Project Civic Si: The Ultimate Track and Road Car?

It’s a street car that excels on track. Or maybe it’s a track car that’s totally benign on the street.

Either way, our 2019 Honda Civic Si continued to impress us this past weekend at our Tire Rack Ultimate Track Car Challenge as it was used to give media rides.

Prep was easy. It’s a Honda, right? We’re still running the stock tires but figured that we should replace the brake pads so we could start the day at VIR with a fresh set.

Once on the ground at VIR, pre-event prep was easy and minimal: Give the car a bath and torqued the lugs. The Civic then spent the day cycling through media rides. Publisher Tim Suddard was at the wheel, and the VSA was left in the default (on) setting. Here’s what he reports back:

“The new Civic Si is a true delight on track. We drove it one lap at a time, all day, with no problems at VIR, one of the fastest tracks in America. This car is easy to drive. I think my mom, who doesn’t race, could get this car around VIR safely. It is that easy to drive fast. How fast? We hit 115 miles per hour at the end of the front race in spirited, but not all-out race laps. The seats, pedals and other interior ergonomics fall readily to hand or foot and are quite conducive to track work. Power delivery is smooth and while not awe inspiring, very adequate for this type of car. The brakes are up to the task and are smooth and progressive to apply. Gear ratios are perfectly spaced for track work, too. The chassis is very communicative and has very little understeer, decent turn-in and, again, while too soft for serious track work, goes where it is pointed and has zero vices. During media rides, we constantly had people asking how we had modified the car to handle and run so well. They were shocked when we told them it was a brand-new, completely stock Civic with just 2000 miles on it. When we told them that the car is priced less than $25,000, as equipped, they are even more perplexed.”

Nancy handled the street driving for this trip–about 600 miles each way. Her comments:

“The Civic Si was a great car for my road trip. It handled great and had lots of get up and go. One thing I noticed is that it didn’t have any blinds spots; I could see everything I needed to see. The radio was kick-ass. I need music when I’m on the road, and it delivered. The CarPlay feature was great: I had navigation and could talk hands-free when I had to. It was mostly comfortable, but I’m not sure how many cars would be comfortable for a 10-hour drive. The only flaw, if you will, is that the doors are big. You have to be careful when you pull up to a gas pump. Overall, it was a fun car. I miss having a stick shift every now and then and this gave me the chance to drive one for a bit and now I’m good for a while.”

One item she added later: Letting the car sit all day turned the shift knob into the center of the sun.

What does the car need after some 1200 highway miles plus a full day lapping VIR? A bath and an oil change.

Fortunately we have a coupon from our local Honda dealer: $39 for a full-synthetic oil change, including a genuine Honda oil filter, a car wash, and an alignment check. We can’t barely purchase the oil and filter alone for that sum. As an added bonus, we could schedule the appointment online, with slots offered in 20-minute increments.

The plan is to do it on the way into the office. Quick and simple.

 

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