--Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R

sobabe

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Figured I might as well start a thread for my car. Keeps all info organized, unlike my last cars ?

Picked up mine on the 1st from a private party. Was looking for one for 4 months and bam, the perfect spec popped up, a 2019 SGP. 2019 was available in Sonic Gray Pearl, a strange, shapeshifting color. Reminds me of the old Mustang Mystichrome because it changes color as you walked around it.

Mishimoto intake, PRL Intercooler and a Hondata with a custom Dyno tune already came with the car. I don't know the exact power figure, but the butt dyno tells me around 350hp and same for torque.

Also has an Armytrix turbo-back exhaust and when it's in loud mode, it sounds like a loping truck engine and certainly smells like it. Reminds me of the old British film Thunderpants where the kids farts pack a real punch, hence the name for the car ?

Titan7 wheels and Michelin ps4s already on their way. Waiting for a few track days before I change any suspension settings.

Super weird/cool how it looks blue in some light. Definitely glad I went with this color.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R img_20200709_165004-


Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R img_20200708_150013-


Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R img_20200702_201118-
 
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sobabe

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Noticed a lot of coolant spatter all over the front of the engine, set up an appointment for Honda Beaverton to take a look at it.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20200704_140514


Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20200704_140518


Pics were taken pretty early on. Just before I took it to the dealer though, nearly everything in the picture was coated blue. It reeked of coolant everytime the engine was on.

The dealer found a coolant hose clamp failure, not exactly sure which one it was. This thread narrows it down pretty well: www.civicx.com/forum/threads/coolant-leak.16197/

Anyways, they're overnighting the replacement part from California so kudos to them for speedy service.
 
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Quick story about why having the spare tire kit is important:

A couple weeks ago, I was driving back down to Portland (where I live during this silly pandemic) from Seattle along i5 and as I was passing through Lacey, a TPMS message shows up on dash saying it has a problem. Now, Ive been having TPMS lights go off every other time I turn on the car, so of course I ignored it and continued on, simply thinking Honda made a stupid passive TPMS to comply with US laws.

Shortly after that, I had to start holding the wheel to the left for it to go straight. Confused, I started to pull over and as I went over the bumps that divide lanes, I noticed the left side of the car made far more noise than the right side did over the bumps. Pulled into a gas station and whaddayaknow, flat tire on the rear drivers side. It smelled strongly of burnt rubber and there was a trail of rubber bits leading up to where I was parked ?

Some guy walked up to me and said that he was behind me when a foot long strip came out from under the car and then it started to smoke. yikes.

Tried to fill the tire up with air but it wouldn't hold any. Asked the cashier for the nearest tire shop so I could at least pull the wheel off to see what happened (couldn't find anything with it mounted to the car) and she directed me to Garys Tire just down the road.

Made my way over at 1mph with hazards on while traffic was going 40mph. Got a few honks and angry waves but ya gotta do what ya gotta do. Pulled in to Garys shop and they took the wheel off to see what happened.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20200710_150951


I had never seen something like this on such a low profile tire... holy god.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20200710_124814_01


The techs found a nail in the tire and said driving on a flat will cause a blowout, so my misfortune was a textbook case. TIL.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20200710_151541


Here's the tough part. Normally I'd throw on the spare tire and keep going, but my CTR didn't have a spare in the back.

No problem right? Just buy one tire and go!

Not so fast. Apparently 245/30r20 is a specialty size that needs to be ordered because no one has em in stock. Makes sense since I was in lifted-truck country, where your masculinity is based on the height of your truck. Called up the nearby Discount, Les Schwab, Firestone, Costco, etc. and nobody had a tire that size or even a similar size. Called up shops in Olympia, Dupont, Camp Murray and got nothing.

Called a friend to have it towed back to his place in Seattle but since he's the smart guy he is, he found a better way to solve the problem. He managed found a tire shop 30 minutes away that sold 245/35r20 (NOT 245/30r20) cheapo Chinese tires that would mount to the CTR.

Being that I'd rather drive home on cheapo Chinese tires than be towed back up and be stuck in Seattle, I needed to find a way to get there. Luckily, one the mechanics said he'd lend me his car. He liked my CTR because he had a tuned Golf GTI out back and they're pretty similar cars. So of course I took his offer, made my way to some shack in Lakewood and picked up two tires (one as a spare :rolleyes:). Super nice guy for lending his car to a stranger in need on a whim, would not have been able to get home without him. Made sure to give him a nice tip.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20200710_145512


Mounted the two cheapo Chinese tires on the back (so the car is balanced on 30 sidewall front and 35 sidewall rear) and kept a good Conti as a spare in the trunk. Got charged a ton since low profile tires suck to mount/unmount and off I went.

Lesson learned: get the spare tire kit if you're going to be driving long distances on stock wheels and tires. Otherwise, you'll have to live a life where the TCS light will flash on every single turn because the cheapo Chinese tires have less grip than a bar of soap in wet hands ?.

Will put in an order through the dealer down here for one as soon as I go to pick up the car.
 
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Dang! Crazy story, that tech was super nice to let you borrow his car.
Yupp, super thankful but there wasn't much I could do at the time other than tip him because I was in a rush to get back home.

TIL. I've never owned a car this new so I didn't know this existed. Thanks :)

Update:

Got the car back from the dealer, they fixed the coolant leak under warranty. No problems there, they didn't mention my mods at all, which was nice. TPMS system is still going to be unhelpful until I switch to same-size tires all around. Oh well.

Good news is that the tires (Michelin PS4S 265/35/18) and Monster lugs are here, now its just a 1 month waiting game for the titan7 TS5 wheels. If you want a set, order it through Tyler @ VividRacing and mention the CivicX forum discount, it's nearly 10% off what other retailers are selling a set for.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20200715_153608
 
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dawwod

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Really nice story enjoyed it cant wait wait for a track day update.
 
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Got the wheels around 2 months after I ordered it from Vivid Racing, which is better than nothing since they were on backorder. Had em mounted by Rev Motorsports in Portland and they look great with the pilot sport 4s', really fill out the wheel arches now. The ps4s' are also quieter and comfier than the Contis!

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R img_20200904_184150-


Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R img_20200904_184141-


Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R img_20200904_180115-


Bought some carbon fiber vinyl striping so I can cover up the red stripe on the ground effects, I'll post pics of that when it happens. Until then though, its time to put the car through its paces at the track. I'll be heading out to Portland International Raceway and well see how well the 18" wheels and ps4s' respond.

I was holding out from lowering the car on springs just for the stance until I see how the stock setup responds to the track. I was thinking a rear sway bar might be in order first, but time will tell :)
 
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r_35800

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What are the rim specs? Considering these rims as well.

Crazy story about your tire going out on you. Gives me more of a reason to have a CAA (Canadian tow truck company) membership handy even if the car is brand new.

Didn't know that Honda Roadside was part of warranty though..
 


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What are the rim specs? Considering these rims as well.
They're Titan7 T-S5 wheels, specifically optioned for the CTR. Specs are 18x9.5 +45. 265/18 tires fit perfectly, they're the widest tires you can run without rubbing under load (for stock alignment).

Crazy story about your tire going out on you. Gives me more of a reason to have a CAA (Canadian tow truck company) membership handy even if the car is brand new.
I would just recommend having a spare tire lol.
 
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Figured I might as well start a thread for my car. Keeps all info organized, unlike my last cars ?

Picked up mine on the 1st from a private party. Was looking for one for 4 months and bam, the perfect spec popped up, a 2019 SGP. 2019 has a volume knob (unlike previous years) and it was available in Sonic Gray Pearl, a very interesting color. Reminds me of the old Mustang Mystichrome color because the CTR changes color as you walked around it.

Mishimoto intake, PRL Intercooler and a Hondata with a custom Dyno tune already came with the car. I don't know the exact power figure, but the butt dyno tells me around 350hp and same for torque.

Also has an Armytrix turbo-back exhaust and when it's in loud mode, it sounds like a loping truck engine and certainly smells like it. Reminds me of the old British film Thunderpants where the kids farts pack a real punch, hence the name for the car ?

Titan7 wheels and Michelin ps4s already on their way. Waiting for a few track days before I change any suspension settings.

Super weird/cool how it looks blue in some light. Definitely glad I went with this color.

img_20200709_165004-jpg.jpg


img_20200708_150013-jpg.jpg


img_20200702_201118-jpg.jpg
Love the R in this colour with the red accents on the trim. If I ever can afford one I would get one exactly like this. Enjoy!
 
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sobabe

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Went out to Portland International Raceway with Hooked On Driving, pretty well run program!

Conclusions from trackday:
  • PS4S are definitely a step up from the Contis the car comes with
  • car does feel quicker with the lightweight wheels
  • I need serious camber if I want to reduce tire wear/lap times
  • the driver needs to improve :p
Thankfully there were no overheating issues, although it was only 70˚F. I bought the larger ebay grille in case I needed to swap it out asap.

I can't really comment on what other parts worked and what didn't since my pace is way off where it should be (around 1:30 or 1:31). I'll stick to this setup until I've maxed out the lap times and come back here with more helpful feedback lol.

brb, need an advil for headache from open exhaust ?
 
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Did a couple mods in preparation for the April 2nd trackday at The Ridge.

#1 was to max out the camber on front struts by removing the guide pins and sliding the top inward. went about as planned.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20210327_183445


#2 was to replace the front grille with one from a regular civic for more airflow. I'd rather not have overheating issues as I did at PIR, especially since The Ridge is a more demanding track.

Honda Civic 10th gen --Project Thunderpants-- SGP Type R IMG_20210328_160953


I had issues installing it bc the tolerances for the clips that attach to the bumper weren't very precise. They wouldn't actually catch on to the latches that line the top of the front bumper grille opening, so the fit is imprecise and the clips can be seen as disconnected from the outside of the car.

It doesn't bother me too much, and I'd much rather not go through the painful process of removing the front bumper to replace the grille again.
 
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