Evasive Motorsports and HKS Team up to Turn the Type R to 11
When Evasive Motorsports acquired a new Civic Type R they didn't waste any time upgrading the chassis. Then HKS came calling. They needed a partner to show off their new lineup of parts at that years SEMA show. With that, a dream team was assembled and what might be the perfect street/track FK8 was born.
Making a good car better
The FK8 Civic Type R is already an incredibly fast car. It held the FWD lap record at the Nurburgring for two years, Renault had to build a race car and call it a street car just to get a 3 second faster lap time. So how do you take a car that Honda already turned up to 10 any higher? Well, a good first step would be to call Evasive Motorsports and HKS.
Images courtesy of Super Street
The dream team
Neither of those aforementioned names should be new to you. Evasive Motorsports has gotten quite a reputation over the past decade for their ability to outfit and prep cars for the likes of Global Time Attack and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. So when Randy Lew of Evasive bought his FK8 Type R it was already in good hands. When a deal was struck to team up with legendary Japanese tuner/parts manufacturer HKS for their return to SEMA, things just got better.
Images courtesy of Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this Evasive Motorsports's Type R right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Getting set up for more power
Before more power was added to the chassis the team at Evasive got to work making sure the car would be able to easily handle the extra power. Luckily the FK8 chassis is already solid so no major changes were needed here. A set of HKS Hipermax IV coilovers and EVS Tuning rear camber arms allowed the team to get the suspension dialed into their exacting specifications. I always thought the FK8 Type R came with too big of wheels, and it seems the Evasive team agrees, opting for a lighter set of 18x9.5 Advan TC4 wheels wrapped in super sticky 265/35R18 Yokohama Advan A052 tires.
Images courtesy of Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this Evasive Motorsports's Type R right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Safe and comfortable
To further enhance the chassis the team at Evasive also designed and installed a 4 point roll bar. Not only did this help stiffen the already quite stiff chassis, but it also added a harness bar, something that would be necessary once the Bride Gardis III and Zeta III seats were installed. Installation of the roll bar also necessitated the removal of the rear seats, but that was just extra weight anyway. You might not be able to take your friends anywhere now, but who needs friends when you have a race car?
It should be noted, Evasive also determined that the stock braking system was more than capable, and short of changing out the fluid, left it alone. So if your looking to upgrade your Type R, might be wise to spend your money elsewhere.
Images courtesy of Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this Evasive Motorsports's Type R right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Getting the engine ready
Chassis all set up and ready to go, it was time to throw some HKS goodies at the engine and turn up the boost. HKS offered up their complete intake and Legamax Premium exhaust, upgraded front mount intercooler, oil cooler kit, and of course the iconic HKS SSQV4 blow off valve. With all the parts installed Keisuke Morita, General Manager of HKS USA got to work on the Hondata FlashPro tuning the car for 100 octane fuel.
Images courtesy of Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this Evasive Motorsports's Type R right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Tuning in more power and keeping it cool
With the tune complete, the car put down 383 hp and 376 lb-ft torque at the wheels. That is a significant bump over stock. Most FK8 Type R’s are dynoing around 290 hp 270 lb-ft from the factory. Of course with great power comes great...heat. The Type R already suffers from getting too hot when pushed at the track, and considering this one was heading for Super Lap Battle after the SEMA show, upgrading the cooling proved necessary. With a larger radiator and some trick ceramic coated turbo piping installed the car remained cool.
Images courtesy of Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this Evasive Motorsports's Type R right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
Track day star
At Super Lap Battle the car was entered into the Street class and managed to take home a second place finish with a time of 1:55.756 around Buttonwillow. Not bad for a first time out on a car with just bolt ons! The team at Evasive and HKS have proven that the new Civic Type R doesn’t need a ton of extra work put into it to make it a beast on the track. Choosing the right parts and setting up the chassis correctly is all it takes to turn the FK8 up to 11.
Images courtesy of Super Street
>>Join the conversation about this Evasive Motorsports's Type R right here in the Honda-Tech Forum!
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