The Honda Civic FK8 Type R is a lean, mean, driving machine. Honda did a very good job of making a high-performance car derived from the traditional Honda Civic we all know and love. Most performance hatchbacks look bland, but the Honda Civic Type R is aggressive from whatever angle you look at it.
One simple glance at the Honda Civic FK8 Type R and you’ll see all the best features embedded in it. Aggressive styling, performance, handling – you name it. It looks like the best, it feels like the best, and overall is the best.
It doesn’t need any more improvements, right?
Wrong! There are tons of modifications out there that will make your Type R more badass than it already is. Most modifications involve body kits and cosmetics that can make your car look meaner than it already is, but there are also mods made to make your car perform even better.
Below is the list of the aftermarket modifications you can purchase to add more value to your car’s performance. These can enhance your car’s capabilities in terms of performance and handling. Check them out!
#1 Cold Air Intake Systems
Imagine your Honda Civic FK8 Type R as a living being. For it to function better it needs a few things like fuel, oxygen, and exercise. Fuel to keep its body filled with energy so it can move, oxygen so it can breathe, and exercise as an excuse to drive your car around. The oxygen part is vital to your car’s “health”.
If you want to maximize your car’s potential, you need to help it breathe better. That’s why an intake system is needed. It promotes forces ambient cold air into your engine to help it burn the fuel more effectively.
When the fuel is 100% burnt, there will be fewer emissions and more power created. More power created means faster and better-performing cars.
A good intake will help your car breathe. A great intake on the other hand will help your car breathe while improving its acceleration, uphill performance, and generate an additional substantial amount of power.
Intake systems like the K&N Cold Air Intake Kit is a good place to start if you don’t know where to begin looking for quality cold-air intakes.
#2 ECU Tuning
The current Honda Civic Type R is already engineered to produce as much power as it can, but what if we told you that the power this car has can be revved up by a couple of notches? Yes, you can do that by tuning your FK8 Type R.
Tuning up a car? How does it work? By changing the parameters of the OEM software that your car has, it dramatically changes how your engine behaves. Some of the parameters that can be altered include rev limiters, ignition timing, and VVT/CVVT.
Some of the additional tuning parameters can also be added to your car, like launch control and boost-by-gear. It can even remove unwanted features in your car! Of course, it depends on your car’s platform so make sure to pick the right one for your FK8 Type R.
#3 Intercoolers
Intercoolers are made to cool down the hot air forced down to your engine. Since the Honda Civic FK8 Type R is a turbocharged monstrosity, hot air will always be forced down to your engines. We don’t like that.
That’s why intercoolers cool down the hot air forced by the turbocharger to make the hot air cool.
Cool air means more oxygen. More oxygen means more spontaneous combustion in your engine, which produces more power. The Honda Civic FK8 Type R uses a front mount cooler, mounted obviously on the front.
The OEM intercooler is great and all, but frankly, your car can do better than that.
Aftermarket intercoolers are available to optimize your car’s heat management and turn the turbocharged hot air into a cold one. If you have no idea where to start, check out the Mishimoto Performance Intercooler Kit.
#4 Exhaust Systems
Another way to improve your car’s performance in terms of power increase is by installing aftermarket cat-back or axle-back exhaust systems. They look nice, they sound even nicer, and they produce a significant amount of additional horsepower to make your FK8 Type R perform even better.
There are various exhaust systems available out there on the market. The Honda Civic FK8 Type R exhaust usually has three exhaust exit pipes, but some have two or one. The exhaust system is also hugely responsible for that devilishly awesome growling sound.
You may be a newbie when it comes to aftermarket cat-back exhausts for the FK8 Type R, and that’s okay! If you are one, you can start checking out one of the best exhausts out there, the AFE Takeda Cat-Back Exhaust System.
#5 Suspension
Suspension upgrades are one of the most underrated modifications for a car, especially for the Honda Civic FK8 Type R. This car is has a strangely tall ride height, capable of catering 20” wheels.
If you want smaller wheels for your FK8 Type R, you need to install suspension modifications; preferably coilovers or lowering springs.
Coilovers are the typical choice for those who have the budget to make their FK8 Type Rs lowered. It can give you benefits like adjustable drops in height and adjustable dampers. Otherwise, you can settle for lowering springs, which are the cheaper alternative.
You can start with the Tein S-Tech for the lowering springs and HKS Hipermax IV for the coilovers.
Equipping your Honda Civic FK8 Type R with the right performance modifications will not only grab the attention of more people, but it will tremendously boost your car’s performance capabilities.