Would you say the Type R is not a good daily driver?

[AUGM1]

I actually got talked out of getting a Type R early this year by a Type R owner saying that he wouldn't recommend the car as a daily due to the tires, wheels, and brakes.
Anyway, I took his advice and looked at Subaru WRX's and STi's, but ended up with a Si due to reading about poor reliability with Subaru.
That being said, there is a new Type R at a local dealer and I'm real tempted.

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[racer]

I can't speak to if its a great daily for you as that will depend on your own thresholds of physical comfort and finances and whats involved in your "daily drives". Tires are expensive and wear out quickly. If you track the car, the frequency of replacing consumables only rises. The car only seats 4. It is a more extreme car than the Si, that is for sure. Sometimes you just have to figure things out on your own.

 

[RCX]

I use my type r as a daily driver. Change the pads if you dont want dusty/squealing brakes. Change the wheels or get wheel warranty if you are worried about the stock wheels getting damaged. 20" tires are expensive. But you can buy 18" wheels/tires for about the price of 4 new 20" tires.

Dont see an issue with this car as a daily driver. And I commute to work with it. In the winter too.

All that being said, unless you want a faster/better track car, what will a type r give you that your SI does not?

 

[MNEyeDoc]

Well, it’s my daily (non-winter, non-rain, good weather only) driver...all stock.

If you want one, buy one. Life is too short.

 

[RacingManiac]

For a DD I think its quite ok. You can replace the 20s to 18s with some tires with more sidewalls and it'll be fine for potholes ridden roads. MPG could be better but its still capable of decent MPG if you try. Good cargo space and practical hatch bodystyle is useful overall. Doesn't really lack much aside from a good infotainment system. I DD mine all year round through all weather.

 

[Fountainhead]

Coming from a 370Z, which I thought was a great daily driver, I think the R is perfectly satisfactory. My work route only includes 1 sketchy asphalt to concrete level shift so wheel wise I'm OK. I live in FL and in my area we have great (to me) roads.

 

[Ouhei]

It's a Civic that still gets ~30mpg on the highway, so yeah it's a perfectly fine DD. It costs a little more to DD than say a normal Civic, but so long as you can afford the car then there's no reason it can't serve as a DD. I daily mine because driving a boring car everyday is lame so I got a fun car that can also haul my wife and kid around and carry a bunch of stuff when I need to.

 

[Zeffy94]

Opinions after dallying mine for 18 months:

1. Fuel economy is decent for what the car is and how much power is on tap. That said, I hate the small fuel tank.
   
2. The suspension is fine on most roads, but when the road has lots of imperfections it starts to get old quickly.
   
3. Clutch is light enough to not have issues in small amounts of traffic, but after 10-15 min of stop and go it starts to get annoying.
   
4. The paint on the car is super thin and if you daily drive it expect rock chips along the front bumper, fenders, etc.
5. There is turbo lag down low and not enough traction in 1st gear so you will either be cutting power or spinning the front wheels if you goose it. You don’t get good traction until you’re midway through 2nd gear.
   
6. The stock exhaust is quiet and definitely doesn’t drone on the freeway.
   
7. You have the same amount of space as a regular Civic hatchback which means you can stuff this thing with groceries, larger items, etc without any issue.
   
8. You will need a second set of wheels or tires if you live where it gets cold because the stock ones perform poorly at temperatures below 40*F.
9. It is exceptionally easy to find yourself exceeding the speed limit with the amount of power on tap. Contrary to popular belief I have not seen extra attention from police despite how wild the car looks.
   
10. Seats are fairly comfortable but the lack of lumbar support sucks.
    
11. No Honda Sensing available which you may prefer or may not.
    
12. If you have any twisty roads on your commute then you’ll enjoy those a LOT.

 

[WhatThePuck]

I daily mine and have had mine for 7 months now and it's great. My commute is 20mi one way, mostly freeway. Awesome if I need to zip around someone doing 10+mph below the speed limit in the passing lane causing traffic lol which happens almost everyday. Colder weather is arriving quickly and the heat doesn't take long to kick in. I switch out my wheels for 18s equipped with winter tires and it's great. Car still handles magnificently. Zeffy94 made great points. In the end you'll just have to sit in one, perhaps do a test drive and see if you can see yourself driving it daily.

 

[Rayzorman1]

Opinions after dallying mine for 18 months:

1. Fuel economy is decent for what the car is and how much power is on tap. That said, I hate the small fuel tank.
   
2. The suspension is fine on most roads, but when the road has lots of imperfections it starts to get old quickly.
   
3. Clutch is light enough to not have issues in small amounts of traffic, but after 10-15 min of stop and go it starts to get annoying.
   
4. The paint on the car is super thin and if you daily drive it expect rock chips along the front bumper, fenders, etc.
5. There is turbo lag down low and not enough traction in 1st gear so you will either be cutting power or spinning the front wheels if you goose it. You don’t get good traction until you’re midway through 2nd gear.
   
6. The stock exhaust is quiet and definitely doesn’t drone on the freeway.
   
7. You have the same amount of space as a regular Civic hatchback which means you can stuff this thing with groceries, larger items, etc without any issue.
   
8. You will need a second set of wheels or tires if you live where it gets cold because the stock ones perform poorly at temperatures below 40*F.
9. It is exceptionally easy to find yourself exceeding the speed limit with the amount of power on tap. Contrary to popular belief I have not seen extra attention from police despite how wild the car looks.
   
10. Seats are fairly comfortable but the lack of lumbar support sucks.
    
11. No Honda Sensing available which you may prefer or may not.
    
12. If you have any twisty roads on your commute then you’ll enjoy those a LOT.

What he said!

 

[boosted180sx]

doesn't recommend it due to tires, wheels, and brakes which can all be replaced.

 

[Rayzorman1]

doesn't recommend it due to tires, wheels, and brakes which can all be replaced.

The hesitation is likely due to the high frequency and cost associated with the R vs a regular Civic.

 

[boosted180sx]

The hesitation is likely due to the high frequency and cost associated with the R vs a regular Civic.

what i mean is the reasons he mentioned are things you can change to a less aggressive part.
you can choose a less aggressive compound for brake pads, and just buy some cheap 18s and get a longer lasting 18" tire if that's what you want.

I can understand if it was the fuel economy or a simple drivetrain issue (fwd), as things like that can not be changed.

 

[Muggsy]

Change the wheels and tires and it's a great DD. I just passed 20,000 miles in mine on Friday and I still love it.

 

[TheSnakeJake]

i daily mine year round and i think it makes a fantastic DD!

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