kern
Member
- Joined
- May 22, 2017
- Threads
- 1
- Messages
- 15
- Reaction score
- 22
- Location
- Chucktown, SC
- Vehicle(s)
- 15 Civic Si Sedan, 12 MIata SE PRHT
- Thread starter
- #1
For those that don’t want to read this complete posting, I’ll summarize it for you….The Type R is in one word….AMAZING!
With the Track Day we got to drive 17 Si Sedans and Type Rs. The cars were basically brand new. That takes confidence in your cars as these were not ‘prepped’ or broken in. There were zero issues with any of the cars after a second day of track usage (day before was a dealer event) and I did not see anyone that remotely looked like a Honda service technician hanging around.
So here are some of my thoughts on the car….I fit in the Type R like I do into our MX-5. With the R you are part of the car as it surrounds you. I immediately noticed the thigh bolsters as I’ve never owned a car that the seats hug you like the seats in this car. You do not move as you are driving the car hard around a track. The transmission in the R is silky smooth with short / firm throws. Similar in throws to my MX-5, but the Honda tranny has to be the industry standard. Until my MX-5s tranny gets warm it has a grinding mechanical feel. Engine wise, the engine is nice and linear. Loved the power
. I’ll admit we did not do any drag starts as all starts were quick / smooth. On the track there was no noticeable torque steer and there were slower / complex corners on the track, higher speed flat sweeping corners, and a banked oval turn. I’d love to see a cut away drawing of the driveline to understand how they did it. The Type R is the first car I’ve ever driven with rev matching and oh I love this feature. We had one specific drill that we practiced smoothly braking while downshifting coming into a corner. Sweet! As far as looks…..I was worried that the large rear wing would give the car an aftermarket / rice burner image, but in person it really is not that eye grabbing. It really fits into the overall aesthetics of the car. I never liked the stock big wing on the last generation Supra for example as it looked aftermarket to me. I would say the Type R’s wing is more noticeable with certain colors though.
I keep trying to think of a car that I would compare it to after driving it as it is a car designed for aggressive driving, but well refined. I’ve not driven the Focus RS, but I just can’t see that package being this well rounded. Subaru's are no comparison. The Golf R is boring looking to me and my experience with VW reliability is terrible. The only cars I can think of to compare to the Type R would be the twin turbo BMW 3 series sedan or Audi S4 (yes I know Audi is VW) which are completely different price points. My wife is fairly picky about cars and she loved the Type R.
The car is truly impressive especially after getting to ride in a lap with Dario Franchitti driving it. Talk about a fast / smooth driving experience! For those that are thinking of ‘upgrading’ your Type R….Your first upgrade should be yourself. Invest in a driving school. The professional instructors were in Si’s and could outpace everyone I saw in the corners when we were in Type Rs.
A picture to prove it DID happen...8 Type Rs.....
With the Track Day we got to drive 17 Si Sedans and Type Rs. The cars were basically brand new. That takes confidence in your cars as these were not ‘prepped’ or broken in. There were zero issues with any of the cars after a second day of track usage (day before was a dealer event) and I did not see anyone that remotely looked like a Honda service technician hanging around.
So here are some of my thoughts on the car….I fit in the Type R like I do into our MX-5. With the R you are part of the car as it surrounds you. I immediately noticed the thigh bolsters as I’ve never owned a car that the seats hug you like the seats in this car. You do not move as you are driving the car hard around a track. The transmission in the R is silky smooth with short / firm throws. Similar in throws to my MX-5, but the Honda tranny has to be the industry standard. Until my MX-5s tranny gets warm it has a grinding mechanical feel. Engine wise, the engine is nice and linear. Loved the power
. I’ll admit we did not do any drag starts as all starts were quick / smooth. On the track there was no noticeable torque steer and there were slower / complex corners on the track, higher speed flat sweeping corners, and a banked oval turn. I’d love to see a cut away drawing of the driveline to understand how they did it. The Type R is the first car I’ve ever driven with rev matching and oh I love this feature. We had one specific drill that we practiced smoothly braking while downshifting coming into a corner. Sweet! As far as looks…..I was worried that the large rear wing would give the car an aftermarket / rice burner image, but in person it really is not that eye grabbing. It really fits into the overall aesthetics of the car. I never liked the stock big wing on the last generation Supra for example as it looked aftermarket to me. I would say the Type R’s wing is more noticeable with certain colors though.I keep trying to think of a car that I would compare it to after driving it as it is a car designed for aggressive driving, but well refined. I’ve not driven the Focus RS, but I just can’t see that package being this well rounded. Subaru's are no comparison. The Golf R is boring looking to me and my experience with VW reliability is terrible. The only cars I can think of to compare to the Type R would be the twin turbo BMW 3 series sedan or Audi S4 (yes I know Audi is VW) which are completely different price points. My wife is fairly picky about cars and she loved the Type R.
The car is truly impressive especially after getting to ride in a lap with Dario Franchitti driving it. Talk about a fast / smooth driving experience! For those that are thinking of ‘upgrading’ your Type R….Your first upgrade should be yourself. Invest in a driving school. The professional instructors were in Si’s and could outpace everyone I saw in the corners when we were in Type Rs.
A picture to prove it DID happen...8 Type Rs.....
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