Car and Driver 2017 Lightning Lap - Civic Si matches MK7 GTI PP

[das borgen]

Car And Driver just released the videos and article for 2017 Lightning Lap. In their LL1 (up to $35k) class, the Si came in 2nd of 4 cars for the year with a time of 3:14.6 around the VIR Grand Course
http://www.caranddriver.com/features/honda-civic-si-at-lightning-lap-2017-feature



From 2015 Lightning Lap, the MK7 GTI PP did the same time

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/volkswagen-gti-at-lightning-lap-2015-feature

 

[exyia]

Our heads swollen with grip, we tried slinging the Si into the downhill right of Hog Pen at Camaro ZL1 1LE speed—actually the Si’s entry at 89.2 mph was higher than the 1LE’s. The Si couldn’t handle all that speed, though, and exited the corner at a low 84.7 mph. The fact that we felt like it might have been able to, and that it came out the other side on the track and not on the grass, goes to show that the Si makes a treacherous track seem easy.

As expected, a solid and confident core chassis let down by a too tame suspension setup. Stiffer springs and more camber please. The 10th gen Si has so much potential

Still sitting here hoping for an early update/refresh

Nice driving on the editor though, especially given the track conditions. Very muggy!

 

[5inn]

Have been waiting for this. Faster than an S2000 CR, Focus ST, Fiesta ST, WRX (without PP) and EcoBoost Mustang.

Almost 10 seconds faster than the 2012 Si.

Not bad Honda!

I wonder how much faster it would have been if they did the 'pedal dance' to fully disable VSA/TC.

 

[das borgen]

As expected, a solid and confident core chassis let down by a too tame suspension setup. Stiffer springs and more camber please. The 10th gen Si has so much potential

Still sitting here hoping for an early update/refresh

Nice driving on the editor though, especially given the track conditions. Very muggy!

I've driven the track in my M3 and the way the tires gave up the ghost at Hog Pen was so painful to watch on the Si's lap. I really think all the car needs is tires

 

[Design]

Impressive - especially on a misty track. I agree that tires seem to be the single biggest limiting factor.

@Administrator - Good article for the news feed.

 

[exyia]

I've driven the track in my M3 and the way the tires gave up the ghost at Hog Pen was so painful to watch on the Si's lap. I really think all the car needs is tires

Point being, there's no reason we can't have (or rather Honda could have given us) both

 

[Curtman]

I am pretty happy with the results.

 

[CanadiaegeanBlue]

It's the combination of the excellent driving dynamics that made me purchase my Si on the first test drive and very little research. I did months of research on the Elantra Sport for comparison, but the 10th Si is just a level above..

4mph slower in a section than a Turbo S and faster entry speed than a track special 1LE is something we can all be proud of. Like said above, grippier tires will be awesome for this car!

 

[invader]

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/lightning-lap-2017-every-lap-time-and-full-data-feature

 

[jpuhl777]

LL1 selection seems to be limited. Up to 34K is a lot of different cars (I think the SI is the cheapest one on the list). No GTI, No fords, no mazda, or many of the other cars you commonly see the civic compared to. Most of the cars listed are also "sports" cars while the SI is a spiried eco box. Oh well....

 

[das borgen]

LL1 selection seems to be limited. Up to 34K is a lot of different cars (I think the SI is the cheapest one on the list). No GTI, No fords, no mazda, or many of the other cars you commonly see the civic compared to. Most of the cars listed are also "sports" cars while the SI is a spiried eco box. Oh well....

Those cars you list have been done in years past. Heck they did the GTI and and GTI PP

 

[jpuhl777]

ah, I get it now. This was new models. That makes sense, thanks

 

[ClemsonPatriot]

Anyone know the fuel used for the run? Is it 91 or 93 octane. Higher?

 

[procivic]

Really impressive, but I can't say I'm too surprised. This new Si definitely delivers on the track. We recently went to Willow Springs with our 2017 Si sedan and it exceeded our expectations in almost every way. It was stock except for a FlashPro +6 PSI tune only enabled when the Sport button was pressed.

 

[JYR]

Honda is extremely well known for delivering vehicles on sub-par tires. Hell, the 9th gen Si had grand touring conti-pro contacts as the standard tire. The summer tire was an expensive add on.

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