Louds 98 UK Spec Honda Integra Type R

Please leave feedback guys as I'm still looking for ways to develop the car, thanks!

Car now sold 15 May 2009 and will be greatly missed

98 UK Spec Honda Integra Type R

Current Spec List

JUN Racing Manifold
Mugen Twin Loop Exhaust & De-cat
Mugen Cold Air Intake
Mugen Bushes
Mugen Radiator Cap
Mugen Resevoir Socks
Spoon Engine Torque Damper
Buddy Club Oil Filler Cap
Cusco Master Cylinder Stopper
NRG Earthing Kit
Exedy Stage 1 Racing Clutch
Exedy Lightened Flywheel
EBC RedStuff Brake Pads
Advan AD05 Neova LTS Tyres
MOMO Corse Steering Wheel
AutoBahn Silicone Hose Kit
Muteki Lightweight Wheel Nuts
OEM Front & Rear Strut Braces
Enkei 15" Wheels
Custom Carbon Fibre Bonnet/Hood
Custom Painted Rocker Cover
Clear Side Repeaters
Chrome Front Repeaters
TOAD Security System, a big dog and a gun
Kenwood Head Unit/Stereo

First off thanks for taking a look at my pride & joy, I've tried to give as much info as I can whilst sat here at work doing bugger all, and not getting caught....yet! Some of the pics may not be the best quality as with British weather we're always fighting to get decent light. Without further ado.....

This is "Grace" my UK 98 Spec DC2 in Championship White. The body work is in mint condition with no dents or damage to any of the panels. When I picked her up she was pretty much stock but with a few ££ hanging around I started to make her my own. First job was to get my guy to take out all the imperfections in the bodywork, nothing major just a few small dents where other cars had opened their doors onto her.

This is how I found her September 2007

She was running a standard exhaust when I found her, which was fine but I really wanted to open up her breathing so I set her up with a full Mugen Twin Loop exhaust and ran a Spoon drop in filter for a while but couldn't resist the calling for a Mugen Cold Air Intake and eventually gave in and treated her to one. The combination, although an expensive one, of the Mugen Twin Loop and the Mugen Cold Air Intake gives a fantastic sound, not overly loud just deep and characterful. The addition of the JUN Racing manifold has also helped to clear waste gases. When she hits VTEC the sound is a pant moistening experience for anyone. I haven't tampered with the engine internals as I think Honda did such an amazing job with it in the first place, who the hell are we to argue!!

In stock form this car was kicking out dead on 187bhp, as stipulated in the original specs from Honda. However with the addition of the Mugen Exhaust and CAI and then later the JUN Manifold the car has been dyno'd recently and is kicking out a very respectable 208.4bhp. The JUN Manifold has been heatwrapped very well. A little later I sourced a cracking little mod... The Spoon Engine Torque Damper! It's a great mod I would recommend to anyone as it actually helps transfer more of the developed power to the wheels, rather than being lost in engine flex. 208.4 isn't mind blowing power figures compared to some but add that 208.4 bhp to a lightweight car and you get great acceleration and as you can see from the dyno sheet below the curves are looking fairly good too with just over 148 of torque. This car pulls far better than any of the UK or JDM tegs I've been in to date, and I've been in a few.

Preparing for the Dyno Run and the printout of figures

Interior is in great condition with both bright red Recaros holding up well with no rips or tears and a MOMO Corse steering wheel to keep me in the right direction. The Titanium Gear/Shift Knob is still in place too, we know these go missing all too often. I don't want gauges in the car as it's a street car and I know her well enough to know when she is ready and I can push her that bit harder.

Cockpit area stays standard with original Type R mats and titanium gear knob

Most Teg owners tend to keep their cars looking stock over here in the UK, at least the exterior. Most of the teg community (if they're not using them for track) will keep the cars as stock as possible...literally nothing gets changed. What I am trying to do with Grace is find some kind of middle-ground, not over the top in anyway but just a little bit different to the totally stock examples we see everyday. Some of us would like to liven the scene up a little but with so many cars like ours getting stolen it's sometimes best to not draw attention to them.

I also found that somehow someone had put a handsized dent over the bonnet catch and because of where the dent was iit was difficult to have it removed. With that in mind I sourced a Custom Carbon Fibre Bonnet from RareRims.co.uk and with a little adjusting it was a great fit.

Custom carbon fibre bonnet fitted

I've just had the cam cover custom painted as the crinkle red was starting to flake and I fancied something different. It has had mixed feedback from UK enthusiasts as they like to keep things OEM, but I like it and so do the guys at MCR-VTEC (www.mcr-vtec.co.uk)

Engine bay when I found her and a year later

I have always thought the wheels were a bit bland for the car and wanted them a different colour but the whole black with a red lip or white etc has been done to death. So for something different I opted for a Mugen Gold colour. I was always in two minds about it and recently bowed to peer pressure and painted the wheels Championship White again, does look good but the brake dust is a killer to keep off them.

At the Japan North UK Show

Recently resprayed white wheels

I also fitted some red silicone hoses and have also sprayed the strut braces red to keep with the engine bay theme. I think it looks quite smart without going too far. I'm keeping the 15" wheels as I don't want to lose any of the handling or feedback from the car. My car is only ever worked on by MarkSport who operates out of UNIT8 Performance Parts, Mark works on the BuddyClub Time Attack cars, amongst others and I only trust him to work on mine.

Only recently I have fitted a Buddy Clun V-con VTEC Controller (pic below, fitted under wheel) which allows me to set the VTEC engagement point wherever I wish, it's currently set at just over 5200rpm. It doesn't mess with the AFR in any way, just shifts that crossover point a bit. While I had the hood up I installed a Cusco Master Cylinder Stopper (pic below) which gets rid of any "sponginess" in the brake pedal and makes the brakes bite a bit better under hard braking, plus it's blue and matches the Spoon damper :-) I have also fitted a HKS Earthing Kit, but don't have pics of that just yet, it helps the electrics do what they're supposed to.

Buddy Club V-Con & Cusco MCS

Sometimes it's the little mods that make a big difference like the clear side repeaters and the chrome front repeaters (indicators). I know she may look a little tame for you guys but let me know what you think all the same, oh and do the rating thing as it's nice to see feedback.