You just got your Type R or maybe you've been wanting to mod yours for a while. The excitement is real. You can go in any direction. You just want to get that thing in the garage and put something on it! You probably have an idea of what you want to start with. But if you don't, or you want to compare notes, here's our list of the best first mods to check out for your Civic Type R. This is a fool proof list that will send your Type R in a solid direction and even prep it for life after bolt-ons.
I've recognized a few trends when people first start modifying. They either don't have a clue what to get, they want to reinvent the wheel, or they just overthink it. This isn't everyone. But typically, it's just really hard to understand what the right path is if you've never been down it. The following list is what I would personally do to a Type R first, for getting the most out of the car without making too big of a dent in the reliability department. This is definitely not the only path. These are only suggestions. But if you followed this list to the "T", you'd end up with a very respectable Type R.
Tune It. Immediately. The Type R is begging for it. You would think with over 300 horsepower coming from a 2.0 liter, Honda didn't leave much on the table. But we're not in Kansas anymore. With any route you go, a basic off-the-shelf tune is going to give you about 40-50 more wheel hp and torque (!!!), a difference that completely transforms the car. Turbo tech is so far beyond what it used to be 20-30 years ago, even stock turbos pack a huge punch. None of the OEM's are stretching their turbos to the limit on the stock tune. For reliability's sake, a turbo needs to stay closer to its highest efficiency island (compressor map talk) to last a long time. That means if you're willing to push it harder, the power threshold of the turbo is higher than what Honda set it at. That said, tuning a Type R is going to spin the turbo faster than what it's designed to for longevity. It can still last a long time while tuned if you don't drive like a bat out of hell and race it constantly. No promises, but I would not be worried about a turbo failure anytime soon if the car is healthy, you're tuned, and you enjoy the occasional highway pull or 1st through 3rd rip session.
There are three major tuning platforms on the market today - Cobb Tuning, Hondata, and KTuner (FK8 only at this time). Hondata is by far the most popular as they released software early and have plenty of features necessary for any level of party mode. KTuner doesn't seem to be a popular option among FK8 owners, due to a lack of overall support and features, according to many Type R owners. They are much more popular with the 1.5T crowd. You also must send your ECU in to unlock the ability to tune it, while the ECU stays in the car with the other two devices.
Cobb Tuning was late to the Type R game when they released their tuning solution in December, 2023. But don't look past them. They make an extremely capable tuner that will continue to gain features as time goes on. Cobb already released some custom features within about three months after they initially released the AccessPort.
There are some key differences between the three so make sure you understand what you're getting before you get one.
"Tune It. Immediately. The Type R is begging for it."
An intake system is a good idea for a few reasons. The two most common reasons to get one are making more power and making your turbo and bypass valve more audible. You make more power by making it easier for your turbo to grab more air coming in. The turbo becomes much more noticeable during spool-up and the signature "whoosh" when you let off the throttle is what all turbo owners get to enjoy, so enjoy it more with an upgraded intake.
When you do this might be dependent on your generation of Type R but you should definitely get one regardless. For a FK8, it's more important to do this earlier since the MAF sensor has the ability to be maxed out while only tuning the car, even with no bolt-ons. If you don't know what that means, the MAF sensor uses a 5 volt range to tell the ECU how much air is entering the engine. If you crank up the boost and send more air into the engine, you can reach that 5V measurement threshold and put the car in temporary limp mode. Not fun. The solution to this is either getting a different MAF sensor with a larger range or getting an intake with a larger diameter MAF housing. Tuning changes are required for both. If you're dead set on an intake with a stock size MAF housing, no worries. The MAF sensor upgrade will do the job.
For the FL5, it features a frequency output MAF sensor which extends the range of the sensor slightly and reduces the requirement for this issue to be solved as soon. Feel free to tune the car as far as you feel comfortable in stock form with the FL5's MAF sensor range.
This isn't the exciting, "can't wait to install it the night I get it" type of mod to most people. Technically, it's not necessary. Is any mod though?
Intake systems get dirty because crank case pressure, which carries oil vapor and combustion particulates, recirculates back into the intake system. Luckily, the CTR stays fairly clean compared to some other platforms. I think that's probably because of how well Honda puts this engine together.
But still, if you're looking to make more power, drive the car a lot, push it on track days, or anything that would make you care about the long term performance and efficiency of the car, it's not a huge price to pay to throw on a catch can or two. Two is the most you'd need, one for the PCV system and one for the crank case vent (CCV).
Stick with a PCV version if you only get one. If you're tracking your car, get both. If you're not pinching pennies and like to have the nicest stuff, that's also a reason to get both. We put a set of Radium cans on our own FK8 Type R and they're beautiful.
When you keep it in place better, the car feels more solid and predictable. It also helps the tires grab the pavement better since it's providing a more solid foundation to push off from. It actually helps shift better too, since the transmission isn't moving around as much during all that action. It's probably one of the highest value mods you can get. Lots of performance gain for a little amount of money.
If you've never done a rear motor mount on a "torquey" front wheel drive platform before, thank me later.
This can be considered an opinion. But if you're reading this, don't you care about listening to your own version of those sweet exhaust pulses singing in your ear? I definitely do. Especially compared to the version coming from your speakers - don't get me started.
Exhaust upgrades don't always have to be obnoxious or too loud if that's what you're scared of. But they are definitely worth the upgrade, in my opinion. More power, better style, and turned heads are all a plus in my book. There are tons to choose from. On the Type R, you can stick with more of a run-of-the-mill type of exhaust or get one of the handful out there with some serious design and fabrication behind it.
Most OEM intercoolers are so lame your mom might point out that yours is still stock. They are so terrible at heat transfer when the boost is moving through and it really shows. Hot days will show the most. Timing gets pulled, boost gets dialed back. The increase in manifold air temperature during a single 3rd or 4th gear pull from 3,000rpm to 7,000rpm is sickening. Having seen how the stock Type R intercooler performs, it could be worse. But it still sucks. Even on a cool day at sea level, the manifold air temps will rise 40 degrees and even worse in the summer. A nice aftermarket intercooler keeps that around +10 degrees at any outside temperature range, a sign of much better efficiency.
"Most OEM intercoolers are so lame your mom might point out that yours is still stock."
Another opinion incoming. Some people care to upgrade the wheels more than others. It's a big chunk of change compared to the the others on the list and in some cases, you can put on spacers and a different tire and still have a clean setup while using the stock wheels.
Overall appearance improves so significantly with a new set, especially on the FK8. I think the FL5 can look much better with stock wheels than the FK8. I don't believe the 20" wheels were the right call by Honda but I'm sure they had their reasons. To be honest, I've experienced something interesting on our own FK8 where I think the inertia from the heavier 20" wheel helps with forward traction a bit more than a lighter 18" wheel. Maybe Honda knows what they're doing...maybe.
But either way, I think the consensus is that 18" wheels look the best and many choose to go the 19" route which is solid too. Both are better than the 20" stockers on the FK8, in my humble opinion. There are a handful of wheel sizes that allow for a much more flush fitment and a wider, meatier tire, too.
Speaking of which, with 18's, your tire choice goes through the roof and you'll probably spend less too. FL5 and FK8 have the same 5x120 bolt pattern, 64.1mm hub bore, and M14x1.5 threads. So you don't have to look for wheels specific to either generation. What worked on a FK8 will work on a FL5, and vice versa, for the most part.
If wheels are peanut butter, coilovers are jelly.
Obviously, the right set of coilovers will allow for better handling and are the single biggest contributor on the chassis to how fast your car can go through the twisties. If you've spent any time at the track, I don't have to tell you this. But for those that want to finally give it a shot for yourself, a new suspension setup makes track days so much better (don't forget about that alignment and brake upgrade, too...😉).
They're equally effective for street use. Generally, the more money you spend on suspension, the better suited it is for a wider range of road conditions, while still having great side-to-side performance. This means that you can buy a really bad ass set of coilovers for the track and they are still comfortable going down that future construction zone on the way home. You can absolutely have both.
Equally important to the casual enthusiast is the height adjustability. In order to make the best use of the new wheel offset, you gotta bring those fenders down to the perfect spot.
There's just no way this is an upgrade I saw coming 25 years ago when I was in high school, dreaming of having something to modify. Obviously, it's because of how digitally networked cars are these days that allow for mods like this to exist. But damn this is cool.
Although it's completely unnecessary and is, in fact, a safety downgrade because of the removal of the airbag, it can absolutely change your experience with the car. I personally feel with how aggressive Honda went with the styling of the Type R in 2017, this falls right in line. With how customizable the settings are, it's a sure bet for how much enjoyment comes from it.
Every single time you get in your car and every single second you're behind the wheel, you're experiencing the modification. A huge value play.
This is sort of where you step past the "first mods" boundary and into a little more serious business. However, flexfuel systems are designed to make a great fueling upgrade an easy affair.
Platforms that don't have plug and play flexfuel available are forced to use different maps for different ethanol mixtures. You have to spend more time making precise fuel mixtures at fuel up rather than just putting the E85 nozzle in, giving it a few gallons, and driving away without worry like flexfuel offers. So technically, flexfuel isn't necessary to use ethanol in your Type R, it just makes it more convenient.
If you don't know why this is on the list, it's because ethanol is a way better fuel than standard pump gas and can help you safely make more power than 93 octane ever will with the exact same car (without considering overall fueling limitations), along with some other benefits.
"...ethanol is a way better fuel than standard pump gas and can help you make more power than 93 octane ever will..."
All three factory ECU tuning solutions mentioned earlier allow for custom tuning, where a qualified professional (I would hope) is in charge of taking the tune a little further, giving you a little more power than what the off-the-shelf map did. Once you've modified the car with a handful of bolt-ons, it's usually a good idea to get a custom tune done anyway since the off-the-shelf maps are typically calibrated for a more basic set of modifications, if any. Different air conditions (high altitude, varying temperatures, etc) influence how well the tune works for the car too. Usually, you can dial it in a little better when you have full control of the settings.
If you don't mind footing the bill, custom tuning can be done immediately after getting your device, and then again at any time you make major modifications that require further refinement. Check out what we did on our own FK8 with absolutely no parts, over and above what the Cobb Tuning OTS map gave us.
GREEN LINE - Cobb Stage 1 OTS Tune
RED LINE - Edge Autosport Custom Tuning
You've probably noticed, but Type R community has a deep affinity for anything carbon fiber. It seems like a much more common upgrade than just about any other car in it's price range, even more than what a lot of European enthusiasts like to do. Edge Autosport approved.
Of course, it's lightweight and strong, but damn it looks so good too. Nothing gives off the right styling cues quite like carbon fiber. A hood, wing, interior trim, side skirts, grille, engine cover....whatever it is, carbon will make your Type R much more spicy. You can make some subtle carbon enhancements or go completely overboard. Your call.