I've always wanted a ITR, but due to financial reasons the closest I got was a Civic SI. I know its not even an Integra, but thought it was the closest thing I could get. I am thinking of trying to buy a Type R. It would be at the end of summer probably but am just thinking about it. Now my question is, how much do you guys like your ITRs? There are cheaper cars out there that are quicker but I still think I would love the Type R. I am mainly interested in the handling, but obviously its a quick car to begin with. So do you guys think I should keep my '00 Si and put all my money into making it a more capable car. Or should I just save up over the summer and try to find a decent deal on an ITR. I like the Si but want a little bit more sometimes. The understeer in the handling is annoying, and I hear the ITR is more neutral. But the Si could probably be made to handle almost as well with enough work to the suspension. Another thing I am considering is getting a GS-R and maybe having a little money to help that out in performance. I just dont know what I should do. Should I keep my Si and spend all my money upgrading the suspension, brakes, and motor? Or should I buy a GS-R and start working on it trying to make it close to a Type R in terms of performance. Or should I just save every penny and not do anything else to my Si and just go all out and find a used ITR? Also, how reliable are the ITRs? And can a ITR in good shape be found for around $18k? Probably couldn't afford anything more than $19k at the most by the end of summer. Or if you guys tell me its that awesome, I could just enlist in the Air Force and get enough money out of that to buy a newer ITR. Also, is insurance more for the Type R than say a GS-R? And both of those cars insurance are probly more than my civic I'm sure. Well sorry for the incoherent rambling. I just think the Si might not be enough to quench my thirst for an Integra Type R. Let me know guys what you think, thanks

 

check the insurance first. A few people had to sell their ITR when they realized how much it cost to insure.
I almost bought one last year but decided against it (actually the wife) when we found it cost 3 times to insure than a GSR. Of course my insurance situation is different than others, but it's good to check first.

 

I got my ITR about 2 months ago and i love this car....i got mine for 19K and it had about 12,000 miles on it or 13,000.......Sweet car, i dont know what else to say but it is definately worth havning/owning....im happy

 

It sounds like you are performance-minded, so I say do what it takes to get the ITR. I had a '00 Civic before my R, and I can honestly say it is not worth your time or money to try and upgrade the Civic to the level of the R. I would say the same thing regarding the GS-R, unless you are only looking for straight line performance. In that case, the B18C1 can be made faster for less money.
If you want the car for autox and track events, then get the R. In terms of overall performance per $1, there is no substitute. Nothing else comes with a comparable acceleration, braking, and handling package.

 

either you like the itr nor not. don't buy it for the hype. if u think it's too frantic, too loud, blah blah blah... it's not for u.

yeah check on your insurance rates... incidentally where i live an si civic costs more to insure than a type-r because there are more of them to steal... or so i'm told.

 

keep the SI. Get a b18c block with JDM ITR pistons (balance the crank and maybe gte some stronger rods). Maybe a mild port and polish on the head, get some CTR cams and valvesprings and retainers. ITR intake manifold is 220.00 from acura and get an aftermarket throttle body because they are cheaper than stock. You can do all these for 3,000.00. You now have a bastard type r engine, and one civic that can haul ***.


[Modified by Rattlesn8ke, 1:44 AM 2/17/2002]

 

But you DO NOT have the ITR's braking and handling abilities... If all you want is 1/4 mile times, then just build a B18C as suggested. If you want to DRIVE the car (which includes using the brakes and steering wheel), then just buy an ITR.

 

It sounds like you really want an ITR. Just look into the insurance issues, and go for it if you can.

 

swapping in itr suspension and brakes can easily resolve that... a civic shell with itr drivetrain and suspension will do well against an itr

 

I would save up for the R. That's just me though. I think you would eventually agree with me if you bought an R. Definitely check rates first. Good luck with your decision.

 

Yep, for sure...but to do all of that legitimately will cost almost as much as a decent used ITR. And if you aren't capable of doing the labor, you've got to figure that into the equation too... It all depends on who you are and what you're looking for.

 

I had a '99 Civic Si and sold it for a '00 ITR and I am very much pleased with ITR in every regard. First issue is INSURANCE. It aint cheap. The second issue is VANDALISM and THEFT which leads back to the first issue, I'm afraid...

If you can comfortably afford it then all is well. I do miss the Si, though. I'd like to have both. I hated the seats in the Si, the slow steering rack, poor tires and the rear didn't seem to be planted - the rear kinda oscillated laterally in a hard corner.

The engine is a real PEACH. Nice and smooth. It's a practical car and a nice looking car IMHO.

If you cannot afford the ITR you could have a sleeper of an Si with some well-thought out modifications to the suspension and brakes. I'd upgrade the seats and try to determine if the steering rack can be replaced with one from an Integra GS-R. I'd also swap out the steering wheel. If you think that the car understeers a bit much then you could upgrade [larger diameter (ie., stiffer)] your lower rear sway bar. You could also stiffen the rear a bit with a rear strut tower brace, but the difference may or may not be great with the rear strut bar alone. As for tires you could use the same tires for the ITR [Bridgestone RE010s or S03 Pole Positions] in 195/50-15.

There are induction systems and complete exhaust systems for the car and it can be properly tuned with a "VTEC Controller" and a couple of hours on a good chassis roll dynamometer.

The mods I've mentioned will set you back:

Induction System ~ $200
Complete Exhaust System ~ $300 to $1,000
Rear Suspension/Chassis mods ~ $500
Tire Upgrades ~ See The Tire Rack for a price comparison btwn OEM and Bridgestone upgrades

Seat or Seats ~ $300 to $1500 depending on what U want. Integra GS-R seats are nice and perhaps someone who has upgraded their ITR seats may sell U theirs.

JDM Steering wheel w/ Airbag ~ $800 to $1,000

Limited-Slip Differential ~ $800. Perhaps the ITR's will fit? I dunno. But you can purchase a helical limited-slip differential for the Si I believe.

It can be argued [and I wouldn't strongly disagree] that for the money you'd spend for ALL of these options could be spent on purchasing the ITR. This is true, but look again at my numbers 1 thru 3 again. Also, you may not feel that all of the items I listed necessarily apply to you and your needs. If you can comfortably afford the ITR and can get out of your Si w/o losing much $ then by all means look into it.

 

thanks guys. i will have to look into the insurrance issue. i really think the Type R is what I want. i am thinking by the end of summer, if i save my money, i should have enough hopefully for a used ITR. i've always wanted one, plus anyone i've ever talked to from this board is awesome. my experiences with ITR owners have shown me how nice and knowledgeable most of you are. so now looking at reliability what are your guys opinions'? i am thinking any year with less than about 40,000 miles hopefully should be able to last me a few years. and hopefully i can find one for about eighteen thousand dollars. and last question i have is, where do you guys reccomend looking for used ITRs? any specific websites or anyplace you know would be greatly appreciated. once again, thank you everyone for you input.

 

sup Bobby, how you been man? Long time, no see. I think last time I saw you, I was lowering your car with Dave in PC. If you can afford it, get the Type R man. I should have let you driven mine while I was up there. First off, is you gotta let the car do what it's capable of doing. I didn't buy my Type R just because I wanted to get from point A to point B. If I wanted that I would have just bought a family civic. I wanted to get on it in the turns, enjoy my ride to work and pimp some bitches. Next time I'm in PC, I'll give you a call and you can take my shiot for a spin.

 

i'm doing good man. and ya that was the last time I saw you, since you couldn't make it to Tally. but i'll take you up on that sometime, or even a ride in it. well hopefully you got your motor running good again. by the way, are you gonna make it up to PC for spring break?

 

im picking mine up in the morning, 98 with 30K for 17k. i was going to get a swap and blah blah blah to my civic cx. which in the end, would have made for a faster and lighter car BUT i dont know how long i will want to keep this. i didnt want to sink a bunch of money into a cx that would be hard to sell down the road. plus the time and money for parts which would be harder to get without being able to just make a monthly payment.i now have will have a car that is completely perpared to take to auto/x and maybe the itrexpo. i now can work on upgrading the driver. i have so much respect for hybrids done right, it just isnt for me now.


[Modified by elements, 4:14 AM 2/17/2002]

 

I guess i was lucky when the Honda dealer said that they could no longer get me a Civic Si, so i walked across the street to acura and asked (thinking that there was no more ITRs)what do you have? GSR? he said, cause he's a freind or the devil, i think they are making the ITR for the last year do ya want me to get ya one...


About a year and 2-3 months have passed and WOW I STILL LOVE THE CAR, i just got pulled over the other night coming home from work and the cop said what the hell how fast were you doing more then 70mph??? its a 25 zone...

OPPS, sorry officer i was just having some fun and i this car still brings a smile a year later,he looked at me and said what if this and that then his partner asked what year it is and then they were like you have been honest go home and don't let me catch ya again...


YEAH Be sure to get an ITR.

 

lucky bastard...i wish the cops in vancouver are like that!
ive had my car for less than a year and already $700 CAD worth of speedin tickets!

 

Look at my sig. for my opinion

But seriously, financial situation is the most important thing and don't let a Type R get you into a big debt.

 

Don't try to make a GSR a type r, for the money Honda put a lot of upgrades into the R you can't match on your own. I really like the car, i sold my 97 318ti because I too wanted a little more, but as you see from my post more is never enough, now I want a lancer EVO, it never ends. The one choice you mentioned that makes a lot of sense is joining the Air force, you'll never make a mistake in choosing to serve your country!

 

LOL! That's some funny chit. Please go tell that to all the ITR owners I autocross and do track events with.

-Dave, whos GS-R has never even been to a drag strip

 

Find yourself a nice hatch and drop a B-series motor if you're worried about insurance.

 

and start worry about cops

 

wow man your right. i checked it out and my insurance would go down if i bought an ITR. now all i need is an extra five thousand dollars

 

LOL, come on...you have to put the whole quote in there... I said *IF* all he is concerned about is straight line performance, then a GS-R can be made faster than an R for less money. I wasn't trying to imply that a GS-R is only good for drag racing, just that if he is looking for 1/4 mile times, FI on a B18C1 yields good power for little money (again, when compared to the R).

-Bob, whose Type R has never even been to a drag strip.