The Review: A Closer Look at the Honda Civic Type R (FK8) Engine Swap

As we put the FK8 Honda Civic Type R through its paces, it was clear that this car is a beast on the track. With a dry weight of 860 kilograms and a powerful 200 horsepower engine, it's no wonder that this car is capable of delivering intense driving experiences. The engine, which features a variable valve timing and lift system, provides a unique sound that is quintessentially Honda. However, it's worth noting that the power delivery is mostly sound, with the VTEC system kicking in at around 9000 RPM.

The steering wheel, which is nicely small with a spacer, feels premium and well-suited for spirited driving. The dashboard, which boasts a new design and features a sporty look, sets the tone for an intense driving experience. With the rear seat delete, this car is stripped down to its essence, making it a true track-focused machine. We also noted that the gear lever is nicely weighted and responsive, providing a satisfying connection to the engine.

As we put the car through various testing, it became clear that it has an abundance of grip, which can sometimes be too much. However, this means that it's capable of delivering impressive acceleration and handling capabilities. The launch control system, which sounds epic but doesn't quite live up to its promise, is a nice touch, but we found that the car bogged down immediately due to insufficient power.

In comparison to our trusty old EG Civic with the K20 engine, this FK8 Civic Type R has better steering and a more direct feel. However, it's worth noting that the car can be quite slow on the Autobahn, especially when it comes to reaching high speeds quickly. We measured an impressive 40 seconds at 100-200 kilometers per hour, but as we found out, this is likely due to the car's gearing and power output rather than its actual capability.

The brakes, which are reportedly upgraded, feel nice and responsive, but given the car's light weight, they don't require anything too extreme. The most impressive thing about the FK8 Civic Type R is its sound - with the VTEC system kicking in, it delivers a truly unique and quintessentially Honda experience.

Behind the Wheel: A First Look at the FK8 Civic Type R

As we prepare to take out the FK8 Civic Type R for a spin, we're excited to put this car through its paces. With a co-driver joining us today, we'll be putting the car through its limits and seeing what it's capable of. We've heard that this car is not for the faint of heart, but with its aggressive styling and formidable power output, we can't wait to see how it handles.

As we start up the engine, it's clear that this is a car that means business. The sound is loud and assertive, and the weight of the car feels substantial despite its 860-kilogram dry weight. We're taking it for a spin on the B-road, where we can put the car through its paces without worrying about traffic or other hazards.

The steering wheel, which is nicely small with a spacer, feels premium and well-suited for spirited driving. The dashboard, which boasts a new design and features a sporty look, sets the tone for an intense driving experience. With the rear seat delete, this car is stripped down to its essence, making it a true track-focused machine.

As we hit the B-road, we find that the car has plenty of grip - maybe even too much. This means that it's capable of delivering impressive acceleration and handling capabilities, but also risks losing traction if pushed too hard. We're finding that the throttle response is a bit laggy, especially at lower RPMs.

Despite its fearsome reputation, the FK8 Civic Type R is actually pretty easy to drive in everyday situations - although we do have to admit that it's not exactly the most comfortable ride when you're stuck in traffic. The gearing, which is rather long, means that third gear feels a bit slow, while fifth gear is unusually low.

As we continue our test drive, we find that the brakes feel nice and responsive, but given the car's light weight, they don't require anything too extreme. The only downside to driving this car is the lack of traction control - although it does have launch control, which sounds epic but doesn't quite live up to its promise.

Overall, we're thoroughly enjoying our time in the FK8 Civic Type R, and we can see why this car has such a strong following among enthusiasts. With its powerful engine, aggressive styling, and impressive handling capabilities, this is truly an exceptional driving machine - even if it does have some quirks and limitations.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enwhat's up ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this POV review by Auto top now my name is Max and today we are continuing the dipping of our toes into the pool that is Honda uh we are checking out Glenn's Honda Civic e j9 today with a b16a engine swap it used to be a 1.4 automatic it is now a manual b16a uh and well there's a lot of drama I'll tell you so you can follow Glenn ej9 Glenn on Instagram he bought this car from his stepfather's mother if I'm not mistaken and it was a 1.4 automatic as I said and then gradually over time it evolved into what it is today a freshly painted gold flake red super nice ej9 with a b16a uh VTEC engine of course it came from Honda del Sol it is a JDM Engine the b16a and apparently on the dyno it has around 200 horsepower right now 169 newton meters of torque it stuck this engine around 160 or 170 horsepower so I'm going to show you around it I'll show you the engine it is a very very good looking EJ this it I mean that Fresh coat of paint does magic of course if you compare it to our EG this is like a new car it's a 1998 they were built between 1995 and 2000 uh it is the successor to our EG Civic and well you can see that it is definitely a bit more modern it is a bit more Sleek compared to ours I would say well a little bit more not that much we've got these little rotor Wheels with around that zestino semi-slick tires Gretch 07 RS if if I'm reading that right and these are 195 section tires on a 15 inch wheel it's a nice little wheel looks good with bird titanium gaps and as you can see uh some substantial spaces because they are very wide at the rear what is that 195 as well yeah so quite a nice look and the car has been built basically for track driving I would say but it's more like a show car but he does have like the sway bar traction bar stuff and the semi-slick tires so at the rear big spoiler here and uh nice little gold flake in the logo as well and you can see the SRS exhaust so it's a two and a half inch exhaust to the rear after a new exhaust manifold as well or headers I should say and in the rear you can see that it has a rear seat the lead basically and a nice DC Sports shred bar even more strip bracing up here that does look cool so moving on to the engine of course the most important part foreign Springs there uh wow holy moly look at that that looks so sick so we've got heart Rays bracing down there sway bars traction bars that looks so clean oh my God so as I said a B16 a engine so 1.6 liter with VTEC uh it has a very very audible v-tec so it's very loud the VTEC and uh wow this is I was not expecting it to look this beautiful under here that is that is honestly Glenn props to you that looks sick so we've got a skunk 2 ultra Inlet manifold we've got skunk 2 camshaft and cam gears as well and then I can see the Innovative mounts engine mounts there some adjustable Springs D2 or dampers I should say not going to touch that too much as I said those SRS headers and then we've got super attack valve springs with titanium retainers as well intake up here as well uh I mean this is so clean there's so much space here as well that is really cool Koyo rod that looks pretty decent as well so we didn't even get all the mods all the parts for this car but it looks really really stunning I can see so many different things and of course the obligatory titanium bolts that does fit this car super well but Glenn I have to say this looks amazing good job and as I said it has a tune on it so on the dyno apparently it did like 200 horsepower but uh we're going to find out on the Autobahn what that is like ej9 Glenn go check him out and then one of my favorite things about this entire car the seats look at these super cute retro recaros from an EVO 4 and they they are marvelous they they are super supportive comfy nice high shoulder ball string super high thigh ball string as well uh this is just perfect ceiling position is absolutely spot all I'm sitting nice and low this is this is really really good and then we have this personal steering wheel as well nice and small with a spacer on there this is super nice new Dash as well and then yeah as I said rear seat delete because race car so let's start it up we do have a co-driver today of course what's up guys because we don't have a rear seat no power steering no abs proper hardcore driving and a very nice gear lever as well or shifter so let's find out what it is like on this little b Road because it weighs like 860 kilos dry which is not a lot and with 200 horsepower it should be quite quick yo so it is a a very intense v-tec in this car but it's mostly sound as I said so it's not really that extra power you get from that variable valve timing and lift system or whatever it's gold uh it's mostly sound football but that is 9000 RPM that is super loud oh it does have a lot of grip maybe even a bit too much grip because it means that it's just all it's always like hooking up so if we do a launch control or we're not going to do that with the cows I mean they do like feeds Act of course there are cows so they do like VTEC but it's a bit too loud for them it does have that quintessential Honda sound a little bit of a rasp and it also has that typical effect all German cyclists and uh people walking around here it's it's that that super quintessential VTEC sound it's it really has that effect on people it's not a good effect anyway uh it has launch control which sounds epic so if you hold the throttle and then all the way down get some nice bangs but but it doesn't really work because it bogs down immediately because you just grip and it doesn't have enough power to like pull through that initial loss of traction but it does sound super cool but it's an old the fastest way to leave uh the drive through basically it's so loud it does have better steering than our car our EG with the K20 I think this has better steering a bit yeah it's a bit it's it's a bit more direct I mean that car is like driving a bus so it's not hard to be better but oh it is very slow though at least when that Vita kicks in you do have the feeling that you're going faster but not a lot is happening and especially before Vita kicks in nothing happens what's the story behind this situation what they're looking for something in the field ah what are they looking for what do you lose on a on a b Road where you can drive 100 kilometers an hour okay so we're going to hit the Autobahn but it is very busy today because it is Labor Day in Germany Apparently that is a holiday so it's super super busy so let's find out throttle there we go p-tech let's take a while it's 200 and this is 210 super loud and we'll go a little bit faster than that but no longer like an elevator music so let's do another little room oh Power Man it's completely happening how is that possible all of a sudden it was so busy earlier oh he completely dies out in yeah so that is why it is quite slow for a 100 to 200 kilometers an hour if we measured 40 seconds it probably does not have 200 horsepower because this car weighs like 900 fish wet it should be much quicker with 200 plus horsepower so I'm not sure what's happening uh because it does have you know it should have 160 170 horsepower stock this be 60 day and then you have all those parts uh camshaft intake and exhaust manifold exhaust so it should be quicker it does have you know the gearing is is quite long so third is okay here said it's slowing down fifth gear is is super low and that just means that it takes quite a while to get up to that 200 volts an hour that 100 to 1 to 150 is okay but after that really slows down brakes I'm assuming those are upgrade as well they do feel quite okay but it's quite a light car of course so you don't need really uh super strong brakes but this is quite a nice feel so Glenn thank you so much for letting us take out your p60 e j9 really appreciate it really enjoyed it uh it's good for us to have like a reference of all these engine swaps that people do in old bars I mean we're still learning we're still dipping our toes in the pool that is hold on so I really appreciate it to you guys thanks for watching hope you enjoyed it you can subscribe by clicking the big button in the middle you can also check out this review of our EG gay swapped all that Civic and you can also check out this playlist of reviews see you the next one byewhat's up ladies and gentlemen and welcome to this POV review by Auto top now my name is Max and today we are continuing the dipping of our toes into the pool that is Honda uh we are checking out Glenn's Honda Civic e j9 today with a b16a engine swap it used to be a 1.4 automatic it is now a manual b16a uh and well there's a lot of drama I'll tell you so you can follow Glenn ej9 Glenn on Instagram he bought this car from his stepfather's mother if I'm not mistaken and it was a 1.4 automatic as I said and then gradually over time it evolved into what it is today a freshly painted gold flake red super nice ej9 with a b16a uh VTEC engine of course it came from Honda del Sol it is a JDM Engine the b16a and apparently on the dyno it has around 200 horsepower right now 169 newton meters of torque it stuck this engine around 160 or 170 horsepower so I'm going to show you around it I'll show you the engine it is a very very good looking EJ this it I mean that Fresh coat of paint does magic of course if you compare it to our EG this is like a new car it's a 1998 they were built between 1995 and 2000 uh it is the successor to our EG Civic and well you can see that it is definitely a bit more modern it is a bit more Sleek compared to ours I would say well a little bit more not that much we've got these little rotor Wheels with around that zestino semi-slick tires Gretch 07 RS if if I'm reading that right and these are 195 section tires on a 15 inch wheel it's a nice little wheel looks good with bird titanium gaps and as you can see uh some substantial spaces because they are very wide at the rear what is that 195 as well yeah so quite a nice look and the car has been built basically for track driving I would say but it's more like a show car but he does have like the sway bar traction bar stuff and the semi-slick tires so at the rear big spoiler here and uh nice little gold flake in the logo as well and you can see the SRS exhaust so it's a two and a half inch exhaust to the rear after a new exhaust manifold as well or headers I should say and in the rear you can see that it has a rear seat the lead basically and a nice DC Sports shred bar even more strip bracing up here that does look cool so moving on to the engine of course the most important part foreign Springs there uh wow holy moly look at that that looks so sick so we've got heart Rays bracing down there sway bars traction bars that looks so clean oh my God so as I said a B16 a engine so 1.6 liter with VTEC uh it has a very very audible v-tec so it's very loud the VTEC and uh wow this is I was not expecting it to look this beautiful under here that is that is honestly Glenn props to you that looks sick so we've got a skunk 2 ultra Inlet manifold we've got skunk 2 camshaft and cam gears as well and then I can see the Innovative mounts engine mounts there some adjustable Springs D2 or dampers I should say not going to touch that too much as I said those SRS headers and then we've got super attack valve springs with titanium retainers as well intake up here as well uh I mean this is so clean there's so much space here as well that is really cool Koyo rod that looks pretty decent as well so we didn't even get all the mods all the parts for this car but it looks really really stunning I can see so many different things and of course the obligatory titanium bolts that does fit this car super well but Glenn I have to say this looks amazing good job and as I said it has a tune on it so on the dyno apparently it did like 200 horsepower but uh we're going to find out on the Autobahn what that is like ej9 Glenn go check him out and then one of my favorite things about this entire car the seats look at these super cute retro recaros from an EVO 4 and they they are marvelous they they are super supportive comfy nice high shoulder ball string super high thigh ball string as well uh this is just perfect ceiling position is absolutely spot all I'm sitting nice and low this is this is really really good and then we have this personal steering wheel as well nice and small with a spacer on there this is super nice new Dash as well and then yeah as I said rear seat delete because race car so let's start it up we do have a co-driver today of course what's up guys because we don't have a rear seat no power steering no abs proper hardcore driving and a very nice gear lever as well or shifter so let's find out what it is like on this little b Road because it weighs like 860 kilos dry which is not a lot and with 200 horsepower it should be quite quick yo so it is a a very intense v-tec in this car but it's mostly sound as I said so it's not really that extra power you get from that variable valve timing and lift system or whatever it's gold uh it's mostly sound football but that is 9000 RPM that is super loud oh it does have a lot of grip maybe even a bit too much grip because it means that it's just all it's always like hooking up so if we do a launch control or we're not going to do that with the cows I mean they do like feeds Act of course there are cows so they do like VTEC but it's a bit too loud for them it does have that quintessential Honda sound a little bit of a rasp and it also has that typical effect all German cyclists and uh people walking around here it's it's that that super quintessential VTEC sound it's it really has that effect on people it's not a good effect anyway uh it has launch control which sounds epic so if you hold the throttle and then all the way down get some nice bangs but but it doesn't really work because it bogs down immediately because you just grip and it doesn't have enough power to like pull through that initial loss of traction but it does sound super cool but it's an old the fastest way to leave uh the drive through basically it's so loud it does have better steering than our car our EG with the K20 I think this has better steering a bit yeah it's a bit it's it's a bit more direct I mean that car is like driving a bus so it's not hard to be better but oh it is very slow though at least when that Vita kicks in you do have the feeling that you're going faster but not a lot is happening and especially before Vita kicks in nothing happens what's the story behind this situation what they're looking for something in the field ah what are they looking for what do you lose on a on a b Road where you can drive 100 kilometers an hour okay so we're going to hit the Autobahn but it is very busy today because it is Labor Day in Germany Apparently that is a holiday so it's super super busy so let's find out throttle there we go p-tech let's take a while it's 200 and this is 210 super loud and we'll go a little bit faster than that but no longer like an elevator music so let's do another little room oh Power Man it's completely happening how is that possible all of a sudden it was so busy earlier oh he completely dies out in yeah so that is why it is quite slow for a 100 to 200 kilometers an hour if we measured 40 seconds it probably does not have 200 horsepower because this car weighs like 900 fish wet it should be much quicker with 200 plus horsepower so I'm not sure what's happening uh because it does have you know it should have 160 170 horsepower stock this be 60 day and then you have all those parts uh camshaft intake and exhaust manifold exhaust so it should be quicker it does have you know the gearing is is quite long so third is okay here said it's slowing down fifth gear is is super low and that just means that it takes quite a while to get up to that 200 volts an hour that 100 to 1 to 150 is okay but after that really slows down brakes I'm assuming those are upgrade as well they do feel quite okay but it's quite a light car of course so you don't need really uh super strong brakes but this is quite a nice feel so Glenn thank you so much for letting us take out your p60 e j9 really appreciate it really enjoyed it uh it's good for us to have like a reference of all these engine swaps that people do in old bars I mean we're still learning we're still dipping our toes in the pool that is hold on so I really appreciate it to you guys thanks for watching hope you enjoyed it you can subscribe by clicking the big button in the middle you can also check out this review of our EG gay swapped all that Civic and you can also check out this playlist of reviews see you the next one bye\n"