dave7

Ok. I just enjoyed reading through it. Thought others might also if they saw it up there. I've never driven an ITR so can't really say anything about it.

But what I will say, is that the looks are great. I've always loved the look of the dc2 ITR. And the Best Motoring videos show how great the engineering and performance is. I think they are def not overrated.

Type R Legend-Best Motoring

JustinDM

I think that this topic will never find a middle ground... It will always be that potentially heated topic of discussion between people that appreciate the Type R for what it truly is and what non Honda heads see.

Let's call a spade a spade, the Type R is essentially a race car direct from the factory. Stitch welded chassis, strategically reinforced areas (rear gusset, more robust pillar points, higher durometer bushings, etc.), corner balanced from the factory... **** it's even been rumored that every ITR Honda ever sold was at a financial loss. What car company ever does that? None... period.

I can appreciate what the Type R is. What FWD drive do you know that can have potential lap times close to or quicker than NSXs and S2000s on certain tracks where each of those cars theoretically have a better driving format, MR and FR respectively. Honda being able to engineer a vehicle that performs like that is something special. Individuals that own or have owned a Type R are a lucky bunch, they took part in automobile history.

I am by no means saying the Type R is the end all and be all of the automotive world. There are cars that are just as much fun to drive, if not more. The NSX, 911 S (flat 6 Porsche power is an audial orgasm), MR-S, Lotus Elise, Exige, Exige S, etc.... they are all great driving machines. However I notice that they are all zero compromise cars. Those cars were manufactured from the ground up to serve one thing... be a driver's car and no compromises were made to deviate from that. Honda did not put rear seats in an NSX because it was a compromise and it took away from the sole purpose the NSX was built, to put a bloody smile on the driver's face while behind the wheel.

I believe that the Integra Type R to be the benchmark of what a FWD chassis should be... and in my humble opinion there are no modern day FWD cars that is on the same level of an R, there are a couple that are close but that is for another topic and another day. I would love to own an R one day, and I probably will... however I am not going to begin to claim that a K20A swapped DC2 R will beat anything and everything just because "Vtec just kicked in bro!!!!".

A Type R chassis is a regular Integra chassis on roids!! It houses one of the greatest engines ever built for mass production. It was designed from the factory with understeer as its nemesis and oversteer its BFF. It is not the best in everything, but it does everything very very well for WHAT IT IS. I believe that the Type R isn't overrated if you are reasonable where you place that proverbial "pedestal".

Thanks for reading the random thoughts of my brain.... rant over.

pogeeboy27

iTrader: (3)

Those who have or currently own/drive/track an ITR get it. Those who haven't can only speculate, hence why some think it's overrated. The tides are beginning to turn and the "those who don't get it" crowd are thinning out. It's a great time to own an R.

99-014

Tesla!! Haha. A lot of R owners have owned multiple different cars from S chassis nissans, Subarus and Evos etc. The one car they end up regretfully selling is the R

JustinDM

Correction.... "What internal combustion powered car manufacturer would do that?"

1223

Tesla does not lose money on every car it sells. It makes >23% margin. It spends a ton of money on R&D, infrastructure, etc so the company as a whole is not generating profit, but to imply that they are losing money per car is incorrect.

http://files.shareholder.com/downloa...ate_Letter.pdf

Ok, back on-topic...

PaulMc

iTrader: (1)

You hit the nail on the head on every point you made.

LightningTeg

Type R is a car you buy and leave alone, track it, change brake pads and tires, and enjoy.

If you want to modify it beyond that, its not really worth it.

TheRedMouse

My first years of driving had me in a 1989 and shortly after a 1988 first gen integra. I built that 88 with my dad being one of the first people in north america to swap a b16 into that gen integra. Well i sold them, and for The last 12 years of driving it has been all german cars Mercedes, Audi's, and VW's, My last car being a 2004 VW R32, I sold it in December of 2015 and searched night and day for a car i have never driven but always wanted since i was 16. I found and bought my ITR a couple months later, its reserved as my cruiser/fun/weekend car. I wasnt sure going from such solid and well built cars overall what i would be walking into with purchasing the ITR.

Having thoughts am i paying too much for an over hyped integra crossed my mind dozens of times. My answer is No! like the poster above me this car is great out of the box. In its stock form the car performs very well. It handles, Shifts, and brakes better than the 13.1 inch rotors that were on the vw r32, and most cars i have driven over $35k. The engine albeit not super powerful is matched great for the chassis. I would recommend anyone that enjoys driving cars and not just stancing them out and being a fan boi to own one and experience what an Integra Type R is all about. Simple, Effective, Precise.

pogeeboy27

iTrader: (3)

Pretty good perspective on German cars. I had a coworker who swore up and down his Golf GTI was practically a go-kart on steroids. Lol....ohhhhhhhkayyyyyy. However the Mini does make its case on being a great handling little car, not that I'd ever own one.

sr-71

Long story short, let me just say this: for those who don't know me personally, I'm a racecar driver and I've been instructing too for quite some time now for a living and have had the chance to drive pretty much everything exciting(and less exciting)there is to drive on a racetrack as far as street cars go, stock or modded and I've had the chance to drive some pretty special cars over the years let me tell you.

To me the ITR has been and still is one of the most rewarding cars there is to drive to this very day period and it is capable of truly amazing things for what it is. Along with a handful of cars including a few Ferrari models I can never get tired of, driving it brings a big BIG smile to my face on every occasion and it just never fades away as years go by...I don't know what else to say, words can't do justice to just how good this caR is...just drive one if you ever have a chance, it's the only way you'll fully understand, you will simply become one with the car!

For every magazine or web article over the years, BM videos, vids on youtube, forum posts about the ITR's uniqueness and greatness and etc...everything they say, all of it is true!

fpvteg0681

All I can say to anyone that thinks they are overrated is that they most likely haven't driven one. Seeing one sit at a car meet isn't enough (though I bet you notice the R first before the JDM k20/k24 swapped Civic next to it). Drive that kswapped Honda and it feels great! Plenty of power, fast, nice suspension, etc. Sit in an R and you feel like you're home. I'm not saying either car is better - there's just a different feeling being in an R, even more so when you own one. Like previously stated, it'll be the car your always regret selling.

Nick MC

That's the second time I've heard someone say sitting in a R feels like home, and I completely agree. There aren't many cars that are greater than the sum of there parts.

pogeeboy27

iTrader: (3)

Awesome! Thanks for the feedback. ITR values just shot up another $1k. Lol

tony_2018

I wouldn't want nobody gawkin over my R, if I had one. Let the hype die down and allow me to enjoy my ride where ever I go.

dave7

I might venture to say that Type R's are underrated. There's a special "spirit" about them, and they are so kickass.

Dominipino

I think this question is not worth answering. Let me explain...

People that have never owned one will always say they are over rated. They will look at the car's numbers (hp,weight etc) and say there's better value out there. You can even build one that'll be faster. They forget the point that at the time this car was released it was basically an engineering excercise (think LFA here). It was to transfer what was learned on the NSX and apply it to a FWD platform.

I can't even begin to tell you how many comparisons I get from people saying "The FRS is better... Blah blah blah". They ask me why I paid so much for a 16 year old car. For me, this was the car I always wanted. I love how mechanical it is. The sound of the motor when on high revs. I love how the suspension and steering was tuned the old school way. No TCS, no extra button to fill it with. You get a radio, mechanical gauges, and HVAC for some of us. No extra buttons, no bluetooth no gps. Nothing extra to distact you from what you need to do which is only one thing; beat the living s4!t out of it.

The "unlucky" ones that own one gets it. They know what they have and there is no point in convincing nonbelievers otherwise.

Its not the prefect car but is the perfect one for me. I was driving around this weekend early in the morning, doing launches and high speed turns and I accidentally said it out loud... I can't belive how much fun it is to drive this car!!!

dave7

I owned an FRS a few years ago. It had a lot going for it, but Toyota really missed out on the excitement by not making it better. My ITR is way more special. The FRS was missing a lot of the important pieces that the ITR has.

mozzandherb

iTrader: (3)

In my 20+ years of driving and having owned an ITR, I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable car I've driven. I loved going up and down the mountain roads, it was pure driving magic. Sure, it's not the fastest car, but the handling and sheer look of it always put a smile on my face. The only reason I sold it was because I was always too paranoid to leave it alone. These cars are theft magnets and that was the one downfall no matter how much security measures I had in place (which was a **** ton) I was always scared to park it. With that being said, if I didn't live in a condo and had my own garage, I would definitely buy another one.