Thread: Honda Integra Type R DC2

OK, now for some japanese metal...

The Integra Type R DC2 was voted best front wheeled drive car ever by EVO magazine recently, but are they cool?

Nope to ricey and too fast too furious

I like them, great track day car. LSD and reasonably light car help somewhat!!

Sub zero!!

Fantastic cars...
Not ricey at all...since when did small wheels, no bodykit, small exhaust = ricey?

Brilliant to drive...a car with real soul.
Not for the mincers out there...you have to really drive them hard to get the best from them...but when you do, it's as close to perfect as I've driven.

Absolutely stunning...and proof Honda can still mix the loony stuff with the driving Auntie to church cars.

Japanese not for me

A mate at work has a '98 DC2 in white like the picture and loves it. As EVO voted it the best front-wheel drive car they'd ever driven, it has to be that good! Not usually a fan of Japanese cars but there's little doubt this deserves respect.

Originally Posted by Randomjim

Japanese not for me

Yeah, Japanese.
Which means it never breaks down. Never uses any oil, never blows engines up or wrecks gearboxes.
It handles properly...brakes properly.
All things which VAG and other German cars haven't or dont.

It caters for the true enthusiast...anything from the Germans that can claim that at less than £50k. Nope.

And you sit in Recaro seats, holding a MOMO wheel...

Yeah, Japanese.
And I'd have another tomorrow!

Such a shame that some people will miss out one driving one of the greatest drivers cars ever because they feel it's built in the 'wrong' country.

Well i'd drive one but i wouldn't want one. A DC5 is another story as there sooo much better looking.

Originally Posted by Randomjim

Well i'd drive one but i wouldn't want one. A DC5 is another story as there sooo much better looking.

Indeed it is better looking...the DC2 was never a good looking car...but the DC2 is sweeter handling, and more hardcore.

I guess i'm shallow when it come to cars its gotta look good. You could always make it handle better and do the jackson racing supercharger That would be hardcore

A lad around here has a DC5 with a turbo conversion...
320+ BHP apparently!

That'll be slow. Not.

Sadly in my experiance, the best looking cars are a letdown to drive.
The best I've driven are not always the best looking. I can live with lacking in looks if the car is a belter to drive.

I've heard that figures been done on a DC5. Surely too much for the front wheels to grip.

Yup, I'd say so...
You'd never get it off the line.

maybe in third

Not for me either, it's almost as ugly as the Mazda 323!!

Originally Posted by Ess_Three

Fantastic cars...
Not ricey at all...since when did small wheels, no bodykit, small exhaust = ricey?

Brilliant to drive...a car with real soul.
Not for the mincers out there...you have to really drive them hard to get the best from them...but when you do, it's as close to perfect as I've driven.

Absolutely stunning...and proof Honda can still mix the loony stuff with the driving Auntie to church cars.

It is also one of the most aerodynamic road cars ever built, the figures for drag or the lack of it are amazing.

Previous to the S3 I had a Civic Type-R, and I had a shot in one of these "tegs" when I was looking at the Civic.

In my opinion they are both massively fun cars to drive but I'm not sure that they are that cool!!!

Originally Posted by Ess_Three

Yup, I'd say so...
You'd never get it off the line.

Have you seen Guy at CPL's civic type-r???

Now that is some machine, it was the fastest front wheel drive car until an mg zr beat its time!!

Originally Posted by G Force

Previous to the S3 I had a Civic Type-R, and I had a shot in one of these "tegs" when I was looking at the Civic.

In my opinion they are both massively fun cars to drive but I'm not sure that they are that cool!!!

So do you prefer the S3 then to the CTR??

I understand they are two massively different cars but im just wondering which one made you love driving more???

Originally Posted by Ess_Three

Yeah, Japanese.
Which means it never breaks down. Never uses any oil, never blows engines up or wrecks gearboxes.
It handles properly...brakes properly.
All things which VAG and other German cars haven't or dont.

It caters for the true enthusiast...anything from the Germans that can claim that at less than £50k. Nope.

And you sit in Recaro seats, holding a MOMO wheel...

Yeah, Japanese.
And I'd have another tomorrow!

Such a shame that some people will miss out one driving one of the greatest drivers cars ever because they feel it's built in the 'wrong' country.

I do appreciate all that about them, and I've no doubt they're great things to drive, but there's an 'appeal' factor that seems to be missing from Japanese cars.

I watched Evo's absolutely hump an M3 around Knockhill last weekend. A real visible difference in performance. But which would I rather drive home in? Yup, an M3.

It's not to say the Integra is uncool, like you say it's a great drivers car. It just lacks desirabilty.

My opinion anyway.

Originally Posted by ChriS3

I do appreciate all that about them, and I've no doubt they're great things to drive, but there's an 'appeal' factor that seems to be missing from Japanese cars.

I watched Evo's absolutely hump an M3 around Knockhill last weekend. A real visible difference in performance. But which would I rather drive home in? Yup, an M3.

It's not to say the Integra is uncool, like you say it's a great drivers car. It just lacks desirabilty.

My opinion anyway.

I agree with you Chris, hence why i dont own a japanese car!!

Im always debating with my mates about Jap vs German, its obviously all about what ever floats your boat!!

There are some jap cars that are undeniably great but i just prefer Audi's for what i need the car for. Both a wee beasty when i want it to be and also a grown up car too!! You dont get that with jap cars normally!!

So do you prefer the S3 then to the CTR??

I understand they are two massively different cars but im just wondering which one made you love driving more???

They're not really that different to be honest. Both are in essence 3 door "hot hatches". The S3 has much more of a civilised cabin that's better to be in if your going to be covering larger mileage/longer journeys. That's the reason I changed from the CTR, I started doing a lot more miles and there were a few things that started to annoyed me about it-

• The amount of wheelspin, even in 3rd when the roads are wet, which in Aberdeen they usually are.
• Road noise is quite obtrusive.
• Not enough luxuries and toys.
• Also bought a house out in the countryside which is at the top of a stupidly steep hill and the Civic just couldn't manage it in the snow.

S3 rectified all this without compromising on the driver appeal and gave a bit of a power hike too. Ideal.

I still maintain there is something deeply cool about a car built with little compromise - a pure drivers car.
A car with a hand ported cylinder head
A car with strengthening braces added and unused crap removed from the 'shell...to the point that you can't buy an 'off the shelf' bodyshell for one.
A car with a fully blueprinted engine where the 4 pistons are picked by hand to be as close as possible in weight.
A loony car from a maker of granny-wagons.

To me, there is something deeply cool about an uncompromising drivers car. You can keep your brilliant interiors, perceived badge snobbery and numb, **** handling average German barge..I'd take the thrills of something along the lines of the ITR anyday.

I agree that the Jap cars don't have the class, the quality of materials, the fit and finish..but in the case of the ITR they have the driver aspect nailed.

The previous generation CTR (EK9?) was also uber-cool...but the most recent CTR a weak badge engineered effort not worthy of the Type-R name by comparison, in my book.

The ITR, in Champoinship White, with white wheels and red seats (and only that colour combination) will always remain uber-cool for what it is.
Inwardly cool...not outwardly cool..and in the same vein, all substance, not style. Unlike the majority of VAG cars.

How standard(or not) was your DC2 Glen, I'd like an insight to how you tweaked your Integra suspension, they are pretty hot out the box, but I presume yours probably handled a wee bit better.

As for the EK9 CTR being uber cool, I've just got my hands on one of these as a track car, the only one in the UK I believe.

EK9 Spoon Sports Race car

Originally Posted by jojo

How standard(or not) was your DC2 Glen, I'd like an insight to how you tweaked your Integra suspension, they are pretty hot out the box, but I presume yours probably handled a wee bit better.

As for the EK9 CTR being uber cool, I've just got my hands on one of these as a track car, the only one in the UK I believe.

EK9 Spoon Sports Race car

Wow joe that will be an amazing machine, spoon will have sorted that car properly.

Not cheap im assuming?

Originally Posted by Adams3

Wow joe that will be an amazing machine, spoon will have sorted that car properly.

Not cheap im assuming?

I was doing some research about importing cars, and this beast came up for the right price(I'm not telling how much), I went 50:50 with a mate of mine... Hope to take it to the track some time next year, when the weather warms up.

Originally Posted by jojo

As for the EK9 CTR being uber cool, I've just got my hands on one of these as a track car, the only one in the UK I believe.

EK9 Spoon Sports Race car

NICE!!!!
Inspired choice jojo
Now you have to learn all about really revving an engine!

Originally Posted by jojo

How standard(or not) was your DC2 Glen, I'd like an insight to how you tweaked your Integra suspension, they are pretty hot out the box, but I presume yours probably handled a wee bit better.

Fairly standard really...
Engine was standard except a de-restricted airbox with a 4" cold air feed, and a VTEC controller.

Mugen JDM spec 4-1 SS manifold, JDM spec cat (larger bore) and Mugen JDM spec twin-loop exhaust system.

Standard Honda front brake disks grooved by a local machine shop, and Mintex M1155 pads and SS lines.

Eibach springs, on JDM spec new dampers.
Mugen ARBs (biggest rear).
Tein pillowball top-mounts front and rear.
Comptech adjustable front upper A arms for negative camber adjustment
Left side front upper A arm on the right, and right side on the left, to give lots of castor (which in turn gives lots of negative camber on turn in)

Road wheels / trackday wets were JDM 98SpecR 7" x 16" (16 lbs each) with 215/40/16 Toyo T1S
Track wheels were either UK 98SpecR 6" x 15" (12 lbs each) or JDM CTR/USA 98SpecR 6" x 15" (14 lbs each) with 180/580/15 Bridgestone moulded slicks.

What a sweet car....

right first of all i have to say that i honestly dont no how some poeple can rate a car without having driven it the way its supposed to be driven

anyway i have not yet had the chance to drive one but have been in the passenger seat of ma mates one many a time, and i have to say the power of the ITR is amazing, the car must have something to have been voted the worlds best front wheeled drive car

now i'm refering to the jdm teg R it was engineered to have 100bhp per litre now theres only a few cars that i can think of that have that bmw M5 and few others prob but this car is N/A and honda engineering at its best

the teg R will rev happily to 9000rpm anyday allday, this car will give a lot of cars a run for their money heres some of spec's below of the teg with the source of info:

Horse power/litre 108.5 MotorTrend
Power to weight, bhp/tonne 173 Evo
Power bhp 187 Autocar
Power bhp 190 Car
0-60mph 6.2 MotorTrend
0-100 mph 16.8 AutoCar
Standing quarter mile, sec/mph 14.8/96.3 MotorTrend
Max speed mph 143 AutoCar
Max speed mph 145 Redline
Braking, 60-0 mph, ft 115 MotorTrend
Braking, 60-0 mph, sec 2.8 AutoCar


now its got a 1.8 litre n/a twin cam vtec engine honda have been making vtec engines since 1990 and have never had a recall not even 1, now that says something

now the pic in the 1st post is of the uk teg R, personally i prefer the jdm teg heres a few pics of it:

standard



and with some subtle mods





and ma personal fav

the ek9 type r is rare as rocking horse **** in this country

Originally Posted by Ess_Three

Mugen JDM spec 4-1 SS manifold, JDM spec cat (larger bore) and Mugen JDM spec twin-loop exhaust system.

4-1 manifold is the one to have I believe, the Spoon racecar I have has a 4-2-1 manifold with a straight through exhaust, no cat or silencer, it's loud as fek, might invest on the mugen setup you have to bring the car into the appropriate noise restrictions for track use.

Eibach springs, on JDM spec new dampers.
Mugen ARBs (biggest rear).
Tein pillowball top-mounts front and rear.
Comptech adjustable front upper A arms for negative camber adjustment
Left side front upper A arm on the right, and right side on the left, to give lots of castor (which in turn gives lots of negative camber on turn in)

Interesting with the reversal of upper arms, is that something I can read up on online?
That Mugen ARB must = serious lift-off oversteer??

Whats the other spec details Joe???

uncool

Originally Posted by Adams3

Whats the other spec details Joe???

Not 100% sure Adam, it's a Spoon racecar, so it's got pretty much Spoon everything, totally stripped out, weighs around 600/700kgs? with around 200bhp apparently and running slicks. It has a rather light bucket seat made for Micheal Schumacher, cos' I can't get my fat arse in it, so that's something that needs to be chaged for starters lol... it's currently parked up, or suspended in the air on a ramp in my unit, can't wait til next spring for a blast!

The only jap car i would ever own, if i could swap the A4 for one, it would be a close run thing

Originally Posted by jojo

Interesting with the reversal of upper arms, is that something I can read up on online?

I very much doubt it...
I was given the trick by the manager of a race team competing DC2 ITRs in the National Production Saloon class...and it was a way of getting what they wanted by interpreting the rules in a different way.
I've never seen it in print...but you know me and handling....it works. Believe me!

That Mugen ARB must = serious lift-off oversteer??

Hence the reason it was written off at only 20 months old...
A sad day.
Big Mugen ARB = great on the track but not so good on a muddy Scottish back-road in the wet, in winter.

I very much doubt it...
I was given the trick by the manager of a race team competing DC2 ITRs in the National Production Saloon class...and it was a way of getting what they wanted by interpreting the rules in a different way.
I've never seen it in print...but you know me and handling....it works. Believe me!

Excellent stuff Glen, I'll have a tinker when the time comes, though the EK9 should be pretty sorted anyway.

It should be...
If it's full race spec it may already have the work done as it can be done in several ways...the way I know of was simply a way of adding more castor whilst retaining the standard upper arms to keep within regulations.

The tweak made it very pointy...you needed to make sure you had the front end grip to use the diff to pull you out of trouble if the back swung.
Except on muddy roads.....

I'd suggest you spend a season driving it to find out what it does and doesn't do before you start changing it to suit your driving style.

The racecar has a race spec Spoon LSD Glen, and we needed to add some ballast to the back of the car when we was rasing it on a hydraulic ramp(where the extendable arms go onder the sills), as it was tilting forward due to lack of weight over the rear axles! So it should be pretty pointy anyways.

Good lookin, the girlies like em and the best handeling faggotwheel drive car out there. Worth a vote!

Hi

i did 6 laps in 1 at Elvington about 3yrs ago

Defo 1 of the most fun cars i've driven on a track. Not driven 1 on the road but i'm sure it's as equally fun Much more fun to drive than the CTR

I pretty much love most things Jap. I've had Honda, Subaru & Mitsi. Got a Mitsi FTO Version R Aero Series at the mo. It's meant to be Mitsi's answer to the TegR.

I like it but not as much as the Teg. FTO is for sale at the mo. Either going for Evo or STi Impreza this time.

I'd thought about an S4 but i personally prefer Jap to German.

My g/f nearly bought a bargain CTR a few months ago. She was going to trade her A3 in but somebody beat her to it


Craig

i hate to admit it but i kinda like em!

Morning all,

On the DC-2 note I've just sold my 2000(x-reg) model and bought myself an A3.

The car is as good as they say goes well and handles even better, I had no problems with mine and would recommemd one if you want a out and out sporty cheap ish car. Yes the rides hard yes the noise can get overpowering at 70 on the motorway but does make up for it in the twisties.

The reason I sold the Teg was becasue I was starting to do more miles again and couldn't afford to keep 2 cars. The car that I had prior to the Teg was a CTR and with the right mods turned the car into a completly different car.

Now I am just getting use to the Audi from the high reving and lack of torque hondas.

Kris

Did someone put egg in my rice?

the ITR is a superbly focussed drivers car - imo the fwd equivalent of an E30 M3 - it's a cool car

sub-zero!

here's my old one before someone crashed into it and wrote it off I miss it alot, very good cars

Not into any jap cars, infact never owed one, apart from my company Toyota Aygo We run a fleet of 14 Toyotas (Aygo and Yaris) at work and trust me the old jap reliablity is a thing of the past with Toyotas.

you lot are insane saying that car is cool! absolutely horrid

I like the looks of the DC-5 over the 2

So do I...
But they don't drive like the DC2s...

I didn't like mine much to look at...but what a drivers car, and what a sublime piece of engineering...that's why I bought it...because I for one, can see past the styling and accept the machine for the brilliant drivers car it is.

The DC5 isn't as adjustable or focussed.