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0050
ness
Two
Version
Takes
of on
Honda's
TuningTeon
the Latest
.
And it's about time.
The streamlined Civic Si comes
fitted with Honda's screaming K20
and a 6-speed gearbox, mated with
a downright plush interior. At just
under $20,000, the new Si cramps
the RSX-S' style more than a little
AS THE TWO CARS
great jumping-off point for some-
IDLE INTO PIT LANE,
ADHESIVE R-COMPOUND
RUBBER TEARS
CHUNKS FROM THE
thing better. The handling of the
asts had to wait months before see-
stock car is certainly confidence
ing extensively modified versions of
inspiring, but keep pushing around
the corners and understeer will
long gone. Honda is one of a few
ASPHALT, SHOWERING
THE WHEEL WELLS
eventually rear its ugly head.
manufacturers
And while it's certainly no
There was an age when enthusi-
brand-new cars. But those days are
that are beginning
to see the sense in giving pre-pro-
bit, and certainly puts the Civic
slouch, the competent chassis of the
duction cars to select tuners, so
name back into the vocabulary of
Si could easily handle a syringe full
that the buying public can see the
small-car enthusiasts.
of torque. Around the US, there are
aftermarket potential when the
cars are introduced.
As good as the new Si feels
though, to drive one is to see it as a
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MAY2006.
WWW.SPORTCOMPACTCARWEB.COM
already numerous Civics that fill
the aftermarket doctor's orders.
Hasport and Temple of
·methods of
madness
Christmas tree, indicating that if
the car isn't shifted soon, the whole
ing through the factory muffler.
A Honda purist will tell you that·
boosted contraption will be cata-
forced-induction
pulted through a time/space con-
that Honda engines are designed to
is blasphemy, and
tinuum. The RIGHT NOW torque
swing tachometer needles into the
delivery of the seasoned K24 is
stratosphere. Whether they roar in
utterly addicting, and moreover,
the back of Formula-1 cars or sit
hugely usable on a daily basis.
idly in your driveway, they apply
This is what happens when a
less torque over a longer rev range
2.4-liter TSXengine is shoehorned
to make their acceleration times.
into the Civic engine bay, then
It's just what they do.
So there exists a substantial con-
supercharged with a rootS-type
blowel; courtesy ofJackson Racing.
tingent that further emphasizes the
More exactly, it's what happens
original Honda formula when tun-
when the above is coupled with the
ing their cars. More revs, more lift,
stock, short-ratio transmission,
longer duration, freer flow, and
intended for the high-strung
more noise. Much more noise.
K20.
The Hasport car got going, fast.
It generated so much torque that
Enter the Temple of vrEC Civic
Si. Sporting IPS K2 cams and
the fastest way down the 1320 was
valvesprings and a DC Sports
to forget about first gear altogether
62mm exhaust, this is a 4-cylinder
and launch in second. Doing so
whose exhaust pulses make the
eliminated the need for an addi-
ground shake like a herd of stam-
THIS IS A 4-CYLINDER
WHOSE EXHAUST
PULSES MAKE THE
GROUND SHAKE LIKE
A HERD OF
STAMPEDING
ELEPHANTS.
tional shift, which net a few 10ths
of a second by the end of the strip,
for a 13.6 second run at 108mph.
But it makes power in traditional
Honda fashion, which means it's a
little tough to launch without the
The lack of an analog
tachometer
peding elephants.
meant that dialing the
prospect of falling on its face. Once
proper revs up was done by ear,
enough revs were dialed in though,
followed by careful feathering
the naturally-aspirated
of
the throttle to keep wheelspin to a
minimum.
After banging through
car
screamed down the drag strip, shifts
cracked off at an indicated
the lower gears in what seemed
8500rpm, which plunked the
like one continuous
engine right into vrEC territory in
up and down
rowing motion, the sequential
each new gear. When the dust set-
shift lights made dead accurate
tled, the car eeked out a 14.4 sec-
shifting a breeze.
ond run at 101mph.
The remarkable thing is that the
Having settled the quarter-mile
car stays almost as quiet as stock
battle in a flurry of supercharged
through the whole charade, exhal-
tire smoke, we headed off to wind
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MAY2006.
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MAY'006.
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•
MAY
2006
~
Tuned 2006 Honda Civic Si
@ Stock
methods of
madness
It wasn't until the second-half of
the day that the duo began to put
on the Temple of vrEC car made it
easier to rotate through the cones
smiles on our faces, with both cars
than the Hasport car, which in the
really shining on the slalom,
end netted the TOV car a 731mph
exhibiting user-friendly adjustabili-
average speed-a
ty and keen turn-in.
Avon Tech R's, considering that the
Getting a consistent initial entry
speed out of the Hasport car proved
testament to the
Hasport car ran on Toyo RA-l's.
We suspect that with more time
spent tuning, both cars would have
BOTH CARS RESPONDED
danced through the cones a bit
WELL TO TRAIL-BRAKING,
more gracefully, but being an
PARTICULARLY
ON OUR
LONG SKID PAD CORNER,
WHERE THE TECHNIQUE
ALLOWED THE TEMPORARY
ELIMINATION OF UNDERSTEER.
entirely new chassis meant that
some guesswork was involved in the
setup. Perhaps with around lOpsi
more air pressure in the rear tires,
an extra edge of perfonnance
could
have been actualized during the
to be difficult, due to the lack of a
speedometer, and an occasionally
measured handling tests.
Without question, both cars
with sticky tires.
slip angle most of the way through
Both cars responded satisfyingly
the long corner, the stiff anti-roll
erratic tachometer. Thanks to the
came to life on the autocross
well to trail-braking, particularly
bar lifting the inside rear wheel, a
added oomph provided by the
course, an environment
on our long, constant radius skid-
la old-school GTi.
supercharger
small, modified cars should excel.
pad corner, where the technique
Once a couple of laps were burned
allowed the temporary elimination
until we figured out that the Has-
though, any lost speed
was easily made up while shooting
in which
And we thought that was great,
through the last turn and through
into the virgin race rubber, the taut
of understeer. The TOV car was able
port car could be broken into an
the exit cones.
suspension setups began to make
to take the weight shift and run
even more ludicrous yaw angle,
perfect sense, working brilliantly
with it, maintaining
and then be bailed out at the last
The larger 27mm anti-roll bar
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MAY2006.
WWW.SPORTCOMPACTCARWEB.COM
a considerable
f
l/4-MILE
(seconds)
HASPORTK24
JACKSON'RACING '06 SI
~~~.
""""~
__
e.t.
1/4-MILE TRAP
80-0 MPH BRAKING
SKIO PAO
700 FT SLALOM
AUTOCROSSAVG.
AUTOCROSSBEST
SPEEO (mph)
OISTANCE(feet)
LATERALG (g)
SLALOM (mph)
TIME (seconds)
TIME (seconds)
13.6
108
203
0.98
71.6
39.59
14.4
101
208
0.96
73.1
40.24
TEMPLE OF VTEC
CHURCH AUTOMOTIVE '06 SI
minute with instant-on super-
as well as an analog tachometer.
charged torque. Stab the brakes,
Oh, and a speedometer. Those are
whip the tail around and fling
great to have in the real world.
through the ensuing hard left. Now
we're cooking with gas.
A portion of the autocross
incorporated
40.12
~_~_c<,
a chunk of the same
slalom used to test the cars earlier
HASPORT '06 CIVIC Si
ENGINE
AUTOMOTIVE '06 CIVIC SI
The Hasport car is nice and quiet
ENGINE
Type: 2:354cc in line-four, .aluminum block
and head
aside from the electric whine from
fxieiiiaI
the supercharger, but unfortunately
Mods: Jackson Racing RSX
supercharger kit, DG Sports race header,
. sacrifices the use of the stock analog
tachometer, speedometer and even
IPS titanium
Mods: Hondata Kand 62mm exhaust
injectors
Engine Management
DRIVETRAIN
will soon be remedied, so drivers will
Layout: Transverse front engine, front-
be able to tell how fast they're going.
The two Civic Si's start:ed with
wheel drive
down on the brakes for the tightest
comer of our course. The next sec-
identical formulas, and couldn't
Stage 4 clutch
Drivetrain
sion to the test, which was handled
DRIVETRAIN
Mods: Glutchmasters
Layout: Transverse front engine, frontwheel drive
Rear: Progress coilovers, ASR adjustable
with aplomb.
~
-----_._--_.,-~
In the end, both car.,~are a
27mm anti-roll
bar
tremendously
---Front: Stock
BRAKES
'
fun time, but they do
Rear: Stock
both compromise the everyday civilEXTERNAL
ity of the Civic. The TOV car will
Wheels: I7x8-in.
SSR
leave your ears ringing like a bomb
TIres: Avon Tech
Front: Progress coilo_ve_rs_,
_
Rear: Progress coil overs, Progress 22mm
. anti-roll
dashboard and navigation system,
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MAY2006.
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upper con-
BRAKES
will make the most seasoned car
Front: Fastbrakes I 1.2-In. 4-piston
nerd explode into schoolgirl giggles,
calipers, Wilwood pads, Goodrich stainless-steel braided lines
and the roar from the TOVcar
EXTERNAL
exhaust is reminiscent of an
Wheels: I7x8-in.
uncorked streetbike on full boil. •
Enkei RPFI
TIres: Toyo Proxes RAI, 235/40R-17
225/45R-17
hood and trunk lid
bar, SPG adjustable
trol arms
under the hood of the Hasport car
Body: Seibon GF hood, GF wing supports,
blast, but offers a fully functional
Body: Seibon
SUSPENSION
have ended up with more different
outcomes. Each is a predator around
the autocross cones. The whine from
.sportcompactcarweb.com
I
Mods: Protolype
Hondata reflash
SUSPENSION
canes that put the Progress suspen-
retainers and
keepers, AEM GAl, DG Sports race header
Engine Management
coilovers
block
valvesprings,
fo'id adaptor plate
Pro, RG Engineering 650cc/min
tion incorporated a set of tight chi-
aluminum
and head
External Mods: IPS K2 cams, IPS
reports that issues of compatibility
cones at full throttle before diving
Type: Inline-four,
'05 RSX intake cams, modified cam gear
the navigation system. Hasport
through the
Engine Code: K20Z3
adjuster, AEM GAl, Hasport intake mani-
in the day. This time, with tires up
able to hammer
TEMPLE ,OF VTEC/CHURCH
Engine Code: K24A2
to temperature,
both cars were
.40.46
HFP body kit, APR custom splitter
Front:: Progress