Yes, We Own Hondas, Too, Meet Project Honda Civic Si

The FA5 Comes Alive on the Race Track

For those who like Hondas, but may not be dyed-in-the-wool obsessed, let me tell you a fun fact about this boring looking silver Honda Civic sedan: under that short hood lies the heart of an animal. The FA5 is powered by the K20Z3 engine, which is paired to one of the slickest shifting 6-speed manual transmissions around. Inside that transmission is a helical gear limited-slip differential.

But, let’s go back to that engine. Despite only making “197 horsepower,” the K20Z3 punches above it’s weight. With an 8,300 RPM red line, it’s the last of the high-RPM, naturally-aspirated engines that put Honda on the map. It also does a decent job of motivating that 2,900lb FA5 around the race track.

That limited-slip helps put the power down quite nicely on corner exit, and, interestingly, the FA5 has a rather neutral handling balance for a stock front-wheel drive econocar. Of course, the worn out shocks, with over 110,000 miles on them, have seen better days, and the stock brakes are a disaster waiting to happen, even with the requisite pad and fluid upgrade. This didn’t seem to slow me down much.

While those Falkens aren’t the grippiest tire out there, they do a good job of handling the Si stock suspension, with its generous body roll, and lack of negative camber in the front alignment. Indeed, the biggest detriment to the FA5, lap after lap, was the squishy bit in the driver’s seat. That’s me, for those still paying attention.

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Still, the car was a riot to drive, and didn’t skip a beat all day. No overheating, no weird, black magic ECU trickery like m previous track car, and, other than some burned out brake pads, and front tires that had the shoulders rounded off them, the car ran hard and got me home, at the end of the day, which is all one could really ask for.

Going forward, a braking upgrade of some sort is a must-do. While it’s relatively light for a modern car, and not particularly powerful, it is certainly more than enough to destroy those small front rotors and calipers. Additionally, some new shocks, and a more aggressive track day alignment is going to prevent me from blowing through front tires every two events.

Beyond that, my goal is really focus on seat time and learning to drive well with the FA5. However, I’m all ears for recommendations on common upgrades for this platform.

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Jacob Stumph

Jake Stumph is a lifelong car enthusiast and racer, who has operated as the content editor for Internet Brands Automotive since 2015. He runs Corvette Forum, 6SpeedOnline, Honda-tech, and LS1tech, among other Internet Brands Automotive websites. His work has been featured by several other prominent automotive outlets, including Jalopnik and Autobytel.

He obtained a bachelor's degree in Political Science at the Ohio State University in 2013, then pivoted from covering politics and policy to writing about his automotive adventures, something that, he says, is a lot more fun. Since that time, he has established connections with most of the world's major automakers, as well as other key brands in the automotive industry.

He enjoys track days, drifting, and autocross, at least, when his cars are running right, which is uncommon. You can check out what he's up to on his YouTube channel, as well as his Jake Stumph Racing Instagram account. He can be reached via email at stumph.jake@gmail.com