86 previous owners, thoughts please.

trackspeed13 · Mar 13, 2018

Hey guys, I wanna ask those who've owned an 86 model (BRZ, FRS): which car handles better, which car is more fun to drive, the ups and downs of each car, and anything else you wanna add. My friend is getting a BRZ and I don't know if I made the wrong choice not waiting for the ts last year because it looks damn beautiful, but it costs almost as much as a Type R lol. Let me know your thoughts, thanks in advance.

5inn · Mar 14, 2018

There is a forum dedicated to these type of posts.
https://www.civicx.com/forums/civic-versus.8/

Si and BRZ/86 are different tools for different jobs.

IMO the TS is not worth the money. If you want to upgrade a BRZ/86 you'd be better off buying a gently used one and installing better components that come on the TS.

j_babsR1 · Mar 14, 2018

I owned a 13' FRS prior to my 10thgen Si. Let me start with some pros/cons of both.

FRS
Pros over the Si:
-RWD, much more fun around a track or snow with some driftage lol.
-Driving feel. The driving feel, (steering feedback/input, shifter feel, seating position) feels more of a racecar. Ive driven a Porsche gt3 before and I would say the way it feels is pretty damn similar to that, just really really slow.
-Boxer rumble with UEL headers.
-Looks (in my opinion).

Cons over the Si:
-SLOW, even with basic bolt ons + e85 your pushing about 200whp and it just felt so damn slow.
-Not that practical, it feels very cramped and small, the back seats are pretty much non-existing. Trunk space? What trunk space.

10th gen Si
Pros over the FRS:
-Faster in straight line and Ive seen the Si hit faster numbers around a road course as well.
-Heated seats
-Apple car play
-Basically comes standard with a lot more features.
-30-40mpg
-Takes 3.7 quarts of oil vs almost 6 quarts for the FRS
-Much more practical especially if you get a sedan.
-BOOST

Cons over the FRS:
-Doesn't look as good as the frs/brz.
-FWD, BUT still has a LSD

I loved both cars but to be honest I think I love my 10thgen Si more. Its more practical day to day, gets way better mpgs while still being much faster. I love the heated seats in winter as well. Also love the sound of boost. Although the FRS steering feel is more heavier and feels more of a racecar, the Si's steering feel is still pretty damn good and as well as the shifter feel. The Si, still handles pretty damn good and pretty impressive for a fwd. The only thing that bothers me on the Si is it being FWD and that's it, (I like to have fun in the snow and get sideways at times, but cant do that with the Si at all). I hope this helps?

dannyjcano · Mar 14, 2018

j_babsR1 said:
I owned a 13' FRS prior to my 10thgen Si. Let me start with some pros/cons of both.

FRS
Pros over the Si:
-RWD, much more fun around a track or snow with some driftage lol.
-Driving feel. The driving feel, (steering feedback/input, shifter feel, seating position) feels more of a racecar. Ive driven a Porsche gt3 before and I would say the way it feels is pretty damn similar to that, just really really slow.
-Boxer rumble with UEL headers.
-Looks (in my opinion).

Cons over the Si:
-SLOW, even with basic bolt ons + e85 your pushing about 200whp and it just felt so damn slow.
-Not that practical, it feels very cramped and small, the back seats are pretty much non-existing. Trunk space? What trunk space.

10th gen Si
Pros over the FRS:
-Faster in straight line and Ive seen the Si hit faster numbers around a road course as well.
-Heated seats
-Apple car play
-Basically comes standard with a lot more features.
-30-40mpg
-Takes 3.7 quarts of oil vs almost 6 quarts for the FRS
-Much more practical especially if you get a sedan.
-BOOST

Cons over the FRS:
-Doesn't look as good as the frs/brz.
-FWD, BUT still has a LSD

I loved both cars but to be honest I think I love my 10thgen Si more. Its more practical day to day, gets way better mpgs while still being much faster. I love the heated seats in winter as well. Also love the sound of boost. Although the FRS steering feel is more heavier and feels more of a racecar, the Si's steering feel is still pretty damn good and as well as the shifter feel. The Si, still handles pretty damn good and pretty impressive for a fwd. The only thing that bothers me on the Si is it being FWD and that's it, (I like to have fun in the snow and get sideways at times, but cant do that with the Si at all). I hope this helps?

Apple car play is my favorite feature!!

Micah · Mar 24, 2018

Drove a friends FRS with a CAI. Loud yet slow. Great handling. Not a fan. Reminded me of the 2005 350Z I used to have. Looked faster than it was.

who8myrice · Mar 26, 2018

I had frs with Tomei UEL header, intake, and tune on e85.
If speed is ur thing, don’t waste ur time with frs/brz/86. With all the mods I still couldn’t beat stock focus st.
Handling can be improved greatly however with little mods.
Had hancook evo tires, and few mounts changed out.
I can see myself owning frs again down the road but the engine was big let down for me.
If you enjoy mountain roads, frs will be more fun. But daily/city warriors won’t be able to truly enjoy what frs can offer. If I could do it again, I would get used 370z instead.

incutebus · Apr 12, 2018

Owned an FR-S for 5 years prior to owning my SI.

Pros: Good platform for modding if you have money, great handling, can get great performance with just tires and some bolt ons(unless you care about 0-60 times), and a lot of rev to play with.
Cons: Expensive as shit to mod, not much car for the money.

Overall I'd get a used miata over a FR-S but the FR-S can definitely be a daily car.

SI is better for your daily, cheaper to mod and not too expensive to maintain imo.

My FR-S was suped up with an edelbrock sc with full exhaust mods and ethanol with shorter gears and that shit accelerated like a bat from hell.

In the end the FR-S is a much more fun car to play around with, but the SI can be just as fun especially if you can push your car to further limits.

simply_the_best · Apr 17, 2018

I'm a previous 2013 FR-S owner and I did love it handled great. Standard features and the look of the Si is what got me. I like the seats and especially being heated was a nice touch, the display, turbo which means potential. Don't get me wrong my 86 would have smoked a new Si and CTR. It pulled on a Focus RS (~350 hp). I was Vortech supercharged running a 13psi pulley on e85 thing hauled ass. Loved going sideways. But the transmissions on them are rather weak and mine wasn't too far off from grenading. So I picked up a new Si also due to the fact that I work @ Honda as a Certified Technician kinda made the answer easier as I test drove a few. A few handling upgrades I've already done to my Si and wider sticky tires I could easily be quicker through the turns than my 86.

Honda Civic 10th gen 86 previous owners, thoughts please. image2.JPG

Honda Civic 10th gen 86 previous owners, thoughts please. IMG_1969

kritz · Apr 17, 2018

That car is gorgeous!

RODSCIVIC · Apr 18, 2018

simply_the_best said:
I'm a previous 2013 FR-S owner and I did love it handled great. Standard features and the look of the Si is what got me. I like the seats and especially being heated was a nice touch, the display, turbo which means potential. Don't get me wrong my 86 would have smoked a new Si and CTR. It pulled on a Focus RS (~350 hp). I was Vortech supercharged running a 13psi pulley on e85 thing hauled ass. Loved going sideways. But the transmissions on them are rather weak and mine wasn't too far off from grenading. So I picked up a new Si also due to the fact that I work @ Honda as a Certified Technician kinda made the answer easier as I test drove a few. A few handling upgrades I've already done to my Si and wider sticky tires I could easily be quicker through the turns than my 86.

Should have kept your 86.......

Pekingduck · Apr 21, 2018

I still have my frs and it is far from stock. I think people are always forgetting the difference when looking at cars like, between faster, drivetrain layout, utilitarian, feeling of grip, easier to use at limit, and what not. My friend always told me to get a civic if I wanted to go fast because balancing the front wheel at limit is a not as difficult to balance then compared with rear wheel drive. Comparing the two car mechanical grip is similar mainly due to tire selection and suspension setup. But when you talk about engagement at limit any I think the frs is more “fun” in my opinion. But the biggest problem is the engine to make it competitive with other cars and the si is better as in available torque to help pull out of turns. Ultimately I think the frs should not be compared to the si. But like recent car and driver article compare it to other FD cars.

Honda Civic 10th gen 86 previous owners, thoughts please. 72162FED-E104-4235-B3E7-1EF3854C4605_zpsrggnbnb

privatejet · Jul 1, 2018

Some gorgeous 86s in this thread!

Almost purchased a 50th anniversary edition myself.

sfedai0 · Jul 1, 2018

I bought a 2017 86 3 months ago and Im about to trade it in for a Sport or Si. I came from a S2000 and thought the 86/BRZ would be a good replacement. It is not. I love the design but the performance is seriously underwhelming. This car is a joy to toss around but the acceleration is utter shit. The combination of torque dip/lack of torque makes the car very sluggish and some what tricky to shift smoothly. The acceleration is completely linear. I can mash the pedal through the floor and it doesnt really do much. As a DD, it is actually decent and I am aware with a EL/UEL header and tune, this can does wake up.

I just recently drove the SI/Sport and it was a world of difference what torque can do. The Si gearbox is fantastic and reminded me of my S2000 and in both the Sport/SI, I barely noticed the lag. The Sport gearbox was had noticeably longer throws and had a more rubbery feel but still very serviceable. The 86 gearbox is in between those 2. Rubbery/notchy with fairly short throws. My decision comes down to whether I want better gearbox/LSD/Dampers or saving a couple thousand with (IMO) a better looking chassis in the hatch. Power was not that different between the two. 86/BRZ is a solid choice for the budget sports car but I was looking for a solid DD and the civic jus fits the bill better.

86 previous owners, thoughts please.

trackspeed13

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5inn

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j_babsR1

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dannyjcano

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Micah

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who8myrice

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incutebus

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simply_the_best

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kritz

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RODSCIVIC

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Pekingduck

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privatejet

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sfedai0

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