TheDonEffect

That's cool, what mods you got done? How is it at launch? How is it when you get on it at the corner exit? All the fwd cars I've owned driven (ep3, 9th gen si, handful of others) wanted to understeer which made me get off the gas and steer it, while safer and probably saved me from an expensive day was very anti climatic, whereas the rwd and awd cars let me keep the power on. Given your name boosted 180sx I'm sure you're no stranger to rwd cars with power.

boosted180sx

it's not my car, so it's just what I been told. Launch seemed fine, idk about corner exit though.
I've personally never driven the ep3 but god the 9th gen SI I traded in for the CTR had HORRIBLE torque steer. The torque steer/understeer is night and day compared to that car. You would be probably be surprised that the car will keep tucking in when you are in a turn. Probably the most least FWD feeling FWD I have driven.
I never really had a high power RWD car but I did have ~280whp S13, then a S14, and still have the S2000 currently, so I'm not a stranger to the RWD feel that you are talking about. It's one of the reasons why I still kept the S2000. As great as the CTR is, it doesn't give you the same "feel" as a RWD car but it's far from a understeering torque steer machine.

iforyou

I see. Thought you were talking about torque steer. I exaggerated about the torque steer part to make my point. In reality, the FK2-R has about 55% less torque steer than the equivalent non type R model. That's the European 9th gen Civic. I'm not sure what the reduction in torque steer is for the FK8, but given that the car was designed with the Type R model in mind from the beginning, I'd say there's ought to be some improvement over the FK2 in this aspect.

We can do some math here. Typically, when do you start getting torque steer in a car, specifically, a non Type R 10th gen Civic? Perhaps we can use the regular Civic hatchback with 177 lbft of torque as a reference? That car doesn't exhibit any torque steer from the reviews I've read thus far. If the Fk8 reduces torque steer by 50%, which is very conserative as this is assuming the FK8 has more torque steer than the Fk2, that means to get the same level of torque steer as the Fk7, you will need 354lbft of torque. Remember, the Fk7 with 177lbft of torque doesn't have any torque steer issue. That's now equivalent to the Fk8 making 354lbft in terms of torque steer. And if we go with 60% torque steer reduction instead of 50%, that figure jumps to 442lbft. By that time, I think we have to worry about getting the power to the ground rather than torque steer. And I don't know, I'm not a strong guy, but I think I can handle a little torque steering

We really need to understand why there's torque steer. Once we understand that, then we will understand why there's so little torque steer in the Fk8. Remember, the torque moment is a product of offset and tractive force. If the offset is small, then you will need a lot of force to cause any torque steer.

That's exactly what a noob like me did :

I think it's more complicated than just 400hp FWD vs 400hp RWD vs 400hp AWD. That is too generalized. You can have a 400hp AWD Lincoln MKZ, or a 400hp well tuned and modified R34 GT-R, giving you vastly different results.

The idea here is that, every car is different. While in theory, RWD > AWD > FWD, there are variables that have to be factored in for each car. It's just that the FK8 from the factory is pretty well tuned and can put down its torque and power really well with its suspension, chassis, LSD, etc. It also helps that tire technology has improved a lot in recent years, which helps FWD cars with putting power down more effectively than ever before. Perhaps the limit back i the days was 300hp. But now, that limit has been pushed far higher.

Oversteer and understeer can be tuned into a car. Here's an example of my EK oversteering....to the point of spinning out, while getting back on the gas:

Don't get me wrong, this isn't a debate of FWD vs RWD vs AWD. Just pointing out that certain FWD cars can do a pretty decent job with resisting understeering and putting power down effectively and setting decent lap times.

TheDonEffect

At stock power levels, and that's where the RS and the R have the advantage.

boosted180sx

I think most people who would be doing any kind of road racing would probably stay around 400-450 so i'm sure the characteristics of the car wouldn't change much.

WolfpackS2k

That's great and all, but you can't cheat physics and then end result of a 300+ hp front wheel drive car driven in anger is destruction of the front tires. OEM spec replacement tires are $321/each. You can probably beat that with something aftermarket, but destroying $600 worth of tires over a track weekend doesn't strike me as as good thing.

TheDonEffect

Color me skeptical.

iforyou

Haha I see where you are coming from. I don't know about the others, but for people who regular attend track days, many carry a set of dedicated track rims and tires, whether the car is a Miata, S2000, Civic, Porsche, Corvette, etc.

I don't think the OEM tires will get destroyed in one track weekend unless you are doing something seriously wrong. Agreed that the front tires are likely to wear faster than a RWD car. From my experience of tracking my s2000 and FK8, I didn't notice a huge difference in tire wear. I'm sure if you over drive either car, you will be destroying tires for sure, whether it's a FK8 or a S2000.

ishtori5

The CTR laps the Nürburgring faster than RS and R. Exactly what advantage do they have over the CTR?

rwheelz

On a smaller course, with lower speed turns and where the vehicle is accelerating hard out of low speed turns. Or on anything other than warm, dry pavement. I don't know the answer, but how does the braking compare?