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.
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.
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?
Comments
I think it looks so cool
Negative lift, or as normal people say it; downforce.
Negative lift sounds more engineering-y tho 😂
“Planes use negative downforce to fly”
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.
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
I am agree; if the new design is more simplicity, without all these fake vent, I would like this car more.
Article sounds like it was written by a disgruntled 12 year old, honestly the quality of this site is going downhill real quick.
write your own article then.
lets see how good that would be….
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
Says the 12-year-old troll…
comment sounds like it was written by a disgruntled 12 year old, honestly the quality of the comments is going downhill real quick
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.
In the flesh it’s not bad. It’s like the WRX STI but no one complains about that
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).
if you like it who cares
so the real question is,
did you drive it through Halfords?
“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
i OnLy DriVe rWD cArS bCoZ ThEiR tHe BeSt
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.
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.
except it actually WORKS.
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.
This.
And if it wasn’t for the faux vents and such it would feel much cleaner
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?
do we have to let a single person tell us which car to buy, when every other reviewer do tell us to buy it?