EdG
Senior Member
- First Name
- Ed
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2019
- Threads
- 15
- Messages
- 96
- Reaction score
- 85
- Location
- Cleveland OH
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Civic Type R
- Thread starter
- #1
… this car has so many things that could be better. This car is fine on the road and track but it isn’t a complete track day weapon. There are many improvements well documented in this forum that Honda could have included to improve the CTR.
It can over heat when on track. Why didn’t Honda increase cooling capacity? 2nd radiator, oil cooler, etc.
So many ways Honda could have given it more power. Why didn’t they increase the boost via the turbo charger? Increase fuel pressure? Better tune? More horsepower!
The interior could be better. Why didn’t Honda include power seats? Better materials? Why didn’t Honda include better infotainment?
I wish it could put power down better off the line. Honda could have made it all wheel drive or even rear wheel drive. Why didn’t Honda not put the engine in the back?
If Honda made all these changes the CTR would be the ultimate track day weapon able to set fast laps all day long!
I hope you realize by now I am being facetious in this rant. I am describing a 911 GT3 not a hot hatch. I have to roll my eyes every time I read a “Why didn’t Honda…” complaint. Do you know why Honda didn’t improve your pet peeve? Cost.
In 2019 the average price of a new car in the U.S. was a bit over $36,000. The CTR is the price of an average car in the U.S.! The CTR is NOT an average car. The Type R does so many things well if you care about driving. In addition, it remains incredibly practical. Need to haul a load from Costco? Does that. Drive it in winter? Yep (with winter tire and wheel set). Drop your kids off at school on Monday after a track day on Sunday while bringing everything you need to track day!
Do you want one of the best driving experience/track day car? Buy a 911 GT3. How much will you will drive your GT3? Not as much as your CTR! I looked up all the used 911 GT3s within 500 miles available on Autotrader, 40 cars from 2004. The median miles driven per year? 1828 miles per year. Average was 2352 miles per year so it wasn’t just some of people not driving. The 911 GT3 is one of the best driving cars available. Why don't the owners drive them more? 911 guys don’t care about driving? Of course they do. The reason is cost but in this case resale value. You don’t get to the place in life where you can buy a GT3 (without a huge trust fund) and are willing to accept a huge loss of value by adding a ton of miles (you don’t have money by losing money). I would be scared of driving a GT3 because I would cringe at the loss of value with every miles added. I don’t have those thoughts with my daily driver Type R because it costs the same as an average car in the U.S.
(Low) Cost is a significant asset for the Type R for a different reason. Want to mod your CTR? Seems expensive, right? Ever mod a high end sports car? I was talking to a friend (who is a 911 guy) about my CTR and including it tends to overheat on track. I discussed potential mods (learned on this forum) and their cost. He was very surprised at how inexpensive mods were. He is used to 911 costs. Want to track your CTR? You are paying Honda wear and tear costs, not Porsche or other high end sports car costs.
Is the CTR a perfect car? Nope. But cost is a critical factor in a car, cost to purchase, cost to mod and cost to repair. If you want to make the CTR better at something you care about, it will cost you money. But think about what else you could get for the money you spent on your CTR. Rant over.
It can over heat when on track. Why didn’t Honda increase cooling capacity? 2nd radiator, oil cooler, etc.
So many ways Honda could have given it more power. Why didn’t they increase the boost via the turbo charger? Increase fuel pressure? Better tune? More horsepower!
The interior could be better. Why didn’t Honda include power seats? Better materials? Why didn’t Honda include better infotainment?
I wish it could put power down better off the line. Honda could have made it all wheel drive or even rear wheel drive. Why didn’t Honda not put the engine in the back?
If Honda made all these changes the CTR would be the ultimate track day weapon able to set fast laps all day long!
I hope you realize by now I am being facetious in this rant. I am describing a 911 GT3 not a hot hatch. I have to roll my eyes every time I read a “Why didn’t Honda…” complaint. Do you know why Honda didn’t improve your pet peeve? Cost.
In 2019 the average price of a new car in the U.S. was a bit over $36,000. The CTR is the price of an average car in the U.S.! The CTR is NOT an average car. The Type R does so many things well if you care about driving. In addition, it remains incredibly practical. Need to haul a load from Costco? Does that. Drive it in winter? Yep (with winter tire and wheel set). Drop your kids off at school on Monday after a track day on Sunday while bringing everything you need to track day!
Do you want one of the best driving experience/track day car? Buy a 911 GT3. How much will you will drive your GT3? Not as much as your CTR! I looked up all the used 911 GT3s within 500 miles available on Autotrader, 40 cars from 2004. The median miles driven per year? 1828 miles per year. Average was 2352 miles per year so it wasn’t just some of people not driving. The 911 GT3 is one of the best driving cars available. Why don't the owners drive them more? 911 guys don’t care about driving? Of course they do. The reason is cost but in this case resale value. You don’t get to the place in life where you can buy a GT3 (without a huge trust fund) and are willing to accept a huge loss of value by adding a ton of miles (you don’t have money by losing money). I would be scared of driving a GT3 because I would cringe at the loss of value with every miles added. I don’t have those thoughts with my daily driver Type R because it costs the same as an average car in the U.S.
(Low) Cost is a significant asset for the Type R for a different reason. Want to mod your CTR? Seems expensive, right? Ever mod a high end sports car? I was talking to a friend (who is a 911 guy) about my CTR and including it tends to overheat on track. I discussed potential mods (learned on this forum) and their cost. He was very surprised at how inexpensive mods were. He is used to 911 costs. Want to track your CTR? You are paying Honda wear and tear costs, not Porsche or other high end sports car costs.
Is the CTR a perfect car? Nope. But cost is a critical factor in a car, cost to purchase, cost to mod and cost to repair. If you want to make the CTR better at something you care about, it will cost you money. But think about what else you could get for the money you spent on your CTR. Rant over.
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