Project Civic Si: The Ultimate Track and Road Car?

It’s a street car that excels on track. Or maybe it’s a track car that’s totally benign on the street.

Either way, our 2019 Honda Civic Si continued to impress us this past weekend at our Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge as it was used to give media rides.

Prep was easy. It’s a Honda, right? We’re still running …

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Just bumping this up with a question: Anyone else out there running those Goodyear Eagle Sport All-Season tires?

Ours are wearing like iron. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I had a set on my 2015 Si and they weren’t too bad despite my 17 year old learning to autocross on them all last season. I found the wet grip lacking for all seasons though. 

sjd said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I had a set on my 2015 Si and they weren’t too bad despite my 17 year old learning to autocross on them all last season. I found the wet grip lacking for all seasons though. 

It no longer rains here in the South, so we're good there. 

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I picked up my Si slightly used last October and the tires still look great after almost 20K miles. I keep thinking I should park the 944 and take the Si to track days instead.

What brake pads you go with...also did you switch brake fluid? Great to follow the fun and progress! I have a 19’ 4 door  Si.

David S. Wallens said:

sjd said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I had a set on my 2015 Si and they weren’t too bad despite my 17 year old learning to autocross on them all last season. I found the wet grip lacking for all seasons though. 

It no longer rains here in the South, so we're good there. 

Thanks for posting this, David.  Maybe it's the reason we got about an hour of steady rain here today!

In reply to Floating Doc :

Yeah, right after I washed the Mercedes! 

Floating Doc said:

David S. Wallens said:

sjd said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I had a set on my 2015 Si and they weren’t too bad despite my 17 year old learning to autocross on them all last season. I found the wet grip lacking for all seasons though. 

It no longer rains here in the South, so we're good there. 

Thanks for posting this, David.  Maybe it's the reason we got about an hour of steady rain here today!

Today my wife had rain at her office on the other side of town, but it's still dry as a bone here at the house. 

mcarter45 said:

What brake pads you go with...also did you switch brake fluid? Great to follow the fun and progress! I have a 19’ 4 door  Si.

We installed some standard replacement pads--nothing special--but I have Hawk on the other line. Fluid is still stock but will be changed soon. 

I'm blown away that you can track an economy car on stock brakes and tires and not melt everything down. I know it's and Si, but come on, that's amazing. 

David S. Wallens said:

sjd said:

In reply to David S. Wallens :

I had a set on my 2015 Si and they weren’t too bad despite my 17 year old learning to autocross on them all last season. I found the wet grip lacking for all seasons though. 

It no longer rains here in the South, so we're good there. 

My backyard might have a different opinion on that as it's an inch under water from all the rain in Chuluota 

mazdeuce - Seth said:

I'm blown away that you can track an economy car on stock brakes and tires and not melt everything down. I know it's and Si, but come on, that's amazing. 

it is amazing. I had a 2010 Si 4-door that I ran 2 PDXs and a whole season of autox on with the same factory brake pads that were also used for DDing. Same with the tires that came on it at the time which were Michellin All-Seasons as well. I blew through the stock pads on my 2015 STI in less than 20 mins once. Threw some Stoptech prem performance street pads in there for the next session and they lasted through mult autox, PDXs, and DDing use as well. 

MCarter45 - I would look at some Hawk HPS Street Pads or Stoptech premium performance street and a street/track brake fluid like an ATE Type 200 or a DOT4.  

In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :

I ran my '98 ZX2 compleatly stock at a track day at Lime Rock, did the same with my Contour SE.    Nothing bad happened.

I drove one of these Today at the Mineral Wells Prosolo when my STH ride blew up yesterday. 

I was majorly impressed, these are just absolutely phenomenal to drive.

Add a rear sway bar, the Eibach 25mm bar they market for the Type R was on the car I drove and the car that won the class. Simple and effective. the Karcepts bar is also solid. just different kind of poison. 

The Diff was a life changing experience for me. My focus ST requires me to touch the brakes or lift to get the nose to tuck mid corner. the Si will pull towards the apex on throttle thanks to the Diff. 

I had the inkling it would drive this way after driving the '09 Si I just bought back in April. But the mid midrange torque from the turbo with almost no lag and the great diff is a powerful combo for Autox. even if the power levels aren't life changing out of the box. 

I test drove an 18 model Civic Si with 9K miles on the odo in Denton, TX. The asking price was the same as a new, fresh off the truck 2019 model at a local Honda dealer. I test drove it anyway, and was sold on handling and no drama suspension, and the peppy 1.5 turbo after 20 miles of driving the thing. I could not wait to sell my 2017 ST with only 11 K miles on it, including two sets of Enkei wheels, fresh BFG Rival 1.5's sized 255 40 17, and a set of RE 71 R Bridgestones that were over half tread. Never mind the Strano rear bar ad BRG exhaust system...I sold it within a week, and within another week I had my 2019 pearl white Civic Si coupe sitting in the garage where the ST resided for 20 months. 

To say I am impressed with this car even after 5 months of owner ship and 2500 miles, with no mods other than muffler delete for 150 bucks, 17x8 Hypergram wheels by Konig weighing only 16.3 lbs each, and 255 40 17 RE 71 R tires, would be an understatement. No alignment, no rear bar, or other mods whatsoever yet, and with 10 autocrosses, including a Tour, a Faux Pro Solo, and the Mineral Wells,, TX Pro this past weekend I am loving it more and more. Ordering new rear bar tomorrow...

As a side note, I'm 76 years old and at the first dealer I walked into the young salesman lamented rather quickly that I did not want an Si...it was a young man's car and could only be had with a stick shift. (at least he knew that much about the car) but instead wanted to steer me toward the fancier sedan with the awesome 1.5 and CVT auto transmission. He later revealed they did not have an Si in stock at that time, but would call me when the red Si sedan arrived....which he did while I was driving around in my freshly purchased white pearl Civic Si coupe...

In reply to OzCop :

you did good this weekend. I'm glad you're liking the Si more than the ST. 

But what were the lap times?