Don't Take Our Word for It (Si part 1)
We work closely with our customers to put together a performance package for their car that best fits their needs. The new Civic Si is a great car out of the box, but it's not perfect. And when you take it to the track, as the customer in this case study does, the weaknesses are amplified. The Si has plenty of motor, but is lacking in the braking and grip departments.
We found this out rather quickly when we took our bone stock project Si coupe to the track this past spring. We have already upgraded the wheel/tire combo to increase grip (235 width Bridgestone Potenza RE01-R tires mounted on lightweight 18" Volk Racing wheels). Our next step will be a big brake kit as well as a full on Moton Racing remote reservoir coil-over suspension with custom VRPerformance camber plates and shock mounts.
But you don't need to go all out to see an immediate improvement. Well thought out incremental upgrades can sometimes be enough for the casual track star.
Case in point: we put a package together for a customer's Civic Si sedan that, for minimal money, pretty much transformed the car. The combination included 225 sized Potenza RE01-R tires on lightweight 17 inch rims, Eibach sport lowering springs, camber bolts, DBA 4000 series slotted front rotors, Hawk Plus track pads and high temp brake fluid. Finally, we did a 4 wheel ailgnment specifically for track/street performance driving.
Here's what our customer had to say of the results:
OMG! You (and Eric) have put another pillar under your VRPerformance sign! My already very good Civic Si under your guiding hand promises to be outstanding at the track.
I finally got to take the car out this a.m. at daybreak without passengers or cargo. My plan was to stress the brakes a little to bed them and see what I had.
Well, even though the roads were empty I wanted more, so I went to a church parking lot I’m familiar with that has a couple acres of blacktop, turned off the headlights, put down the windows, and went to work.
Man it was formidable! The brakes are brilliant: firm and dramatic before the ABS kicks in. The tires are skid-pad tenacious with very little squeal until the limits. And the turn-in puts the radio station at the other end of the dial.
A semi driver coming down the main road downshifted to a crawl to watch the shenanigans.
So for bargain money I believe I’m getting a taste of what more experienced drivers are doing with the mods they make to their track cars that make them so fun, fast, and good.
Comments
Horst and Eric,
I forgot to mention earlier too that the alignment you did was perfect.
I did get out with the Lotus Club at Waterford shortly after your work on the car and as expected the day was a great success.
I’m really looking forward to tweaking my Si some more this winter at your place.
Thanks again,
Dave
Posted by: Dave Seemann | September 15, 2007 03:32 AM