Stock FL5 Track Day Observations

[BigBird]

Took the FL5 to it's first track day to Ridge Motorsports Park. It's a nice track about 1.5hr from Seattle, great surface and fun elevation changes. It's been 7 years since my last track day (back then it was my S2000 AP2 and 991 C2S). Didn't take long for it to come back and had a great time with the FL5! The car is completely stock from the factory with 1000 miles on the clock. Used the pedal dance so the system doesn't drag the inner rear brakes.

Sound - While I'm not an exhaust snob, I do appreciate some exhaust note (ideally with some pops and bangs) to get the heart racing. I chose to disconnect the fake engine noise module because on road it gives me this loud distortion-y feel. On track with windows down and helmet on, I can't hear the engine approaching redlines at all. The FL5 is lacking real exhaust note on the streets and grossly inadequate on track. Leaving the fake noise module plugged in will probably help, but then I have to live with it on the street.

So yeah I get you for sure, but there is this beautiful shift light and shift sound. I get pops and bangs on my DE5, but nothing beats the +R dash and shift sounds.

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[RubiRed]

Wow, didn't know we have a RR here in PNW may I ask what else did you do for preparing for a track day even if the car is kept stock?

For me I don't do anything to the car before tracking it. Same for my S2000 and 911. In stock form plenty fun can be had. The important thing is to just go out there! If it's your first time get an instructor (fastest mod). You probably won't know what YOU need/want to upgrade until you've gone out a few track days.

I have no intention of doing a lot of mods. Over time I imagine these are the things I would do. Almost every performance mod comes with tradeoff for the 95% driving on road so that's always worth considering.

1. Brake fluid
2. More aggressive pads
3. Grippier tires
4. More aggressive camber

So far the only "mods" I have on the FL5 are just for fun. Gives me and the kids an excuse to tinker with the car together.

• Wheel locks
• LASFit LED bulbs
• Homelink rear view mirror from the CRV
• Acuity shifter base bushing
• Disconnected active engine noise module
• Pulled fuse to permanently open exhaust valve

 

[RubiRed]

So yeah I get you for sure, but there is this beautiful shift light and shift sound. I get pops and bangs on my DE5, but nothing beats the +R dash and shift sounds.

I do like the shift light and beep, what I didn't expect is how little I can hear that beep with windows down and thick helmet. My eyes are way ahead on the road course so the lights aren't that obvious either.

Would be awesome to have your pops and bangs, I'm definitely jealous. It'll make spirited drives more thrilling. I doubt they can be heard on track though.

 

[BigBird]

I do like the shift light and beep, what I didn't expect is how little I can hear that beep with windows down and thick helmet. My eyes are way ahead on the road course so the lights aren't that obvious either.

Would be awesome to have your pops and bangs, I'm definitely jealous. It'll make spirited drives more thrilling. I doubt they can be heard on track though.

When I had the FL5 on track, the shift beep was pretty audible...because the exhaust was so quiet, and I also disconnected the fake sound. On the DE5, you can hear the pops and bangs on track sometimes, it's fine, but it's not helpful to anything there lol.

I would much prefer the FL5 setup. It was one of the best cars I've ever driven on track. It has everything you need to go fast

 

[ender_ong]

I read somewhere that if the FL5 is 1/2 tank of fuel or less the pickup can be exposed and temporarily cut engine power. Maybe that is what happened

I also vote that’s fuel starvation. Don’t mess around with that. Keep it topped off.

As a side note I just watched a YouTuber taking his Integra Type S for its first track day and he experienced the same cut in power. He mentioned that he was at just over a 1/4 tank of fuel and he suspected a fuel pickup issue. So it seems to be a thing.

Can confirm that for DE5, engine fuel cutoff will happen at low fuel levels at or below 1/4 tank when on track. If you’re lucky you might even throw a CEL! 🫠

Took my DE5 to Big Willow at Willow Springs in SoCal this past Sunday (10/1). First time tracking ITS, first time at that track. low fuel light came on last session, 75 miles range left left, so thought I was fine for another session (2.5 mile track, 6-7 laps per session) but after a couple laps felt some fuel cutoff. Thought it was typical K20C heat soak so turned heater full blast, but then bam check engine light + all warning lights came on along with limp mode. Limped back to the pits, freaked out about breaking the car, calmed down, then plugged in ODBII scanner: “P0087 Fuel Rail/System Pressure-Too Low”. Confirmed with others it was most likely due to fuel starvation during hard corners, so cleared the code and felt better. Will def bring a 5 gallon gas can next track day

 

[RacingManiac]

Fuel pick up problem is just a Honda tradition at this point....

 

[optronix]

I do like the shift light and beep, what I didn't expect is how little I can hear that beep with windows down and thick helmet. My eyes are way ahead on the road course so the lights aren't that obvious either.

Would be awesome to have your pops and bangs, I'm definitely jealous. It'll make spirited drives more thrilling. I doubt they can be heard on track though.

I just had an opportunity to get my DE5 on track as well, and can confirm that you can't hear the exhaust from a stock DE5 on track very well either. I would absolutely prefer more noise, and now understand why the Type R has such loud synthetic noise in the cabin from the factory. I'm sure you could hear that over just the exhaust, even though the DE5 is a bit louder. To my ears the DE5 doesn't have any interior amplification; if it does it's not intrusive at all. The pops and bangs are cool on the street, but that's it. As much as I enjoy the DE5 exhaust and think it's almost perfect for street use, I'll probably be looking at the aftermarket.

I would have loved to have had a more usable tach and shift lights. I could see the screen light up when I approached redline and that was ok but I feel like the shift lights in the Type R would have been great. I'm a big fan of bright backgrounds for a tach too; the black background isn't great on the DE5, even with the yellow needles. I feel like the tach/lack of shift light issue was a bigger hindrance than usual for me because I'm just not used to the lower redline on this car. It's great it pulls all the way to 7k, but it feels like it wants to keep going and I'm still used to my Boxster (redline 7800). I banged off the limiter way more than I would have preferred. It's a missed opportunity with the HUD; a track-specific HUD with a tach and shift lights would be ideal. I had this in my F82 M4 and it was really great.

Also I'll pile on that I'm almost 100% sure what you ran into was fuel issues, especially on a 60 degree day. Several people have now experienced this, but I have yet to see anyone truly encounter overheating issues in the FL5/DE5 (Gridzilla doesn't count, he blew his aftermarket turbo which I'm sure runs hotter than OEM anyway...). I was out there on a 80 degree day and the car gave me zero problems at all and felt strong all day (the brakes felt a little soft at the end of the 2nd session but just in the pedal; there was no fade that I noticed at all).

While on the topic of brakes- driving style has a lot to do with whether the OEM brakes will hold up IMO. Most casual enthusiasts on an HPDE will be fine, but if you've had a little experience and instruction you'll probably realize quickly that utilizing the brakes to their full potential during track sessions will overwork virtually any OEM braking system. I purposefully took it really easy on my brakes and as I mentioned they held up fine; but if I wanted to drive at my "uninhibited aggression level" I'm pretty sure I would have cooked them pretty good. Before my next session I'll be upgrading the fluid and going at least with a good hybrid pad if not a full on race pad.

 

[TW00Si]

Can confirm that for DE5, engine fuel cutoff will happen at low fuel levels at or below 1/4 tank when on track. If you’re lucky you might even throw a CEL! 🫠

Took my DE5 to Big Willow at Willow Springs in SoCal this past Sunday (10/1). First time tracking ITS, first time at that track. low fuel light came on last session, 75 miles range left left, so thought I was fine for another session (2.5 mile track, 6-7 laps per session) but after a couple laps felt some fuel cutoff. Thought it was typical K20C heat soak so turned heater full blast, but then bam check engine light + all warning lights came on along with limp mode. Limped back to the pits, freaked out about breaking the car, calmed down, then plugged in ODBII scanner: “P0087 Fuel Rail/System Pressure-Too Low”. Confirmed with others it was most likely due to fuel starvation during hard corners, so cleared the code and felt better. Will def bring a 5 gallon gas can next track day

This is exactly what happened to my FK8 back in July. Same code. Plan to top off during lunch next season with the FL5.

 

[ender_ong]

This is exactly what happened to my FK8 back in July. Same code. Plan to top off during lunch next season with the FL5.

What actually ended up happening was that even though I thought I cleared the code with my own OBDII Bluetooth dongle, the car was a little off (pops and bangs weren’t present in sport +). I brought it to the dealer, they confirmed that previous code, and with their device did a full clear (at no cost), and the car is back to normal. So yeah keeping it topped off is key

 

[TW00Si]

What actually ended up happening was that even though I thought I cleared the code with my own OBDII Bluetooth dongle, the car was a little off (pops and bangs weren’t present in sport +). I brought it to the dealer, they confirmed that previous code, and with their device did a full clear (at no cost), and the car is back to normal. So yeah keeping it topped off is key

My dealership went as far as replacing the fuel rail and new injectors. I didn’t complain since it was under warranty. These new cars with turbo are so sensitive.

 

[Jester04]

My dealership went as far as replacing the fuel rail and new injectors. I didn’t complain since it was under warranty. These new cars with turbo are so sensitive.

Its all the damn sensors they put on the cars. My previous cars never had issues. I have not had any issues with the FL5 aside from minor stuff and it was my own fault. But so far so good!

 

[scuderia_miso]

Where on the track did you experience the cuts in power? The Ridge is notorious for making cars fuel starve, particularly in turns 8A and 8B.

You mentioned the video overlay functionality was not working but I am curious if the log R application was successful at reliably recording your lap times at the Ridge. That to me is the most important thing! I own an AIM Solo 2 DL and am not sure I want to go through the trouble removing it from my S2000 and installing it in the R since this car comes with a lap timer. Curious what you think!

 

[RubiRed]

Where on the track did you experience the cuts in power? The Ridge is notorious for making cars fuel starve, particularly in turns 8A and 8B.

You mentioned the video overlay functionality was not working but I am curious if the log R application was successful at reliably recording your lap times at the Ridge. That to me is the most important thing! I own an AIM Solo 2 DL and am not sure I want to go through the trouble removing it from my S2000 and installing it in the R since this car comes with a lap timer. Curious what you think!

Power cutoff is around 8B and 9. Fuel starvation kind of makes sense because that is prolonged lateral G on a sustained right hander. I'm pretty convinced about this theory. Next season I will go with Jerry can to make sure it's topped off.

I never got the track data recording working. I added the track manually. Tried auto start and manual start feature to record the data. Everything will appear good as it records and I stop it at the end of the session. But the data is nowhere to be found either locally or on the server. It's false hope. It's almost as if I'm missing something like I need to insert my own SD card to record. FWIW I can record video with my phone using the LogR 2.0 app, it's just that there's no data so I can't make the overlay video. Without the data overlay the video captured using the app is just a crappier version than using the phones camera app...utterly pointless.

I haven't come across any YouTube videos using the FL5 data overlay so I wonder how many people ever got it working. The only videos I've seen are Honda marketing or press events. Anyone here able to successfully record and overlay data using LogR 2.0?

 

[Nakholmen1]

Power cutoff is around 8B and 9. Fuel starvation kind of makes sense because that is prolonged lateral G on a sustained right hander. I'm pretty convinced about this theory. Next season I will go with Jerry can to make sure it's topped off.

I never got the track data recording working. I added the track manually. Tried auto start and manual start feature to record the data. Everything will appear good as it records and I stop it at the end of the session. But the data is nowhere to be found either locally or on the server. It's false hope. It's almost as if I'm missing something like I need to insert my own SD card to record. FWIW I can record video with my phone using the LogR 2.0 app, it's just that there's no data so I can't make the overlay video. Without the data overlay the video captured using the app is just a crappier version than using the phones camera app...utterly pointless.

I haven't come across any YouTube videos using the FL5 data overlay so I wonder how many people ever got it working. The only videos I've seen are Honda marketing or press events. Anyone here able to successfully record and overlay data using LogR 2.0?

Good Morning,

I posted a couple of laps at Road America with my FL5 - using a Garmin Catalyst with data overlay.
The laps are on YouTube "2023 Civic Type R at Road America". I had fuel starvation issues on the carousel when the fuel tank was at 30% or lower. Lots of dash lights came on and I went into limp mode until I turned off the car and then restarted. The lights did not go off but there were no issues with driveability or performance. I also saw oil temps up to 280, although I had no heat soak symptoms. The ambient temps were around 75. My mods are Spoon springs and track pads and fluids.

 

[ender_ong]

Good Morning,

I posted a couple of laps at Road America with my FL5 - using a Garmin Catalyst with data overlay.
The laps are on YouTube "2023 Civic Type R at Road America". I had fuel starvation issues on the carousel when the fuel tank was at 30% or lower. Lots of dash lights came on and I went into limp mode until I turned off the car and then restarted. The lights did not go off but there were no issues with driveability or performance. I also saw oil temps up to 280, although I had no heat soak symptoms. The ambient temps were around 75. My mods are Spoon springs and track pads and fluids.

If CEL persists, take to dealer to clear them. Push back if they say you have to pay, it should be covered under warranty to clear the CEL (maybe leave out track use ). Car might seem to drive normally but I don’t think it’s at 100% until dealer clears CEL. Or at least whatever OBDII scanner dealer service uses. Coming from firsthand experience of this happening to me with my DE5, as I mentioned above

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