Civic Type R Ownership | A Trip to Crazy Town [Savage Geese]

[tingli107]

Love your videos savagegeese! You guys are pretty much one of the few car channels I still watch. TBH I've never even considered the Type R but lately the hype has me looking at it for a fun car that can do everything and be easy to live with.

I finally went out and test drove a used FK8 type R and couldn't help but feel disappointed, maybe the internet hype has really tempered with my expectations. I do suspect there may have been something wrong with the manual transmission because it felt mediocre at best, like a slush box which is against everything I've heard. I wish I could test drive a FL5 Type R or a GR corolla but that's just impossible currently.

Everything else about the car felt pretty good, but didn't stand out particularly. I will say the handling was superb and I didn't feel like I was driving a FWD car. The 2017 STI I test drove as well on the same day felt more connected and fun. Keep in mind Michigan roads are absolutely awful and mainly straight with few opportunities to enjoy the type R handling characteristics.

Please don't take this post as me bashing the Type R, I still want to own one. I test drove a G80 M3 with a 6mt and did not enjoy it cause it was too refined, numb, and the 6mt was not enjoyable. I think the Type R is still the best all around car you can currently buy new but it's really brought my expectations down to earth about this car. I personally can't justify paying $3-5k mark up for it, hopefully next year things and we will be allowed to buy the car at MSRP.

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[CTRifecta]

Amazing video especially for aspiring and / or current CTR owners. Your videos are super well thought out, and even after watching them for years, they never get repetitive or too gimmicky.

It's amazing to learn just how much Honda engineers worked to optimize all the 'little things', that you take for granted sometimes, yet all add up to making the car feel special. Being that the CTR is my daily driver, I sometimes wonder if I take it for granted when putting around...

One thing I agree with you on is how rare it is for me to drive in R+ mode on the street, due to the suspension firmness. I'm always in individual mode with comfort suspension.

Regarding the power delivery, agree, it's so consistent, much more like a bmw turbo motor in that regard.

With regards to tracking, I'm surprised you didn't call out the rear brakes overheating in R+ due to the brake vectoring that occurs in that mode still. It's important people do the 'pedal dance' if they're going to do extensive track time in this car, or else they'll cook their rear brakes.

Thanks again for the time and dedication to create such high quality, engaging content, and selfishly love to see anything CTR related.

Off topic - but I just picked up a SS 1LE (non supercharged) and I think you guys would absolutely love it, hope you guys can get your hands on one for a video sometime!

 

[typeR4life]

Just saw this. Like others, I think this hit all the right points about why this car is special and some of the shortcomings.

Here in Canada, it's been incredibly hard to get one. I've recently got my deposit back from the dealer after having it there for over two years.

I've been driving an ITS since July and I intend on driving it in the winter in light snow, wet, dry conditions. I've started to accept that this is the right car for my lifestyle (2 kids, arrands, work, one track day a year if I'm lucky). Some things to put down about the first 5500km (basically same as in the video on many fronts, but from ITS side, having not driven the FL5):

Pros:
- The car feels very livable - I usually use softest suspension with engine and gauges in sport+ with the occasional days on full comfort when I'm just too tired from work and kids.
- It's cold now, the life changing heated seats and heated steering wheel from the family SUV has become a must have in this car
- It drives as close to a Type R as possible and it's so much fun!
- Sounds great (at least from outside)
- Most parts and after market parts are compatible with FL5 - I can still get excited about everything underneath the exterior that embodies what Honda set out to accomplish (was just admiring the suspension when changing to winters the other day)
- I've actually achieved 7.5L/100km in comfort recently in suburb+highway driving, but even spirited driving in sport+ usually gives me around 10L-12L in city+highway. Our 1.6T Tucson has never seen anything lower than 8.7L which was highway only
- I feel less like I need to protect a piece of motor history as opposed to the CTR
- Cost was about the same as the cheapest CTR deals I had a chance of getting

Cons:
- I miss the 2000s cars and miss the K20A sounds (though the transmission and brakes in this car is just sublime)
- Doesn't have the high revving of the K20A I had and the build up (VTEC kicked in yo!)
- Too much low end torque making 1st and 2nd less usable in straight or in turns (waiting for tire upgrade as my butt dyno says there's less grip than my old setup, but softer suspension could be a contributor)
- I want those front seats from FL5!!! (heated would be nice Honda, wink)
- There's no LogR (I want all the data!)
- I wish Sport+ suspension setting is sport and Sport+ is stiffer (I only ever use comfort suspension or sport+ suspension)
- I still get excited at seeing an FL5 and wish I owned one, knowing 99.9% of the time, I'll be more at home in the ITS (ITS is special but FL5 feels special on another level, even though some of the trim make the ITS feel nicer)

 

[urbo73]

@savagegeese Thanks for doing this. Great video as always - something that will last out there for years to come. Your work is important.

You mentioned the ITS model swap and how cars with lower limits are more fun, and the below are the only ones I've made to make this car almost perfect.

1. Disconnected the ASC module to disable that fake pumped-in engine noise.
2. Installed the ITS ADS module to make all suspension modes a bit more compliant (including +R which is now totally drivable)
3. Installed the AWE Touring exhaust to have SOME noise coming out the back and make up for the lack of the fake noise I disabled. This is how it should sound instead of fake noise + super-quiet exhaust.
4. Put on Continental DWS06 tires to both make the car slide around a bit more and to also drive it year-round. You mentioned how modern cars have such high limits they are unusable below triple digits. The easiest mod is to put on less sticky tires.

 

[rBobby]

Appreciate your videos and technical information. Enjoying this and the GRC long-term videos. Tough crowd in the GRC forum. Looking forward to future updates on the CTR and GRC.

 

[Djseto]

Preach.

I wasted so many thousands of dollars it's embarrassing to be specific, trying to figure out a one-size-fits-all solution to my enthusiast vehicle needs. I've had some great cars, don't get me wrong (10 of them since 2015...)- but with bills adding up trying to successfully guide two young adults into manhood, I was tired of compromising in one way or another. Two cars was just not working for me anymore; too much money tied up in vehicles and insurance. I tried one car situations too... I thought a 911 could work as a daily- and honestly it could, as long as you never had to use a back seat. I thought an RS5 Sportback could work- until I wanted to take it down a back road and had no idea what the front wheels were up to, and I missed having a manual.

This ITS does actually do it all. It drives so damn well I don't miss my Porsches, and I can take my 90 lb. dog, maybe an extra person or two, and as much equipment as I need to do whatever I want, whenever I want, as long as I want. I want for nothing anymore with a car and I just wish it would have been available 5+ years ago and saved me all this time and effort.

100% agree. I've owned M3, M5, Alfa Guilia, C7 Vette, A4, 718 Boxster GTS, 335i and a few others I'm blanking on and what I've learned is the value of the experience far outweighs the value (or brand) of the object. The CTR is the best "compromise" of everything I want a car to be. Add to that the reliability of a honda and the lower maintenance costs. An oil change and air filter service was $1000 on the Porsche! Yes, $1000!?!?

Each of those cars put a grin on my face at some point, but none of them was the almost perfect do-everything car. I enjoy picking up my kids at daycare or running an errand for me wife because every drive is an experience where all the parts of the car come together so well. The only other car I currently own that puts a grin on my face like the CTR does is my 93 RX7 but that car is so analog, so raw and rowdy, that it just can't be compared to any modern car. Like @savagegeese said in his video, cars of that era had to be engineered differently to make up for the lack of tech in suspension etc to still deliver an amazing driving experience.

My only MAJOR gripe with this car is the Rev Hang from full throttle accelerations. @savagegeese -- any insight from your conversation with Honda as to why they do it (awesome video BTW)?

 

[optronix]

100% agree. I've owned M3, M5, Alfa Guilia, C7 Vette, A4, 718 Boxster GTS, 335i and a few others I'm blanking on and what I've learned is the value of the experience far outweighs the value (or brand) of the object. The CTR is the best "compromise" of everything I want a car to be. Add to that the reliability of a honda and the lower maintenance costs. An oil change and air filter service was $1000 on the Porsche! Yes, $1000!?!?

Each of those cars put a grin on my face at some point, but none of them was the almost perfect do-everything car. I enjoy picking up my kids at daycare or running an errand for me wife because every drive is an experience where all the parts of the car come together so well. The only other car I currently own that puts a grin on my face like the CTR does is my 93 RX7 but that car is so analog, so raw and rowdy, that it just can't be compared to any modern car. Like @savagegeese said in his video, cars of that era had to be engineered differently to make up for the lack of tech in suspension etc to still deliver an amazing driving experience.

My only MAJOR gripe with this car is the Rev Hang from full throttle accelerations. @savagegeese -- any insight from your conversation with Honda as to why they do it (awesome video BTW)?

OOOf yeah you got ripped off @$1000 for filter changes. My dealer charged ~$330 for oil and filter, probably ~$500 if the air filter was thrown in. Yes, that's insane... but $1000 is flat out robbery at gunpoint. If your car was PDK they may have done a trans filter/service as well, at least would explain the insanity a little more... but in any case I get your point. Porsche maintenance is ludicrous... and you hadn't even gotten to the spark plug service yet.

As for the rev hang, I believe they actually addressed that in a separate video. It's related to emissions- though I'm not quite sure exactly in what way. But it is a purposeful thing they actively include, but is easily defeatable with a tune. IMHO it could be much worse, and I've grown to ignore it.

 

[Djseto]

OOOf yeah you got ripped off @$1000 for filter changes. My dealer charged ~$330 for oil and filter, probably ~$500 if the air filter was thrown in. Yes, that's insane... but $1000 is flat out robbery at gunpoint. If your car was PDK they may have done a trans filter/service as well, at least would explain the insanity a little more... but in any case I get your point. Porsche maintenance is ludicrous... and you hadn't even gotten to the spark plug service

thankfully my 718 was CPO and previous owner prepaid maintenance. My dealer said it was “the labor” to access the air filter because of the covertible top…

how many effing hours of labor and at what rate…

 

[northernexposure]

Savagegeese -

I appreciate your content. Would you consider doing a video on the differences between JDM domestic FL5 CTR and the model delivered to the US? So far, I understand they got folding mirrors and parking sensors, but I also recollect there is a more robust oil temperature system, perhaps? Might be an interesting short dive into the details.

Cheers

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