistakes. The sense it can handle just about anything I ask of it and remain planted in the turns, inspires a good deal of confidence at the track.

Need to work on trusting the stopping power of the brakes and maintaining speed longer and braking at the last second before the turns.... Which is counter intuitive as I am in fear of understeering and going off the track.

Did that once under different (dumb) circumstances @95MPH and that is not something I care to repeat :doh:

ACS? Does that mean you will be attending Chuckwalla on 11/21/20 with Speed Ventures or Alfa Romeo Club of SoCal? If so lmk and I’ll look for you there. Several of my buddies will be bringing their cars, so should be a blast :)


@fatherpain nice review of your SOW experience. A lot of people say this is a cheater car. Now it makes me nervous if I was to have the same instructor lol. That's part of the challenge though. I mean, what would happen if we all jus hit all the correct points and drove the correct line constantly? ;)
I think i'll be joining you at ACS! Been waiting for that one and also Edmond's track day in Oct. I think they might be back to back weekends. Oct going to be track day month!
 
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Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 6E34D09D-3172-4783-A2C9-B96D98D070B1

In case anyone may not have guessed, besides suffering from “mild” OCD :rolleyes: , I’m a work-a-holic.... which often means long workdays, weekends too.

Prior to the Covid-19 outbreak, my sons played club soccer... and I was team manager for both of their teams and also the volunteer club President (sucker) for a time. :doh:

Juggling that schedule was hectic and didn’t leave much time for anything else, including taking care of my health, which I’ve taken for granted for awhile.

Have since kicked those extracurriculars to the curb (wife ecstatic) and replaced it with this hobby of modding and tracking (wife not so ecstatic, haha)


Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 078FE8DC-4079-4C34-81EA-5AB69EB60D6B

After the last round of mods, noticed my left hand was a little sore. Thought maybe it was due to overuse, so took a couple week break. When it didn’t improve, realized my hand was swollen, probably due to poor circulation ?.

Picked up a Peloton stationary bike for my wife. Foot pain is preventing her from running, so this seemed a logical way for her to work out, with gyms being closed.


Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R AF4362C5-786A-4765-AA93-2B83DB228B5E

No reason for the missus to reap all the benefits.

And no better time like the present for some “driver mod” for myself. Have been riding every morning for the past couple weeks. Each time the swelling goes down and can clench my fingers without discomfort. Gonna do my best to stick with it and make it a daily routine. With any luck, will shed some pounds along the way, which will benefit the car at the track ?

Not into Peloton’s classes yet, so I take the scenic route, play my favorite music on a Bluetooth speaker and just pedal away.


Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 541D3816-4A75-4E99-BD25-9E8E0D73A844
I’m fatherpain on Peloton as well, so if anyone happens to have one of these and sees me there, please drop a high five :headbang:
 
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Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R 931CC29C-0AEA-4EA5-A9BF-0DBE5637D496

Received the C&R replacement core upgrade for the HKS oil cooler. Supposed to be a direct swap.


Honda Civic 10th gen Fatherpain’s 2018 Type R DD8BE65C-A271-42FD-9AE0-9A2779DB75D9
Workmanship looks very solid. Core seems denser and possibly thicker. Will take some side by side shots when I go to install, hopefully before next track day 11/21/20.
 

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EA2FAD86-B599-4D26-B24C-313AF4DF75AE.jpeg

With a track day approaching, it was time to remove the center caps and switch back to hub centric rings... Also needed to bleed the brakes... Til now, have been doing the (2) person method, where someone needs to press the brake pedal while the other guy bleeds and refills the brake reservoir... What a pain.


6EB59B43-85EB-4698-8BF3-D6216E65162A.jpeg

Have been looking for a good option to accomplish this task alone... Enter the “Speedi-Bleed“ pressure brake bleeder kit :bow:

Comes fully assembled with a brake system C900 adapter cap, fill bottle, regulator, an air fill line, tubing in between and a plastic storage box.

https://www.speedibleed.com/

The link has a nice video demonstrating it in use... And convinced me to give it a try.


B7A2A774-4289-4D07-8413-D1BD9D547287.jpeg

The cap adapter twists on in place of the OEM brake fill cap. Really like that it clears the J’s Racing strut bar with no issues. :headbang:


9B2DEDF6-9617-455C-9600-8AAA9FA174F6.jpeg

Removed the cap from the fill bottle, which dropped in perfectly beside the ECU.


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Poured in (1) bottle of brake fluid.


BAABD07A-C5AA-4411-921B-BABBA289BD66.jpeg

Then twisted the cap back on tightly. The fill bottle has a minimum level marked that needs to be maintained. (1) bottle of brake fluid put it well above that.


3A5B01DF-F225-4A43-872A-4E4F7B0E42BE.jpeg

Removed a cap from (1) of the tires to provide air pressure to power the Speedi-bleed.


4006BE10-9038-4E07-B838-260306BFB069.jpeg

Connected this end of the Speedi-bleed to the tire, per instructions.


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set the regulator to 10-15 psi per the instructions.


811EA1E8-5B0B-4D97-948E-071D9659E126.jpeg

Removed the rubber bleeder caps and connected an old water bottle with clear tubing through the cap. Bled each brake in this sequence:

Driver side rear
Passenger side rear
Driver side front outer then inner
Passenger side front outer then inner

Tools needed:
10mm and 11mm flare nut wrenches
10mm combo wrench
Paper towels for any spills


F63D5FEB-7941-4CB5-A786-7893347EDED6.jpeg

The Speedi-bleed maintained a uninterrupted supply of brake fluid throughout the bleeding process. Made sure to check the fill bottle towards the end to make sure it was still above the minimum.

Bled all (4) brakes in a matter of minutes. The tire supplying the air pressure dropped maybe 1 PSI.

Disconnected the Speedi-bleed and returned everything back to normal.

Wow. Very impressed with this brilliant tool. The Speedi-bleed is a game changer, how easy it makes brake bleeding, which until now, I didn’t like doing.


2CBF74AD-6560-4AE8-B53C-8C4C0AA4E39E.jpeg
As an added bonus, It stores nicely in the provided case, ready for next time. It will also bleed the clutch. Highly recommended :cool:
Hi Tom,

I'm about to do the whole brake system on my FK8. I want to buy this speedi-bleed kit after reading your review on it. I have 2 questions though - 1: How did you proceed or would you recommend removing all the OEM fluid from the system before I add Motul brake fluid? 2nd: Is there a correct pattern on these cars bleeding the brake system after adding the motul? I remember from minor previous experience you start from the rear right and work your way up in a Z pattern?
 


 


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