I'm Sick Of 'Explaining' The Honda Civic Type R's Aero

I've been driving our FK8 Type R longtermer for just over a month, and there's one thing about it that annoys the hell out of me!
I'm Sick Of 'Explaining' The Honda Civic Type R's Aero

The Honda Civic Type R is mega. It’s packing 316bhp, possesses pin-point driving dynamics thanks to a mechanical limited-slip diff, dual axis strut front and fat tyres, and is the only car in its class whose aero package provides negative lift - pretty cool, huh?

And while the FK8 is blessed with negative lift, it’s exactly this which is also its curse. And that’s because anyone I’ve ever shown the car to has said the same thing: “It looks like you drove it through Halfords, mate!” Sigh.

Negative lift was increased over the FK8's predecessor, the FK2, but rivals like the Megane RS Trophy do without big wings
Negative lift was increased over the FK8's predecessor, the FK2, but…

Yes, the FK8’s big wing, swollen arches and vortex generators might look like an afterthought to the plebeian eye (and Honda seem to have recognised the ‘issue’ judging by this smaller-winged prototype), but as is now my default answer “it’s all there for a reason.”

Straight after saying this, there’s always an awkward pause like the one you’d get when you tell a friend that you accidentally slept with their sister, so to avoid confrontation I like to follow up with “fun fact: the Type R is the only car in its class that produces negative lift!”

Unfortunately for me, though, the eyes of the person I’m talking to have glazed over by the time I’ve delivered the killer ‘negative lift’ line, meaning that no matter how hard I try, the Type R will always look stupid to them.

I'm Sick Of 'Explaining' The Honda Civic Type R's Aero

Which is a shame, because I really love the way it looks, I enjoy the attention it gets, and I appreciate being able to load the back up with two bikes and a dog without it breaking a sweat. The 20-inch wheels are, for my liking, too big, resulting in a ride that’s always been on the harsh side of firm.

That said, though, it’s a decent daily, a wicked track car and always a talking point. I like it so much, in fact, I even spent hours cleaning it a few weeks back, which is the first time I’ve ever cleaned a press car by hand.

So go on, then: does the negative lift excuse get a thumbs up or thumbs down from you?

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Comments

Anonymous

I think it looks so cool

05/11/2019 - 09:21 |
30 | 0
Anonymous

Negative lift, or as normal people say it; downforce.

05/11/2019 - 09:44 |
110 | 4
675LT_ftw

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Negative lift sounds more engineering-y tho 😂

05/11/2019 - 19:37 |
6 | 2
DL🏁

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

“Planes use negative downforce to fly”

05/12/2019 - 08:42 |
46 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Not quite, a base car is designed to generate lift. In the past the wings didn’t generate enough down force to cancel out the lift, so it generates down force, but not negative lift.

This car generates enough down force to create negative lift. The two items are not mutually exclusive.

Example, a car is going 70mph, to save fuel the manufacturer designed it to have 100kg of lift at those speeds. Then someone thinks it needs a wing that generates 99kg of down force, it still had 1kg of lift at 70mph. This aero package could make 101kg of down force, it now generates 1kg of negative lift at 70mph.

05/12/2019 - 14:11 |
24 | 0
UltimaSanctus

I wouldn’t buy one because i hate the looks but i respect the hell out of the engineers that made this thing so capable

05/11/2019 - 10:45 |
26 | 0

I am agree; if the new design is more simplicity, without all these fake vent, I would like this car more.

05/11/2019 - 18:58 |
2 | 2
Anonymous

Article sounds like it was written by a disgruntled 12 year old, honestly the quality of this site is going downhill real quick.

05/11/2019 - 11:01 |
0 | 18
CannedRex24

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

write your own article then.

lets see how good that would be….

05/11/2019 - 11:45 |
2 | 2
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Only one acting like a twelve-year-old here is you, so maybe you should leave seeing as you’re useless anyway. Also while you’re at it change your profile picture to make you look a bit more grown up

05/11/2019 - 12:15 |
8 | 4
Alex Kersten

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

Says the 12-year-old troll…

05/11/2019 - 13:14 |
10 | 4
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

comment sounds like it was written by a disgruntled 12 year old, honestly the quality of the comments is going downhill real quick

05/11/2019 - 16:24 |
4 | 4
Anonymous

It’s not the only car in it’s class that produces negative lift, the Golf GTI Cubsport S also manages it. Difference is, the Golf doesn’t look like an over styled mess while doing it.

05/11/2019 - 11:04 |
0 | 4
Chewbacca_buddy (McLaren squad)(VW GTI Clubsport)(McLaren 60

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

In the flesh it’s not bad. It’s like the WRX STI but no one complains about that

05/11/2019 - 11:44 |
2 | 0
Anonymous

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

The Civic looks like an STI, the look may not be for everyone but a lot of people do like it (as well as many who don’t).

05/11/2019 - 13:49 |
0 | 0
TheStigsAmericanCousin

if you like it who cares

05/11/2019 - 11:33 |
2 | 0
CannedRex24

so the real question is,

did you drive it through Halfords?

05/11/2019 - 11:44 |
14 | 0
REAL_sluggo

“I’m Sick Of ‘Explaining’ The Honda Civic Type R’s Aero” - That’s bcz it’s FrontWD; and it has a wing… The COCKFactor of any Daily Driver with a wing is an automatic 8+ on a scale 1-10.

Wings are for Track Days and Racing; while FrontWD is an illiterate engineering response that is bourne of shambolic PC-thinking and facile awkwardness

05/11/2019 - 14:32 |
0 | 12
Olivier (CT's grammar commie)

In reply to by REAL_sluggo

i OnLy DriVe rWD cArS bCoZ ThEiR tHe BeSt

05/11/2019 - 14:58 |
10 | 0

The Nissan GTR-LM LMP1 car was fwd. Cornering and aerodynamic balance is key to a fast car around a track, whether or not it’s fwd. With a fwd car, you have the aerodynamic balance more towards the front so you get the grip you need to put down power.

05/11/2019 - 15:37 |
0 | 0

All car’s benefit from a rear wing in regards to high speed stability.

Oh, and as overhyped as Nurburgring Nordschleife lap times are, this “illiterate engineering” and “shambolic PC-thinking” car is faster than:
Mercedes E63 S
Porsche Cayman S
BMW M3
BMW M2 Competiton
Porsche Panamera Turbo S
Audi R8 V10
Lotus Exige Cup 380

And the list goes on.

05/11/2019 - 15:51 |
14 | 2

except it actually WORKS.

05/11/2019 - 17:29 |
2 | 0
James Marshall

I think, to be fair, the aero itself isn’t my main problem with the styling of the current Civic Type-R. It’s…well, just how overstyled it is. It looks as if the designers finished with the shape, then spent the whole of the next day going “right, another jutty-outty bit there, another crease here.” I just think it’s awfully messy and cluttered.

05/11/2019 - 15:44 |
10 | 0

This.

And if it wasn’t for the faux vents and such it would feel much cleaner

05/11/2019 - 16:59 |
4 | 0
Anonymous

So Why are we trying to push the FK8 all of the sudden? I thought we were going to just take Daddy Doug’s word that it wasn’t worth our time?

05/11/2019 - 16:46 |
2 | 0
CannedRex24

In reply to by Anonymous (not verified)

do we have to let a single person tell us which car to buy, when every other reviewer do tell us to buy it?

05/11/2019 - 17:31 |
0 | 0