DC2-ProdUcTiOnS

iTrader: (2)

Car:

'01 ITR #01-1058
135k Miles @ Purchase
140k Miles @ 8-26-14

Mods:
Comptech CAI Box
FGK (Fujitsibo) Jasma 4-2-1 Headers
T1R Test Pipe
K-Teller 2.5" Exhaust
Bilstien Struts with GC Sleeves
9lb Fidanza Flywheel
ACT Stage 2 Clutch
36mm Hubs
JDM Rear Sway Bar (25mm?)
JDM Upper Strut Bar
ITR-X Pedal Set


Review:
First off, I must say that if you asked me a year ago if I would daily drive a ITR, I would have said not a chance in hell. At that time I could only dream of owning a real Type R. I had been on countless trips to surrounding states over a span of 8 years on and off looking for just the right one for me. Finally, in the end of November 2013, I found my gem. (https://honda-tech.com/forums/acura-integra-type-r-8/story-how-01-0590-has-new-home-8-a-3182674/)
Stored and tucked away in the garage, just as I wanted. Only out to enjoy beautiful days, shows, and some spirited drives when free time allowed. Since I live in NY and winters can be harsh, she would be garaged for the winter and free of salt. For months she sat as I got the itch and kept buying parts for my new main squeeze.

At this point, I still would have told you, no way in hell im daily driving an ITR. To me, the collectable factor, list of factory chassis upgrades, one of the most powerful engines per liter of its time, fueled by the ongoing diminishing number of clean title, not stolen, not crashed, abused and so on makes this so much more than "just another Integra"... TO ME.

As Winter was coming to an end, it was time for me to part with my D2 Audi S8. 1 of 1200 D2 S8's in the USA, 1 of 53 in my color combo, AMAZING vehicle with astounding engineering for 2001. Fantastic car. So good, that it made me worried that there was nothing that would fill the void of enjoying driving or even just the daily commute as much as the S8. With the Audi for sale, the search was on for a replacement.

While scouring the forums as I do every morning for parts and deals and buys online, I came across a for sale ad for an ITR that had just spun a bearing and was up for a good price. Long story short, I had a JDM-R motor, this R had a blown motor. 2 days later and some convo with the seller, I left with cash and came home with another R. (https://honda-tech.com/forums/acura-integra-type-r-8/bringing-home-01-1058-nhbp-3200029/)

Was I really going to get another ITR and daily drive it?? I havent even driven the other one more than 100 miles! I went from searching for ONE for almost 8 years, and now I have 2. It took me a couple days to realize what I was doing. LOL. A month of tearing out old motor, new harnesses, motor, etc. And she was ready to go.


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The Last 5,000 miles have been leaving smiles on my face every single time I either walk to it, drive it, talk with others about it, or just thinking about what an amazing machine it is. Pushing the limits and perfecting them in every category, while still maintaining daily driveability was no easy task. But this ITR delivers. Balanced, easy to control, comfortable, predictable, surprisingly spacious (Im 6'3 – 200 lbs), and begging to be left in the top half of the RPM range.

First, the Interior: Faux Carbon trim? Everyone's first question when they get in... Is that stock? Yes, yes it is. And the seats? Yea those comfortable seats? Those are stock too. At 6'3, I can honestly say I do not have the seat all the way back. I think its a few clicks forward tbh and still the interior is perfect for this car. While driving everything is easily within reach, center console is out of the way of my long legs, and steering wheel and shift **** fall right into your hands. I drove to Washington DC and back in a weekend. 5 hours both ways. Wouldn't change anything other than an upgraded head unit from the stock CD changer. These days with Bluetooth and AUX inputs etc., it's the only thing I would change. Seats are supportive and comfortable. Passenger has more than ample room to let 9k rpms make you grab the oh **** handle above your head. Can you put 4 grown adults in the car at once? Yup. Is it fun? Not the best. But take one of their cars! LOL. Only other change I would make to the interior is the steering wheel. I understand that this is a production car that has safety standards and such, but a sporty wheel feels great and adds a nice touch to the interior IMO.

Exterior: The R that I daily drive has the JDM optional sideskirt and rear valance kit on it. Absolutely love the look of it with the USDM front. No side moldings, front lip spoiler, large wing in the back, and of course no sunroof. Subtle changes over the GSR and other model Teg's that make the R even more of an eye catcher. Currently I'm on the stock 15" wheels, and in my personal opinion are an inch too small and an inch too thin. I understand why Honda/Acura did this (Beefier tire options, smoother ride for everyday dribability, more MPG) but feel that the outside of the car would look much more aggressive with an inch more each way. The rear spoiler can be annoying to some because of its position, but I think its a defining piece to the outside of the car, and Im more than used to it.

Driving: This car wants.... begs... and begs and begs for you to rev all the way to 9k. CONSTANTLY. The ITR motor is a real work of art. over 100hp per liter, almost 9k rpm redline, LSD, hand ported cylinder heads... The list goes on, and it all comes together beautifully. You are able to keep the RPM's low while still having plenty of torque to push you around town. 2nd gear starts are no stranger to me, and being in 5th by 40mph isnt one either. Staying quiet tooling around town while still getting 24-26mpg in the city is fantastic. On the flip side, the gearing of the stock 4.4 FD trans can leave the softies with a headache (Or so they say) sitting at 4400rpm at 80mph on the highway. I just look at the 30+mpg Im getting and smile the whole way honestly. YES. 30+mpg! THATS INSANE TO ME! Sitting that high in the RPM you would expect less from the MPG, but yet again design and engineering come together to create an unbeatable combination. Power when pushed and economical when used.
This car handles and performs like every enthusiast dream. (Maybe thats why we see so many Evo, M3, Porsche drivers coming back) The steering and control is VERY predictable and accurate. I have never been in another STOCK Honda that had such a small amount of body roll when quickly shifting the weight. The ITR stays planted and true fortunately making driving very easy. Carrying speed through the turns is the recipe for Championships in this car, and Realtime Racing proved this over and over. Depending what mag you look at, the ITR in a straight line runs the ¼ mile in just over 14 seconds. Is it fun to wind through the gears, and use the LSD to launch you off the line? Of course it is! But where the ITR not only shines, but excels, is in the turns. You stay in place with the stock seats, while the car thrashes from turn to turn. And one of my favorite parts of this car? You can go from full ***** to the wall screaming to right back to being a grandma behind the wheel. And the car doesn’t miss a beat, or even take an extra step in the dance between racing and daily driving.

Is this the best car evAr made!?! LOL. No. And if my review makes it sound like that, I apologize.
There will be different opinions, pro’s and con’s, that are all different from person to person as they enjoy an ITR. But I think that the goal that Acura set for themselves, to build a high performance, multi-champion production car to be enjoyed by the enthusiast is more than a bullseye. With new technology and stricter safety requirements and emission standards, the real raw feeling of control between foot, hands, and vehicle are becoming computerized. Without breaking your budget (<$20k), not having a car seen all over town (M3, Evo, Mustang, S2000, etc.), and the endless ability for mods and upgrades, the ITR is a drivers car, that wants to be driven.

Looking forward to many many miles to come with heR. Her name is Raven, and she has been everything I have wanted, expected, and hoped for while having the privilege of daily driving a Integra Type R.

boostjunkie757

ive got about 140k on the clock of 00-510..

R6Elmo

I've begun to drive my ITR to work and back a bit more often as of late. It gets good gas mileage and compact, easy to park, big trunk...

the one big negative for me is the noise as a DD. The fact i have a 70mm exhaust, 4.9FD, and the less noise isolation of the DC2R doesn't help.

lunatictokyo

iTrader: (7)

I daily drive mine to work because the parking at work is pretty safe and that's the only time I really get to drive it because my weekend vehicle is a SUV for hauling the family around.

Yes, the droning of my aftermarket exhaust and the noises from aftermarket suspension can be a bit annoying, but the driving experience more than make up for it. Gotta make your drive to work fun somehow.

Mugen Fan

Very nice write up keep heR safe !

jordanitr

Very cool review. i have had mine for 9 years now and daily it mostly on sunny days,
Love every minute of it. I love everything about it, including the shitty stereo. lol

DC2-ProdUcTiOnS

iTrader: (2)

O_O

How many of those miles are boosted!?!

70mm and a 4.9, yea that might be a bit much for DD. LOL...... (but isnt it so much more fun of a drive?)

Yea I was surprised at the amount of space the trunk has too!!



My exhaust stays relatively quiet for most part and I've yet to really be hassled by any donut men yet.

Thanks! Always good to hear anothers enthusiasts review from time to time I think!

Hahaha, I just need to get a antenna delete or unplug the power for the antenna so I stop looking like a remote control car that grew up. LOL

TypeRod

Nice post! I've been daily driving my 98 R, since I bought it brand new! lol! It now has ~234K on it, motor is still all original. Just have a DC sports 4-2-1 1-piece header and Apex-i WS exhaust.

98ITRAgain

Yep great write up. I DD 98-0189 also, and have almost 127K on the odo. She is fun to drive, gets looks from the folks who know what she is, gets 28-29 mpg with the A/C on, and is easier to wash and polish than my lifted F-250

lunatictokyo

iTrader: (7)

How are you getting 28-29mpg? O.O ....

I know the gas tank size is ~13 gallons. The most I ever gotten on a full tank down to the light coming up is about 240miles .. that's only ~18mpg

redGSRguy

Look into getting a tune up...I get ~18mpg but I have a K.

allyourapex

My 97 has been the daily for about 5 years. I manage 29 mpg mixed-driving, and have hit 37 mpg on long road trips.

DC2-ProdUcTiOnS

iTrader: (2)

Wow! Thats awesome! About 15k a year average. What are your thoughts on heR as a daily? Is there anything you would change? Are you on stock suspension setup? I had a WS on a ITR setup in my coupe, LOVED it.

Hahah I bet it is easier, but having a big truck is always

13 Gallons is bone dry to completely full or what is called "capacity". 1, you never get to bone dry and 2, the safety nozzle release never lets you get to tip top completely full. Every time I have waited until my gas light comes on, and fill with super until the nozzle clicks. This has never given me more than 11 gallons. Most times its lower than 10.5.

240 / 10.5 = 22.8 mpg


'97 Daily?... Kudos

How many miles she showing?





Whats great is there are PLENTY of Daily Drivers of this vehicle out there. And im sure there are a handful of those that track the caR as well. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT ACURA BUILT THE CAR FOR. And thats what is so awesome, versatile, and unique about this car. There are few cars today and in '97-'01 barely any production cars that can stand the beating of a track session Sunday and make the comfortable drive to work all week. With everything that has been said, we are all enthusiasts. And this is an enthusiasts car. It takes the right person to understand and appreciate and I think daily drive this car. Especially with technology and so many creature comforts in luxury/sport class today.

I like the interior loud
I like feeling the bumps in the road
To me my exhaust is the one of the most epic symphony's ever played
To me this is exactly what I want my car to be.

TypeRod

When I was younger (Im 36 now), I didn't mind it at all. As I got older it bothered me a bit. It was just too loud in the car, not from my exhaust, just driving 70 mph the engine is almost running at 4k! lol! And when I put in the HardRace engine mounts the noise was even louder!

I'm lowered on H&R springs (can't remember how low, maybe 1.75 in the front and maybe 1.5 in the back?), I'm on Bilstein struts which probably could be replaced, they are at least 10-12 years old, lol.

For 7 of the last eight years, I drove the car to and from work, which was ~73 miles roundtrip, it was about an hour each way, mostly country back roads. Then I moved much closer to work and now my commute is only 12 miles round trip. I didn't mind my previous long commute at all in my R, it was pretty fun considering it was partly on a country highway, long and straight, with 60 mph speed limit (I'd always do 80+), and it was even more fun when you where the state troopers hide! lol!

If I could change anything, I would go back to stock suspension, stock engine mounts.

BTW, I'm getting ~390-400 miles a tank these days, mostly city driving. Its weird, b/c I would get the same miles per tank, when I was long driving to work on the country back roads. go figure! lol!

allyourapex

Man, I wish I knew the actual mileage, as the car was a salvage recovery. The engine is from a '00 with I'd guess somewhere around 60,000 miles on it. Chassis I'd probably guess around 120,000.

Definitely agree. All my track days have been followed by the return to daily. Really is an amazing car.

Mugen Type R

I daily drove mine for the last 13 years every summer and garaged every winter and couldn't agree more with everyone here! Great versatility although a bit brutal, but you have to be the hardcore / paranoid type to drive around a moded R! Great write up!

JLN

daily driver checking in @ 373,XXX Kilometers and still going strong. Appreciate and enjoy the car everyday, not a babysitter.

CODDINGTOWN

Solid write up. When mine is finished I'm thinking it will become the new daily for me and/or the GF.

kteggy88

My favorite part is getting all of the thumbs up from ppl. And a lot of people staring at it lol

DC2-ProdUcTiOnS

iTrader: (2)

Hahah yea, the Black one def doesnt get as much attention as the Yellow one, but those who know what she is def notice.

It really is great. Def worth doing for a summer or two so the driver can really get to enjoy it.

230k + miles! Thats awesome. How many miles did you get it with?