The FD2 Civic Type R: 1 Year and 3 Engine Rebuilds Later. Do I Still Like It?

[@kenisahrer]

No you don't want it to be RWD. The most magical part of driving a Honda everyday is that it's more simple than other cars, NA, light, FWD, fast n fun enough, easier to maintain, etc. Think about it.

[@GearHead_Media]

That thing sounds beastly! I can only imagine how amazing it must be to experience first hand

[@leeronfagan6960]

I have one myself here in Grand Cayman owned it for 2 yrs and loving it!

[@davekennedy6315]

I never even thought about the difference a smaller steering wheel would make? Just changing that standard steering wheel with a good, smaller aftermarket/tuner wheel to nicely weight up the steering is a great and easy solution to this problem.

[@Pete0126]

sounds like it was first caused by a novice driver, then bad engine rebuild or a lemon k20a. Stock k20 is best imo, im 330k kms into my k20z3. No issues over 10 years of ownership

[@alomechanthasinh4079]

Mann, that's my dream civic. Here in the States I have a 07 FA5.

[@FizzyMotors]

they should be legal to import to the US soon

[@leeronfagan6960]

2032!

[@FizzyMotors]

@@leeronfagan6960 LOL shiettt

[@doc_matter]

Close to that bike at 13:47 !!! Great comentary actually, your driving with the story line was very captivating. Good luck with your journey buddy, those Are great numbers for just a compression upgrade ! "It doesn't need more tw, you just need to rev it higher" YES. 😎

[@davekennedy6315]

Another beautiful car! And you're even driving on the CORRECT side of the road too haha!

[@kenisahrer]

The stock Honda steering is always the first thing I would swap. The stock wheel feels hollow and where else nowadays can you swap aftermarket steering wheels without worrying about the extra buttons?

[@F_r_a_n_y]

Youre comparison to other tuner cars were very interesting

[@kos5120]

Greetings from Australia, thanks for the update on your ride... glad you still enjoying it. Would you consider getting cams and a header in the future? Before I touch the block, I intend to get performance cams and upgraded headers for my FD2R. The goal is 300hp. With all these newer cars like Hyundais i30n faster out of the box, I feel like more power is a must. Type R for the win!!!

[@FizzyMotors]

yea I think the next mod I will do will be header and exhaust the current setup is not ideal for the power it is making but I also want to avoid turning this car into an un-dailyable car. because part of the charm of this car is in its versatility.

[@funghung6918]

Totally agree. The fd2 drives like a gem with around 250-260. Anything over this range will turn the car into something else since you will need quite a lot of enhancement mods in order to put the power down to the wheels without wheel spin such as 265 tyres as well as full race bushing replacement and reinforce drive shaft etc. If looking for pure power, may as well go for another car since the overall balance will be out of place to make anything over 270 on wheel. What makes this car fun is being able to pedal on the floor while maintaining the control of it (pro driver is another story of course)

[@yukonstriker1703]

I have a FG2 Si coupe. Only thing I don't like is the steerings tenancy to want to 'return to center' during slower driving...

[@shauntan2266]

Hey mate. I just did Nan drive too recently in my FD2R from Malaysia clocking 6872km this year. Covered Mae Hong Son loop again.

[@shauntan2266]

By the way, which type of petrol you pump for your FD2R? I've tried PTT Iuubu yellow colour benzene in 2019, I felt power lost. In 2022 & 2023 I use PTT gasohol95 orange colour. It was better. I do use octane booster too

[@FizzyMotors]

@shauntan2266 i tuned my car to run on E20.

[@shauntan2266]

​@@FizzyMotorsah that's nice. Mine is on ron97 tune as Malaysia has those. Thanks for sharing

[@JangoMando]

Hey bud, just wanted to say I really enjoy your videos and it's always great to find another Type R enthusiast that resides in Thailand as well. Btw, I was quite horrified to find out recently that most of the FD2Rs on Facebook marketplace have been welded back together from halfcuts imported from Japan. It's so crazy my brain is still trying to ratioanlise it. I was hoping to get your advice on how to find a genuine FD2R in Bangkok and how do you make sure it's not from a halfcut? Is it advisable to just import an FD2R from Singapore (since there's so many there)?

[@FizzyMotors]

Hi, thanks for the comment! Actually you are wrong about that. Most of the FD2s here are not welded half cut cars lol., as that would he highly illegal. They are in fact what we call swapped cars. The import half cut cars from japan and then swap everything over to a donor chassis of an FD1. In fact i am not afraid to admit that my car is also a swapped car. This is only because a genuine fd2 is like a unicorn here. I have only ever seen one at a track day, and they owner refuses to sell it. In addition the price of a genuine one would be over 2 million baht which in my opinion is absurd for a car like this. So the question is, can a swapped car be as good as a genuine one? I guess my answer is probably not. But depending on how skilllfully swapped the car is, it may become near indiscernible (in terms of driven) from the real thing. You cant really import cars into thailand. They do not allow importation of old cars. They used to, but now it’s banned. That is why the prices here are kind of ridiculous. There are rumors that starting next year they will allow classic cars over 30 years to be imported at 100% tax, but its not fully official yet.

[@JangoMando]

@@FizzyMotors Ah...thanks for clearing it up bud! I actualy got the idea they were halfcuts is because the seller admitted it on his posting. Maybe Google translate messed it up. I saw a supposedly genuine FD2R on FB for 1.6mb! The listing was gone in less than 24 hours. Yes, I have a hard time understanding why certain cars are more expensive here. Case in point, the MX-5s and the S2000s. It's a shame that cars can't be imported here. 30 years is still a long time though. I don't think I can wait that long for a FD2R. 😄

[@FizzyMotors]

@JangoMando Wow 1.6mb is not too bad at all. Considering I paid around 1 mil for mine ( i bought it during the peak) I have my eyes on importing an NSX when the import law is confirmed.

[@JangoMando]

@@FizzyMotors I've seen a couple NSXs at some showrooms in the city when I drove past. Why not get one locally?

[@FizzyMotors]

@@JangoMando they are overpriced at around 10-15 mil and very hard to find a clean manual one.

[@pajmott9945]

you need a proper MECHANIC my fd2r has 138350 km on it i drive it like a crazy person it burns no oil

[@cuongong3976]

There is no flaw in the car, its your opinion about the car, unless you know so much more than honda engineers

[@FizzyMotors]

What flaw did I mention?

[@dOntBcUt]

Best FWD NA type R

[@jovindahschannel]

in this specific civic no other steering wheel looks good than factory in my opinion obv. it may feel good for track :) already written before you start to say about how it changes the driving feel.

[@FizzyMotors]

Yea factory wheel is nice But mine was rattley and the leather was getting worn. So i decided to go for a change. You also save quite a bit of weight it. About 2kg lol

[@jovindahschannel]

@@FizzyMotors alcantara wheel cover would be nice option but overall 2kg reduction is worthy i guess :) because the factory feel is already faded. so fun part is just begins.

[@FizzyMotors]

@@jovindahschannel actually i hate alcantara wheels. They are so hard to maintain and i dont like the texture on my hands because i get sweaty hands when i drive fast. I much prefer leather. I think alcantara should only be used for racing with gloves.

[@richardcassidy3148]

Hi From the UK. I'm thinking of buying a 2009 FD2. What do you think of the car? Is it amazing. Why did you have to rebuild the engine as this really scares me and would it happen to me? Is the car easily to live with? Too stiff? Thanks Richard

[@gyatttt88]

The K20 engines these cars came with are pretty bulletproof and can easily see over 300,000km with basic (but regular) maintenance. A lot of them do like burning oil so definitely keep an eye on that. His engine was blown up due to his friend misshifting, causing the engine to hit 12,000rpm, but that sort of error can just about kill any engine. Suspension-wise, Type R's are quite stiff but everyone has different tolerances - I'd say take one for a drive first.

[@jimmyscivicEP3]

Hello great Fd2r, What piston did you use after rebuild.?

[@FizzyMotors]

Wiseco CR12.5

[@apollonitro4802]

baffle your oil pan if you want to maintain oil pressure while turning under throttle

[@FizzyMotors]

I installed oil pressure gauge already will see next time i take it on track

[@Joautochannel]

😍👍

[@MyRealName]

Sounds like your engine builder is having a laugh and ripping you off lmao.

[@FizzyMotors]

Actually i didnt have to pay for the rebuild. Because my friend blew it up, he had to pay for it.

[@toyosuba]

@@FizzyMotors Are you still friends? 😆

[@FizzyMotors]

Lol yea Shit happens

[@skodasuperb7100]

What suspension (coilovers?) are you using please?

[@FizzyMotors]

Buddy Club sport spec, good performance for the price

[@micloi2005]

​@@FizzyMotorsthank you, the one I am collecting this week has Tein Flex Z and the EDFC box. Hope they work well.

[@genioversity4955]

ehe nice celica

[@mooselau]

Hi mate, im having the same issue as u.. i did engine overhaul twice and its still consuming engine oil.. can i check u just replace valve stem and guides and it solved the issue?

[@FizzyMotors]

Bad news, since the trip my car started drinking oil again. Lol I might just go with K24+K20 next

[@mooselau]

@@FizzyMotors tats bad news mate.. i wished i able to go K24 but we have very strict regulations in singapore..

[@FizzyMotors]

@@mooselau oh man i have so much respect for you Singaporean car guys. It takes so much money and effort to live a fun car life there. Make sure the engine oil is not leaking to somewhere before you assume it’s being burnt. My engine by and oil pan is very dry and my exhaust and bumper is very black/brown, thats how i know. I assume an engine rebuild is quite costly in Singapore. I suggest the following: Check piston compression. Identify if any piston is lower on pressure. Check spark plugs. See if the tip is oily on the piston with low(er) compression. If possible you can get a borescope to see the piston and cylinder walls. From there you will have some information as to what’s going on.

[@mooselau]

@@FizzyMotorsmy oil pan is also dry and its not leaking, im sure its being burnt. But the thing is there isnt any smoke coming out from my exhaust. Thanks for the recommendation i will get tat checked our. For your bumper and exhaust being brown could it be u de-catted? cos de-catting will result in the bumper being brown.

[@FizzyMotors]

@mooselau yea my car is decatted. I also dont really see any smoke when driving, its hard to see from the mirror. But if youre in a car following ull probably see it

[@initiald7115]

Stop yanking the gear stick like a savage when you are driving at low and normal speeds.

[@FizzyMotors]

oops

[@repingers9777]

seems fine to me gearbox is pretty notchy sometimes

[@FizzyMotors]

It is fine