Tag: tuned honda

  • BAGGED HONDA INTEGRA TYPE R DC5: THAT MUGEN DC5

    It might have a Frankenstein heart, but this bagged and modified Honda Integra Type R DC5 shares very little else with the infamous monster…

    Feature taken from Fast Car. Words Danielle Bagnall Photography Matt Clifford

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    “Beware; for I am fearless, and therefore powerful,” a Frankenstein quote adequately summarising the absolute beast of a DC5 you see before you now. But, unlike the monstrosity that was Frankenstein, this Honda Integra Type R DC5 is quite the sight to behold and for all the right reasons.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    When owner Jamie Warnes acquired the DC5 he knew exactly what route he was going to take with it. Having owned a 1.4-litre Honda Civic EJ9 previously and already performing a B16 swap on that, as well as having an EP3; it’s safe to say he’s well and truly familiar with Honda life. “I had the EP3 for around two years, while I saved up the money for what I really wanted; a DC5, before this one popped up for sale,” Jamie told us.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    The welder / fabricator from Kings Lynn, Norfolk, bought the DC5 already slightly modified in that it had already received the full respray in Phoenix yellow and already had all the Mugen kit fitted, which was basically exactly what he was looking to do. Jamie bought the car back in January 2018 – perfect timing to get it ready for show season.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    Four months on, the engine decided to shit itself. That being said, it turned out to be a major blessing for the build. The following month, Jamie and his mates ripped the engine out and began looking at the options available.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    With a number of options flying around; turbos, engine rebuilds, throttle bodies and the like – shout out to the sheer level of modifying that can be done with these Jap motors – Jamie finally landed on getting the standard lump rebuilt but with more power. And so ended up with a K24 Frankenstein engine (K24 bottom end and a K20 head). He’d done well to find an engine for sale that was freshly built and for a good price at that.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    First piece of the puzzle acquired, Jamie contacted Lewis at Honda Specialist UK, Eversholt, who he’d come up with a plan with to fit the engine, as well as complete all the wiring that was needed in the engine bay. Jamie was down there most weekends – bearing in mind that Eversholt is like 80-miles or so away from where Jamie lives in King’s Lynn; that’s dedication. Jamie spent time welding up around 150 holes in the engine bay, smoothing it and working with Lewis to get as much as possible either removed or relocated and ready for spraying. The engine bay was fully shaved and wire tucked, while the ABS and PAS were deleted and the fuse box and battery were both relocated.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    It took around three months to finish everything, including fitting the engine and new parts, as well as the painting of the bay, with the car now running a K-Pro Version 4 ECU and putting out 262bhp!

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    “A lot has happened with this car. Most would consider the engine shitting itself a real low point, but to be honest I’m kind of glad it happened. I have always wanted to smooth and shave an engine bay and the engine failure allowed me to do so. I honestly don’t think it would ever have happened if it wasn’t for it blowing up – that happening really pushed me to go the extra mile with it and I couldn’t be happier. Even if there was blood, sweat and almost tears rebuilding the car to what it is now.” Jamie added.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    The whole car is a complete build; its freshly done engine bay compliments the fresh Phoenix Yellow paint job to its exterior, along with the widened and flared arches and Mugen accents.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    The chassis is an interesting aspect in itself; running Air Lift Performance V2 air management, AirREX performance struts, and Skunk2 camber-adjustable arms. The BBS RF alloys have been triple stepped and are 9.5 and 11J front and rear respectively, with 3- and 4-inch fully polished lips that house gold hardware. Look beyond the spokes and you’ll spot colour-coded Brembo 4-pot brakes.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    The inside hasn’t been forgotten, either. Bride Cuga bucket seats with carbon fibre backs rock those iconic Takata harnesses, while the driver’s bay houses a Vertex steering wheel, with NRG quick release steering boss, while gear changes are taken care of with a K-Tuned race billet shifter and We Are Likewise gear knob.

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    The entire thing is a sight to behold, but Jamie is already having ideas about another makeover next year. We better keep an eye on this one!

    Honda Integra Type R DC5Honda Integra Type R DC5

    TECH SPEC: HONDA INTEGRA DC5

    STYLING
    Full respray in Phoenix yellow, shaved and wire-tucked engine bay, ABS and PAS delete, fuse box and battery relocated, widened and flared arches, Mugen front bumper, rear bumper, side skirts and spoiler

    TUNING
    J’s Racing exhaust system, full engine rebuild (K24 Frankenstein), painted engine block and wrinkle black rocker cover, Skunk2 Ultra inlet manifold and 70mm throttle body, stage 3 Competition Clutch, INNOVATIVE Billet engine mounts, Mishimoto radiator and hoses, K-Tuned fuel rail and RDX 410cc injectors, Walbro 255 fuel pump, Solid Fabrications stainless exhaust manifold

    CHASSIS
    Air Lift Performance V2 air ride with AirREX performance struts, Skunk2 camber adjustable arms, BBS RF alloys with 16-18 triple stepped lips (9.5j up front and 11j out back with 3- and 4-inch fully polished lips, with gold hardware), Brembo 4-pot brakes

    INTERIOR
    Bride Cuga bucket seats with carbon fibre backs, Takata harnesses, NRG quick release steering boss, Vertex steering wheel, K-Tuned race billet shifter, We Are Likewise gear knob

    AUDIO
    Pioneer doubleDIN touchscreen headunit

    THANKS
    “My friends, my GF, my parents, Lewis at Honda Specialist UK, and Rusty Rimz”

    Source

  • FC THROWBACK: MONSTER MUNCH – HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    Welcome to this week’s FC Throwback, where we take a look back at some of our favourite previous feature cars. This week it’s Tim Desmond FN2 Civic. Tarmac, driveshafts, tyres and Lamborghinis – this 507bhp turbo Type-R can eat them all…

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    While there’s no denying our love for the screaming Honda VTEC engine, even their most hardcore fans at FC Towers (and by that we mean Initial G) will admit they aren’t exactly torque monsters – they’re all about the high rpm action. This is great fun on the open road, but having to drop three gears to get from cruising rpm to hooning rpm can become a bit of a chore, and being such a highly tuned engine means big gains from further N/A tuning isn’t cheap or easy. Because of this, while many purists won’t agree, the way forward, especially if you want to go giant-killing (and who doesn’t?) is forced induction.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    The owner of this FN2, Tim Desmond, went through this exact issue, having owned this car for three years of almost non-stop modifying, culminating in this turbocharged monster you see on these very pages.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    At first Tim kicked it off with N/A tuning, including a set of lumpy cams. But soon getting bored of that and ending up with a CT Engineering supercharger kit pushing out 330bhp. The instant punch of a supercharger combined with well over 300 horsies running wild in the engine bay would be enough for most of us. But not for Tim. In fact he was bored in no time and wanted more, lots more. Which leads us to where we are today.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    If you want 500bhp from any 2-litre lump it’s no easy task, even when the lump in question is the awesome Honda K20 unit, and the only viable way is with a turbo. But the problem was, FN2 Type-Rs such as Tim’s have only been around for a few years, and a turbo kit didn’t exist. Thankfully for Tim, and all you Hondaheads, TDi-North do exist. And after finally succumbing to Tim’s pestering they agreed to develop one. After four months of design, fabrication and testing, this cars engine is the awesome result.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    On the rollers this setup makes around 330bhp at 9psi, which is safe on standard internals. But power hungry Tim needed more. So TDi-North built his engine up with forged internals from a Cosworth, upped the boost to a man-sized 22psi, and the end result is a massive 507bhp. To help with grip and to stop the car spitting out gearboxes, torque has been limited to 400lb/ft, which is still over 250lb/ft more than standard and over double what most bolt-on supercharger kits give. Tim’s car is a real monster.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    After reading this so far some of you are probably thinking, “Surely having that much power through the front wheels is pointless?” But thanks to some well chosen mods, it’s crap-your-pants fast, but definitely not pointless. The combination of KW coilovers, Eibach camber adjusters, polybushes and a ‘Fast Road’ geometry setup by TDi-North makes the car handle brilliantly. Meanwhile the WaveTrac limited slip diff, sticky Syron Street Race tyres and a trick boost and traction control system do a great job of putting all that 507bhp to the ground, without a big cloud of tyre smoke.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    Although the engine has taken its power boost in its stride, uprated driveshafts from Driveshaft Shop in the US were needed as they found that pushing 150 per cent more torque through the standard shafts were quickly munching them up.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    So, what does all this power and grip mean in the real world? Well for Tim it means he can do exactly what he wanted to do in it; go out supercar and superbike baiting. “Yeah, it’s officially a Lamborghini Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera eater. But most the time it’s the usual Subarus, Evos and fast Audis that try it on. M3s are my favourite though, they really don’t like to get beaten by a Civic!” Tim laughs.

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    In a funny sense of the word Tim’s car is a sleeper, but without having to own a boring or crappy looking car, as while it looks awesome thanks to the Mugen bodywork and 18in Rota P1s, nobody expects the car to be a 500bhp+ monster. If anything the looks probably encourage supercar owners to try and teach this kitted-up Civic a lesson. But the only lesson learnt is by them – about modified cars!

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    Nobody can sum it up better than Tim himself: “It’s a kitten round town, really easy to live with, and even does 35mpg on a run. But the big fat smile you get when the boost kicks in is epic. And what’s even better is the look of horror on Lambo drivers’ faces!”

    HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBOHONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    TECH HONDA CIVIC FN2 TYPE-R TURBO

    Styling
    Mugen sports grille; Mugen front aero splitter; Mugen rear aero spoiler; Mugen-style carbon bonnet; Championship white paint.

    Tuning
    TDi-North built K20Z4 enlarged to 2.1ltr with Cosworth forged pistons, steel rods and block guard; TDi-North ported and flowed head with uprated valvetrain; TDi-North turbo kit consisting of Zircotec-coated tubular stainless turbo manifold; Precision 3231e turbo with .63 A/R turbine housing; Tial 44mm external wastegate; TDi-North Pace charge cooler system; Bosch chargecooler water pump; and high pressure and temperature oil and water lines; WaveTrac LSD; Stage 4 Competition Clutch; Driveshaft Shop 2.9 driveshafts; US-spec Civic Si ECU remapped with FlashPro; Boost-By-Gear system using a HKS EVC VI boost controller; Hondata traction control; custom TDi-North full 3-inch custom exhaust system.

    Chassis
    7.5×18 Rota P1 alloys; KW coilovers; Eibach camber adjusters; Polybush master control kit; TDi-North ‘Fast Road’ geometry setup; Syron Street Race 225/40×18 semi-slicks tyres; Stoptech big brake kit including 2-piece discs; Ferodo DS2500 pads; Stoptech stainless steel brake hoses; Motul RDF600 brake fluid.

    Interior
    Seeker gearknob; Hondata traction control switch in armrest; HKS EVC Boost Controller in centre console.

    Rare Rims (www.rarerims.co.uk) for the wheels; all the nutters on the Civinfo forum (www.civinfo.com); especially Mark Hagan for being a belson!

    Words Stav Photos Chris Wallbank

    Source