Code Monkey's 2019 Civic Type R

[Code Monkey]

Here's a mini chronicle of my Type R.

Purchased her in September 2019 but a combination of Covid, working from home, and moving from Atlanta suburbs closer to Downtown had me drive the car sparingly until now. The car is my daily but also serves as an occasional hpde backup when I want a change from my track prepped Subaru BRZ.

I do not plan to mod the car extensively, just enough to be more enjoyable at the track. That means mostly suspension mods rather than power. Not worried about overheating as I have no plans to track the car in hot weather. The car did fine in 80 degrees with heater blasting on full hot.

Current mod list
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Enkei Tuning TS-V 18x9.5 +40
Falken Azenis RT615K+ 265/35/18
HardRace front lower ball joints
--
Ferodo DS3.12 front
Ferodo DS1.11 rear
Castrol SRF
--
USR tow hook bracket
Hasport 82A RMM
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[Code Monkey]

First track days

Did three sessions at Barber and three sessions at Road Atlanta in a completely stock car. Best lap time at Road Atlanta was 1:42.99. Corded front tires. Overall the car is a joy to drive and is very nicely balanced.

First mods followed:

Enkei Tuning TS-V 18x9.5 +40
Falken Azenis RT615K+ 265/35/18
HardRace front lower ball joints
alignment, -3.5 camber in front, 0 toe

Ferodo DS3.12 front
Ferodo DS1.11 rear
Castrol SRF
Hasport 82A RMM
USR tow hook bracket

Also changed the oil to Motul 5W-30 300V @3,270 miles.

 

[Code Monkey]

Second track weekend

Full weekend at Road Atlanta. Did not time all the sessions but recorded several 1:42.7x laps.

With more camber and better brake pads the stock suspension feels too soft now. The car desperately needs stiffer springs. Will look into coilovers but this most likely will not happen until next year.

Also, the front was walking on me under heavy braking. The front needs some toe in. Tire temps on front passenger were perfect, the front driver was still too hot on the outside. I think rather then going -4 camber a stiffer spring should fix it.

The rear needs to rotate more so a RSB will be on order soon.

Last but not least, the side bolsters are too short and my left thigh was rolling onto the bolster and almost sitting on top of it. Very uncomfortable. Will order a Schroth QuickFit Pro and hope it will mostly fix the issue.

 

[fatherpain]

Right on Code Monkey. How does the type R compare to your dedicated track built Subaru BRZ? Are your lap times similar? Which would you say is more fun to drive at the track?

 

[Code Monkey]

Both are fun in their own ways.
Road Atlanta favors horsepower and the Type R is about a second faster now (1:42.73 vs low 1:43).
I cannot wait to put proper suspension on the Type R though at which point I expect it to be
about 3 seconds faster. Would love to put a 1:39 in the Type R and a 1:42 in the BRZ (that includes a header and an e85 tune). Stock power BRZs will probably run a 1:45-1:46.
On a tighter track (Barber or Atlanta Motorsports Park) lap times should be closer.
One thing that stood out is how the steering on the Type R is very numb compared to the BRZ.
Everything else should be fixable to bring the two cars closer in terms of feel and handling.

 

[roflitzjinno]

Glad to see you were able to get -3.5 on stock suspension. That's my goal as well.

 

[sobabe]

How did the Ferodo brake pads hold up over a track day?

 

[Code Monkey]

Lots of wear in the front, this is what is left from brand new pads after one hpde weekend. The rears look much better, should be able to get a few more weekends out of them.

 

[REDRAGN]

Did you ever install the Schroth QuickFit Pro? I was reading some threads on here and like anything they are controversial...I'd love to hear your experience and/or reasoning.

I did watch Schroths videos online as to how they mitigate submarining with just a 4 point belt setup...I like the idea of added support and capability of using a regular style HANS with them instead of having to buy the Hybrid S.

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