Out of the box, the FK2 Civic Type R is a fantastic car, but as any petrolhead will know the Type R has also traditionally been a fantastic base for performance tuning as well.
On top of that, while the FK2 boasts some serious credentials it does have a few drawbacks, some of which at least could easily be rectified with a quick trip to the aftermarket.
Below we list some of the best modifications you can make to the FK2 Type R, whether it’s for style, sound or performance.
Exhaust mods
Easily one of the most complained-about things on the FK2 is that the exhaust note doesn’t sound terrific. In fact, it sounds pretty plain terrible. Part of that is thanks to the fact that the turbocharged engine isn’t particularly tuneful, but in our opinion the stock exhaust is much too restrictive too.
For us personally, this is one of our biggest gripes with the car and if we owned one ourselves this would likely be towards the top of our to-do list.
Luckily there’s a wealth of different aftermarket exhaust options available, with some of the best being those offered by Derby-based company Milltek. Most popular is the cat-back exhaust system, which is road legal and modifies your exhaust from the catalytic converter backwards.
Milltek claims it’ll make the car sound much better and reduce the droning note of the stock exhaust, while also boosting horsepower. You can choose from resonated and non-resonated systems depending on how loud you want it to be, and prices start from roughly £1,300.
Other popular exhaust kits include cat-back exhausts from Cobra Sport, which starts from approximately £1,200 and which the manufacturer says deepens the sound without making it any louder, as well as Remus’s Valvetronic exhaust, which for £1,488 includes a remote control system for altering the volume on the move.
Remaps and power mods
You might think that 306bhp going through the front wheels is plenty of power, but for some there’s just no such thing as too much horsepower. If you’re a subscriber to that particular line of thinking, you’ll likely be interested in some remaps and power mods to further boost the Type R’s output.
Turbo engines like the one in the FK2 are normally fairly simple to get more power from; all you have to do is give it a quick remap or crank up the turbocharger’s boost pressure to get an instant hit of extra horsies.
For £400 Evolve Automotive offers an ECU remap service which it says has been dyno proven to boost the FK2’s output up to 358bhp, some 52bhp more than stock. Evolve says the tune also boosts torque by 81Nm, removes the top speed limiter and also sharpens throttle response and driveability.
With a few choice modifications the FK2 Type R can make even more power, and one of the most useful mods for making huge horsepower will be an uprated intercooler to better cool the turbocharger; Forge Motorsport offers an intercooler kit for £621 which will make the most of any remaps.
With a larger intercooler, a remap and a bigger exhaust, AmD Tuning in Essex says that it’s able to boost horsepower from anywhere between 316bhp to a mammoth 400bhp depending on customer requirements. Best of all? The AmD treatment costs just £500 for its tune.
Suspension and handling mods
As anyone who’s ever driven the FK2 will know, it can be a pretty uncompromising car, particularly in terms of its ride. As a result, it’s understandable that many buyers will want to swap out the stock suspension to make the ride much more pliable.
A good set of aftermarket coilovers should be high on your priority list, with any from reputable manufacturers like Eibach, HKS or Tein worthy additions to the car which are simple to install and can absolutely transform the way it drives.
KW Suspensions’ V3 coilover kit for the FK2 costs a reasonable £1,600 and, like most good coilovers, features independently-adjustable rebound and compression damping so drivers can change the setup on each corner individually.
That means that if the stock ride is too stiff it can be loosened up for everyday driving and then, with a few simple clicks of a rotary wheel, it can be made tauter for track driving. KW also says that its V3 kit has been independently proven to improve the Type R’s lap times.
Speaking of lap times, if you’re a keen track driver you might want to consider things like polyurethane bushings and a front strut brace, both of which can be picked up relatively cheaply from any good performance and tuning retailer.
Aesthetic mods
Although the FK2 is already pretty aggressive looking, many buyers will want to improve the looks of their car with some aftermarket aesthetic add-ons. We’d urge restraint when choosing styling mods and advise you not to go overboard with things like underglow LEDs, but there are some tasteful aftermarket options which will make your car stand out even more down your local tuner meet.
Arguably the best come from long-time Honda tuner Mugen, with the brand offering extreme but functional additions like a highly aggressive front bumper and rear splitter, to a giant high-level rear wing.
It’s high quality stuff, but the Mugen additions are expensive with each part costing approximately £1,500 apiece. For those with a more limited budget there are other things, notably a vented carbon fibre bonnet made by Tegiwa which looks great and reduces unsprung weight for track use, along with matching carbon brake vents.
For those who like to crack the bonnet open there’s also a range of various dress-up options available, like a full carbon fibre engine cover made by Eventuri which costs £479, and a £336 carbon slam panel from Tegiwa.
