You've seen the letters "Type R" on everything from Geo Storms to Ford Escorts. But rarely, if ever, do you see them on the real thing. An actual, bona fide, limited-production Honda or Acura with the balls to back up the badge is as uncommon on these shores as a six-foot blonde with double Ds at a Mensa meeting.
Which is why the monkeys in the Integra GS-R think they can take us. We're sitting at a stoplight in Hasport's Civic Type R. The chimps are in the next lane. From the way the driver is revving his engine, we're sure he and his carload of primates have written off our yellow Si as just that-an Si with all the wrong stickers.
Wrong. We're driving what is likely the most unique hybrid Honda roaming the streets today. It's a new 2002 Si powered by a 200-hp K20 from an RSX Type-S (check out the engine swap in detail on page 80), which essentially makes it the Civic Type R Honda sells in Europe and Japan.
When the light goes green, we stomp Mr. Monkey, leaving him bamboozled. No, make that discombobulated. He doesn't know what's up. He leaves with his tail between his legs, no doubt in search of a Geo Storm Type R to pick on.
Welcome to the New World Order.
Because the H company's line of B-series engines will fit in practically any of its modern chassis, many tuners have made their names putting engine B into chassis A. Swapping these practical, powerful and efficient powerplants into lighter, more compact cars has become the bread and butter of nearly every Honda shop worth its salt in the last five years. That was then.
Today, the swap formulas for Honda's new K-series engines and current platforms are only beginning to be written. And in this case, they're being written by one of the most experienced swapmeisters in the business-Hasport.
This month, we've gathered Hasport's latest hybrid creation, with a stock Civic Si and a stock RSX Type-S for track comparison. Testing one without the other just didn't seem right, plus we hadn't gone to the test track with a stock Si yet and felt like it was time we got around to it.
However, there's one major hitch to every measurement made in this test. Heat. Unbearable, unrelenting and overwhelming heat. The kind that kills horsepower and soaks into the soul. We recorded ambient temperatures of 114 degrees on this test day, so if these numbers seem slow, it's because they are. The data generated in this test can't fairly be compared to any other test numbers printed in SCC before or since. This is especially true because Honda's engines are traditionally extremely sensitive to intake air temperature.
Still, because these cars were tested on the same day, on the same track, while being driven by the same driver, the numbers do tell a story when compared to one another.
Acura RSX Type-S and Honda Civic SiOn paper, these two cars are very similar. Sharing the same tight platform and engine block, they're brothers at heart. Still, a careful look at the specs reveals some interesting data. Both cars share a 101.2-in. wheelbase and, according to Honda and Acura, have nearly identical curb weights (the RSX is 1 lb heavier at 2,775 lbs). Track widths are within 1 inch of each other and overall height is similar, with the Civic being slightly taller (56.5 in. vs. 55.1 in.) The RSX, however, is almost 7 inches longer, overall.
It's under the hood where the most critical changes take place. Both cars are fitted with 2.0-liter, DOHC i-VTEC engines, but the RSX engine gets the real VTEC while the Civic is stuck with a sissy version. Higher compression, a more efficient head design, a higher redline and significant bottom-end changes result in a 40-hp bump in performance in the RSX powerplant, which is rated at 200 hp and 142 lb-ft of torque vs. the Si's 160 hp and 132 lb-ft of torque.