Limited Edition, definitely the most notable feature of this car. If you read the Engine section, you know that cars like these aren't thrown in and out of assembly lines. Only 750 were imported to North America (U.S. and Canada) for the 1997 model year. The only available color for the Type R was Championship White. This color was originally made exclusively for Honda's Formula One race cars and was applied to the Type R to commemorate Honda's true racing heritage. Because of such high demand and the long waiting lists which had accumulated at Acura dealers across the continent, Acura decided in 1998 to import 1500 Type R's to North America in hopes that all the serious enthusiasts would be able to get their hands on the Type R they missed out on in the previous year. The Type R followed the exterior front and rear bumper facelift of the rest of the Integras during this year. In 1999, Acura wanted to establish a more upscale image in the U.S. and the lack of luxury features in the Type R wasn't going to help. The Type R was not imported into the U.S. and only 500 were sent to Canada. This is explained further in the Model History part of the FAQ. In 2000, Acura made up for their mistake for not sending any Type R's to the U.S. in 1999 by importing 2000 Type R's that year into North America. Acura had also decided on some wild changes to the Type R to commemorate it's return as now it was offered in two colors, Phoenix Yellow and Flamenco Black Pearl. The previously painted white alloy wheels were now given a gunmetal finish for a sportier look and to better match the new color selection. Inside, air conditioning was now given to the Type R as a standard feature instead of an option. It had been taken off in the previous years in order to save weight. However, even performance enthusiasts argued that for a $25,000 car, A/C should be standard. An exclusive titanium finished aluminum shift knob replaced the leather-wrapped shift knob which had then become standard on all Integra models. In 2001, Nighthawk Black Pearl replaced Flamenco Black Pearl on all Hondas/Acuras and the Type R was no exception. The color section for the Type R was now Phoenix Yellow and Nighthawk Black Pearl. There were no further changes in model year 2001 except for the infamous Type R exclusive floormats becoming standard as Acura decided to make floormats standard on all Acuras in 2001. In order to signify the Type R's individuality, both the interior and exterior were given exclusive attention to detail, style, and performance. 1997: The front bumper was given a chin spoiler to better direct air flow as well as add a sportier look with lower front ground clearance1998: In 1998, all Integras were given a new front bumper cover and a new chin spoiler was made for the Type R in order to fit the new bumper style.1997-1998--Exclusive lightweight white 15" alloy wheels were equipped which also showed off the Type R exclusive 5-lug pattern. 2000-2001-When the Type R made it's return in the year 2000, the already exclusive wheels were given a brand new finish. The Championship White body color was gone and so were the matching white powdercoated wheels. Instead, the wheels were given a gunmetal finish to better match the Phoenix Yellow and Flamenco Black Pearl color selection.The side rocker panels on on the Type R were painted to match the body color for a higher class look compared with the unpainted black plastic rocker panels used on all other model Integras. In addition, side impact moldings were removed from the door to reduce drag and accentuate the appearance with a "cleaner" look. A mid-size rear wing was added to the trunk lid to reduce lift and distinguish the R as a true track car. The rear wiper and window washer were also removed for aerodynamic and weight savings purposes in 1997. The rear wiper was added back to the Type R in the 1998 model year. The combination of the rear wing and front chin spoiler reduce lift on the Type R by 30% at highway speeds when compared to the GS-R.Type R decals were placed on both of the lower quarter panels and underneath the passenger-side tail light to distinguish it from the rest of the models. Honda wanted to make absolutely sure everyone knew what just blew their doors off ;-) The interior is appointed with a black suede fabric covering the seats and armrest. A mesh fabric is upholstered to the driver contact area of the seat which is designed to keep the driver and passengers glued in place. The suede fabric is hand-sewn together with a highly contrasting red stitching adding a touch of style and sportiness to the Type R's interior. Embedded into the armrest lies an engraved plate displaying the serial number of this limited edition car. With the return of the Type R in 2000, the now standard leather shift knob was replaced with an exclusive titanium finished aluminum shift knob. Carbon fiber trim is added to specific dash pieces to compliment the interior. The dash controls and instrument panel on the Type R remain mostly unchange except now they emit an amber colored glow at night rather than the standard white illumination. The heart and soul of the Type R, the infamous B18C specR engine showed the world what engineering was all about. Named the B18C5 in the U.S., the engine was able to crank out 195HP out of only 1.8 liters (1797cc) of displacement thanks to Honda's legendary DOHC VTEC system. Such specific output was unheard of in the consumer automobile industry. Of course neither was the 8400 RPM redline, making the B18 specR the highest revving consumer available engine in world history during the time of it's release. The Type R showed it wasn't kidding when it said the R stood for Racing. Engine:Take a look at the cross sectional view of Type R's engine. The numbers reflect parts that were changed or re-designed from the B18C engine already equipped in the GS-R. 1. Throttle body diameter increased to 62mm. The larger throttle body allowed better airflow which was needed in order to meet the higher demand for air placed on the intake whenever the engine crossed over into the VTEC range. 2. A single port intake manifold replaced the dual-stage manifold in the GS-R (see Intake Manifold picture) The single port design allowed much better flow during the higher RPMs at the cost of having the torque peak occur at a very high 7000 RPMs. 3. The valves were upgraded in order to increase airflow efficiency and and keep up with the higher demand placed on them by the fuel injection system. The angle of the valve seat opening was tightened from the original 60 degrees to a much smoother 45 degrees. In order to deliver more fuel, bigger valves were required. Bigger valves meant more weight and unwanted load on the valve train, so Honda shaved the valve cone to it's limit, and reduced the valve shaft width was reduced from 5.5mm to 4.6mm. The larger valves end up being 12% lighter than GS-R's valves as well as improved airflow because of the thinner valve stems. The ports were also improved as each Type R engine is hand ported and polished by Honda's best and most skilled engineers. This allowed the port radius to exactly match the valve seat face allowing for almost no restriction of air flow. 4. The valve springs were changed from cylindrical to flat, and made of dual-bound springs. This allowed for reliable spring performance throughout the RPM range up to the 8400 RPM redline without having to alter the height of the spring. 5. The camshaft lobes were changed to give the valves better lift and increase peak horsepower. The intake valve lift distance was increased from 10.6mm to 11.5mm. The exhaust valve lift distance was also increased from 9.4mm to 10.5mm. To meet the higher demands of the increased valve lift, the valve timing was also changed. The intake was advanced from 10 degrees to 15 degrees after piston apex and from 40 degrees to 45 degrees before piston base. The exhaust timing was also advanced from 40 to 45 degrees ABDC and from 7 to 10 degrees ATDC. These changes caused the valves to be open for a longer amount of time, allowing a much larger volume of air to enter the combustion chamber. Because of the increase in cam lift and duration, the VTEC point was bumped up to 5700 RPMs in order to take full advantage of the low speed cam lobe and minimize intake velocity loss during the transition to the high cam lobe. 6. Forged aluminum, pent-roof type pistons were used in order to safely increase the compression ratio from 10.0:1 to 10.6:1. The piston skirt was made lighter to reduce load on the engine. Lightening the piston in such a way can cause the neck to rock back and forth when a small, uneven amount of friction is applied to the piston. To prevent this, a 5 micron Molybdenum coating was applied to the piston skirts to reduce friction. Also, oil injectors were installed into the underside of the piston to improve piston-pin lubrication. 7. The connecting rods were made lighter and more rigid. There is a 33% improvement in their surface machining allowing for almost no weight difference between them. All contact surfaces are also mirror finished in the same fashion as professional race cars. The rods assembled by hand onto the crankshaft using a custom micrometer to take into account stretching of the connecting rod bolt. This allows for a 38% reduction in bolt fastening variation. No machine can achieve this kind of precision and is required to ensure there are no dangerous vibrations during high engine speeds. 8. The crankshaft is also made with highly rigid steel, increasing it's fatigue limit 25% over the GS-R's crankshaft. Two additional balancing weights were added to create a fully counter-weighted (8 weight) crankshaft improving high-speed balance by 20%. The crankshaft and connecting rods must assembled together by hand in order to maintain such precision. 9. A highly rigid aluminum die-cast engine block stiffener has been equipped between the engine block and transmission mount. This is necessary to keep the engine and transmission from undergoing unusual strain under extreme driving conditions such as auto-crossing or track racing. The above mentioned changes were done on the engine's interior, there were also a couple modifications to the engine on it's exterior as well. Take a look at the intake picture you can see the Type R comes stock with a cold air induction system, something EVERY import enthusiast knows must be equipped onto a tuned engine. A smoother flowing tapered exhaust manifold was also designed for the Type R. This design is almost impossible to create on mass-produced engines because of the manufacturing time and cost that is required to create a one-piece exhaust manifold with no sharp edges to disrupt the airflow. The piping in the exhaust system was increased from the varying 48.6mm-50.8mm diameter to a full 57.2mm diameter all the way through. The larger exhaust piping combined with a a more free-flowing muffler allowed for a 30% increase in exhaust flow efficiency. As if you can't tell already, the B18C specR engine is quite an achievement. As mentioned above the valve ports get a hand port and polish job by Honda's best engineers. Not only that, in order to maintain the precision and flawlessness of the engine, engineers also assemble parts of the engine block by hand, assuring everything stays according to exact spec. This process is a painstaking one and limits production of Type R engines to only 25 per day. No mass production here, this engine is going to be put into a limited edition vehicle. The USDM spec B18C5 is able to put out 195HP @ 8000RPM and 130 ft-lbs. torque @ 7000RPM. suspension
ouble wishbone suspension, developed for race cars designed to tear around a track it's no wonder Honda decides to equip the coilover setup onto most all of their cars. The Type R is no exception and has refined the suspension to work with the chassis to deliver the most solid driving experience available. They don't call it the "Best handling FWD car in the world" for nothing. 1. In front, stiffer springs keep the Type R cornering with absolute precision and predictability. The spring rate has risen 22% from the rest of the Integra crowd. The springs are responsible for the Type R's slightly harsher ride when compared with other Integras. The stiffness isn't extreme, but it's not going to be absorbing any road lumps for you as the Type R keeps it's driver intimately in contact with the road at all times . 2. Special gas-pressurized dampers equipped with Honda's Progressive Valve system to allow change in dampening force depending on driver demands. Compression damping force has been increased 115% while rebound damping force increased 70%. 3. For the rear, progressive rate springs are equipped to keep things comfortable during the daily drive while firming up to demand when a soft suspension just won't cut it. There is also a 22% increase in maximum stiffness on the rear springs. 4. The rear dampers have been upgraded to 66% stiffer in compression damping force and 31% stiffer in rebound damping forcetranny:A close-ratio 5 speed manual transmission has been equipped in order to keep the Type R's engine in harmonious balance between peak horsepower and torque with each throw of the tightly constructed gearbox. Gear Ratio (x:1) 1st 3.230 2nd 2.105 3rd 1.458 4th 1.107 5th 0.848 Reverse 3.000 Final Drive 4.400 A torque-sensing Limited Slip Differential has been added to the Type R's transmission in order to improve cornering speed and control. The standard Open Differential was replaced because of it's limitations when faced with real cornering situations. When accelerating into a turn, the speed of the inside drive wheel is spinning at a significantly lower speed than the outside drive wheel. This happens because the inside wheel has less of a distance to travel than the outside wheel in the same given amount of time. Open Differentials do not allow any difference of torque to be transmitted between drive wheels. An Open Differential will attempt to transmit power equally between drive wheels causing the wheel with less traction (usually the inside drive wheel) to spinout causing the driver to have less control of the car as well as torque being wasted by the wheel that has lost traction. The Torsen LSD interconnects drive axles with Invex gearing which allows a maximum specific ratio (bias ratio) of torque differentiation to be transmitted to each wheel. This allows the Torsen Differential to transmit the necessary amount of torque to each drive wheel in order to maintain traction of both wheels when accelerating through a turn. An LSD is a must when considering performance on a race track. Open Differentials do not provide enough traction control in order to maintain cornering balance required when taking a turn at high speeds. Combined that with the race track worthy suspension, the Type R shows itself to be a formidable opponent on the track against cars which would completely outclass it on the street. chassis:A good suspension needs an equally good chassis to control or it will all be for nothing. One of the major chassis improvements to the Type R are the front and rear anti-roll bars (also called sway bars) located underneath the car. The front uses the same size 24mm sway bar as the GS-R, however on the Type R the bar is a ball-joint type which mounts to the car and gives the highest degree of rigidity. The rear raises the standard as a 22mm sway bar replaces the 14mm sway bar equipped on the GS-R. The larger rear sway bar allows for much less body roll and decreases understeer to a dramatic degree to give the Type R almost neutral handling. 1. Aluminum front strut tower bar. The bar has been made stiffer than the GS-R's strut tower bar in order to more tightly hold the unit-body chassis together and minimize chassis flex up front. The bar has also been given a polished silver finish complete with a "Type R" decal to enhance engine bay looks. 2. Larger upper pillars and a thicker roof rail have been added to increase safety in the event of a high speed collision resulting in a roll-over (this is a track car remember). 3. The rear wheelhouse and arch extension have been made thicker and stronger to increase overall stiffness in the rear and help reduce understeer. 4. Thicker rear damper gussets have been equipped to handle the increased coilover stiffness and sway bar size. 5. The rear lower arm bracket has been strengthened to meet the demands of the larger 22mm sway bar. 6. An aluminum tie bar has been fitted to the rear crossmember to better hold the unibody chassis together and minimize chassis-flex in the rear. It functions similar to the strut tower bar up front (1) only it connects the underside of the suspension together rather than the top. A rear strut tower bar is equipped on the JDM models however it was deleted for the U.S. model. 7. Another polished aluminum bar has been attached to the absolute rear of the chassis to aid in minimizing chassis flex in the rear. Type R's only exsist 1997-2001 excluding 1999
18 Aug 2007, 08:09 am
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