Fell out of love with my FK8...

[Chrisp1]

It all starts with being realistic and doing your research on any vehicle before “buying”

Some just go out there get something and magically think it’s going to check off all the right boxes. I typically spend up to a couple years researching vehicles and options before committing to anything and it’s always paid off. Mind you I keep my cars and actually buy them out right so I’m sure that makes a huge difference too.

Typically it’s the ones that don’t even own the car will flip flop every so often where a real car enthusiast is more likely to stick with their vehicle because that’s what they really wanted! ..why else because it’s called modding..these people don’t do much of that if not at all..do this and you’ll find new found enjoyment and enjoy the process of making a great car even more amazing!

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[goodvibes]

Some people just got caught up by the hype from the name type R. The car was extremely hyped when it came out in 2017, and the mark ups and short availability at that time made it even more desirable, but only certain people actually researched enough on it to still remember that it is still a civic, is not going to be a spin around doing donuts type of car, and thats were some people return the car after the lease or end up selling it after a while. We have to see over the hype and really ask yourself if the car checks out for your own liking and not because you'll be owning a "Hyped" car.

 

[Zeffy94]

Some people just got caught up by the hype from the name type R. The car was extremely hyped when it came out in 2017, and the mark ups and short availability at that time made it even more desirable, but only certain people actually researched enough on it to still remember that it is still a civic, is not going to be a spin around doing donuts type of car, and thats were some people return the car after the lease or end up selling it after a while. We have to see over the hype and really ask yourself if the car checks out for your own liking and not because you'll be owning a "Hyped" car.

Part of the problem is how some people get offended when you told them you traded in a Type R. The Type R is a fantastic car, but some people hold it to a god-status.

 

[goodvibes]

Part of the problem is how some people get offended when you told them you traded in a Type R. The Type R is a fantastic car, but some people hold it to a god-status.

Yeah unfortunately a lot of people still hype over the car because "race car" ?. Also some people I know personally lost interest because they drank the cool aid too early and bought the car way over MSRP, and now they can't justify the performance for the price they are paying for it. NEVER pay over MSRP, even more when the car is "HYPED".

 

[SpicyMcFatburger]

I came from a built Evo. The Type R is slower than my Mitsu, but it's so much more livable. I'd also say, stock v. stock, the Type R and the Evo X are quite comparable. I got my Type R three years ago today, and just surpassed 70k miles this week. It's a great daily driver, fun when I need it to be, and overall a bargain for what you get.

But, understanding what you have is the key. I know it's not a GT-R or a Z06 or a 911. It's a performance trim of an economy car, just like my Evo was. That's the key to enjoying the CTR, knowing what it really is and just accepting that.

 

[DRKSYD]

If I needed a sports car to only be a sports car, I would have bought a sports car. I bought a Type R because I live in a world with car seats and kids toys. The car definitely represents a compromise in that regard, but for the money I think it is impossible to find a better all rounder.

I've had all sorts of cars, this is the first one I can actually just drop the back seats flat, and haul a ton of crap. I put all four rims/tires in there with room too spare. There's something nice about a well handling car, with a ton of power and being able to haul a ton of stuff. I don't have kids, but live in WI and drive it year-round.
I'm not droping the clutch at every light and don't track it (yet). Wanted something that is unique, has power, could be tuned, and could actually be functional to haul bags of dirt from Menards. I've received more compliments on this car than on most.
If I had kids, I'd still buy this car as a car. Couldn't hear them screaming with the exhaust on it anyway....

 

[fatherpain]

Heh that’s how I felt upgrading from my 1996 Honda Accord.

I still drive the Accord and it’s a good reminder of how amazing the Type R is.

This car felt illegal fast coming from a 2014 Fiesta 1.0L turbo 3-cyl with long economy geared 5MT and a 2007 S2000.

It's all perspective.

 

[yargk]

I've put 27k miles on mine and still love it. Every mountain road and every onramp remind me of how good this car is. I have 18s on the car for some more sidewall.

Funny, speed off the line and exhaust note have never even crossed my mind. FWD is fine for safe mountain blasts anyway. I have RWD on my track car.

I can understand people who track the car falling out of love with it due to overheating though.

 

[tinyman392]

So I've owned my CTR for about a year now and I think it's an amazing machine but maybe I set my expectations too high. It feels slow off the line to me, the lack of an exhaust note, fragile wheels & FWD limitations are things that have been bugging me for some time now and can no longer ignore. Will likely be selling it soon.

The exhaust note and fragile wheels can be fixed in the aftermarket. In reality, no car comes perfect from the factory, especially a cheaper model (35-40k is pretty cheap in the realm of performance stuff IMO). Granted the off the line speed and FWD limitations can't be helped. Better rubber and suspension can help some of it though, as well as either learning optimal throttle control for the car or using a good TCS system (like Hondata's). Still, it's FWD, so you'll realistically only ever be able to accelerate at like 0.5g before the tires say no.

The incoming 400z sounds like it might be the car the CTR should have been. Anyone else feeling underwhelmed by their FK8?

Different class of car altogether. 2-seater, RWD coupe vs a 4-seater 5-door hatchback. I don't know too many people cross-shopping a Z and a hot hatch... If you said new STI, I'd be inclined to agree with you. The new Z does look very nice though, hopefully it's good

 

[GalcticM]

I love my CTR. I guess it all depends on what you are looking for. A stock drag machine...not so much. A track weapon, hell yeah. I also enjoy how the car feels like a regular civic until you give it the beans. Good balance for me since it is my daily driver. Perfect balance of practicality, comfort and performance.

 

[Doublestack00]

Are you modded at all? All i have so far is a downpipe and it's already helped the power come on quicker. A base map tune will make the car MUCH quicker.

 

[samji]

Funny reading the 2020 owner responses as ya'll are still probably basking in the afterglow of picking it up recently. (I kid)

I've been thinking about this too, and for me, I think the CTR is too practical for my needs. The original plan was to keep the type R a garage queen and have a daily. Realized half the charm of the car is the practicality side. This is why I decided to just convert the Type R into a daily later this year and not pick up another daily once my current lease ends on my Bolt. I think the real value of the CTR is when its daily driven. If you don't need the space, or not planning to have it as your only car, there are so many other options that will probably check the boxes you want.

I sort of "rekindled" my passion for the platform once I had this perspective change if you will.

 

[goodvibes]

Funny reading the 2020 owner responses as ya'll are still probably basking in the afterglow of picking it up recently. (I kid)

I've been thinking about this too, and for me, I think the CTR is too practical for my needs. The original plan was to keep the type R a garage queen and have a daily. Realized half the charm of the car is the practicality side. This is why I decided to just convert the Type R into a daily later this year and not pick up another daily once my current lease ends on my Bolt. I think the real value of the CTR is when its daily driven. If you don't need the space, or not planning to have it as your only car, there are so many other options that will probably check the boxes you want.

I sort of "rekindled" my passion for the platform once I had this perspective change if you will.

Yeah you are right, I’ve had mine since 2017 and is my only car. If you don’t track the car, it is Still a great daily overall. Is just one of those things that when you start modding your car to your own daily driving necessities ,is when the CTR really starts to shine. Is a great all around car once you mod it your way.

 

[Mugen_515]

I wouldn't say you set expectations too high- you just had the wrong kind of expectations. It sounds like you just want a car that is quick from a stop- a FWD car was never going to be that.

The Type R is a driver's car. The combination of handling performance, braking performance, and accelerating out of a corner is exceptional. There is not a car you can buy for less than twice the price of the Type R that has as good of a shifting experience. It sounds like you have never taken the car on a real back road with hairpins and steep elevation changes.

U nailed it! Couldnt have said it better!

 

[davemarco]

We just recently added a 2013 Audi TT RS 6MT to the family. Compared to the Type R, it's super quick off the line, with crazy part throttle turbo response that kicks in even lower in the Rev range than a tuned Type R. It is also at least as capable in high speed cornering - I've taken sharp curves at 5-10 mph faster than my R (which is really saying something). And the stock exhaust note... it's nothing short of sublime. The car comes with a valved exhaust to complement the 5-cylinder engine, and in sport mode, it sounds like a mini V10 block.

All that said, driving the Audi really helped me to appreciate just how capable the Type R is by comparison. The original MSRP of my Mk2 TT RS was nearly double that of the Type R. Despite that, a stock R is roughly comparable in cornering ability, with steering feel that is far superior. In fact, I don't think that I've ever driven a car with steering feel as direct and solid as the Type R. Then there's the shifting - the TT RS shifter feels great, but the Type R's shifter feels just as smooth with much shorter, less sloppy throws. And the clutch on the R is simply the easiest to operate ever. I've struggled to get the hang of the TT RS's clutch, and have managed to stall several times in the past few weeks. By comparison, I've never once stalled in the R and find the clutch action to be effortless.

Most marked though was the difference in ease of rev matching. I'd never realized how effortless it is to rev match the Type R yourself - with it's stock lightweight single mass flywheel, a gentle blip of the throttle is enough to match any downshift. By contrast, in the TT RS (and many other manuals in it's class), the heavy dual mass flywheel necessitates many times more effort to get the revs up to the proper RPM. At times, it feels less like a blip and more like a stomp to rev match my downshifts in the Audi.

Overall, the greater the quantity of pricey manual sports cars that I drive, the more I have come to appreciate how incredible a driver's car the Type R truly is. It'll never beat the TT RS from a dig, and my Remus exhaust note will never sound like the Audi's, but the overall performance driving experience offered by the R is very tough to match.

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