The Manhattan Project II: Sporty's Civic Build

[12,000 RPM]

No pics yet, just got home about an hour ago.

Just got home..... thoughts/impressions

- Buying experience was kind of shit. When we bought my wife's car, which we financed, it was all through 1 Eastern European dude who had us in and out in about an hour and a half. We were at this dealership (which was a big franchise) for about 4 hours. Dude was doing shit like having us dictate info on forms to him, and it was all by paper rather than computers which was just silly. He also told way too many anecdotes. Wifey kept indulging the stupid small talk. Once we were all done he asked me to ring a gong... I rang it way too loud, my ears still hurt. Paid a little over KBB though and got the same rate as wifey (2.69 I think) so that was fine.

- Interior/ergonomics are actually really good. Ton of storage space and everything really falls to the hand nicely. Gauges and switchgear look really crisp and nice, especially at night. Dual tier dash works well but I am normal height- I could see it being a problem for someone with a long torso. View out is mega in typical Honda fashion which makes it easy to drive and park. Overall good design, as is expected from Honda. I checked out a few of the current ones and can see why CR dumped on them.... they dont look as good inside. Honda took a huge risk but it was worth it, it works.

- Driving experience is cool. People saying Honda lost it when they ditched DWBs don't know what theyre talking about. OK the 7th gens were pretty fucked up. But this chassis works pretty well. Compared to wifey's car, body motions are way better controlled and it's easier to tell where the (low, tire limited) limits are. All the controls are comically light, but there's good feedback through all interfaces and the chassis in general. It's really fun. Performance is good enough for commuting... it will cruise at 90 all day no problem and NC has long onramps, slow drivers and light traffic. Drove ~100 miles home today and never said 'man I wish this thing had more power'. Shifter/clutch made dropping gears easy and in any case it's fine in top gear (which is admittedly geared a bit high, but isn't an issue as the engine is quiet).

- Compared to Rabbit, it's noisier, mainly via wind noise. Not insufferable but it's definitely worse. On the upside, it is way better dynamically. Germans are supposed to have that shit locked, but wifey's car def has a lot of unnecessary body motion and low limits. I wonder if it needs new shocks. I wouldn't mind throwing her car on some Bilstein products. All in all though it's easy to see where the extra money and weight of the Rabbit goes over its competitors. It's nicer, but I prefer the interior design of the Civic.

- Compared to the Z, obviously it's a lot slower with lower handling limits. Dynamically the differences are huge. You push the Z, you can feel the RWD dynamics. The front and rear of the car begin to lose grip together and you can feel the car rotate about its axis, even with zero or neutral throttle. With this everything is about managing front grip. It's way less cerebral than the Z, but it's still fun in its own way. I must also say, it has the nicer interior of the two. The Z is older with more miles, but even ones with the same miles/age look beat compared to the Civic. The Civics hold up.

Other weird thing is once Im up to highway speeds I keep wanting to shift to 6th. This thing doesnt have a reverse lockout so I hope Im not destroying the reverse gear. That will pass though.

Other thing I noticed was the heft of the controls of the Z are kind of silly. Everything... the shifter, the clutch, the wheel, so much heft. When you are hustling it it works I guess to help dampen inputs as it can be a little darty. But the clutch and shifter are just needlessly hefty. Im not saying that as a knock, it kind of is what it is and is part of the experience. Makes you want to grab it by the scruff of the neck.

Even though its obvious, the Z's dominance in speed is still worth mentioning. Any gear, any speed, it just goes. The right gear and speed, it takes OFF. Low gears in turns it will make the "SLIP" light lose its shit. 287HP sounds quaint today but for the street it's plenty.

- Shit to do right away..... after having HID projectors on my car and bike for a year and a half, I just can't do halogens. I have projectors from a Murano collecting dust that I will throw in some cheapo Depos. Also the stereo is pretty good from 100 Hz up, but it could definitely use more bass down low. Will hold off on that though, prob get an Inifinity Basslink or something mild like that. That's the shit that I use everyday so I will def put money there first. Mechanicals and shit are good enough.

This thing reminds me a LOT of my old Accords... and you know how I feel about those. Just with a modern twist. I like it. Good fit.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Congrats,  but starting a new thread without pics......

[Eye of the Tiger]

pics/shins/etc.

[CJ]

What year is it?

[hotrodalex]

What car did you buy? I see it's a Honda. Odyssey?

edit: nevermind I couldn't see the full title on my phone.

[Cookie Monster]

- Interior/ergonomics are actually really good. Ton of storage space and everything really falls to the hand nicely. Gauges and switchgear look really crisp and nice, especially at night. Dual tier dash works well but I am normal height- I could see it being a problem for someone with a long torso.

This was exactly my problem and a deal breaker for me. I have a 36" inseam but can wear a medium t-shirt. I need to pull the seat way back and drop it down low to fit, but that means I can't see the speedo at all. What a dumb design.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

What car did you buy? I see it's a Honda. Odyssey?

edit: nevermind I couldn't see the full title on my phone.

Yup an odyssey,  but it's the type R mugen

[12,000 RPM]

This was exactly my problem and a deal breaker for me. I have a 36" inseam but can wear a medium t-shirt. I need to pull the seat way back and drop it down low to fit, but that means I can't see the speedo at all. What a dumb design.

U are a geometric outlier. The design works for most folks

[2o6]

These are nice cars. My old roomate had a coupe and I liked driving his a lot.



I may replace Yaris with one eventually

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

IMHO it's no way in hell I'd go from a 350Z to a Civic! Especially in a warm weather state! But if you like it I love it! 

[12,000 RPM]

IMHO it's no way in hell I'd go from a 350Z to a Civic! Especially in a warm weather state! But if you like it I love it! 

[12,000 RPM]

Couple other thoughts

Brake feel is good, tite like prom nite.

Due to work and our getaway, ironically I wont be able to commute in this for about 2 weeks. I will get some pics up tomorrow

[Xer0]

I'm assuming this is an 08-11 MY? 

[12,000 RPM]

Yea an 09, its a CPO, black EX. No premium sound though

[hotrodalex]

Yup an odyssey,  but it's the type R mugen

Shoulda got the base model, 1k coils, and a tune. Way faster and livable.

[SVT666]

pics/shins/etc.

Shins? Why do you want pictures of his shins.

[hotrodalex]

Shins? Why do you want pictures of his shins.

He's into furry things, isn't he?

[Raza]

Wait, you sold your 350Z and got a Civic?  Is it at least an Si?

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Wait, you sold your 350Z and got a Civic?  Is it at least an Si?

Yea an 09, its a CPO, black EX. No premium sound though

[12,000 RPM]

Wait, you sold your 350Z and got a Civic?  Is it at least an Si?

I still have the Z, unloading it during tax season.

More importantly though, I still have the bike, and will probably be upgrading that and doing track days in it within the next 2 yrs. So my fleet performance and "purpose-fit" will both go up with this change.

[Submariner]

That's what you get for dealing with a shifty eastern-European.

Congrats though. 

[FoMoJo]

Sounds like a fun experience...especially the gong. 

[Raza]

I still have the Z, unloading it during tax season.

More importantly though, I still have the bike, and will probably be upgrading that and doing track days in it within the next 2 yrs. So my fleet performance and "purpose-fit" will both go up with this change.

Sell the bike, sell the Z, get a Z Roadster, sell the Civic, get an Si.

[SVT666]

Who wants bet Sporty is bored with this car in less then 3 months and wants something sportier, or he will give it stiffer suspension and then proclaim it too harsh for commuting?

[Gotta-Qik-C7]

Who wants bet Sporty is bored with this car in less then 3 months and wants something sportier, or he will give it stiffer suspension and then proclaim it too harsh for commuting?

[12,000 RPM]

Sell the bike, sell the Z, get a Z Roadster, sell the Civic, get an Si.

I thought we were in agreement that the Z roadster sucked

And I already explained why I didnt get the Si.

If u want to buy me a Z roadster and Si though be my guest.

Who wants bet Sporty is bored with this car in less then 3 months and wants something sportier, or he will give it stiffer suspension and then proclaim it too harsh for commuting?

Thats the beauty of a versatile platform. If I want sportier I can make it sportier. If the suspension I get is too stiff I can take it off and sell it. Finding the right setup is the fun part and theres more than enough info out there to not have to iterate. People keep saying "you should have got the Si, the suspension on the Si is better"... I would have changed it too.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

I'd stance it.

[mzziaz]

Fart can first

[FoMoJo]

Fart can first

Then stickers .

[Eye of the Tiger]

Sticker bomb a front quarter panel, rust the hood, and extra wide wheels with stance spacers in the back. And a primer gray body kit.