Random first-day impressions...

[VLJ]

I haven't checked that one, but it is checked off on the PDI sheet that was included in the owner's packet.

Edit...

I went and checked. Nope, no suspension blocks. They at least remembered to remove those.

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[fredzy]

So, yes, that's another thing that surprised me last night. So far, It really doesn't feel particularly fast. A few times I accidentally let the revs climb to 5K in second and third, with the engine mode in the Individual option set to +R. Very brief episodes, but it still didn't feel fast, or even turbo charged. It felt like a normal NA motor, with normal acceleration and linearity. Smooth, glitch-free power, but nothing special. Certainly nothing that shouts, "Sports car power! Nurburgring and Suzuka FWD record holder!"

Are those last two thousand RPM going to make the difference? I suppose they will, since so many people who have driven countless fast cars describe the speed and acceleration of the FL5 as "explosive," once it gets off the line. Being FWD, it's clearly not a dragracer. It's not going to beat many things from a dig, and I couldn't care less. It is supposed to be wicked fast once it gets going, however, and that's what I'm still looking forward to experiencing.

So far, I haven't felt any of that, but I know there's more to come.

Just reading to here, I can say the engine definitely opens up quite a bit in the top end. It is pretty linear as turbos go but still heavily turbocharged. I recall being very surprised the first few times I pulled through to redline.

I’m coming from a similar place as you, where my other car the CTR has to share garage with is GR86. There’s no way for the CTR to live up to its raw sports car fun but it absolutely smashes the 86 into the weeds with power and violence.

 

[VLJ]

fredzy, you hit the nail on the head. Nearly every review I've watched or read says the same thing, that the FL5 has a very serious "We are here to drive, and drive well. Our job is to execute the mission," attitude, vs the rambunctious character of the GR86/BRZ, or the playful, carefree "Let's go have some fun! Look, a squirrel!" attitude of the Miata.

They nearly always compare the FL5 to the GT3, in this regard. Clinical, almost surgical precision. It will be faster than most anything else, but not as engaging as many of its competitors.

I can certainly see that.

Killer GR86/FL5 pic, btw. Gorgeous.

 

[Ultimateone]

Wow! You may also want to check that they removed the spring spacers up front. Common PDI mistake and if they didn't properly deflate the tires they could have missed those too.

Was thinking the exact same thing, it happened to me.

 

[fredzy]

fredzy, you hit the nail on the head. Nearly every review I've watched or read says the same thing, that the FL5 has a very serious "We are here to drive, and drive well. Our job is to execute the mission," attitude, vs the rambunctious character of the GR86/BRZ, or the playful, carefree "Let's go have some fun! Look, a squirrel!" attitude of the Miata.

They nearly always compare the FL5 to the GT3, in this regard. Clinical, almost surgical precision. It will be faster than most anything else, but not as engaging as many of its competitors.

I can certainly see that.

Killer GR86/FL5 pic, btw. Gorgeous.

Thanks, though the picture is a bit of a lie. It is generated from Gran Turismo 7 photo mode but I assure you something along those very lines will occur in late October this year

Also I replied before I saw about the 53psi. How on earth. That's borderline dangerous!

 

[VLJ]

That Track bRed color looks fantastic there. I nearly bought that same car. In certain light it looks quite orange, though. If it always looked the way it looks in your photo there, I would have been more into it.

In the end, Toyota's recommendation of 93 octane for the GR86 pushed me away from it, just as the recommendation for 93 from Acura pushed me away from the Integra Type S.

Stupid California, and our crappy 91 Premium. Damn.

Yep, 53 cold PSI was ridiculous. One would think the dealer would be a bit more careful with the PDI on their limited availability halo model.

 

[fredzy]

It was bRed or nothing and I'm really not a big red car guy. It's just the color of this car to me. (Dumbest color name ever btw.) I totally get what you mean about the orange - I think it's a big part of why it's such a good red, and not what I call "normal car" red like so many others. It stands out in real world lighting unlike any other red you see in an average day.

Not trying to make you regret passing on an 86 but the 228hp figure is underrated even for ACN91 - people make at least 200 to the wheels on cali 91 regardless of dyno. If you've got E85 near you, putting a little in the tank before topping off with premium, keeping an ~E20 mix in the tank seems to give back all the timing. I mention mainly because this applies to everything expecting 91 or 93, like the CTR. I find a car will pull some timing on even the best 93 to the point where a little extra ethanol can usually yield some improvement. I don't go out of my way for E85 these days but it was always neat to see what it did to my WRX.

Last I'll mention, for the CTR PDI check that the dealer installed the body plugs under the car. My dealer got everything else but missed these. It probably doesn't matter near as much for you as it does for me (salt etc.) but still over time would be better to have them.

 

[VLJ]

fredzy, I just checked the PDI sheet, and 'Install Body Plugs' was checked off, but then so was 'Set Tire Pressures to Door Recommendation,' and that wasn't done, so who knows? I do know that there were no loose plugs in the glove box, or anywhere else inside the car. Not sure where they would have stashed them if they didn't install them. I don't have access to a lift to get beneath the car and look for them, so I guess I'll have them checked when I bring the car in to get the infotainment/seatbelt buzzing fixed.

Yes, I'm now adding the seatbelt height adjuster on the B-pillar as another buzzing area that I want fixed.

On the plus side, it turns out that my favorite local race road, Hwy 49 from Downieville to Sierra City up above Truckee, is smooth enough to allow the use of +R mode, and that thing rips! I absolutely love +R when it's usable. My god, does it make the car feel like it's on rails. Man, what a feeling. It legitimately felt expensive.

I'm also discovering more and more that Sport mode is usable in quite a few places, including the freeway, but especially on the majority of my favorite canyon roads. It requires a smoother road than Comfort requires, but it's generally fine over the majority of our better fast roads.

I'm starting to think that I may not need that ITS module. As good as +R felt on that one killer road, I don't know that I want to give it up, even if it will come out to play only very occasionally.

I also surrended to temptation a bit today and zipped her up to redline a few brief times. I wanted to check three things. First, I wanted to see my shift lights dance, and I wanted to confirm that I'd turned off the warning beep. Yep, the lights are very cool, and no beep at redline.

Next, I wanted to hear the fake noise, which is only really noticeable in +R mode, and only above 6K RPM. In Sport and Comfort I can't really say that I noticed it, or, if I did, it sounded perfectly fine to me. For that matter, I must be sick in the head or something, because I honestly didn't even mind it in +R mode. I definitely heard it, but it didn't disgust me or anything. As infrequently as I'll visit redline in +R mode, I could probably live with it.

Lastly, I wanted to see whether there was any major burst of power from 5K to redline.

Nope, not really. The power remained relatively linear. Were it not for the introduction of the fake noise, there wouldn't have been all that much of an increase in the sensation of speed. Obviously, it accelerated harder, but it never felt scary fast, or even unusually fast. It mainly just felt...rapid. Surprisingly smooth and rapid, similar to my old 600c race bikes. Fast enough to get me in trouble, but not so fast that it felt like it was clearly trying to get me in trouble, the way the litre bikes do.

The tranny remains flawless, as does that magic front end. Fastest cornering car I've ever owned, by far, and maybe the fastest cornering car I've ever driven, period.

 

[CTR]

Next, I wanted to hear the fake noise, which is only really noticeable in +R mode, and only above 6K RPM. In Sport and Comfort I can't really say that I noticed it, or, if I did, it sounded perfectly fine to me. For that matter, I must be sick in the head or something, because I honestly didn't even mind it in +R mode. I definitely heard it, but it didn't disgust me or anything. As infrequently as I'll visit redline in +R mode, I could probably live with it.

+R is only a little over the top on the rev-match downshifts. Sport mode less so. Comfort I really don't think they fake any extra noise which would make sense for the purpose of the mode. The only reason I see to unplug the module is if you use +R mode (outside of Individual) to more easily disable the VSA system. I personally think the steering is too heavy in +R to ever use for extended periods of time.

After driving with the ITS ADS on all seasons I'm a little curious if swapping back to the stock tires will make the car feel too soft in Comfort mode in corners. I think it's a delicate balance with how well-engineered the car is. You start messing with things like grip levels and all of the sudden the suspension is too soft/firm. R compound or 200TW tires could be magical with the FL5 ADS module.

 

[Jester04]

I have owned a 2014 BRZ, still have my 2006 S2000 and added the CTR to the stable. For me the shifter on the CTR is very good for what it is(a trans operated by cables) probably the best one I have had with that setup.

Pretty pointless to compare shifting experience to a rwd car that has the shifter directly linked to the transmission. It will never be as good. Still they are all great cars and just like the BRZ/86/Miata and S2K. The CTR manages to punch well above its weight which to me is ultimately the goal of all these cars that we enjoy.

Getting great performance at a still relatively cheaper price than all these big hitters. Honestly I was shocked how good it was out of the box comparing it to my M2.

 

[VLJ]

And you would know, if anyone would.

 

[Zone47]

What a great deal that was. I thought I was doing good at MSRP and I didn't even ask for any extras ... maybe I should have.

I noticed a little bit of engine vibration with my car. It's not the smoothest 4 popper going which is odd for a Honda, but it doesn't translate to any interior vibration. Yeah, I'd go back to the dealer and see if they would fix it. Congrats on a great deal and too bad for the other dealer who couldn't seem to get it together.

 

[fredzy]

I also surrended to temptation a bit today and zipped her up to redline a few brief times.
...
Next, I wanted to hear the fake noise

Ah you come from sport bikes. Less surprising that the power doesn't wow you haha. I think it also may have to do with where you're gittin' it. The CTRs stock power probably doesn't hit as hard on a more wide open canyon road vs. in the confines of a densely forested, narrow back road like where I usually drive like an asshole.

I think the only place where the fake noise actually bothers me is if I don't get a perfect rev-match downshift. If I under blip the car makes this unnatural blurrrrp rev sound as the RPMs get pulled up to where they should have been.

 

[VLJ]

Brought the car to a different local dealer today to talk to them about the dashboard buzzing. We set an appointment for them to check it out next Wednesday, during which they will also check for any other missed PDI items, such as the plugs that are supposed to be installed underneath the body, since my original dealer skated through some of the items on the list.

The service writer I spoke with today has worked there for thirty-five years. When I asked him about the break-in oil thing, he was adamant that I leave it alone until the 15% Oil Life alert pops up on my Maintenance Minder screen. Unlike our motorcycles (he dragraces a Honda CBR600RR), he said, there is zero reason to replace the oil at 600 miles on a new Honda car. He said it's 100% true that Honda's break-in oil/seating process is real, and necessary. Conversely, he was equally adamant that there are no RPM limitations during the initial break-in.

"Drive it like you're going to drive it," he said. "If you're always going to take it easy, then take it easy. If you're going to race the thing, race the thing. The whole engine RPM break-in period is a myth, at least for cars. New motors in cars haven't needed RPM limitations in forever."

I mentioned that I couldn't find a single mention of any recommended break-in procedure in the entire 800-plus pages of my owner's manual, and he answered, "That's because there isn't one. Just drive it. Go out and enjoy it. Don't do anything special. Don't change the oil, don't baby it, don't worry about keeping the RPM down. Don't do anything different from what you would normally do. Just go drive it."

I then asked about his experience with Honda's DI engines, knowing they've serviced countless Civics, CR-Vs, Accords, and Pilots with direct-injected turbo motors. I was expecting a similar answer to the one I received from the head mechanic at my Subaru dealer, which was a simple, "Yep. They gunk up. It sucks. I now have to tell my customers to plan on needing to budget for cleaning the valves. I want them to do it every 30,000 miles, but I know they'll lose their minds over that, so I tell them to get it done no later than 60,000 miles."

When I asked my Mazda manager the same thing about my Miata, he agreed, adding that they've built that carbon-buildup cleansing service into their long-range maintenance program.

So, I was certainly surprised when this Honda guy answered, "Not a one. I know the valves accumulate sludge, just like any other direct injection motor, but I have never seen a single problem result from it on a Honda. No cold starting issues, no misfires, no fuel-mileage drop-off. Nothing. And I've seen a million direct injection Hondas, including quite a few with six-figure mileage. There's nothing to worry about there. The only issues we've seen were with the injectors themselves, and that had nothing to do with the direct injection. Honda had to replace some bad injectors."

I was already increasing the RPM anyway, having surpassed 500 miles during yesterday's run, so when I left the dealership today I decided to take his advice and start driving her normally, with no more RPM worries. Running it up to redline, I shifted down to third and held the RPM between 6-7K RPM, testing the fake noise in each drive mode. Honestly, they all seemed the same at constant throttle, but +R made a lot more noise with each gear change. That was the only time I could definitely tell the difference. In +R mode the blips were accompanied by a helluva lot louder "engine" noise.

I checked out two other things, as well. I wanted to see whether my Apple Car Play performance would be affected by disabling the car's native Navigation app, as Topher said he needed to do in order for his APC to work correctly.

No difference in my car. APC works perfectly every time for me, regardless of whether the Navigation app is fully enabled or completely removed. It hasn't glitched once yet.

I decided to leave it enabled, knowing I can always ditch it again if my APC ever starts acting up.

Next, I tried disabling Rev Matching. Doing so was easy enough, but I can't say that I do the throttle blips better on my own than the car does them in Rev Match Sport mode. Eh...either way is fine. I didn't notice any difference. It's nice to have the option, though.

I'm still on the fence about the ITS module. Once I get the cracked windshield replaced and the dashboard buzz eliminated, the car will be complete...except for that one ADS module question. I don't see myself dicking around with the Active Valve fuse-dance mod, or any exhaust mods. I almost certainly will not be adding any engine tunes, and I'm leaning against doing any window tinting or PPF.

It's basically now down to the ITS vs CTR ADS module.

 

[hhkb]

such as the plugs that are supposed to be installed underneath the body

What are these plugs you speak of?

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