RSX Type R

Engine

Engine Code: K20A
Type: Inline-4, aluminum block and head
Internal Modifications: Type R engine
External Modifications: Type R "tri-Y" exhaust system, Ziel Bullet titanium muffler
Drivetrain Layout: Front engine, front-wheel drive
Drivetrain Modifications: Type R transmission, final drive, limited slip and flywheel

SUSPENSION
Front: JIC adjustable coilovers, 15 position adjustable monotube shocks, Type R lower control arms
Rear: JIC adjustable coilovers, 15 postion adjustable monotube shocks Brakes
Front: Brembo 300mm rotors, Brembo 4 piston calipers
Rear: Stock
External
Wheels: Front/rear:18x7.5 Racing Hart CP35R
Tires: Front/rear: 225/40ZR-18 Pirelli SuperSport Performance

PERFORMANCE
Horsepower: 178.5
Torque: 132.5

I remember the first time I drove a Type R. It was an Integra, powered by the now-famous B18C5. The year was 1997, and the road was, well, let's keep that part to ourselves. Needless to say, the road was perfect, exactly the kind of winding mountainous terrain the Type R was designed for. Over 22 miles of hills, dips, sharp corners, fast bends, off-camber and banked goodness, and the Type R ate it up and asked for more. The car responded to my every whim, taking punishment gracefully, gobbling up pavement like a dot-commer taking stock options.

I was obsessed. The car was like a drug, and when I wasn't driving it, my body was craving the sensations of the wheel in my hands, the engine screaming in my ears, inertia pulling and tugging at my brain as the car whipped through turns. I'd fondle the key in my pocket as I wandered the halls like an addict fingering his pipe, waiting for the next hit.

Of course, I gave back the car, and since the Betty Ford Clinic has no rehab program for Type R addicts, I've remained hooked. Occasional flirtations with Type Rs since then have only reinforced my craving, and I've vowed to get behind the wheel at any opportunity.

Which was why I had trouble maintaining my professionalism when a new RSX Type R was offered to me. The offer came from Ziel Motorsports, the American importer of the Japanese suspension manufacturer JIC. If you read our sister publication, Sport Compact Car, you're probably already familiar with Ziel. The company has made a name for itself not just by offering Japanese-spec suspensions, but by tuning them specifically for American roads. JDM suspension kits are notoriously stiff. Nobody is quite sure why this is, because it's not like Japanese streets are glassy smooth, but stiff they are. When they are installed on American cars, the owners are invariably treated to a rough, bone-jarring ride. It is often intolerable, even if the handling is superior.