275HP Civic type r Tuned by J's racing

Taken from website http://www.dragsport.com/issue/2008/1108_feat_article.shtml

J's Racing Delivers a Civic Worthy of Type-R Status

Text and Photos by Richard Fong

The Honda "Type R" badge defined performance in the early 1990's for sport compact enthusiasts around the globe. The release of the Integra Type-R and Civic Type-R in Japan gave the Honda revolution a firm push forward. These competitive Honda platforms dominated a number of racing series throughout the world. The public release of the first Type-R models put owners in an elite category, with the highest-output B-series engines to roll off of Honda's assembly lines. With the distinctive red valve cover, track-inspired suspension and a more rigid chassis, the Type R's dominated the Japanese N1 competitions.

J's Racing of Osaka, Japan has delivered high-performance tuned Hondas for both the street driver as well as the circuit competitor. To the company president Junichi Umemoto, this 2007 Honda Civic Type-R FD2 embodies the competitive spirit of its predecessors. Recognizing the potential of the new Civic, J's Racing began the process of research and development.

New Car, New Plan

J's Racing first addressed the FD2 project under the hood. The factory K20A block features an 86mm x 86mm bore and stroke dimension and a high compression ratio of 11.7:1. For this street-tuned application, J's Racing left the longblock in factory trim. On the front side, the K20A factory intake system was upgraded with a J's Racing-Tsuchinoko carbon-fiber air intake. The carbon-fiber intake system draws air from the cooler corner of the engine bay by the firewall. By its very nature, the carbon-fiber intake resists heat-soak from the engine bay to ensure that cooler, denser air finds its way to the J's Racing DBW SPL throttle body. This J's Racing piece takes the place of the factory throttle body at the inlet of the intake manifold. Facing the firewall, a J's Racing stainless-steel header routes spent gases from the exhaust ports to the J's Racing 70RR titanium exhaust. According to J's Racing, this combination yielded 276 horsepower and 204 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel.

In order to harness the power of the K20A, an Exedy Hyper-Single clutch manufactured to J's Racing's specification was bolted to the crankshaft. Once the power travels through the factory 6-speed gearbox, a J's Racing 1.5-way limited-slip differential splits the power between the front wheels.

Stiff Stuff

To suspend the FD2 chassis, the factory struts were swapped out in favor of a set of J's Racing SPL double-adjustable coilovers. The SPL coilovers make height adjustment a simple process, while Hyperco 10.7 kgf/mm springs up front and 16.1 kgf/mm springs in the rear provide the preload to give the FD2 confidence in the corners. To reduce the flex that occurs between the shock towers under cornering, J's Racing front and rear shock tower braces were fitted. J's Racing SPL floor bars further stiffen the chassis; while a set of lower tie bars reinforce the sub frame.

To take full advantage of the revised suspension, a set of forged 18x9.5-inch Volk Racing RE30 aluminum wheels mounted with Yokohama Advan A048 tires are fitted at all four corners. The 225/40R18 tires deliver the adhesion necessary for spirited driving in an urban jungle. To slow the Civic's roll, J's Racing 6-piston front calipers clamp down on Seido-ya N1500 brake pads. A J's Racing large rotor conversion kit increases the diameter of the rear brakes for improved heat dissipation and reduced brake fade. J's Racing stainless-steel braided brake lines deliver hydraulic fluid to all four calipers which translates into improved brake response and feel.