Going to the track with a Civic Sport

[yansag1982]

Lol that was awesome

Awesome?! you can't even hear the engine or anything all you hear is tire squeaks...

THIS was awesome (turn on ENGLISH subtitles):


Seriously, watch the race till the end it's really worth it!

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[gtman]

Awesome?! you can't even hear the engine or anything all you hear is tire squeaks...

Wow, miss the point much? He was talking about the Corvette hot lap video I posted where Onstar kept calling the race car driver during the timed lap.

 

[BS1]

I would stay away from this brake fluid from personal experience and what I have seen others struggle with it.

Motul, Amsoil and Castrol have much better options and higher boiling point.

Not sure where you got your information on 'others struggling with it'. I've used ATE Typ 200 in my race and street cars for years, and never had a boiling problem. You will need to change it more often than the stock DOT3/4 stuff though.

 

[billabongrob]

@Crazy KangaIt’s better to drive a slow car fast then a fast car slow.

Damn, I actually came here to say that...
You can track anything you want and you will have a blast. Don't let the car be the limiting factor. Realistically, no one else on track will care what you're driving as long as you practice good etiquette and let faster traffic go by. Swap your brake fluid to some Motul (600 would probably be just fine) and go have a field day. If you shag your stock tires, then upgrade. Good tires can cover up poor mistakes and lead to bad habits further down the line. Start where you are and have a blast!

 

[BS1]

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

Your Sport MT is a fine car to begin at the track with. The first thing you will need is some track brake pads, ideally matched up with some new rotors, and some ATE TYP 200 fluid that another guy recommended earlier. The second thing to update is your tires and wheels, the stock all-seasons will not be happy on the track. As you gain confidence and experience, the next bits of hardware on the list would be a heavy rear anti-roll bar to balance out the fwd understeer, and then maybe a Hondata tune. Next you'll find that you're being limited by the lack of a limited-slip differential, and the dual-axis strut assembly on the Type R. But the main thing is to just do it, and have fun

 

[Crazy Kanga]

Your Sport MT is a fine car to begin at the track with. The first thing you will need is some track brake pads, ideally matched up with some new rotors, and some ATE TYP 200 fluid that another guy recommended earlier. The second thing to update is your tires and wheels, the stock all-seasons will not be happy on the track. As you gain confidence and experience, the next bits of hardware on the list would be a heavy rear anti-roll bar to balance out the fwd understeer, and then maybe a Hondata tune. Next you'll find that you're being limited by the lack of a limited-slip differential, and the dual-axis strut assembly on the Type R. But the main thing is to just do it, and have fun

Thanks for your reply BS1

 

[DoubleDown]

I took my Sport Hatch manual to a track once, and the Sport hatch is not the best car to track. The biggest issue for me was the lack of LSD, especially around certain turns. The tires were ok, the stock brakes were spongy, and the stock suspension felt bouncy. The engine heats up fast too.

If I were to do it again, I would update the suspension, brakes, add engine cooling (intercooler, radiator), and maybe better tires.

 

[burgermeister]

A Sport Civic is a fine car for a track introduction. You will be the limiting factor, not the car. Leave your ego at home, and pick a group with in-car instruction. Learn its limits, *then* spend money to move the limits. The nut behind the wheel will be the limit for a while - so spend money on track time!

New brake fluid each year is a requirement. I have used ATE200 for 12 years with zero issues.

No one cares how fast your car is. People care that you are responsible, safe, respectful, and courteous.

As to slow cars - I frequently see an instructor with a Mk1 GTI. He's not fast, but he's sliding the car all over on skinny tires (only 3 on the ground most of the time) and he's having an absolute ball. How much fun you have has nothing to do with how fast you (or your car) are.

Nothing more irritating than a green driver in a 500HP muscle car, leading a conga line through the corners but then flooring it down the straight just to be conga leader again by turn2. Unless said driver has ego to boot - then it's dangerous.

As to comparing acceleration to old fast cars - I had the opportunity to test this being in my 1988 911, stopped in front of a 10th gen Civic at a light. Past the light there is a long right turn only lane that tends to get used as a 'passing' lane by people in big RAM trucks ... seeing one come up as the light turned, I used the 911 to its fullest extent, and the Civic behind me did the same - he had no trouble keeping up. The RAM had to sneak in behind us.

 

[The Vyzitor]

if you’re just now getting in to cars and track days, 100% the MOST important thing to get, is just more seat time. Don’t worry about modifying the car for any additional performance, focus on reliability mods and just more time behind the wheel.

 

[HomieGohan]

Not sure where you got your information on 'others struggling with it'. I've used ATE Typ 200 in my race and street cars for years, and never had a boiling problem. You will need to change it more often than the stock DOT3/4 stuff though.

It's more like personal experience at the track. Trust me I know you need to change it out more often than stock brake fluid. I'm not sure what you mean by "stock DOT3/4 stuff" if ATE TYP 200 is Dot4

 

[haltamer]

A Sport Civic is a fine car for a track introduction. You will be the limiting factor, not the car. Leave your ego at home, and pick a group with in-car instruction. Learn its limits, *then* spend money to move the limits. The nut behind the wheel will be the limit for a while - so spend money on track time!

This would be my strong advice - It's pointless flinging money at the car until you've reached the limit, which will take a long time.

As long as your car is in good mechanical order, it'll be fine for the track, certainly for your first few days -You'll be suprised at the handling / performance on offer from a completely standard "normal" car.

That isn't to say you shouldn't manage the car:- Keep an eye on your tyres between sessions, as those will likely be the first thing to "go off" (i.e. overheat) if you're running road tyres.

Keep an eye on the tread sides for extreme tearing / overheating - I'm sure there will be someone at the track day you could ask for assistance (Perhaps go with a more experienced friend?).

Other than that, keep session times short (It's not 24HR Du Mans!) - Go for 10 - 15 minutes max, come in and assess tyres / brakes / engine temperature, and allow the car to cool down.


Once you've burned through the OE Pads etc. you can look at upgrading

Only other thing I'd say, is get some instruction - It'll pay dividends!

 

[circuit.heart]

Been here before, in everything from bone stock cars to prepared race cars -

You barely need to do anything, esp the 2.0NA engine. The stock brake lines are fine, the rotors are large enough; you SHOULD flush brake fluid for a high-temp one as you'll be getting the fluid hot (once you start gaining pace), and you SHOULD swap pads for something that'll take more heat. Winmax, Carbotech, GLoc make decently cheap track pads that will survive everything you throw at them, and you can grow into them as a driver.

Otherwise, learn the pedal dance to turn off VSA, bring an air compressor and an accurate tire pressure gauge so you can get the tires in their happy PSI range for the track.

Day 1, just get to grips with the car's behavior. Stock 10th gens are surprisingly happy to tail out if you dive into a corner while on the brakes. Use this to your advantage, you don't need to brake as much as you think (this will keep brake temps down too!). Learn how much throttle you can apply coming out of the corner before the front tires wash out.

That's already better than what 99% of drivers can muster out of their cars, just knowing how to control over- and under-steer. Day 2 you can start picking up the pace and getting to grips with how to "aim" the car's trajectory as you look down the width of the track. ?

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