I'm looking to buy an ITR to turn into a time trials car. Are there any particular weak spots that I need to address?

Ie, the car needs an oil cooler, or baffled oil pan, replace certain suspension bushings, etc, etc to make it reliable for track use?

TIA!

 

Seat time

 

it's a Honda, as long as maintenance is kept up to par, she'll last forever.
But, check normal wear items like suspension and bushings...my old 97 that had worn out bushings and koni yellows that were maxed out on height still had a very tight feel thanks to the extra strengthening done to the chassis from factory.

 

Seat time I have covered. I'm an instructor for NASA, PCA, Audi, etc.

So no need for an oil cooler, baffled pan? What bushings should I be looking at, control arm bushings or ??

 

Right on. I plan on running high plains raceway a few times this summer. Then can't miss the nsxpo in sept. Baffles are deff recommended. I say find the caR then inspect and replace as you see fit.

 

I did some recent road racing at gingerman with my stock 97r with a built b20vtec with roughly 160k on the clock. I will make the following changes before i ever hit a track again...

-Bushings (i have a PIC bushing kit being installed over the winter)
-Oil pan baffle kit (I purchased a kit from JDMpassword. Also will be installed over the winter, but i'm not sure if my B20v had a itr pan or not. If not i still have my b18c5, and i will swap everything(oil pan, pick-up, and install baffle))
-Koni yellows/ground control (Currently saving to purchase, but my caR was all over the place. It felt like a boat.

Then again i am a novice at best. I heard fresh bushings make a night and day difference on an aged honda. I haven't have enough track to know i need an oil cooler. You will have to wait for an track ***** to chime in.

 

What about cooling? Does the car need an upgraded radiator?

itr#1334, I'm an instructor with NASA Rocky Mtn region, I run at HPR all the time. You should come out and run with NASA if you haven't before, they run a great event! Very fun and totally safe while still letting you get your speed freak on.

 

vtec b's have baffle oil pans if you want to upgrade for something with more oil capacity and better baffles get moroso

 

really? so i guess people buy baffle's for their pans for no reason...

 

while not absolutely needed, but those will make for a safer and better car, b series vtec and itr motors in general tend to burn oil when run hard, so a cooler and baffled pan will really help keep the motor safe and strong, just check your oil levels after every session

and bushings, like said above look into PIC or suja 1 they make really nice bushing sets, a good idea for an itr with some mileage on her

the just other stuff as you see fit, pads etc





no they dont, factory pans are not baffled




op, if you want ready to use, look at a mugen baffled pan, its an oem honda pan with baffles welded in, if you can diy or have it done heal toe auto sells a nice weld in baffle set you weld into your own pan

 

The car doesn't have cooling issues. The oil cooler can't hurt, but isnt necessary. I can't think of any inherent weak spots on the car. It's like a tank that handles well.

 

When you start going fast, depending on the course you like to run, a baffled pan in my opinion is a must. Especially on a track with a high G load sweeper or a bank you should definitely run a baffled pan. (I am running the Mugen pan). It's cheap insurance in my book.

I would suggest speaking with a shop that runs Honda TT cars or Challenge cars before asking on this forum. Or ask perhaps in the road race forum instead.

The only thing an ITR really needs in my book to have fun out on track safely is:

-Good track pads that are properly bedded
-Good high performance tires (Star Spec etc.)
-All regular maintenance performed (fluids checked, lines checked) --> Before you go out with the car all groups will require a tech inspection. The tech sheet pretty much covers all of these maintenance items.

Other than that I would also invest in driving instruction and a GoPro or video recording device so you can learn from your mistakes.

 

This is the only thing you need to listen to thurs far.

Depending on age and milage it is a good idea to check the suspension bushings, get a good set of dampers/springs/coilovers IE Koni/GC and a proper alignment.

Depending on the class of TT, your points and speed I would also get aero.

 

Someone din't read

 

Baffled oil pan is a must if your actually tracking the car(I speak from experience or rather expense on that one ).

I would install a mechanical oil temp gauge before spending money on an oil cooler. Then you can decide if you really need one or not. Don't use the line included with the gauge though. They tend to rupture. Upgrade to a stainless braided line.

Likewise I would install a water temp gauge. You can then see if you need to upgrade your radiator.

 

Seems like only a few people actually read the dude's question lol.

Cliffs:

-He's an EXPERIENCED driver.
-He just needs to know if the ITR has any weak points when tracked heavily. AKA...what to watch out for and what typically breaks/fails.

Fake made up *** example: A KNOWN and COMMON problem is that the oil temps tend to be high enough to break down the oil and cause damage. Use an auxillary cooler to prevent this.

Real Actual *** example: The engine is known for oil consumption. Compression test it and make sure the rings are good. If the rings are good, it's probably bad valve seals. Either replace the valve seals/guides, or put on your man pants and add oil often.

Something like that.

 

I reccomend watching "Best Motoring Vol. 1-Type R Legend"

i learned alot of specifics about the itr from watching it, u even get some info from Spoon.

Its a must see

 

There are a couple things you could do, but everyone has already mentioned. I don't actually own a type R, but rather a RS with a lot of R parts/race parts.

I started tracking my car about 2-3 years ago and I started with replaced worn out Rear trailing arm bushings with Mugen bushings (supposed to be slightly stronger) I also replaced my front compliance bushings. Upgraded my factory brake lines to stainless steel, swapped out my OE Honda pads for Hawk HP+ and flushed out my brake fluid with ATE fluid and installed Spoon 4 piston calipers.

Running a stock Integra radiator, never had any issues with cooling, but I would like to upgrade to a KOYO radiator.

A couple things I'm looking to do are:

- Baffled Oil pan
- Oil pressure gauge



Just watched this recently.. GREAT video!

Is this the one where the guys from Spoon stress how important transmission fluid is?

 

Docwyte - if you're still reading this post, then I agree with what jdmspoonitr said above about using a baffled oil pan (either aftermarket or with baffles welded in), plus on searching or posting for more info in the Road Racing/AutoCross/Time Attack forum, as many of the drivers/racers in that forum may not look at this forum.

I don't have an ITR, but instead have a 2000 Civic hatch with JDM ITR (B18C) engine that I've been running in Nasa HPDE-4, and will be going to TT (probably TTC) very soon, so I hope that the ITR owners don't mind me making this post. My car is similar to a Honda Challenge H2 car. My car and others running HPDE-4 or H2 have an oil cooler, and that seems like a good idea. Quite a few cars including mine also run an accusump, and that might be good to include also if you have the room. If you're running with Nasa and there are Honda Challenge cars at the event, take a look at their cars and talk with them also for ideas. You might also want to look for info in the Honda Challenge plus maybe TT forums in Nasa.

I assume that you have or will be fully flushing the master cylinder and brake system and using a good high temp fluid (I use Motul RBF600).

PS - in the Audi club, what car did you run on track? When I started, I ran a 2001 S4 with quite a few mods before switching to the Honda, so just wondering what you drove. - Jim

 

If the car is relatively stock, I don't think any of the oil cooler or gauges would be necessary. They wouldn't hurt but a stockish ITR typically don't have oil or overheating problem. Even stock radiator and thermostat are sufficient for most applications. [edit]Baffle pan is necessary, especially on tracks with elevation changes.

However, I would strongly suggest keeping an eye on oil level. Some of us found that our engine likes to eat Mobil 1. Personally I used Castrol Syntax and it was much better. But still need to keep close eyes on it. If you ever felt vtec cutout at corners, PARK THE CAR IMMEDIATELY!! Check the oil level and refill to make sure that it reaches the top dot. [edit]I've had oil starvation at Mid Ohio even with a baffled pan.

 

Happened to me at this past EXPO. I use Mobil1