What about the FL5 do you regret?

[SKINNIE]

I miss the old days when you got up and walked out of the dealership. The salesman and manager will come running after you to take your deal.

Sponsored

 

[Noize]

I regret that I get bored quickly and swap cars too often. I don't have any loans on any cars, but there's definitely some bit of depreciation on some transactions.

But as far as this car goes, I definitely wish it wasn't FWD. It's a razor with handling, decently lightweight, offers solid braking, and is a master of grip. But it will never be fast off the mark on street tires, nor can it overcome the law of diminishing returns that when you increase power in a FWD car, you decrease traction.

I like the styling, but I wish that the interior was black everywhere it is red, minus badges and stitching.

Mine also runs a little crummy for a minute or two when it warms up after sitting for awhile. But by the time I get to the first stop sign, it's all better.

One other thing is that I feel anal retentive about taking great care of it (always garaged, ceramic coat, don't like driving it in rain or on poor roads, keeping miles low, etc.) to preserve its condition. If I had something like a GTI, I would guiltlessly take it everywhere.

Do I like it $6400 better than the Golf R I traded it for? It depends what day you ask me and what I'm doing. If I'm on some great curvy roads, it's almost peerless. But I can think of much better cars for commuting in.

 

[TypeRGirl]

 

[TypeRGirl]

In all honesty I have no regrets with my purchase, I love my FL5

The only thing I can think of is I should’ve put some floor mats in during this rainy summer season. I was being stubborn and refused to cover up the red carpet. There’s a quarter sized dirt spot just below the gas pedal that I’ve been meaning to clean but it shouldn’t be too hard to get out.

 

[optronix]

Interesting thread. I don't feel like I qualify to comment because I haven't had my car long enough, and it's not a Type R. Hopefully I can still add value though.

Hi all. I have a CW one and it’s my first new car. I’m in the uk so paid zero mark up BUT it was still around £12k more than the outgoing FK8 which is a huge mark up in itself.
Having owned a 2016 RS3 8v previously, my regret is the lack of sound.
The CTR is a great car to drive and it steers round a corner in a way the RS3 never did but I wish it made some sort of noise. The engine is the soul of the car and although a mighty power train this 2.0 turbo lacks soul and does nothing to make you love the car . We just get an awful piped in synthesised sound through the speakers.
It’s making me consider selling purely to find a car with some soul, like a straight 6 or V8.
So far no aftermarket exhaust sound clips for the fl5 have sounded quite right in my opinion.
I wish Honda had engineered something into the exhaust sound.
A triple exhaust with an active valve yet it is as quiet as an EV!
All show with no damn noise.
Thats my regret.

Don't buy too much into the YouTube clips. There is hope for you. I know you guys don't get the DE5 but it sounds great just from the factory, if still tame enough to not piss off your neighbors- so I feel like a solid aftermarket exhaust would get you right where you want to be.

It'll never be an RS3, but saying this engine has no soul is not a fair assessment IMO.

 

[ABPDE5]

It'll never be an RS3, but saying this engine has no soul is not a fair assessment IMO.

agreed. It doesn't have that old school Honda soul, but it does have its own character.

A set of drop in cams will bring some of the old character back, and they're not too expensive if you just run them on a conservative tune, running stock turbo / fueling, and targeting "personality" over power.

 

[Harryhole308]

Interesting thread. I don't feel like I qualify to comment because I haven't had my car long enough, and it's not a Type R. Hopefully I can still add value though.



Don't buy too much into the YouTube clips. There is hope for you. I know you guys don't get the DE5 but it sounds great just from the factory, if still tame enough to not piss off your neighbors- so I feel like a solid aftermarket exhaust would get you right where you want to be.

It'll never be an RS3, but saying this engine has no soul is not a fair assessment IMO.

I agree - I was a bit unfair as it is a great engine and delivers great power, torque and flexibility.
The car also looks great and is a rare sight so has some exclusivity too.

 

[Harryhole308]

agreed. It doesn't have that old school Honda soul, but it does have its own character.

A set of drop in cams will bring some of the old character back, and they're not too expensive if you just run them on a conservative tune, running stock turbo / fueling, and targeting "personality" over power.

I don’t know much about mods and tuning so appreciate your thoughts.
This could be the answer !

 

[urbo73]

Don't buy too much into the YouTube clips. There is hope for you. I know you guys don't get the DE5 but it sounds great just from the factory, if still tame enough to not piss off your neighbors- so I feel like a solid aftermarket exhaust would get you right where you want to be.

It'll never be an RS3, but saying this engine has no soul is not a fair assessment IMO.

Correct. The engine is fine. What I did, and something I would recommend to other FL5 owners, is to disable the ASC module to get rid of any fake engine noise that's pumped in, and then get a non-valved aftermarket exhaust, like the AWE Touring. This will leave you with a pure and IMO a very nice sound. The ASC module is just there to create noise because the exhaust is so quiet. A valved exhaust (OEM or aftermarket) doesn't make sense to me in this car because you can't control it via drive modes - it's just throttle % dependent, which IMO is silly. Hence why I like non-valved, like AWE. My 2 cents.

 

[ABPDE5]

I don’t know much about mods and tuning so appreciate your thoughts.
This could be the answer !

https://4pistonracing.com/blogs/news/fl5-civic-type-r-4p-tr2-camshaft-install-and-dyno-test

This will be my approach in a year or so, with a catted DP. Not looking to set any power records, just a little more old school feel.

 

[Azkyrie]

I agree - I was a bit unfair as it is a great engine and delivers great power, torque and flexibility.
The car also looks great and is a rare sight so has some exclusivity too.

DE5 driver also. I had a 2000 Integra back in the day. I will say the CTR FL5 looks amazing with a timeless design. It’s going to have a classy feel for a long time just like the DC2 jdm Integra with long headlights. The engine you get is the pinnacle of Honda engineering; where else will you get a 4 cylinder at only 2.0L with this much power and capability to go much higher?

if you follow Throttle house reviews, they’ve taken v6-v8 cars with a lot of power like the mustang GT on twisty roads but do not have the handling thrill the CTR does. If we were to be realistic it would be rare to be in an all out drag race all the time to compete with the largest engines? Enjoy it on the track or curvy roads. In my opinion CTR and ITS will absolutely shine in the advent of EV’s flooding the market.

I’ve only had one month with the DE5 but I’ve never had this much fun driving a car ever. After break in just putting pedal to the metal powering through corners is the type of experience VERY few cars have. There’s souls in these engines, very different from classic 9k rpm naturally aspirated engines but I love it

 

[CTRifecta]

DE5 driver also. I had a 2000 Integra back in the day. I will say the CTR FL5 looks amazing with a timeless design. It’s going to have a classy feel for a long time just like the DC2 jdm Integra with long headlights. The engine you get is the pinnacle of Honda engineering; where else will you get a 4 cylinder at only 2.0L with this much power and capability to go much higher?

if you follow Throttle house reviews, they’ve taken v6-v8 cars with a lot of power like the mustang GT on twisty roads but do not have the handling thrill the CTR does. If we were to be realistic it would be rare to be in an all out drag race all the time to compete with the largest engines? Enjoy it on the track or curvy roads. In my opinion CTR and ITS will absolutely shine in the advent of EV’s flooding the market.

I’ve only had one month with the DE5 but I’ve never had this much fun driving a car ever. After break in just putting pedal to the metal powering through corners is the type of experience VERY few cars have. There’s souls in these engines, very different from classic 9k rpm naturally aspirated engines but I love it

You think these engines have soul/character?

I think the complete opposite tbh, however I'm probably too biased from the glory days of turbo motors. Even though they had their quirks, I loved the sounds of turbo Subaru motors, and even evo 4g63 motors sounded mean when opened up. These new 'headifold' turbo cars offer much better throttle response but at the expense of sound.

Don't get me wrong, I think our engines put down tons of power stock and with a wide powerband, but they're almost too clinical to me.

 

[optronix]

You think these engines have soul/character?

I think the complete opposite tbh, however I'm probably too biased from the glory days of turbo motors. Even though they had their quirks, I loved the sounds of turbo Subaru motors, and even evo 4g63 motors sounded mean when opened up. These new 'headifold' turbo cars offer much better throttle response but at the expense of sound.

Don't get me wrong, I think our engines put down tons of power stock and with a wide powerband, but they're almost too clinical to me.

The powerband IS the character.

I don’t know about you but I actually do not miss the crazy peakiness of the old turbo motors. This one has enough “turbo character” (some would call it lag) to remind you it’s turbo and even offer a bit of nostalgia- until the torque comes in at 2500 rpm vs 5500 and reminds you how good it is to be alive now vs the 90s.

I’m not very convinced that the EJ25, SR20DET or 4G63 really sounded all that great. The EJ I’ll chalk up to an acquired taste, but just go hop on a 718 forum and watch madness unfold with all the folks who hate how the 2.5T “sounds like a Subaru”…

My point is that sound, and apparently character, is entirely subjective. I for one thoroughly enjoy this drivetrain.

 

[1971Camaro]

Interesting thread. I don't feel like I qualify to comment because I haven't had my car long enough, and it's not a Type R. Hopefully I can still add value though.


Don't buy too much into the YouTube clips. There is hope for you. I know you guys don't get the DE5 but it sounds great just from the factory, if still tame enough to not piss off your neighbors- so I feel like a solid aftermarket exhaust would get you right where you want to be.

It'll never be an RS3, but saying this engine has no soul is not a fair assessment IMO.

I think there could have been a designed option to allow an easy switch for those who wanted to get more REAL noise out of the exhaust. I personally do NOT want to bug the neighbors, so this more subtle engine sound is *perfect* for me. However, the enhanced audio is sorta silly (as is a SIMULATED 3-Pedal ON AN EV ).

But, as many have said, you can get more sound with aftermarkets, plus more sound is not a direct correlation to engine performance (or good engine tune!).

This car has to be so many things to so many people, and i am still amazed at how well Honda has done at "pleasing everyone."

 

[1971Camaro]

I like the styling, but I wish that the interior was black everywhere it is red, minus badges and stitching.

The BLACK OEM floor mats that wrap up the walls work really well to make the floor mostly black. Then, you can do black seat covers -- which will also protect your seats so they stay like new.

Voila' - there ya go.

Sponsored