Civic Type R Worth It?/Daily/Snow

Kingtai5

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Dear CTR Owners,

I'm fortunate enough to afford/buy a 2020 Supra(It's a BMW, yes I've heard the joke plenty of times) at the age of 21 but soon realized that it's not the smartest idea to daily drive the Supra in New England considering the hellish weather. My first car was a 2017 Touring Civic, I loved the thing and even drove it through a blizzard in Connecticut with ease while Ford/Chevy trucks were breaking down on the highway next to me. I've alway wanted a Type R/ learn how to drive stick. I just have a few questions;
  • How is it in the snow?
  • How bad is the heating issues?
  • Is the gear grind resolved?
  • Has anyone installed UK features on their US models like Lanewatch, folding mirrors, heated seat, ect..?
  • How is it as a daily driver?
  • Is it worth it and should I get one?
Really considering a CTR because of its reliability/aggressive design. Though..if I'm getting the CTR, all of the fake carbon/plastic got to go and replaced with real carbon. Fake vents will be drilled out or replaced with functional ducts.
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TypeSiR

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To be blunt, if you’re considering a second car to use in the snow, I’d suggest the usual AWD Subaru, CRV, or RAV4 that provide better creature comfort that the Type R lacks, such as heated mirrors, heated seats, and non-summer tires. Many are putting their CTRs in storage during the winter, just another perspective. Save the fun car (Supra) for milder weathers and have a second practical car for the winter.
 

ExVTEC

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My CTR is my daily here in Ohio. My gf has a WRX. We just had our first snowfall a few days ago and I honestly almost regret getting my CTR. I drove her car with Michelin Pilot Sport A/S 3+ tires and felt so confident. The car was perfect. My CTR has the same tires and I had at least 4 heart attacks on my drive to work. Yes you can drive it but snow tires will be better.

I also find the WRX to be more drivable and has a more usable power band in daily driving conditions. The type R has more power and is faster but most of this power is in the upper rpm. Even with the Hondata tune the car in 1st and 2nd gear needs to be revved to feel any real power. Any fun that I have usually comes at the risk of a speeding ticket. I will say once I hit 3rd gear the car is an absolute missile.

If I had the choice again I think I'd go with the WRX in this climate.
 
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If you put winter tires on (or all seasons if you don’t receive a lot of snow in winter) you should be fine, however, as noted above, the CTR doesn’t have a few creature comforts to make driving in extreme cold very pleasant. However, you must be willing to buy a set of tires right away if it’s your daily driver, as the summer tires suck in cold temperatures. You could get a pair of 245/35/20s and they will fit on the OEM wheels or you could downsize the wheels to 18s which a lot of members do. Either way you would need to budget that in to your purchase.

Lack of heated seats and mirrors really sucks.
 

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  • How is it in the snow? - Fantastic if you've got winter tires; I run Michelin X-Ice on mine, have not had any problems so far and this is my second winter running them
  • How bad is the heating issues? - I don't track my car and I haven't had any heating issues
  • Is the gear grind resolved? - I've had a couple gear grind between 1st and 2nd but only had high rpms
  • Has anyone installed UK features on their US models like Lanewatch, folding mirrors, heated seat, ect..? - I have not
  • How is it as a daily driver? - I love it! I do 20mi one way, mostly freeway and have had no issue. I fill up once a week, no different than my previous vehicle with the exception of about 5 dollars more due to premium gas.
  • Is it worth it and should I get one? - hell yes and what it comes down to is will it be practical for you; I'm not savvy on the new Supra specs but if you're gonna daily the R and it gets better gas mileage than the Supra then that is a plus. And if you can afford to change the fake vents with functional parts and putting in real cf then totally do it. There were folks on here who learned how to drive manual on the R so you can find some of their experiences and whatnot in the threads. :D Good luck!
 


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Given where I live, I just leased a Subaru Crosstrek. At work I'm close to scraping the car just getting in and out of the driveway. If there's snow I'd be doing serious damage to the front splitter (on 18's but stock height). The car should handle fine in snow but the height of the car means that your front splitter/side skirts are at risk of getting damaged. Also, with winter the roads tend to get a few potholes that could damage your tires/wheels etc. To me, it wasn't worth it so I just a beater I don't have to worry about.

If you must drive it in winter, I'd suggest a tire/wheel package that would be more snow friendly and just be extra cautious on where potholes are forming.
 

Deleted member 31314

Drive the Zupra in the summer and get yourself a WRX for the winter.
I have another car I use over most of the winter (unless it's really nice out).
 

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Dear CTR Owners,

I'm fortunate enough to afford/buy a 2020 Supra(It's a BMW, yes I've heard the joke plenty of times) at the age of 21 but soon realized that it's not the smartest idea to daily drive the Supra in New England considering the hellish weather. My first car was a 2017 Touring Civic, I loved the thing and even drove it through a blizzard in Connecticut with ease while Ford/Chevy trucks were breaking down on the highway next to me. I've alway wanted a Type R/ learn how to drive stick. I just have a few questions;
  • How is it in the snow?
  • How bad is the heating issues?
  • Is the gear grind resolved?
  • Has anyone installed UK features on their US models like Lanewatch, folding mirrors, heated seat, ect..?
  • How is it as a daily driver?
  • Is it worth it and should I get one?
Really considering a CTR because of its reliability/aggressive design. Though..if I'm getting the CTR, all of the fake carbon/plastic got to go and replaced with real carbon. Fake vents will be drilled out or replaced with functional ducts.
  • How is it in the snow? just like a regular civic if you have all season tires on.
  • How bad is the heating issues? no issues
  • Is the gear grind resolved? yes
  • Has anyone installed UK features on their US models like Lanewatch, folding mirrors, heated seat, ect..? n/a
  • How is it as a daily driver? perfect
  • Is it worth it and should I get one? yes if you can afford it
 
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Kingtai5

Kingtai5

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Thanks for the responses,
I will definitely change the wheels/tires on the CTR if I get it. I saw them in person at my local dealer and I see why people say they're on rubber bands. But seeing the beauty close up made me remember the crazy stuff I did in my old Civic. The Zupra is really great on gas if you drive like a decent human being or a Prius but I notice I drive a lot faster without realizing it. The car likes to cruise at 110-120 on the highway and 40-60 on regular roads. Yes, I know it sounds crazy but the car is planted to the ground so you don't feel any wind disturbance. I'm planning to tune it and drop a turbo on the car, a guy in CT that tune Adam LZ's Supra is not too far from me..got it to make 775hp on a tune/boostlogic turbo plus my Toyota dealer said that it doesn't void any warranties(IDK how.)

I'm currently debating between Rally Red or Championship White
 

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How is it in the snow?
  • How bad is the heating issues?
  • Is the gear grind resolved?
  • Has anyone installed UK features on their US models like Lanewatch, folding mirrors, heated seat, ect..?
  • How is it as a daily driver?
  • Is it worth it and should I get one?
.
1) it only overheats if you're pushing it hard on track. like 9/10 or 10/10ths not just first time out kind of thing
2) people who have a gear grind issue cannot driver a manual properly
3) I don't think the UK even got heated seats for a type-r did they?
4) great daily if you want something for dual purpose. Otherwise I'd get a sport hatchback if you don't plan to track it
5) depends what your goal is with this car, if you just want to get on the hype train you'll likely sell a few months after getting it like most. If you enjoy the honda brand and heritage you'll love this car. If you like to track your cars you'll really love this car it punches far above its price.
 


Deleted member 31314

Thanks for the responses,


I'm currently debating between Rally Red or Championship White
Can't go wrong with either - both really look good. I find most colors subtle the cars looks a bit, for me it had to Championship White because a) nostalgia, and b) it shows off every bad ass over the top design the CTR has, lol.

What color did you go with on the Supra? I haven't driven one yet as there isn't one in the small city I live in, my buddy back home bought one (actually traded his 17 CTR up for one) but I haven't flown back to visit this year. You know for all the flack it gets it sounds to be a pretty capable car, I wasn't sold on the design at first but it has really grown on me. I have been a fan of the Supra since my friends dad had a turbo MK3 when I was a kid, and always wanted a MKIV so chances are the new Supra will likely get added to my stable at some point in the future as well.
 
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Kingtai5

Kingtai5

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Can't go wrong with either - both really look good. I find most colors subtle the cars looks a bit, for me it had to Championship White because a) nostalgia, and b) it shows off every bad ass over the top design the CTR has, lol.

What color did you go with on the Supra? I haven't driven one yet as there isn't one in the small city I live in, my buddy back home bought one (actually traded his 17 CTR up for one) but I haven't flown back to visit this year. You know for all the flack it gets it sounds to be a pretty capable car, I wasn't sold on the design at first but it has really grown on me. I have been a fan of the Supra since my friends dad had a turbo MK3 when I was a kid, and always wanted a MKIV so chances are the new Supra will likely get added to my stable at some point in the future as well.
Thanks I got mine in Turbulence Grey really wish to get the matte grey but saw the upkeep on that paint was scary. The car is very capable and it seems those who dislike the car are starting to warm up to it. The Supra likes to kick its rear end out a lot when stepping on it from zero.

Honda Civic 10th gen Civic Type R Worth It?/Daily/Snow Supra
 

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Type R is fine as a DD/winter/one car solution. Is it the best at it depends on which direction your balance skews to. With snow tires on the car its just fine in the winter(I'm in Michigan). Its a bit rough riding if you have roads like we have around here. Its a pretty practical hatch back.
 
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Kingtai5

Kingtai5

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I really want to make the CTR as my daily and see how fast I can make the Supra. I'm most likely switching out the wheels and putting on all season tires since I've had great experiences with them in the 2017 Touring Civic. I thought of getting a regular Civic or a WRX but everyone in MA has it(I like to not be the norm). Though The CTR is still a Civic it's a whole different breed and only two people has it in the town I live. From what I've gathered so far from my concerns is that there's fixes to the issues aside from heating seats. I'll try to do more research on getting those UK CTR parts to work on the US models pretty sure they're plug and plug but who knows.:drive:
 

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I really want to make the CTR as my daily and see how fast I can make the Supra. I'm most likely switching out the wheels and putting on all season tires since I've had great experiences with them in the 2017 Touring Civic. I thought of getting a regular Civic or a WRX but everyone in MA has it(I like to not be the norm). Though The CTR is still a Civic it's a whole different breed and only two people has it in the town I live. From what I've gathered so far from my concerns is that there's fixes to the issues aside from heating seats. I'll try to do more research on getting those UK CTR parts to work on the US models pretty sure they're plug and plug but who knows.:drive:
They are definitely not plug-and-play, but I believe they can be made to work if you don't mind splicing wires.
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