Hey guys, I wanted to start a thread over to get more insight into my build from the racing crowd. I'd like suggestions for which future mods make the most sense. and I'll also be posting videos here too, so I can get input on my driving. I've included some notes in each category below. Any tips on next mods appreciated! I will try and get some videos uploaded later this evening.

I'll start off with my current build and plans I have for the future plus some of my experience and some pics.

Bolts-ons & drivetrain:
-Stock d16y7 and stock trans - both in great condition, maintenance up to date on both. I did plan on building a motor in 2021, but my little Y7 is taking it all very well right now, so this might be pushed to 2022.
-Garrett GT28 Turbo - Oil and water cooled
-Everything included with Goautowork's kits
-2.5in Downpipe, and 3in exhaust all the way back
-Grams 550cc
-Hondata S300
-Exedy Stage 1 clutch
-Competition Clutch Flywheel
Car is tuned up to 10psi for 207whp and 185wtq. Boost is currently turned down to 6-7psi though for reliability at the track, so not sure of exact power numbers now.

Suspension/Brakes/Wheels/Tires
-Tein Flex Z coilovers (550lb front, 360lb rear)
-All stock arms besides Skunk2 rear camber arms (I do no need to replace some bushings, will be doing that soon)
-Hardrace trailing arm bushings w/ stock trailing arms
-CTR Rear Sway Bar, nothing in the front
-ASR Rear endlinks & ASR subframe brace
-HAWK HP+ pads in the front, centric blanks, stock calipers
-HAWK HPS pads in the rear, centric blanks, Integra calipers - utilizing Scarebird brackets to make this work.
-Motul 660 Brake Fluid
-15x7 Kosei K1's wtih 205/50 Dunlop ZIII's.

Cooling:
I'd like to preface this with the fact that I know my car is basically a big no-no for tracking a Civic. Turbo, half rad, etc but I've taken a lot of steps to insure the car stays cool and reliable. Also, my end goal(for the moment anyway) is a track-able street car, not street-able track car. I want my A/C! At my last event, ambient temps in the mid 60's, I never saw oil or coolant above 190. At Road Atlanta in September, I saw 205 Oil Temp and 195 coolant, I believe ambient temps were in the 80s? I also understand I'm almost never 10/10 for an extended amount of time at the events I'll be going to. With traffic on the course and my current driving skill, I doubt I'll be to the point of overheating this motor any time soon.
-Goautoworks triple core rad
-Goautoworks radiator shroud w/ 12in SPAL fan all correctly relayed up
-Hondata turns the fan on when at coolant is at 185F all the way to 80mph
-Setrab 16 row Oil Cooler w/ Mishimoto sandwich plate
-Turbo oil and coolant lines all wrapped in DEI fire sleeving
-Turbo and manifold are ceramic coated
-downpipe and dump tube are wrapped in DEI's titanium header wrap
-DEI Reflective tape on anything close to the hot bits
-Some additional venting and shrouding to help bring air to everything. I might need to improve on this part come next summer.

Interior & Safety:
Basically zilch, I'd like to eventually get better seats, harnesses, hans device, etc., but that turns into a rabbit hole real quick. Current interior is a nice OEM+ feel at the moment, nothing that screams racecar besides my added gauges.
-Integra GSR front seats
-CTR Rear Seats
-s2000 steering wheel

Aero:
-CTR Wing
-Ebay front lip
-Cut rear bumper

Experience:
-2020- HPDE event at Road Atlanta - Rained a lot, only 1-2 dry sessions, but I did like that I got to have some experience in bad conditions.
-2020- HPDE event at Barber Motorsports - Cold in the morning, warmed up later in the day though, all dry sessions.
-2018-2020- multiple autocross events, all non-turbo'd but same basic setup. I did run higher tread wear tires in the rear to help the car rotate though.











Thanks for reading!

 

Safety and seat time. All the parts are already there. I bet you could hand the car over to a vet and they would make that one of the fastest cars on the track. Down the road, maybe some transmission mods (LSD, flywheel etc.).

 

I think I may try to hand the car over to an instructor next event, I've been given the go-ahead from the instructor that I could go solo from here on out if I wanted, but I definitely have plenty to learn.

Regarding safety, I had a friend suggest I buy harnesses that doesn't utilize a harness bar, does anyone have any experience with them? The brand he suggested was Schroth's racing belts. I really don't want to put a cage in the car with a harness bar just yet...maybe if it becomes a dedicated track car, but I still regularly take passengers around in the car on the streets.
I would definitely like an LSD, would be something to consider when I revamp the drivetrain. I forgot I actually have a flywheel, added to the list.

 

seat time, seat time, seat time...

short term... you'll want to stop it better than you are. the pads you have are more autox centric. also you will want a better set of tires when you burn these down. To go with new tires, look how these tires wear, because i see a lack of ability to dial in an alignment, and that will help you get the most out of any future tire purchase. I wouldnt build a motor... time/money/value.... none of it pans out. Turbo Ds are fun street cars, stock Bs are reliable track cars.

mid term... if you know you are hooked, look into some sort of data. this is going to help you make decisions in the future.... the big decision comes when you start to hit "near" competition times (at 6psi you are likely near power for the H2 cars and aero prep you are more like a H4 car), you want competition type safety. you should do roll bar(or cage), seats, and harnesses all at once. they are designed to work together.

long term... when its time to do bushings, buy the best you can afford... its not a job you want to do twice. for me that means staying away from poly.

 

please dont.... harnesses were designed to work with fixed back seats and at least roll bars. in a roll over, a stock seat is designed to lay down flat... if you just have a harness (no auto tension like stock seat belts) they will not keep you in place. fixed back seats and no roll bar keeps your head close to the collapsing roof in a roll over.

i've worked in tech for 12 years and been around the track for 20 years... stuff happens in HPDE groups, you want your hpde car to be safe... its all stock or its all out, anything in between is a compromise on your safety (and your instructors).

 

Dirty will mirror both above, especially the harness deal. All in or all out.
If its still being street driven don't put in all the safety items. See above^^
Personally id of started without the turbo. You get to see what kind of a driver you are with out the extra power to bail you out.
As what was said above regarding a vet driver take you out.
A good capable driver will show you what the car is capable of in capable hands.
You'd be surprised what a capable driver can accomplish with a "bone" stock car.
I have seen our small cars chase down and pass many a higher HP cars all the time, because of sheer superior (driver) ability.
My take on the harness bar well just look at this pic..... enough said

 

-Yeah I couldn't make my mind up about the pads, will definitely pick up the next level. Should I still run HPS in the rears? For my HPDE group, 200tw is as low as I can go until I've had 10+ events under my belt (I'll have to re-check the rules to confirm), I went with the ZIIIs because I read they held up well against the RE71R's and lasted longer.
-My main want for building a motor was to not fear for my tiny rods turning into playdoh (lol) while being in boost for extended times. They are so cheap to build, I'm not too worried spending the extra coin if it means I get some extra reliability, but maybe it wont be as reliable as I think?
-Agreed on all the safety points, that's how I've been looking at it too, either all or nothing. Maybe a few more events and I'll be more inclined to bite the bullet here. I do want a nicer bolstered seat soon though, I'm sliding around in my gsr seat haha.
-Funny you mention it, I'm not familiar with the Honda Challenge rules at all, but i've been curious as to where my car lands. While autocrossing the rules with SCCA turned me off a bunch, anything I wanted to do with the car put me against dedicated stuff, so I stopped paying attention to that and just did what I want. I understand it's necessary for a level playing field though.
-Thanks for the insight on bushings, I'll keep that in mind.

So even a fixed back seat with stock seat belt is advised against? I've been looking at seats lately as my last event had my shoulder in the door panel the entire time lol

Yeah if I were to get a harness bar, it'd be for keeping the harness at the proper level, not for attaching to. I'll likely commit to a cage with a welded harness bar before I commit to just a harness bar though.

 

I don't know if these are still legal but you might want to look into a removable 4pt cage with a harness bar:

https://www.autopowerindustries.com/...s---cages.html

It'd take but a few minutes to install the roll bar and seat and harness for track days. (assuming you pick up a fixed bucket seat as well)

Then just remove it after race day and go back to street car status.

 

hmmm, now to determine if I'm too lazy to do all that...

 

you fit no where in the Honda Challenge rules with a turbo... and with an all motor D series you would have to swiss cheese the car to get to minimum weight (or spend a boat load to get down to weight)... i was just suggesting where to look for times, so when you are getting in the ball park, you should go down the safety rabbit hole. I know when I started, i was on 200TW tires and race brake pads, stock everything else. when i came back after a long absence, i was on 400TW tires, koni/GC, ITR brakes (on HP+), and ITR rear sway bar... before i did ANYTHING else (to include tires) I went down the safety rabbit hole (to include brake pads)... +120 in the stock seats and seat belt with a stripped interior was not too fun.

just remember, the difference between your times and the race times will likely be some "ballsy" corners.... you'll have the fundamentals like they do going through HPDE... but the next trick to lap times is advanced car control... and thats the risky stuff. HPDE instructors will teach you the safe way around the track, not always the fastest way around the track.

A fixed back seat has higher and "solid" side bolsters... this would make a 3 point seat belt with a fixed back race seat will sit above your body and would do you zero good in a front end impact or overturn.

I know guys that swap pads and rotors when they show up to the track... so they have the best brakes they can. the HP line up will likely only give you 2-3 laps of predictable braking when you pick up time. you can leave them out back, i only use parts store pads in the back (it took me 5 years to wear out a set worth replacing), but the front definitely need to be looked at... I prefer the Raybestos ST43s over any of the Hawk line up... but they can be pricey but they last a lot longer and are nicer to the rotors.

 

Yeah that's kind of what I thought, I get what you're saying now though! I'll go looking for times and compare.
I might just look into another OEM seat with more bolstering for now then, maybe some Recaros from the CTR or ITR. Thanks for the tips on Raybestos, I'll have to check those out, didn't know they made pads. My only experience with Raybesto was when I purchased some Raybesto brand aftermarket oem replacement suspension off rockauto in highschool for my old 94 eg coupe haha.

 

FWIW, I had a set of the ITR seats and they were a huge improvement over the factory units and still allow for the factory belt use. A 200tw will have enough grip to cause you to slide around in the seat some but it will be more manageable.

 

Here is some video from Barber:

 

Yeah there isn't much to do with the car other than safety and seat time, like Kaan already mentioned tires could be more aggressive when you burn through your current setup. The key to tires is, are you making full use of what your current tires have available. Are your inputs smooth as to not disturb the car's handling forcing yourself to make steering corrections while using up the entire width of the track. If you're not to that point yet, then upgrading tires is probably going to work against you. By which I mean the added grip is only going to cover up your mistakes, will the car be faster probably, however if you're unable to utilize all the current grip you have. When you have more of it, you won't know how to maximize it, you'll be making the same mistakes and you won't be making full use of the rubber.

Harnesses do help, and if you plan on installing them. Most events now will not allow you to pass tech inspection if you're using a bolt-in style harness bar like that Sparco one posted above. Majority of track day organizations now require a fixed back racing seat and 4 point roll bar such as an Autopower bar to use harnesses on track. You can't just have one or two of the three, you need to think of them as a system that all work synergistically.

 

As for brake setup, I may have something for you as an upgrade. I am soon parting my NSX Caliper setup to bump up to possible the ASR x AP Racing setup on my Honda Challenge H2 car. I have a ton of pads all brand new that will be available for it as well.

 

Looks like a really fun track!

 

Doesn't this require going 5 lug? Not sure I want to make that jump.

Yeah Barber is a great track. The grounds are also beautiful.

 

Didn't realize it/you were in Alabama. I almost bought a rental home in Calera. Ended up buying one in Memphis but have had my eyes on the Calera/Hoover/Pelham area for a while now. I love how you can buy a palace on 10 acres for like $450k. The RE I was working with was a sweetheart.

I'll have to start looking at places close to the race track now. Maybe I can retire there!

 

Does Tennessee have any good tracks? Absolutely need to retire near a track, just cruise on over there every weekend haha

 

Eric, no you don't need to go 5 lug for that setup. You utilize the 2011 Mini Cooper Base front brake rotors and the ITR caliper bracket with the NSX calipers and ITR/NSX Pads. Otherwise you use the NSX caliper brackets and redrill the NSX 28mm brake rotors to 4x100.

You have NCM near Bowling Green, Kentucky, Putnam Raceway in Southern Indiana, Road Atlanta not too much farther depending on where in Tennessee you decide to retire. Plenty of tracks if you extend out to 7 hours Gingerman, Autobahn Country Club, Mid Ohio, and so on.

 

Oh nice, from my reading it looks like I'd just need the bigger knuckle from the EX/SI too? My CX runs baby 9in rotors. Still probably more than I can afford at the moment though, unless you got a crazy low price

 

Dirty uses the Mini 11 inch rotors, ex knuckles, Legend calipers ,and DTC-60 pads up front, blues in the rear.
No drilling no alterations just bolts right up. Fits in a 15 inch wheel no problem.
Others might not like my pads, but I'll describe the stopping power as " its like being stopped by the hand of god!"
The Legend calipers are found in a few cars and minivans. Correct me if I'm wrong but i believe they are found in the
ITR, Odyssey minvan

 

Any chance you weighed that set up vs. stock before your threw it on? I've had the ITR calipers and Mini rotors chillin in my garage for a few years. My GSR stock brakes are adequate tho and I figured I was saving weight by not installing them, but I don't know if that's true.

 

You might be saving weight, but are you saving time?

If you're able to stop later, and faster, and more heat dissipation...what is a few pounds? Just poop more

 

The mini/ITR (legend or nsx) weight more... but they stop much better. your GSR brake are the same as the LS/RS brakes, the GSR didnt come with anything special.

Depending on the track, brakes are worth quite a bit of time... weight be damned. Any brake you can lock up is adequate, and i've locked up Toyo RRs on GSR/RS/LS calipers... so yes they are adequate but they arent letting you push braking zones, especially all session. The GSR/RS/LS has a 10.3 inch rotor vs. the 11.1 inch mini rotor... the heat capacity is much greater and the leverage is also much greater.

I even went to a heavier wheel to fit my 986/Mini brakes... more leverage, more heat capacity, more feel... shrinking braking zones with a "less aggressive" pad.