Long Term Review: Honda Civic Type R FN2

[@Lewis2710]

Great video, currently own a 2009 FN2 and love it such great cars that get overlooked and don't deserve the reputation they have

[@WarrenGroom]

Super helpful video, thank you. I'm looking for an FN2 right now and there's some really useful info for me to consider 😊

[@joelb6605]

Great video. These cars still look better than most modern cars.Totally ahead of their time.

[@stevendolphin6752]

Looking at picking up one of these in a couple of days. One of them cars I’ve ALWAYS fancied so I’m biting the bullet. This video is EXACTLY what I needed. Cheers for that 👍

[@jcscarculture5267]

Thanks for the comment! Joe has his own channel now where he has loads more content of this car should you want to see more of it and other good mods etc for the FN2. Worth a look :) have a search for J’s Driveway and you should find it

[@wildchilde69]

I've been thinking about creating a video like this, always interested to hear another owner's viewpoint. Much like yourself, my approach has always been "OEM enhanced", so what it could have come out like from factory. No Mugen/Fugen spoiler on mine...just a nice set of wheels, spoon 4 pot brake calipers, mugen suspension (subtle 10mm drop) and i/h/e + a few cosmetic touches inside and out. The FN2 is a criminally underrated car, great all-rounder that still has contemporary styling inside and out. Not many cars from that era can claim that! Great vid :)

[@jcscarculture5267]

Thanks for the praise man, we really appreciate it! And you're fully right, the FN2 is Soo underrated - you just have to try it and find out for yourself hahaha

[@GIGGIDYGIGGIDYU]

Quality video mate. New FN2 owner here. Had mine about 6 weeks and I agree with everything that you said in this video. I do plan on upgrades in the future but like you say I'm in no rush . I live my little civic

[@jannic_54]

Good video, thanks 👍 Still love driving my 2008 FN2 and some of the "issues", during the 16 years I've been the proud owner, have been solved and corrected (stone chips, poor roof rails sealant a.o. coursing the wet boot syndrome etc). FN2 fan forever ☮️❤️🚗

[@paulprice929]

How did you solve the leaking boot ?

[@jannic_54]

​​​​​​​@@paulprice929 Hi Paul It took a lot of time to figure out exactly where the leaks were (moving literally everything out of the boot; carpet, trimmings etc and then spraying water from a hose on the roof, while checking inside with a torchlight where water occured/ran), but the main culprit was the roofing rail's sealing material, which was dissolved and integrated, leaving cracks in the connection between side panels and roof, especially directly over the boot lid opening. All sealing material, was changed to a heavy duty type, that should last longer and better than the original. Now it's been five years without any water leaking 😊

[@paulprice929]

@@jannic_54 thanks for the reply. I've just bought a FN2 absolutely love it

[@geofreak223]

I agree with the spoiler comment! It looks good as it is! Unless you put on the m200 rear bumper then I’d say get the wing.

[@Atty1958]

Had mine for three years now and the best car I've had

[@paulheartsongs]

Bought mine new in 2011 and still have it as my daily drive! 2024

[@cross4579]

I've just bought one of these and agree completely power is not top of my list in this car, its handles so well at speed and the grip is awesome

[@jcscarculture5267]

Aren't they just! It's such a great car for the money 👌🏾

[@ur5484]

Man I own a FN1 and I'm absolutely in love with it I can't imagine how it feels to own a Type R

[@Android-vk8yh]

Honda and civics are like a brotherhood ,I have the same car 2007 GT. It still puts a smile on my face everyday. I do have upgrades which make it sound cool but I'm a naturally aspirated Vtec junkie. I have an fto as well as you said a very underrated car only the people that own nfn2 appreciate what it what it is. It's a petrol heads on a budget lifeline. Great for the money reliable. As you said ahead of its time, the extras from the GT were way ahead of the ep3 Which I also drove and liked but it wasn't quite grown up enough. But the new type R are too grown up for me and I'm in my 50s, there Great cars but too expensive and not really hot hatches. More hot saloons with more power than you need really on country b roads. The fn2 is just right

[@DOMIN8RRR]

Fantastic video bro. Got a 350z and wanting a FN2 as second car to daily. Looks like its gonna be a blast and the rightt decision when the time comes, inshallah

[@MrMarkyg2009]

Good vid, it’s great to hear from a genuine owner on the pros and cons on the type R 😊👍

[@jcscarculture5267]

Thanks Mark, Joe now has his own channel where you can keep up to date with his car and future plans for it if you’re interested. Just search for “J’s Driveway” and you’ll find it all there.

[@Sr82.]

Had my fn2 4 month now and only bought it because I had a ep3 and fancied something newer. Now at first I was slightly disappointed as there obviously not as raw as the ep3 but its seriously growing on me. The handling is just as good and it goes well once on song and its a realy nice place to sit tbh. That said what a good all-round car .

[@mojosabien]

Nicely done. I’m looking to get an FN2 as I think it’s the best fit for a type r for me personally. Thanks for your experiences. Helps 😎

[@B33ond]

Would you still go a FN2R over a CL7R (euro r)?

[@darrenhills5284]

Great video nice and informative for new buyers, had mine 4yrs now and all I can say is it beautiful and never do I not look back at it😍. Had it mapped, another level 💯

[@jcscarculture5267]

Appreciate the kindness sir! What's the spec of yours? And I don't doubt the remap has changed the car. Power mods will be coming to mine soon 😏

[@darrenhills5284]

@@jcscarculture5267 ok so mine has, tss intake, skunk 2 inlet with hybrid racing fuel gauge, piper manifold with decat, tegiwa 70mm cat back. After mapping made 227.7bhp and 196bhp at the wheels and and just recently put in a hybrid racing short shifter.

[@darrenhills5284]

@@jcscarculture5267 looks, already had gp kit front and back maxton splitters, mugen wing , just 20mm spacers on the back, wolfrace wheels, mugen front grill, custom headlights, waiting for vented bonnet to arrive and got vented wings to go on. Also double din stereo. 😋

[@jcscarculture5267]

I mean... Jheeze, you've gone to town on mods lool. Where did you get the vented wings from? And how do you find the hybrid shifter - is it as good as people say it is?

[@darrenhills5284]

@@jcscarculture5267 regarding the wings, someone I know had some not fitted yet and was selling car, so give me first dibs on them. I was going to get them fro fibre works same as my bonnet. As for the shifter it's really good, short precise and kinda notches in to gear in a good way 😀

[@kickassaz]

The rust issue along the window was due to a seal being fitted that was too rigid. Honda recalled them and fitted a softer seal.

[@jcscarculture5267]

Yeah I think I've missed out on the recall now which means I will need to do it all by myself :'( lol

[@kvahuest2998]

@@jcscarculture5267 if u havent sorted it out aleady theres a high chance u havent missed it, have the old hrvs come in for a window switch recall alot in my workplace. Honda care for the older cars unlike other companies

[@dimebarrrr4881]

Agree with everything in this video. Had the 2.2 diesel before this and that was great. Fuel economy was great. But the fn2 feels so much better. The shite fuel economy is worth it. Had mine 2 years and I’ve never regretted or looked back

[@jcscarculture5267]

Exactly! There's never a time you get in it where it seems... boring

[@clarencemarrow8891]

Agreed m8 I've had my FN2 for 18 months now 08 plate 125,000 it's now on 136,000 only had a broken spring not long after i bought it runs like a train love it😁

[@jcscarculture5267]

They are awesome cars man! Glad you agreed the points made in this video too 😎

[@Vtecdragon]

awesome video man, very knowledgeable! I've had my fn2 for 8 months now have added a few mugen body parts, martelius exhuast system and a sports cat! I've had the car mapped at tpw engineering so the drive is very different now! lowered vtec changes the drive so good.

[@jcscarculture5267]

Appreciate the praise man! Sounds like you've dived into almost as much mods as me haha. Who mapped your car and what ecu did you go with?

[@Vtecdragon]

@@jcscarculture5267 the man himself Paul West! I got the ecutek map with the pops and bangs, very antisocial lol

[@jcscarculture5267]

😂😂😂😂👍🏾 How much power did it make?

[@Vtecdragon]

@@jcscarculture5267 some how it made 227bhp! I'm not sure how, I maybe the sports cat with the martelius exhaust ultimate flow lol

[@jcscarculture5267]

That is genuinely impressive, especially with a sports cat! Does it pass MOT with that thing lol

[@davidcollison8490]

Wished I never got rid of mine. Excellent car. I would like m200

[@lpjmodels]

Tidy car and great info. Interested in getting one soon, though, I do like the look of the mugen spoiler :p.

[@MrSnapey]

I live in the country side so lots of b roads and I just can't decide between fn2 or 350z 😢

[@kreoloskar9805]

Rear camera is mine recomendeys and a good breaks, them start the tunning That is mine what I recommended Fn2 is a clean sleeve make what you want with it

[@davidbooker3852]

Tottally agree mate mugen spoileris 2 much in ur face, + front wheel drive u don't need rear spoiler. I think prob will slow car down 2 appoint. Agree with wheels they don't need 2 b changed. Prob get sprayed blackish. As said b4 will do mods I said on my last rant. Mate how long does the fast road set up last and what do u get?

[@jcscarculture5267]

I've had my fast road setup for about a year and some months now. TDI North don't disclose what geometry they use for their setup but whatever the settings are make a huge difference in the ha fling on the car. The setup is there as long as the camber settings/ bolts are left as it leaves the garage. Changing shocks, springs or anything like that will remove the setup and you end up at ground zero. I would advise getting it done when you know you have a decent set of shocks/coilovers on and you won't need to do bushings or anything either 🙂

[@MXTR16]

Guessing you're close to Bishops Stortford by the sounds of it mate? looking to pick up a clean one of these towards the end of next month. Would be cool if there are people local with FN2's!

[@jcscarculture5267]

Yeah I'm not too far from there actually. There's only about 2 I've seen area but they're rare. I see more EP3s than FN2s haha. I've got a Seperate channel where I'm doing more updates on my FN2 if you want to follow keep up to date with that journey: kzbin.info/door/xT417tAudwzy-H16Yqn_QQ

[@MXTR16]

@@jcscarculture5267Cool man, will give you a follow. Can’t wait to pick up one of these

[@tykykable]

On the catback front, I got the Gravity twin exit catback, ebay job but UK made I think. The welding seems really tidy, and it fit perfectly out the box. It is loud/droney as it comes, but it's really cheap - drop a second resonator in the midpipe (think you've got about 18" to play with and a 3.5" res fits, goes after the res and before the back box, runs by a heat shield under the car) and you've got a pretty throaty sports exhaust that's not too loud with no drones. Should only cost about £400-£450 all in if you fit it yourself. Not sure on power gains, but it sounds way better and less tinny than the stock exhaust with a res delete. Going a similar way with mine, got 15mm spacers all round, Eibach lowering springs, poly bushes, FRSU, similar Mugen(ish) gear knob, and just doing breather mods (airbox, throttle body and inlet manifold) to finish it off before hopefully having it mapped down the line. Think if you're going for an OEM+ ethos then extracting the most out of the K20 NA is the way to go, with the DC5 cams / oil pump and the inlet manifold etc. The FN2 with uprated handling and somewhere around 220-240bhp is pretty much the ideal balance between liveable daily driver and B-road monster. Great content, used your video for reference while I was getting the spacers done on the drive, really good stuff!

[@jcscarculture5267]

Appreciate the tips man and the compliments! I'll look into the exhaust as well 👍🏾

[@kickassaz]

Another mod, if you ever have your clutch done, get a lightened flywheel in. More responsive on the revs 🚀

[@jcscarculture5267]

My car already has the lighter of the flywheels they gave these cars (EP3s & FN2s) but an even lighter flywheel one day might be nice :)

[@Hondafn]

How often do you change your oil and what oil do you use and when you do a service also what else do you change

[@k24_4twenty]

I love my fn2, Such goo fun cars. I have a k20/24 build its a hell of a blast down the backroads! They definitely need an LSD in my opinion.

[@ytyndale3643]

The good old torsion beamer

[@560712]

spoken from the heart

[@tomdocherty3755]

Good work man, nice vid

[@KinGRageBJA]

Just bought mysen a 10 plate Fn2, £5,500...37k miles FUull Honda service History, it even still has the blue passenger door trim blue tape attached from factory :) usual odd outside mark but fantastic deal :P thinking of picking up a 2nd headliner and wrapping in in black alcantara, think it might look nice with pillars done, least that way i can keep my new one incase :)

[@jcscarculture5267]

That sounds like an awesome deal considering the mileage. Mine had the blue liner over the kick plates too when I first bought it haha. Also the alcantara headlining sounds great - I thought about doing that myself someday but we shall seeeeee

[@itushis]

Does the type r really sound so anticlimactic when started? My 1.8 farts out a much louder sound 😂

[@davidbooker3852]

Mate i thought about big brake kit 4 the car but its allot of money and is it worth it! I know oem brakes r not the best but I don't think they r 2 bad ?

[@jcscarculture5267]

If I had to do it all over again, I would deffo get a BBK again but I'd probably get a second hand kit for less money than I paid. It makes braking soo much more dependable, reliable and obviously a lot stronger - plus it future proofs you for when you have more power as well.. Should you go down that route. There are a lot of people that say refurbed calipers, stronger pads and good discs are enough (along with braided brake lines and good fluid) for a decent upgrade but I for one haven't been convinced lol

[@Axemasta]

Talking about maintenance I've got 2 questions: - how often should you change the oil? I bought mine in January and had the 100,000 service (67k on the dash) in march and got everything changed with the dealer. I don't do huge miles in the car and only occasionally scream it so I have no gauge of when I should be getting the oil done. My previous cars have been once a year with the annual service, and they were just run arounds so I haven't the foggiest 😅 - you mentioned you bought it at 68k miles, have you looked at the tensioner chain yet? I've heard some wild figures to get it changed (750 from tdi north, 1k from a dealer). Is this something you'd do alongside a mod such as lifted cams to min max the labour costs? Something my FN2 came with, needs redoing since the work isn't great but tinted lights. At the front its not great and I'll probably won't keep them on but the tinted rear lights look insane, something definitely worth considering! Love the vids, really helpful for me since I bought one in January and really didn't know much about these cars until then :)

[@jcscarculture5267]

Firstly, thanks for the praise, we greatly appreciate it! I do a full service once a year (spark plugs, oil filter, pollen filter, oil change) - parts from Cox motor parts so it is good oil and genuine Honda parts which costs about £250. I haven't oil more than once a year and definitely won't be doing that now that I do even less mileage lol. I haven't looked at the chain tensioner but it is something I will get sine extremely soon, I just had my clutch changed but that's a video coming in the near future. I will eventually tint the car, I haven't thought about doing the lights as I do like the contrast red on the black paint but who knows hahaha I'm glad you've been enjoying the content, there will be more Honda content coming here and there as I do have plans for the car 👀👀👍🏾👍🏾

[@saleemhoosen2236]

What spacers are you running?

[@freeman1352]

Hi what colour did you do the wheels in?

[@Arixodia]

Surprised how little the roof rust will take to repair honestly, I was expecting a few hundred more. I've mine going to Honda tomorrow for valve clearances as I've only had it a few weeks, roof rust is next. It's not awful, about the same as yours but I want to nip it in the bud

[@jcscarculture5267]

Yeah i will be getting mind fixed soon, I plan on doing it when my car goes for a respray but I'm unsure what level of respray I want to do. How much are your valve clearances costing from Honda??

[@Arixodia]

@@jcscarculture5267 £190, said to myself when I called them if it was under £200 I would go for it so they must have sensed it haha

[@davidbooker3852]

How long u had it mate ? Lovely car, I've got late 59 silver gt now just under 70000 miles now for a year to the day. Bought it on 63600 got it for £ 6800 from garage . Love it.your right it's more than enough power for a Dailey. Nxt year lsd + polly bushes. That will b that for enother year. Then might go down induction kit, exhaust, manifold and map. We will c . Anyway cracking job mate keep it up. Dago Dave.

[@jcscarculture5267]

Fully appreciate the praise man, sounds like you've got a great example on your hands! The LSD does make a great difference for sure, you won't be disappointed. I'm planning on Polybushing the civic this year as well so that will be another video in the future

[@ao8271]

Iv grown to like these cars a lot

[@michailtoulas]

Which double din radio do you use?

[@thisnthat4318]

this guy been getting speech lessons of Joe Joyce 😂

[@barrystone1081]

Nice video mate Had mine 10 years totally stock Not really into mods but bigger brakes would be good . There not the fastest but they can handle the speed keep up the good work

[@alisonrosser9612]

Good video my husband loves is fn2 and he's had 5 months thanks

[@jcscarculture5267]

Thanks for the comment - glad he's enjoying it so far :)

[@leemarshall1792]

Hi Buddy, what size spacers you running? 👍👍

[@jcscarculture5267]

15mm front and 20mm at the rear 👍🏾

[@steady2wheels]

Good stuff cheers man

[@leeharvey3690]

Very informative mate, I might be wrong but wasn't the nighthawk black replaced with crystal black after 2008. Mine is a 09 and the colour code is crystal black. Keep up the great content.

[@jcscarculture5267]

Appreciate the compliments man, we sure will!! I have no idea, that might be correct but I need to do some research first haha. I would like to know the different in shades of black though 👀👀

[@speedisf]

Very beautiful car I love my 17 type r for 5 years amazing

[@jcscarculture5267]

Thank you!! I take it yours is a 17 plate type r? That would be a FK2 right? Or FK8 😅

[@speedisf]

@@jcscarculture5267 your welcome buddy

[@speedisf]

2017 fk8 👍😁

[@jcscarculture5267]

Niiceeee, what colour? What's it like?

[@speedisf]

@@jcscarculture5267 grey metalic videos of it in .my channel

[@harditsabil9341]

Top man top car❤

[@cameronbrown3380]

I would argue that yes the car groups can be helpful, however before i joined the groups i felt a lot better about the FN2, however there's a lot of negativity even in the FN2 groups from some of the owners, probably people coming from booster hatches moaning about the fn2 and how slow it is etc.

[@dylanmx5668]

What’s the insurance like for a new driver?

[@jcscarculture5267]

I actually don't know and wouldn't be able guess how much it would be, it comes down to too many factors, sorry. Have you tried comparison sites?

[@johnreal479]

Yes all round car😊

[@cameronbrown3380]

It's April 2010 :D I have a 61 plate with the LSD as well and when you hit a roundabout or hard corner in second and VTEC it you can feel it pull itself around (VSA off) And stonechips hahaha yes my bonnet looks like this, and my front bumper is all faded and the lacquer has peeled as well as the spoiler (milano red) Honda paint is shite, ive had bird shit take off paint on the bonnet aswell. I actually right now have the same tyre setup, only because the fronts wear out 3x quicker than the rears, however i found the PS4s to be far far superior to the asy5s 100% and i will be getting them on the back when i can. as for practicality I moved house twice with my FN2, i fit my XL boardman hybrid bike in there as well, literally people are so surprised as to how much you can fit in the boot thx to the seats folding down. God EP3 owners don't even start on those hahaha, yes the EP3 is a classic and probably faster in standard form but come on, they look like shite these days and are bare bones unlike the FN2 which ive driven across the country with no issues, AC, Cruise control, HIDs, Climate control, auto wipers & lights, also it tends to be the EP3s wrapped around a tree or in the crash videos on KZbin. I actually raced a GT86 as well, obviously they are much slower than the FN2 anyway so was a little bit of a seal clubbing hahaha. The handling is very good as you say you have to experience it yourself, at higher speeds its a little twitchy, you have to have some big balls to bomb it down country lanes as the car will pull you into the camber, however the feel through the steering is great even for a FWD car which is usually good anyway, it's very direct and you never feel out of touch with the handling, after a few years of driving i feel i know the limits.

[@jcscarculture5267]

It's nice to get a comment from someone having a very similar experience to me with the FN2. I agree that there are some FN2 owners out there that either don't appreciate ejat the FN2 is about or, as you've said, have come from boosted cars and are underwhelmed by the torque - but genuinely aside from that, they've been nothing but helpful to me. I do like GT86s but I think they missed a trick with it's power delivery and possibly the amount of it too... I spoke to someone who knows a lot about the EP3 and the FN2, and he said that the EP3 is more raw for sure but ultimately, the FN2 was the more capable car and it showed in competitions so...🤷🏾‍♂️ I don't understand the hate the FN2 gets from a lot of EP3 fans but it is what it is I guess lol I have found handling at higher speeds needing more attention but I can't say I've been worried that the car can't deal with if you get me?

[@cameronbrown3380]

@@jcscarculture5267 Yeah I think to be honest the car can handle a lot more than I dare to put it through.

[@abdichow]

Where did u get those rims from?

[@jcscarculture5267]

They're standard rims, just painted in anthracite I believe... I bought the car with those colour rims on it 😅

[@davidbooker3852]

Ps how long u had it mate?

[@jcscarculture5267]

Apologies I should've actually stated that in the vid hahaha - it'll be three years in July man

[@johnshore3095]

14:40 tyre wear.. I used to own a Strada Abarth 130TC and I went through front tyres every 6000 miles 🤣 If you drove it sensibly it got 24 mpg .. or 21-22 mpg if driven hard 🤷‍♂️

[@jcscarculture5267]

Lool I feel your pain, thankfully my car isn't that excessive on tyres but it's still enough to make your eyes water hahaha

[@benhatton5476]

Hi, can you explain more about MPG on this? Great video!

[@jcscarculture5267]

What would you like to know? Also, I'll be releasing new vids on the civic on my other channel: kzbin.info/door/xT417tAudwzy-H16Yqn_QQ

[@johnshore3095]

@@jcscarculture5267 if driven in 6th on longer journeys what sort of mpg do you get at say 70 to 80 mph on motorways is it reasonable? I have a mk 1 Honda Insight and am considering replacing it ..as the ima battery is getting on a bit.

[@Sr82.]

36ishon motorway 28ish round town

[@blade8768]

It actually pisses me off how most people have just written these cars off. They are so under appropriated it's kind of sad. Also past you said no mugen spoiler, but now you have one what happened there 😅

[@-MINILIFE-]

Type R Nice car.

[@SpoonGT500]

*FN2s Built from April 2010

[@jcscarculture5267]

Yay so I got it right haha! I put that in subtitles in the video if you caught it 😏?

[@NeverGiveUpYo]

Great car! All those FN2 haters don't even have a car! Haa Haa

[@PerformanceLifestyles]

Good video bro, can't beat the enjoyment from a Type R 👌 Got the EK9, FD2, FK2 on our channel so check them out 👍 New subscriber here 👍😁

[@jcscarculture5267]

Appreciated! I've actually started a personal channel where there's regular update on the FN2 if you're interested: kzbin.info/door/xT417tAudwzy-H16Yqn_QQ I've subbed myself too 😎

[@sjruksjruksjruk]

Stupid background music doesn't help when your hearing isn't great.

[@jcscarculture5267]

Duly noted Simon, I'm still trying to get better with volumes for background music - apologies!

[@lpjmodels]

@@jcscarculture5267 I don't know what software you're running, but there is a process called audio ducking that can help by dipping the volume when voice comes in. Usually it's fully automated so there's no faff. I didnt find it distracting here, but I had to implement it on my own channel after a few grumbles.