MATT HIBBERT - CIVIC TYPE R

WHEN Honda introduced the Civic Type R in 2001 it became an overnight success and has retained a place in many enthusiasts hearts ever since.
The combination of its sleek styling and most of all its VTEC engine that delivered 197 bhp in a crescendo of revs, and the way that the engine kicked again above 6,000 rpm, made every journey in the car an adrenalin rush.
However, the Type R wasn’t perfect and if you had never before experienced understeer or discovered just how easy it was to light up the front tyres of a powerful FWD performance hatchback mid-corner – especially in the wet, on a tight bend or at a junction – then the Honda provided a quick lesson.
UK-spec cars lacked the limited slip differential fitted to the Japanese market versions and Honda said that this was to retain the steering purity. It did, but many thought the car a bit nervy on the limit as a result.
Some after-market companies have done very well selling and fitting suspension kits and one of the best known in ABP Motorsport in Shavington, South Cheshire.
Its staff are well versed in all things Type R and none more so than Matt Hibbert, a member of the Technical Sales team who owns this Civic.
Matt’s had it for around 12 months and has added a few tweaks that he says transform the handling.
He said: “We have found with some customers’ Type Rs that they have had positive camber on one front wheel and negative on the other – I suppose at least that means they would turn-in well in one direction (!) but it just proves how badly set up many of these cars are.
“What I’ve got on my car is height-adjustable coil-over spring/dampers with camber adjustments and the difference it makes is amazing. We can all but eliminate understeer and improve traction and it makes the car so much more stable.’’
The car sits around 30mm lower and with anti-roll bars front and rear plus a chassis strut at the front, O.Z. alloys and sticky rubber but that’s about it for the handling package.
Set up for what Matt calls a fast road spec, the ride is about ten per cent stiffer than standard, enough to make a difference but not so much that it becomes unbearable on our appalling roads.
Matt has fitted bigger discs but retained the standard Type R callipers. Hauling the car down from high speed is not a problem, he says.
Engine wise, a new induction system and exhaust pushes peak power from 197 to 225 bhp.
Total cost for all these bits? Around £3,000. The result? A transformation.
Matt said: “The Type R was amazing from day one but it just needed a bit more development to let the chassis make the most of that engine and that’s what we do at ABP Motorsport.
“My car is much better balanced through a corner and under heavy braking than the standard one and nicer to drive. It’s set up for a fast road package so it is a bit stiffer on the springs and dampers and the anti-roll bar but it is not a track car, I still want to be able to drive it around town.
“That said, I can definitely feel the benefits through a corner because this car is a big improvement. With that little bit more power and the chassis to harness it, and with better steering feedback, I’m really happy with what we’ve done.’’
Who needs a limited slip differential anyway?