Going to the track with a Civic Sport

[Crazy Kanga]

Hi All,

I currently own a Civic Sport MT. I am getting more and more into cars and I'd love to experience what a track day feels. Can I track my car or will I be so damn slow that it does not make sense?

Thank you in advance,

Fernando

Sponsored

 

[kaputt]

You can for sure take it, lots of track days will have novice sessions. I'd also recommend you look into AutoX as its a little less harsh on the car and easier to do with a stock vehicle.

There is a track section on this forum that has some good tips for getting involved in track days.

The only thing you would maybe want to do with the car is a brake pad and fluid upgrade as the stock pads and fluid will not stand up to repeated lapping very well. However if its truly your first time you can usually get away with them because you likely won't push the car to any sort of limits anyway.

The Civic Sport is no race car but its a good learning platform and with a few tweaks (pads, fluid, lighter wheels, better tires) you could track it reliably and safely multiple times a year.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

You can for sure take it, lots of track days will have novice sessions. I'd also recommend you look into AutoX as its a little less harsh on the car and easier to do with a stock vehicle.

There is a track section on this forum that has some good tips for getting involved in track days.

The only thing you would maybe want to do with the car is a brake pad and fluid upgrade as the stock pads and fluid will not stand up to repeated lapping very well. However if its truly your first time you can usually get away with them because you likely won't push the car to any sort of limits anyway.

The Civic Sport is no race car but its a good learning platform and with a few tweaks (pads, fluid, lighter wheels, better tires) you could track it reliably and safely multiple times a year.

Oh good news then! I wanna push the car and understand the chassis dynamics. Thanks for your answer

 

[jayy_swish]

https://www.amazon.com/ATE-706202-Original-Racing-Quality/dp/B003VXRPL0

Best Dot4 brake fluid, able to handle temps some Dot5.1 brake fluid can handle

 

[gtman]

OP, while it's true you can have fun wringing out a relatively slow, lower limit car, it would also help if you made your car more track ready.

Lighter wheels, better tires, upgraded brakes and maybe a KTuner tune would up the fun factor (and improve your times) considerably.

Still, there should be fun to be had even stock.

 

[Gruber]

Fun is relative. Just imagine it's 1953. At that time a car like Jaguar XK120 would be a very sporty funky car but a stock X gen. civic could be faster. The race version of this Jaguar (type C) would win Le 24 heures du Mans.

https://www.conceptcarz.com/s1645/J...gine Location : ,| 1326.758 kg 1 more rows

 

[gtman]

Fun is relative. Just imagine it's 1953. At that time a car like Jaguar XK120 would be a very sporty funky car but a stock X gen. civic could be faster. The race version of this Jaguar (type C) would win Le 24 heures du Mans.

https://www.conceptcarz.com/s1645/Jaguar-XK120.aspx#:~:text=Features Engine Location : ,| 1326.758 kg 1 more rows

Cool. A base NA Civic is faster than a nearly 70 year old car. Woo hoo!

 

[skottharrison]

Make sure you look up the specific requirements for the track you'll visit. Some require taping up bits and pieces, and it'll need to pass inspection.
Otherwise, if you don't flog it too hard, it should hold up. Depending on how hard you push it, it'll consume tires, brakes, all the other things listed above.
Check your fluids, brakes, and make sure maintenance is up to date and have a blast!
Also learn the rules of the track day such as when its okay to pass and when to let others pass you.

 

[yansag1982]

i would love to track my car someday but i think to have more fun with it i would want at least a set of stiffer lowered springs to further limit the body roll...the sport suspension isn't bad but a tighter setup would improve feel a lot...and a big brake kit...also Ktuner and air intake.

The first piece of my puzzle came in today!!
it's my christmas gift tho so i can't even open it!
Now saving money for Ktuner and suspension next summer.

 

[Crazy Kanga]

i would love to track my car someday but i think to have more fun with it i would want at least a set of stiffer lowered springs to further limit the body roll...the sport suspension isn't bad but a tighter setup would improve feel a lot...and a big brake kit...also Ktuner and air intake.

The first piece of my puzzle came in today!!
it's my christmas gift tho so i can't even open it!
Now saving money for Ktuner and suspension next summer.

Enjoy it!!!!

 

[Gruber]

Cool. A base NA Civic is faster than a nearly 70 year old car. Woo hoo!

Yeah, but the base civic is about 1/3 of the average household income today, while this Jaguar was more than the average household income then. It cost more than a CTR today.

Still, I bet the people who owned that car and watched SF movies in 1955 were sure that by the year 2020 cars will fly at the speed of light on atomic propulsion or some kryptonite. As it turned out, today cars are not so different except they have a lot of gadgets, burn a bit less fuel and are a lil' bit cheaper and more reliable.

 

[PCHAU86]

@Crazy Kanga I actually use my civic sport hatch as a track car and it’s totally fine. I would definitely recommend getting better tires and brake fluid before getting out there as everyone has stated. It’s better to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow.

 

[gtman]

@Crazy Kanga I actually use my civic sport hatch as a track car and it’s totally fine. I would definitely recommend getting better tires and brake fluid before getting out there as everyone has stated. It’s better to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow.

I agree that driving a slow car fast can be fun. But, to keep it accurate here, the OP has a stock 2.0 NA Sport sedan. Nothing wrong with that of course. Just pointing that out because you track a different car (turbo and tuned).

Sponsored