CTR wing removal / deletion solution

[mvela]

I wasn't disagreeing with anything else you said, just the statement that it's only effective after XX MPH (since it's a misconception of sorts on these forums). The wing design is very STI-ish in my mind, with a little bit more flare (they out STI'd the STI). I can understand why someone would want to take it off for aesthetic reasons. But saying they are taking it off because it isn't effective until they hit XX MPH and thus serves no use for the everyday drive is kind of a false statement.

I'm not the biggest fan of the Type R's looks, it's always been a little crazy and outlandish for me. A lot of the aero probably could have been done in a more subtle way without being straight up flashy. The design has grown on me, and I respect that a lot of it is functional (to a degree). The good thing is that when I'm driving the thing, I don't have to look at its crazy design. The wing isn't in my mirror (for the most part) and I don't see the crazy race-car looks.

I guess where I was getting at that number was the fact that my hatchback feels very planted at 100mph. I can takes curves faster than a lot of cars. They did a great job on the design of the hatchback when it comes to aerodynamics and downforce. Mine does not have the big wing and seems to do fine. And the type R has also improved suspension to help out to. Taking the wing off is not gonna make the car fly off the road. It is doing its job. But at low speeds (under 100 mph) the general design of the hatchback plus the upgraded suspension and wheels should keep that thing planted. At a track where those extra seconds of lap time counts I can see the wing being useful but on the street not so much.

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[tinyman392]

I guess where I was getting at that number was the fact that my hatchback feels very planted at 100mph. I can takes curves faster than a lot of cars. They did a great job on the design of the hatchback when it comes to aerodynamics and downforce. Mine does not have the big wing and seems to do fine. And the type R has also improved suspension to help out to. Taking the wing off is not gonna make the car fly off the road. It is doing its job. But at low speeds (under 100 mph) the general design of the hatchback plus the upgraded suspension and wheels should keep that thing planted. At a track where those extra seconds of lap time counts I can see the wing being useful but on the street not so much.

But it does affect the vehicles handling, specifically the stability of the vehicle under certain situations. And these situations don't involve under heavy acceleration (these cars tend to understeer in this scenario keeping it straight) or maintaining speed. So just because it is stable at 100MPH maintaining speed doesn't mean it will be in other scenarios. Granted I only have one datapoint of someone claiming the wing does help in everyday driving (changes the dynamics of the car to provide better stability), but I believe it, and the numbers back it up. The wing, at the end of the day, has an impact on the car's handling and adds confidence to the drive.

I've been in situations with my car where the rear did get a fish loose a little under hard braking (road surface wasn't as flat or clean as I thought it was) starting from 80-90 MPH down to about 55 MPH with downforce about 45-60 pounds on the rear. Was kind of a scary situation and I really don't know how it would have ended without that extra bit of weight on the rear to keep the car steady, but the chances of the car surviving that would be quite a bit lower. Keep in mind that under heavy braking the weight of the car shifts further forward, so at neutral the CTR is 64/36 (F/R) bias, under heavy braking it might hit 80/20 or even 85/15 (I've done calculations in the past to show that the CTR does hit close to 50/50 under heavy acceleration so I don't see 80/20 being way out of bounds). That 45-60 pounds could equate to 8-12% more weight on the rear because of this.

The wing's effect is going to make the biggest difference for the CTR in corner turn in (less likely to lift off oversteer), corner exit (more understeer/stability), and under heavy braking (more stability). Under hard acceleration the wing probably doesn't make as big of a difference. When keeping speed it's probably the same deal.

 

[wildbilly32]

However, OP, you have to realize that posting here you are speaking to a biased audience. Current Type-R owners either 1.) loved the boy-racer looks from the start, or 2.) bought the Type-R in-spite of the wing, and have learned to accept it because they own it now. Therefore, few Type-R owners will want to admit their car doesn't look amazing to everyone in the world just the way it is. Personally, I like the excitement and variety the wild look of the Type-R styling brings to the usually bland streets. But I would never buy one for myself because I don't have a "everyone look at me all the time!" personality.

I'm 69 years old and way past the "look at me-boy racer" design. I don't have a strong like or dislike of the car's appearance although I don't find the back view all that appealing. I bought the car because it is fun and quick on the street. I did see a Civic Sport the other day and agree from the back it looks a lot like the CTR without the wing.

 

[tinyman392]

I'm 69 years old and way past the "look at me-boy racer" design. I don't have a strong like or dislike of the car's appearance although I don't find the back view all that appealing. I bought the car because it is fun and quick on the street. I did see a Civic Sport the other day and agree from the back it looks a lot like the CTR without the wing.

At night I have trouble differentiating a dark colored Civic Hatch Sport from a Type R. The C-pillars on the car kind of create the outline of the CTR's wing side-plates to me.

 

[J o n]

Again, thanks so much for the conversation. Passionate group of automobile enthusiasts for sure!

Everyone likes what they like for their own reasons.

To clarify, this thread wasn't created for advice or decision making to remove the wing or not.

The thread was created to gauge the interest of those who want the wing off their cars and a product could be made to neatly weatherproof the mounting area.

Per Car and Driver's article in 2017:
"If one piece of the Civic Type R’s bodywork stands above the rest, it’s the hot hatch’s massive rear wing. Mounted above the smaller spoiler that comes standard on all Civic hatchbacks, the Type R’s towering rear wing is as ostentatious as it is functional, with Honda stating that the big wing generates 66 pounds of downforce at 124 mph."
https://www.caranddriver.com/featur...2017-honda-civic-type-rs-aero-bits-explained/

 

[J o n]

Updated the original post:

Added this image of holes that need covered to the left and right of the rear window, technically the covers do not need to be as big the APR base-plates (they're that large to support the wing's load)

Images of wing removed from CTR

 

[OneSickFK8]

I'm going to be sick...

 

[RedGiant217]

If you want to remove the spoiler, find someone with a hatch that's the same color and offer to trade. I know there are a lot of hatch owners that want a Type R spoiler.

This might not be the simplest solution, but if you truly want a clean removal, that's going to be your cheapest/cleanest option. Might even get some cash out of the deal. Would even get rid of the vortex generators that way.
Sorry, if you chose off-white, they don't make other hatches in that color.

 

[boosted180sx]

It's not my car. If you wanna remove it, remove it
But if you want to run a wingless hatch, just buy a hatch and swap it. Covering the holes with covers looks tacky as hell. (my personal opinion of course)
Swapping it with someone with a sport hatch would be the easiest. If its a CW, you have to paint it though.

 

[wildbilly32]

Updated the original post:

Added this image of holes that need covered to the left and right of the rear window, technically the covers do not need to be as big the APR base-plates (they're that large to support the wing's load)

Images of wing removed from CTR

Yep! Looks just like the Civic Sport I saw the other day from the back.

 

[NapalmEnema]

I'll take my 66 lbs of downforce at 100+ and deal with the occasional haters lol. They can have a say in my awesome looks when they pay the note.

On a serious note - you'd have to replace / revise the shocks for the rear glass if you lighten it that much by taking off the wing/putting a smaller one one. Same thing would make the trunk as it sits hard to close.

Enjoy car however but functional aero, to me, is hard to pass up on top of already liking the looks.

I'm going to be sick...

For real.

Wow.

That looks worse than I thought it's like the big fenders and other stuff just looks like waaaay out of place lol. Hard pass and I'll keep my downforce thanks.

 

[KoukiVAB]

Yeah the huge wing is functional for sure, but +60mm offset wheels and the rubber band tires are also functional.

I've kept my car wingless for a few weeks.
The lack of down force didn't really bother me.
I didn't hate the look either, but IMO it looked "naked."
I think a little ducktail spoiler or the new EU spoiler should be enough to fix that issue.
But looks are subjective.

Things I didn't like:
-Hatch opened violently and needed extra force to close it.
-The holes. There are two holes and clip on each side. I could see the clips from a mile away. You're gonna have to take it to a body shop for a "permanent fix" or just swap the whole hatch.
-Unfinished look

I am one of the 5 people who voted yes, but it will be really difficult to make it look clean.
I think it needs to be as small as the masking tape in this pic.

 

[J o n]

@KoukiVAB thanks for the pics and comments. Appreciated

 

[mvela]

Yeah the huge wing is functional for sure, but +60mm offset wheels and the rubber band tires are also functional.

I've kept my car wingless for a few weeks.
The lack of down force didn't really bother me.
I didn't hate the look either, but IMO it looked "naked."
I think a little ducktail spoiler or the new EU spoiler should be enough to fix that issue.
But looks are subjective.

Things I didn't like:
-Hatch opened violently and needed extra force to close it.
-The holes. There are two holes and clip on each side. I could see the clips from a mile away. You're gonna have to take it to a body shop for a "permanent fix" or just swap the whole hatch.
-Unfinished look

I am one of the 5 people who voted yes, but it will be really difficult to make it look clean.
I think it needs to be as small as the masking tape in this pic.

This is why I think Honda should give an option of a lower profile wing so you wouldn’t have to deal with this issue. You should be able to buy the look you want directly from the dealership. Like someone already stated earlier, maybe somebody with a sport would be willing to trade hatches with you.

 

[OneSickFK8]

This is why I think Honda should give an option of a lower profile wing so you wouldn’t have to deal with this issue. You should be able to buy the look you want directly from the dealership. Like someone already stated earlier, maybe somebody with a sport would be willing to trade hatches with you.

You guys still don’t get it. The wing is for safety. The ass end of the CTR will be loose in higher speeds without it. Which Honda knows people are going to do. They can’t sell a car that is rated for 169mph that is unstable above 100mph. The wing is functional.

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