Mo Powa! or Just Right?

[Chrisp1]

Hey guys,

With Turbo upgrades hitting the market hot and fuel delivery starting to be a non issue..I thought this could make for good conversation and help those decide the ultimate question..is more power really needed!?

Now I understand many will use their vehicles for different things..

So lets focus on primarily Street and Track use.

Power doesn't come free and ultimately more power most times then not..becomes a WANT!

You have to pay to play so it comes down to justifying the price you pay for the gains you get. We know at this point Full Bolt On's will satisfy most people, hell stock power levels are sufficient for most people..but with turbo upgrades hitting the market seems like everyone is jumping on board.

Is this the right move when you consider:
-Reliability
-Cost for gains (Turbo upgrade, Fuel system of sort, Labour, Tuning, Possible New Clutch, beefed up internals etc)
-More power on a FWD platform (the limits)
-Where will you be using this new found power?
-FK8 already having trouble sheading heat with FBO's
-FK8 owners dialing back power for track use


When posting try to incorporate your current or what your future setup will look like and your intending use with your Type R


Lets talk!

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[WhiskeyTango]

This thread is gonna be a whole lot of arguing...

 

[Chrisp1]

I'll start with my thoughts!

Up until recently I was completely confident I wanted a turbo upgrade.

I was going to daily in the summer and use my R for occasional road course use.

I started comparing FBO numbers vs Turbo upgrade numbers. Yes there was obv more power but at what cost? Where will you be going to use that power when most times then not FBO's have been more then sufficient. I also know I was going to be conservative and dial back torque for track use and partially the stock clutch. So I thought for that rather small margin of power was that extra really worth it? So many others have dialed back power..after all the effort of going turbo upgrade..

At the same time I appreciate every little mod that makes the car better and faster, I thought even with a small amount of power more and dialed back I can still run my vehicle more efficiently..yet I dont want to battle the car and never really reach its full capability when driving her hard.

Options options!

 

[Chrisp1]

This thread is gonna be a whole lot of arguing...

sometimes thats what forums are for LOL, I was hoping for some legit insight tho

 

[Learn2turn]

I think most will be happy after hitting the 500hp level and that will entail fuel and bigger turbo.
(possibly a clutch too)

 

[boosted180sx]

sometimes thats what forums are for LOL, I was hoping for some legit insight tho

the topic is too subjective to get any legit insight.

 

[Chrisp1]

I think most will be happy after hitting the 500hp level and that will entail fuel and bigger turbo.
(possibly a clutch too)

that sounded good to me on paper too, until I realized I haven't even explored the limits of FBO's yet..and this is where I stand stuck lol ..I do have a PRL turbo on order

 

[racer01]

I've been lucky enough to own a variety of cars over the years. Three of the most recent have been 500+ hp from the factory and in all of them I kinda wanted a little more...who cares about 128mph trap speeds in the 1/4 mi when you can trap 135 mph....and so the snowball starts.
I've also had a number of Miatas and lower hp cars and for some reason I am typically content to enjoy the car for what it is and not dream of adding more hp.

For me the CTR falls in the category of just about perfect as it. It already has cooling problems so more hp= more heat which equals more expensive mods for cooling (not as fun as adding power mods for sure). I also have more hp than traction up to most legal speeds around here, so it isn't like the chassis is begging for more hp to start feeling exciting. My CTR (new 21') is just super fun and at $38.5k it really get the bang for the buck out of it. If I were to consider sinking $10-15k in big turbo's, oil coolers, radiator, clutch, fuel system, etc. you are now in the total price range that to me would put me just considering another platform as none of those mods bring much back in return when you decide to sell.

Having said all that in my younger years I would have modded the crap out of this car and would have enjoyed every last second and dollar of it. Still toy with turning it into a road course car copying the factory TC car formula just to annoy the high hp cars at my local track days! Keep the HP stock, and add handling, aero, and reduce weight. An SRO or TC America class Type R has basically factory hp and turns lap times as fast as my 650 hp 19' ZL1 easy at the road courses they visited last year.

 

[Chrisp1]

I've been lucky enough to own a variety of cars over the years. Three of the most recent have been 500+ hp from the factory and in all of them I kinda wanted a little more...who cares about 128mph trap speeds in the 1/4 mi when you can trap 135 mph....and so the snowball starts.
I've also had a number of Miatas and lower hp cars and for some reason I am typically content to enjoy the car for what it is and not dream of adding more hp.

For me the CTR falls in the category of just about perfect as it. It already has cooling problems so more hp= more heat which equals more expensive mods for cooling (not as fun as adding power mods for sure). I also have more hp than traction up to most legal speeds around here, so it isn't like the chassis is begging for more hp to start feeling exciting. My CTR (new 21') is just super fun and at $38.5k it really get the bang for the buck out of it. If I were to consider sinking $10-15k in big turbo's, oil coolers, radiator, clutch, fuel system, etc. you are now in the total price range that to me would put me just considering another platform as none of those mods bring much back in return when you decide to sell.

Having said all that in my younger years I would have modded the crap out of this car and would have enjoyed every last second and dollar of it. Still toy with turning it into a road course car copying the factory TC car formula just to annoy the high hp cars at my local track days! Keep the HP stock, and add handling, aero, and reduce weight. An SRO or TC America class Type R has basically factory hp and turns lap times as fast as my 650 hp 19' ZL1 easy at the road courses they visited last year.

thanks for this! a lot of what you mentioned has crossed my mind or have experienced first hand. If this thing wasn't so capable right off the bat its a different story. Ive seen what lower hp cars can do at the track to higher hp ones. Ive been the guy with less doing more. I agree you can spend a bit of that money else where and get some nice returns (tires, suspension, aero)

If it was as simple as adding a upgraded turbo, maybe it would be different..but reality is its not

 

[princeRS]

if the R sounded better from the factory and was slightly lower (to get rid of wheel gap), it wouldnt need any mods at all imo ??‍

 

[tinyman392]

For street use I feel like the car provides more than enough power. Unless I'm completely hooning around I'm rarely wringing through 3rd and 4th gear and only playing around in 1st or 2nd (which the car won't peak anyways due to traction). A little more power/torque down low can make the car more fun to drive for daily stuff, but you really don't need much more IMO. Maybe a healthy 325-350 would be a very good balance for street use if you wanted to push power; it's more of a want than a need though.

For drag work, you need the power... And traction control. You'll go through 3rd and 4th gear pretty much guaranteed and be hitting up 5th gear during your runs. Car isn't traction limited in these gears, so making them so will actually improve your times as a whole still.

For track work it becomes a double edged sword IMO. You make more power which allows faster laps. However, you also will run into heat issues far sooner if you push more power and thus it is a good idea to go conservatively. Keep in mind that the Civic TC is only tuned to 270-330 HP depending on application (track).

 

[kefi]

Every time I up the power, I can never go back. The R handles 400whp/400lbft beautifully, it's an absolute monster at that level. I can still keep my hands off the wheel and floor it without my steering wheel so much as twitching. I rarely lose traction, even in 1st/2nd.

My article on tuning/performance modification may help with this discussion: https://fk8.wiki/Tuning

I am about to install a P600, fuel system, and full boltons on my new 2021. ?

500whp club, baby.

 

[Chrisp1]

Every time I up the power, I can never go back. The R handles 400whp/400lbft beautifully, it's an absolute monster at that level. I can still keep my hands off the wheel and floor it without my steering wheel so much as twitching. I rarely lose traction, even in 1st/2nd.

My article on tuning/performance modification may help with this discussion: https://fk8.wiki/Tuning

I am about to install a P600, fuel system, and full boltons on my new 2021. ?

500whp club, baby.

thats the issue the car is plenty good with FBO’s and I haven’t explored the full potential as I’m sure many others haven’t especially if you don’t hit the track at all. At the track I’m conflicted..I can’t imagine FBO’s not being enough and I certainly don’t want to add more power where I now can’t get on her with confidence..too me that’s going backwards..power is addicting tho lol

 

[MstrSHAKE]

More, more, more. Target is 500hp daily. Until then, more.

 

[xXoVrKiLLXx]

Speaking from my past experience - I am sticking with FBO with this car. I had a FBO Big turbo'd (GTX2867r gen2) 2016 FoST w/4port aux fuel, WMI, coilovers etc... Did all the work myself - was quick and fun for sure. To be honest though it got to where it just wasn't fun anymore. Was very reliable but had to stay on top of it from a maintenance perspective. I found myself always checking charge pipes, v-bands, logs, turbo housing bolts, coolant feed and return lines etc.. This could be from my just being OCD but I felt it was necessary since I took the car that far mod wise and it was my daily. Wife said she didn't marry just feet at one point lol... so traded it in.

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