Back in
the 1990s and early 2000s, Hondas were the cars to have when it came to
the import and sport compact scene in the USA. Sure, there were Supras
and turbocharged RX-7s for those who had the budget, but Civics and
Integras were the cars of the people. But
as the years went on, some of the people who cut their teeth building
and driving modified Hondas started to move on to other cars. Some began
to flirt with drifting. Some jumped into Impreza STIs and Lancer
Evolutions. And some moved on to higher-end European machinery when they
grew up and got good jobs. You
might think that this cycle would cause a big decline in the attraction
to Hondas, but a visit to a car show, drag event or race circuit today
suggests it’s not the case. No,
the cars might not be the dominant force they once were, but the
passion for Hondas from 1990s and early 2000s seems as strong as it ever
was. In fact, the scene has matured so much that most would say today’s
modified Civics and Integras are better than the ones you’d see 10 or
15 years ago. Import
drag racing in the US might have fallen from its peak in the early
2000s, but head to a local drag night and you’re bound to find a couple
of Civics with fat slicks up front turning in very quick ETs. The days
of crazy body kits and vinyl graphics might be behind us, but car shows
these days are full of immaculately-detailed Honda builds with engine
bays so clean you could eat off them. It’s
the same at time attack events. Head to the track and you’re likely to
find a bunch of all-wheel drive turbo machines and traditional
rear-wheel drive sportscars, but there will also be a bunch of guys out
there ripping it up in their FWD Hondas. One
those guys is Loi from Loi-Spec Garage. For a few years Loi and his
buddies have been building and driving some of the most balanced Honda
track/street cars on the West Coast, and Loi’s personal weapon of choice
is this DC2 Integra Type R.
CHAPTER TWO
Type R Life
The
Type R is still considered to be a legend among the Honda faithful, and
Loi knew the R’s chassis and suspension improvements over the lesser
models would come in handy when it came to building a track car. Loi
spent two years racing his Type R with the original B18C5 engine. He
performed a few basic upgrades and with 165 horsepower at the front
wheels, he piloted the car to a very respectable 2:02 lap time on
Buttonwillow’s 13CW track configuration. But
as the track days piled on, Loi started to feel like the car was
lacking in the power department. He began to consider his options, and
this led him to a solution that many of his fellow Honda owners were
already using in their track builds. That
would be the K-series engine swap. As it turns out, Loi found a good
deal on an RSX Type S K20 setup. He acquired the parts he needed for the
swap, dropped in the new motor, and with a modest tune had the car
putting down 210 horsepower to the wheels. He
would do four track days with new setup, but on the fifth one he
discovered a problem that wasn’t uncommon to heavily tracked K-motors –
rod knock. He knew the motor was toast, and that he was back at square
one. Loi
already had a small taste of the K-life and loved it, so it wasn’t a
tough choice to stick with that plan. He ordered a brand new K20Z3 R Dot
block from Honda along with a 6-speed Type R transmission and an OS
Giken 1-way LSD. While
he was already impressed with the K20’s abilities in naturally
aspirated form, he decided he would take things even further with the
rebuild. It was time for boost. More
specifically, Loi went with a Kraftwerks K-series race supercharger
kit, along with more aggressive cams, valve springs and retainers, and
an upgraded fuel system. With
the blower, all of the engine work and a Hondata K-Pro V3 tune, the
Integra’s new engine setup made 350 horsepower and 212 pound feet of
torque to the front wheels.
FINAL CHAPTER
Time Under Attack
Combined
with the necessary chassis and suspension upgrades, like Eibach
coilovers and Spoon front brakes, the car seemed to have all the tools
to attack Buttonwillow in a big way. Let’s
not forget the functional exterior setup either, which includes a
custom front splitter, aluminum racing side skirts and a Voltex Type 1
GT wing. And
helping to put all of this new-found power to the ground is a set of
255/40 Nitto NT01s wrapped around a staggered set of RAYS Volk Racing
TE37s – 17×9-inch up front and 17×7.5-inch in the rear. Shortly
after completing the rebuild, Loi headed for Buttonwillow where he was
anxious to get the car on the track with the new powerplant. He
immediately found that with 350 horsepower going to the wheels the car
was a very different animal. Going through corners flat-footed was going
to be much more difficult now than it was before. Even
so, Loi was extremely impressed with the additional power, and he’s
been working on getting used to the car’s increased performance. On a
recent shakedown outing to Buttonwillow, the DC2 put down a 1:58 lap
time – a massive jump from the previous setup. In
terms of future plans, Loi says he doesn’t envision changing much on
the car’s setup for now. Instead, he wants to focus on honing his
driving technique and has a goal of improving his personal best lap with
each visit to the track. Spoken like a true time attacker. It’s
amazing to think that it’s been about 20 years since the Honda tuning
movement really began to pick up in the United States. While there have
been plenty of changes in those years, cars like Loi’s Integra show the
passion for Hondas isn’t going anywhere. Long live the VTEC dream!
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